Patent ID: 8216013

Claim:
A device for use in body surfing comprising a left and a right fin element, each affixable to a respective left and right leg of a person, each having: a guide assembly affixable to a thigh of the leg, comprising an arcuate base and at least one guide element extending circumferentially around at least a portion of the base, the base affixable to a front portion of the thigh, each guide element comprising at least two fixation elements spaced apart circumferentially; a belt rail having a track therein and positionable adjacent a waist of the person; an upper fin having a top edge positionable beneath the waist, the upper fin slidably affixable to the belt rail adjacent the top edge and removably anchorable to at least two of the fixation elements, for permitting upper fin rotational positioning relative to a longitudinal axis of the leg at a plurality of orientations thereto, at least one of the orientations comprising the upper fin substantially parallel to a torso plane of the person; and a lower fin slidably engaged with the upper fin and longitudinally movable between a stowed position wherein a top edge thereof substantially aligns with the upper fin top edge and a deployed position at least partially beneath the upper fin; wherein: the upper fin has an inner edge having a top portion extending from the top edge, the top portion substantially parallel to the outer edge, and an arcuate bottom portion adjacent the top portion, the bottom portion flaring outward, so that a width along the top portion is greater than a width along the bottom portion; wherein the the guide element comprises a first and a second guide element affixed in substantially parallel, spaced-apart orientation to the base, and the fixation elements comprise a pair of spaced-apart cutouts extending along the longitudinal axis, the cutouts on the first guide element longitudinally aligned with the corresponding cutouts on the second guide element; the upper fin has an arcuate rear surface having a first and a second track therein dimensioned for slidably admitting the first and the second guide elements thereinto, the first and the second track having pair of spaced-apart, longitudinally extending holes therethrough, a spacing between the holes dimensioned for alignment with the guide element cutouts; and the device further comprises a spring-loaded pin affixed to the upper fin, the pins positioned to align with the cutouts and the upper fin holes and movable between a first position threading the cutouts and holes and a second position disengaged from the holes and at least the cutouts in one of the first and the second track, the pins biased to the first position.