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+--- Thread: MONOfin (/showthread.php?tid=464)
MONOfin - freedivernd - 03-11-2003
Anyone
familiar with monofins.. I need new neoprene socks and am going to place an order but get killed on the shipping so am considering a new monofin to get shipped with 'em.. from diveinn.com ( ) do you think it would be wrong to go with the cheapest fin? I train almost daily with the bi-fins (pure carbons and gara hf2000) and have looked at the Waterway, which I hear have good fins... is a monofin something I need? or just want? pluses - minuses? Save the money??Fred
Re:MONOfin - Freedive WI - 03-11-2003
Fred,
I have a Waterway's monofin from Canada. It is the exact same fin as the FINIS, but it comes from Canada and not the US which makes it 1/3 the price!!. They are both made in Russia I believe.
It is a fun toy and I have been in the water with Eric Fattah when he was using his to do warm up dives to 220'+. After watching him and noting that all of the world record constant ballast dives are being done with them I went and bought one last summer. It gives you great speed to get back to the surface from depth.
It does have it's drawbacks though. They are almost worthless for spearfishing. They cramp your feet and I find that I can't wear mine for more than 20 minutes at a time. Since I like to be in the water for 3-6 hours at a crack when I go freedivng this just doesn't cut it.
Sebak has a new mono out with full foot pockets on it, but it hasn't gotten very good reviews from the big boys. It is comfortable, but they seem to think that a good pair of C4's will work better if you dolphin kick with them compared to that mono.
They also are not that good for surface swimming. I had to rescue some bubble-blower out on one of the wrecks this past summer with mine on and I was totally spent after pushing him back to the boat. My bi-fins would have been slower, but easier on my legs. They also stink for scuba diving.
Since you can get a waterway monifin for less than the price of a goofy pair of "split fins" I would go for it. They are a fun toy to play with.
I recently picked up a new pair of C4 (40's) this winter after selling off some of my stage bottles (for trimix diving) and have only been able to use them in the lake once in January. I am hoping to use them a lot this summer. At that point I will be able to see if they work as well as a mono. they are certainly much more comfortable.
I would stay away form the mono's on the DIVEINN site as I don't know that much about them and the Waterway fins are cheaper. World records have been set on the Waterway fins- 300' so far!
Jon
Re:MONOfin - Freedive WI - 03-11-2003
Her is a shot of Eric Fattah coming up from a 220'+ "warm-up dive" down in Miami a couple of summers ago. He swears by monos.
Jon
Re:MONOfin - Freedive WI - 03-11-2003
And here's a shot of my friend Jitka trying out my mono up in Tobermorey last August.
Jon
Re:MONOfin - freedivernd - 03-11-2003
Your mono is open heal.. it looks like she's wearing regular socks.. what size mono did you get and what thickness sock are you wearing with it and what size is the foot on the end of your ankle? Another great photo... are these taken with your 5050?
Fred
Re:MONOfin - Freedive WI - 03-11-2003
These are shots taken with my old MMII.
I wear a 3mm bootie with it. My feet are inthere TIGHT. I think I remember getting a 190 for size. I'll have to double check.
Here's a better shot of me. ;D
Re:MONOfin - freedivernd - 03-15-2003
Jon,
I was going to place an order for a mono today from waterway . I'm checking now to see if they ahve it in stock. Did you get the Model 2 professional, I think it's running about $125? That's what I was going to order.. in size 310 (11- 12.5, 44-45) I have about a size 11 foot and find my 44-46 sporasubs about perfect with 4/4.5mil socks and the 44-45 gara's a little snug with 3mm socks. How do you feel about the waterway foot pocket and strap? I've really become a closed heal buff. I guess they give me a week to try it, so shouldn't be so concerned maybe.
Fred
Re:MONOfin - freedivernd - 03-21-2003
I received my waterway monofin today.. even with 11-12.5 foot pockets, wearing 3mm socks it's going to be tight. I can tell it's going to be a cruiser! anxious, anxious to try it out. tomorrow..
Fred
Re:MONOfin - freedivernd - 03-22-2003
Here's the scoop on the mono - I can really see the potential for efficiency. Although at the very first I felt like someone had tied my shoelaces together, several times this morning it seemed to click and the old mask began to slide down my face. The foot pockets are super tight and felt terrible with my high arch. I called Peter K. (the distributor in Canada) to talk exchange but he told me the mono will take a lot of getting used to and he had the same trouble and asked me to give it a month of swimming to work it out and if it was still uncomfortable, he'd refund my money as, apparently, I have their largest size available. I lasted about 15 - 20 minutes with it on before the discomfort got the best of me. The mono will definetly take some getting used to. Following the black line on the bottom of the pool, it was easy to drift off to the side and not as efficient as I would have liked to get back on track, although not bad. Doing surface dives in the deep end, it almost seems like it will be easier to stay on line going verticle. One thing.. in a 25yd pool, it didn't take many dolphin kicks to get to the other side so it will be tough to analyze and critique the kicks for what will work best because before you know it, the wall at the other end of the pool is there. Hope the discomfort goes away....
This ain't no little fin! This thing moves water!
Fred
Re:MONOfin - igotoofar - 03-22-2003
That is one serious fin! So are you working on a cameo roll on Home Improvment, The other neighbor who doesn't show his face
