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Freedive WI · 03-22-2003, 03:13 PM,

That's how my mono fins foot pockets feel too- TIGHT :'(

I can handle about 20 minutes in it and then need to switch back to my bi-fins, which feel like slipppers after the mono!

I was interested inthe Sebak becasue it had regular OMER full-foot pockets on it, but I guess that it isn't as nice as the Waterway's that we have.

It is a FAST fin and just wait until you try it coming up from depth. You can get back to the surface with very little effort.

Try it with the fin pockets that you have for a while. One thing that you can do is get some spray silicone, from a divestore, that you can spray down your footpockets with before you put them on. You wan tto make sure that the spray is WATER based, thus the divestore, otherwise you can rot out the rubber if you use WD-40 or something like that. :-[

Have fun.

Jon

Freedive WI · 03-28-2003, 03:05 PM,

Fred,

How is the monofin coming?
I tried mine out Wednesday in the pool for the first time in a while. The local master's swim coach tried it out after i asked him for some pointers. He complained that his feet hurt and he didn't know what to tell me.

When he first watched me swim he thought that I had too much knee bend, but after hetreid it he determined that you HAVE to have that knee bend to keep form hurting yourself.

Here is another monofin shot from Tobermory this past summer.

Jon

**freedivernd** · 03-28-2003, 05:21 PM,

The monofin is comin' along. I lasted 20 minutes today.. that's a 5 minute improvement. I have stopped trying to move so much water quickly and have resolved myself to a slow, methodical kick. I entertained the idea today though of cutting a slit in the top of the foot pocket and punching holes on either side so I could lace it up like a tennis shoe. The tight feeling that I had at first is getting better and better, it really does put strain where no strain has been before. When I switch back to the Gara's 2000 (pretty stiff) they feel like there is nothing on my feet. I have such a high arch though, I'm thinking if I could lace up that mono, I might be able to relieve some of the squeeze but since it is steadily improving.. I'm going to do like Peter K. asked and give it a month. I definitely could use a longer pool or a deep lake right now...
Fred

**freedivernd** · 04-27-2003, 09:35 PM,

I've attached a dive profile of a dive using the monofin this past weekend at the Crosby get together. I thought it was interesting how you can see the groups of 2 dots close together on the weak kick as compared to the strong kick, maybe technique needs some work. Super fast, but I think I was pushing it a bit as I was winded when I got to the bottom. The fin is super fast but I still have to work on the timing/pace when going to depths. Was good to see the potential! To over -70' in less than 20 seconds.. that's cruisin!

Freedive WI · 04-28-2003, 06:36 AM,

How about the trip back up! ;D

That's my favorite part of using the monofin. I can make it back tot he surface from that depth with only 6-7 kicks. It makes depth feel a lot less "deep" when you know that you can get back up that quick.

Have you sorted out the foot size issues? What size socks are you wearing with it now? What length of time did you have it on for?

I was out spearfishing on Saturday for a bit more than 4 hours. I can't imagine wearing my monofin for that long, but I'd like to be able to!

Jon

**freedivernd** · 04-28-2003, 08:48 AM,

Trip back up, who was counting kicks??? I was telling myself to slow down and conserve air. My turn around at the bottom took too much energy...(those 3 seconds down there weren't spent looking around.. it was spent trying to get turned around Big Grin

) From the graph it looks like I had 7 or 8 kicks to the surface, maybe 9.
I was wearing 4.5 socks and was in the water for maybe 15-20 minutes, mostly waiting at the surface for the s.divers to get into the water. My feet didn't feel too bad, slight cramp in one foot at the end, I guess spending the time in the pool really paid off. I had brought the pure carbons along in the crate but getting the mono off is such a chore I opted to go to shore rather than switch at the surface.
I think the divers were saying water temps in the upper 30's to low 40's... I showed 46-48 at surface. I was never in the water for more than maybe 25 minutes at a time, wore everything from my 5mil w/3mil jacket (too much squeeze), just the 5mil (worked the best, except for the time I wanted to see how far I could breach the surface with the mono, that sent a cold shot of water down my back), and last dive wore just the 3mil (that didn't work too good, but hey, it was easy to get into)
Spearfishing opens here May 1st.. me and JBL are ready!
Fred

Freedive WI · (This post was last modified: 05-20-2003, 09:11 AM by Freedive WI.)

Fred,

When Ted and I were playing around in the lake this past weekend I did a bunch of comparison dives to 75' with my bifins and my monofin. I think that I have decided that my new bifins (C4's) are a lot nicer than my monofin.

The truth is that my monofin is TOO fast. I can't clear my ears that fast on the way down. :'(
I also get too tired on the way down and can't seem to get as far, as easily, as I can with bifins. On the way up I am swimming so fast that my mask starts to dislodge and my suit floods with new, cold, water. :-[ Part of this could be becasue I have just lost some weight and the suit is now a bit looser on me, but I didn't notice it flooding with my bifins.

I do know that coming up from depth with the monofin on was super fast and easy. Now I just dolphin kick up with my bifins on instead. The bifins are also easier to spearfish with. 8)

Jon

**freedivernd** · 05-20-2003, 10:45 AM,

Jon,
You're fortunate to have freediving buddies! When the water warms up there will be a few people I dove with last year ready to dive again.. their max was around 35' last year but at least one of them would like to get deeper and I would trust both to meet me at 30 or 35'.
I hear ya on the speed of the mono though I'm fortunate enough that clearing my ears is easy all the way...no matter how fast. I know the time I had the mono down over -70' I felt winded at the bottom, but chalked it up to lack of experience (workin' it too hard). Still have more testing to do when I have a bit more support...
My weekend was spent solo in the shallows at W.McDonald (< 35'), but had great vis 15-20 feet, warm 55deg., even found a scuba mask that I think was once mine (one of my daughters friends lost it several years ago while scuba diving).
Didn't have the mono out as I was combining some spearfishing with the snorkeling..
I wonder what the c4's are like compared to the pure carbons?
I sure like the pure carbons..
Fred

05-20-2003, 10:47 AM,

explosive? ;D

Freedive WI · 05-20-2003, 12:51 PM,

I have a pair of Pure carbonns too, but I haven't tried them out head-to-head yet with the C4's. Next time we get out I will give it a shot.

Form what I remember, the Pure's are much softer and easier to kick than the C4's. The C4's are a fin that i will be a ble to grow into for some time. They actually work out quite well for dolphin kicking. I think that Eric Fattah mentioned that a pair of C4's dolphin kick as well as a bad monfin. I think that he might be right. It's just too bad that they cost so much money. :'(

Jon