Advanced monofin

[pingshui]

I have already practiced with a simple and used monofin for about two years. I think it is time to get a new fin now and become a little more "professional". For this reason I would be happy to receive some advice.

Some background:
I was a competitive swimmer and have some monofin experience now, so my technique is ok.
So far I like stiffer blades better, with softer blades I have the feeling I am not getting anywhere.
My feet are very flexibel (if this is relevant for the blade angle)
I will dive in cold lakes as well, so I often use neoprene socks

What I am looking for:
I would like to use the fin for practice and competition, mostly for competition though.
I want to use it for DYN and CWT (-40 to -50m)

What I don't know:
How do I find out which blade-angle is suitable for me, is there a rule-of-thumb for this?
What kind of footpocket (open/closed) can be recommended in general, which kind would work better with neoprene socks?
Do you recommend wings?

Thanks in advance!

 

[martin366]

Depending on budget:
Leaderfins Hyper
Starfins Hyper
WaterWay Glide

Angle should be at least 22 degrees, 30 degrees would probably be better

 

[Fondueset]

What he said - I vote Starfins And leave it up to Alex.

 

[cdavis]

My use is different from yours, but to address you questions.

The bike shoes used by a Dol-fin X20 eliminate fit and power transfer issues, just pick the size shoes you need and bolt them on.

The X20s oscillating blade should eliminate blade angle issues.

Nice characteristic: the X20 acts like a soft fin when you want to go slow and/or be very efficient. Push it and it acts like a hard fin.

Connor

 

[pingshui]

Thanks for the help!

I have already thought about th X20, but as long as I don't get a chance to test it somewhere, I will rather not spend so much money on it.

 

[sai]

So what did you end up with?

 

[pingshui]

I am about to order a Glidefin. I am in Dahab at the moment and hat the chance to try monofins. What I heard is that the Glidefin is not as buoyant as the Hyperfin and the footpocket will not be as compressed at depth as in the Hyperfin.
Well, the fin should be great in the pool and good in the depth. I see no real arguments against the Glidefin. I did not get to try the X-20, so I am not going to spent so much money on it.

 

[Apneaddict]

My Starfins was ordered "slightly buoyant", meaning that in practice it floats on the surface and is neutral at -4m.

This means I can throw it overboard from a boat and put it on in the water without having to worry about dropping it. It also theoretically helps with the upkick in DYN and balances out my legs when gliding.

Works great for depth too. No complaints with my Starfins.

 

[pingshui]

I heard that Starfins have an issue with the glue they use. They would sometimes "fall apart". Did anyone make this experience?

 

[blankets]

I heard that Starfins have an issue with the glue they use. They would sometimes "fall apart". Did anyone make this experience?

Honestly is the first time I hear about this issue... I think Starfins moniofins are among the best on the market!

I'm absolutely pleased with mine!

 

[Apneaddict]

Now that you mention it, I think I read about it happening 3 yrs ago, or so.

 

[Fondueset]

Never heard of a starfins falling apart (my daughter has one, I have two, my friend Ken has one).

I do know of two other manufacturers who have had this problem - but it has been three years since then and they have fixed it so they shall remain nameless.

 

[Mullins]

My starfin didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I can't fault the workmanship. Might try again with some new specifications now I know what their stiffness scale, sizing and angle calculation is like....

 

[pingshui]

Thanks for all the replies! Good that I do not have to worry about quality issues, now the rest is gut feeling

 

[Fondueset]

Dave has lovely ankles, and was worried that stiff fin might deform them.

 

[pingshui]

Stiffness and angle are the two things I am worried about. My feet are very flexible, so what would be the angle I should choose?
I prefer stiffer blades, but too stiff is also too tiring for dynamics. So what should I get (female, good technique)?

Which experience have you made in that regard with your starfins?

 

[Fondueset]

Simply - I told what the fin is for and left the specifics up to to Alex (maker).

My fin is soft. It is very good for recreational free diving and dynamic. I would only get a stiffer one for diving past 40 meters on a regular basis. A soft fin is better for endurance (aka - free diving). Hard fins are for depth and sprinting. Starfin hyperfins now come with about a 28 degree angle - I do not know that you could get more - it is very nice compared with all other fins I have used.

Another thing to think about is the fit of the foot pockets. Tight is preferable for force transmission (stiff fin) - but not for long wear. My footpockets are a little loose and I can wear my fin for hours. If I want can use 3 mil socks to snug them up.

Summary; I gave Alex the info he asked for and left it up to him.
The fin is perfect.
My friend Ken, who has an almost identical fin, tried to give Alex all kinds of instructions. It got really confusing. Ken asked me to help - I gave Alex all the info he asked for and left it up to him. The fin is perfect.

A recreational fin is compatible with dynamic - but a sprint fin, in general, not so much. If I recall correctly Dave's complaint was that his Starfin was too stiff.

 

[Apneaddict]

I also asked for a depth fin that I could also get away with for dynamics.

It helps that I have strong legs / muscles and swim on the faster side.

Mine was the perfect stiffness and works as requested for both disciplines.

He uses a combination of different fibreglass blades themselves and couples it with different stiffnesses of rubber on the various parts (wings and various parts of the footpocket).

There are lots of combos and he could for instance end up using a medium to stiff blade with stiffer side-rubber wings, which I suspect is what he did in my case... But not 100% sure and don't really care... Because it works exactly as intended.

He asks for height, weight, disciplines intended for, etc and having built hundreds, has a good knowledge base of what works and what doesn't.

A quality, personalized / tailored product from a guy that knows monofins.

 

[g0t0]

I also have a starfin and I am 100% happy with it.

I ordered it as a soft fin mostly for dynamic, but also wanted it to work for depth. The blade really is soft, but it does not feel like it is not moving me forward. In contrary it moves me way better than I expected. In dynamic it feels like i do not have to do any big movements to swim rather quickly and also for depth it pushes me really good. Even when I swim very relaxed on the ascent I easily reach velocities of 1-1.5m/s.

If you want to use it as a competition fin you might want to reconsider the use of socks as the then put the socks over the fin pocket (I think I read about or ssoft socks will decrease the power transmission. I have not used mine in cold lakes, but it may be an option to cut the tips of socks and aw it that way somewhere).

 

[manttone]

Diving with a Starfin that has medium blade stiffness. Excellet for deep diving but too stiff for DYN. Consequently I'm not able to hold good technique till end of the dive and overall I have to use too much leg muscles.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIj0FmH0wOQ]DYN Yulia Maryevich 150m Mikko Antonnen 200m Riga Freediving Cup 2013 AIDA - YouTube[/ame]