Fin Sailor,
I feel for you man! I did know Ted's deliveries and communication where very poor, but your experience sounds like the worst I've heard.
I and many others have served Ted several post offering encouragement, clarity, suggestions why and how to get those parts improved. Like I said in there I hope Ted finds his creative mind to change those 'paper' parts, like he is improving his product.
On the pool admittance of monofins.
In my experience it revolves mostly about trust. Do the lifeguards trust you to wield that decapitation device in their pool?
So when in doubt, you're not inspiring trust into the pool staff, you're making them doubt the safety more.
What to do to get in with your fin?
Have a first name relation with the pool staff.
Have a good standing with the other pool users, bring some joy and decency to them, many elderly folk are starving to have a chat with a stranger, and they feel so much better receiving some genuine attention. When the public loves your presence, how can the liveguard not go along?
My monofin is a big hyperfin. It has a big rubber wings. Which if I hit anyone will be like rubber. I have no fear of hitting others, and I can report I've not hit even a handful of people in 9 (!) years of pool monofin use. None of the hits where much more then gentle touches. I think my approach makes a big difference in reducing the chances of hitting people.
- Go to the pool at quiet hours.
- Use the faster or fast lane.
- Do warm ups without fins.
- Do strength etc. with pool bi-fins.
- Explain to others how you're going to swim underwater, so they know what to expect.
- Be empathetic to other swimmers needs, seek win-win solutions.
- Use the monofin only when there is enough space. If the pool is 2m all the length, then it's very likely you can use the fin a 100% of the swim session. If you pool has a shallower standing side, like mine, then I cut my monofin time to only the last 30-15 minutes, so I'm not bothering other users too long.
- I time my dives with the surface swimmers in mind, overtaking them at the deep end, and making sure I do not surface in their vicinity. Young swimmers are less scared when they see a 'shadow' pass underneath, and fast swimmers understand our training needs better then the 'social' swimmers.
With some time and gradual introduction of new toys, you can stretch the rules with ease.
Furthermore my presence and reputation allows me to do things like use neck weight, monofins, and all the equipment I want to use. Because the public and lifeguards like and trust me.
