Finis Competitor monofin

[demasoni]

Has anyone used this monofin? I'd like to get started with monofins, and a buddy of mine gave me his Finis Competitor because he moved back to the Mainland. I'm not sure if its soft, medium, or hard stiffness, but would this fin be a good fin to start with?

http://www.finisinc.com/products-monofins.shtml

Has anyone compared it to a Waterway? I've been considering the model 2 LD based on reviews in these forums.

Any info would be appreciated.

[Erik]

I have one. It is an excellent fin, probably the equivalent of a Medium. I believe the blade was made by Waterway Russia. Excellent all-round blade for dynamic/constant ballat/recreational/finswimming.
If I was to buy another, it would be the softest blade I could get There is so much blade area that a stiff fin is a waste in my opinion. Softer is more comfortable with less stress on ligaments/etc, and will still bring you up from 80+ metres.
The Competitor can be had in 3 different thicknesses.
Erik Y.

[demasoni]

Erik,

Thanks for your informative reply. Have you tried a mono with Omer footpockets like the ones from Leaderfins and Specialfins? As the Finis blade is similar to Waterway medium, I probably won't get a Waterway.

I've read full-footpocketed mono's make the fin feel more like a part of your body and provide better power transfer. I'd like a fin for dynamic and constant, but comfy too. I can only wear the Finis for about 30 min before I need to take them off for awhile even with 2mm ankle socks. Is there a downside to mono's with full footpockets?

Thanks for bearing with a newb

[Erik]

The FINIS pockets are not the most comfortable since they're designed for power transfer/speed. They do become bearable over time as you adapt, but the OMER pockets are much nicer apparently. I've never used them, but a few people here have and love them for rec diving. I'd go with the OMERs if I was to buy again for the comfort factor. With a mono, losing a little power is ok for fun diving where you might have the fin on for a few hours.
Have fun amigo,
Erik Y.

[BobJHS]

Hi everyone, this is my first port on this forum.
Let me first say that I dive purely for recreation. I've had a finis competitor for about ten years now. Not exactly sure of the stiffness but I would assume it's the moderate to high stiffness fiberglass. I don't use it much on dives >30 meters. I prefer to use my Rondine Gara 2000HF's. The monofin just requires too much energy and I find it takes away from the experience. The fin excels handily in other areas however. With a trained set of hammies, thighs, and calfs the competitor is an absolute rocket. It literally propels you through the water with the speed of a torpedo. Often times at full tilt i'll have to put a hand on my mask to keep it from ripping right off. The fin is probably the best lower body workout availble hands-down. I use it primarily for long distance dives <10 meters and in the open ocean environment. Three years ago I was living on the Island Roatan (Santa Helena actually) and I used the fin regularly to swim out to an uninhabited cay off port royal. (i'd say about 4 miles) It usually took me about 25-35 min. (record was 23 min... amazing hun?) those are comparable to boat times. I'd make this trip about twice a week and it was a real workout, probably the best shape i've ever been in. For speed and effeciency over distance nothing else can even come close. In the open ocean the competitor has never let me down. You could probably swim straight up against a strong current with ease for a considerable distance...no joke. With the right set of legs, i'll bet you could race boats with the fin!!!

[BobJHS]

Also, neoprene socks are a must for me with the competitr monofin. Using it for more then 10 minutes will absolutly chew your feet up.