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Best Monofin for Newbie

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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M

mek

Member
Oct 9, 2012
7
0
11
I am a newbie so excuse me if its a stupid question. I have noticed in many discussions about getting the most comfortable monofin....and that is a closed heel footpocket compared to the open heel ones.....I have seen on many monofin suppliers websites they mostly carry open heel monos....for example see on starfins product page there are no closed heel footpockets...does that mean everyone using monofins are tending to go towards the open heel...special fins has omer footpockets closed and also open...waterway glides have both....lederfins have both...but mostly open heel comes to the front...

Importantly I am looking to buy my first monofin...I am looking for more comfort which I can wear for minimum 1.5 hours....I have small feet US6.5 and currently use the french immersion bi fins size 38 / 40 they fit snugly but after 30 mins really start to pain. Considering i am getting monos I really want comfort to be the most important factor...

so what should I buy ...I am 5.4 ft, 74Kgs, have strong lower body, will be using the mono fins for mostly warm tropical water in asia...and plan on traveling soon to hawaii and deans blue hole, more importantly i will be using it in the pool for training most of the time like everyday 5 times a week ....I can currently only do 75 meter dynamic with fins...

Also have you guys heard of www.fins4u.co.uk/ (I have not seen enough reviews about these guys around) they have some superb deals for omer footpockets and fibre for 129Pounds...also what material I should go for...plastic, fibre or carbon...as a beginner...I dont mind spending the money as long as I get good comfort for long dynamic swims in pool and open water. Most of the time will be spent in the pool for training...I have seen many forums recommending soft stiffness for comfort but many complain after a month or so of using it gets too soft therefore medium stiffness is better...again stiffness from brand to brand differ...so now so many variables and brands / footpockets to consider...I am confused... :head.....also I am considering special fins with omer footpockets the Hybrid pros...what ya think? I Dont mind trying starfins but I read alot about getting a full closed heel for more comfort and starfins doesnt have that...:headwhich 2 brands should I consider and I am sure to not go wrong?

http://www.fins4u.co.uk/products/Monofin%20Omer/Monofin%20Omer%20details.htm

Thanks for your help ....

Rgds,
 
If you plan on a lot of travel and heavy weekly use of the monofin, perhaps a dol-fin x-20 hydrofoil would suit you?

You sound pretty serious / committed and comfort seems to be a priority... But doubt you want to give up a ton in performance.

Travel with a dol-fin appears to be much easier / safer than a traditional mono. You can also pack it in your regular checked baggage, instead of a separate piece / item.

They're expensive, but they should last an eternity, travel well and with cycling shoes would be comfortable for hrs.

Just one thought.
 
I really love my tropol mono it has partially supported heal I can wear it for hours, but traditional monos are a pain to travel with I don't even have mine with me right now just using bi-fins till the next visiting relative can bring them over. If I had the money dol-fin sounds like a good route. I here nothing but good things about star fins. Of the older style monos the waterway memo is comfortable for hours but almost no angle so a bit less performance.
 
A second vote for an X20. You can wear it for hours (personal experience) and it is totally comfortable. I'm not the one to ask about performance, but much better divers than me say it is in the same range with the best hyperfin. I've got an x18, prototype for the x20, and love it. For a diver switching from bifins, with no previous mono experience, it has the huge advantage of being very tolerant of poor technique and being able to act as either a soft fin or a hard one, depending on how you stroke it.

Connor
 
connor- how quick can x-20 be assembled and taken apart I commute via bicycle and scooter and am thinking might be an easier option otherwise its gonna take a surf rack mount or something for my monos can't just bungee them onto the back like the b-fins
 

Very fast and easy, just four screws mount the blade into the rails but I don't think You'd need to do that. Tips fold down to make the blade shorter so You could probably ride Your scooter like that. I rode my bicycle with fin & backpack no problem
 
You guys really gave some fantastic advice....but an expensive one at $890...I had read about the x20 but when I did i thought of it to be too experimental but I can see its been out quite a while with quite a few good reviews and youtube videos....

Anyway the price is expensive but I still feel its worth it as I plan on traveling a lot and was worried about carrying the traditional monos on flights and ofcourse some airlines will not allow me to carry it on board therefore the thought of it arriving broken as I will have to check it in and then also being charged an arm and a leg for checking it in....i think the extra cost over a custom mono will be recovered over a short period of time....

So I got it covered with the x20
1) Break it down and travel with it...
2) Will be very comfortable and do not have to worry about its size and if it will fit properly like the mono foot pockets ....
3) Seems to be no drawbacks in Performace compared to trad monos except maybe getting stuck in kelp more often......

Now I just got to figure out where to get the 900 USD and where to try out the shimano shoes.....haha rofl

Thanks guys!!
 
MEK- I had build a hard case for my monos so airline could not break them it was considered oversized by the airlines one bahamas trip i took ended up costing me 200.00 to transport a fin and fin was only practical about 25% of the trip rest was bi-fins, anyway if u take the price of a good hyperfin and add that transport cost of that one trip u get around the same cost as the x20. granted not always easy to come up with that chunk of change. I was an early sceptic of dol-fin but I think it has more than proved its value at this point.
 
Monkey,

I put mine together and never took it apart again, but it should be dirt simple. Given my ability to lose stuff, I'd worry about losing the screws. If you were going to do it a lot, wing nuts, with extras available, might be a good idea.

I think Nostres is right, tie a loop of line to the shoes, put it over your head and the fin should ride comfortably on your back.

Mek,

For your uses,you will find the x20 far superior in performance to any other mono, not because its absolute efficency is any better (though it may be), but because the fin will do so many more other things better than a traditional mono and with less perfection in technique. I tried a bunch of monos, looking for something that combined the advantages of a mono with the flexibility and adaptability of bifins. Nothing worked until the Dol-fin.

Connor
 
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Should work fine, no need to take it apart. Align the foil in the same axis as your longfin blades and the shoes will stick out on one side not more than two or thee inches wider than your shoulders. If you put a wider platform on the back of the bike, so you can center the fin, it won't be as wide as your shoulders.

Connor
 
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actually was planning a wider platform on the back for my dog when he gets here next month my next major purchase might be a ways out right now my priority is making sure I stay on the island so keeping a large safety margin in the bank but I do think this will likely be my next fin purchase. At some point i need to hook up with the crew down at honaunau i think there are a few in use down there would be cool to see one in action
 
Hang the fin around the dogs neck, get on the bike and give somebody a camera. This I gotta see.

On a more mundane note, you will find the fin different from any mono you have used. It feels so light(dragless) that it takes some getting used to and the stroke feels very different. Not a problem, just practice. Also, its maneuverability approaches bifins. For what you do, that should be a substantial advantage.
 
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Hi Monkey,

Before considering the x20...my concerns were about transporting a traditional mono and making a case too....but I knew I would have to pay at some point for oversize luggage or as an extra pc. Now you just proved my point I will need to pay once I travel......as in July 2013 my cousin has tentative dates on getting married in Los angeles so I have decided to visit the Bahamas (Ofcourse the Deans blue Hole ) and Hawai during that time and plan on carrying the x20 with me on all those trips...

What are the coditions like in July , visibility etc for free diving...

I think I have no option now but to get the x20....:t .... got to start looking for a shimano shoe!!

Rgds....
 
kona is good pretty much all year occasionally it gets a direct swell that makes it murky for a day or two but not very often and usually from winter storms, even then there are tons of bays here and there is almost always a spot thats sheltered. july should be good. HAve been to bahamas in july as well 2 weeks on a live aboard one week was calm and perfect the second week was a crazy storm but had fun both weeks, deans blue hole seems sheltered either way
 
Early July, Bahamas:

If you don't get a hurricane, the diving conditions are as good as they can get, Long Island vis should be well over 100 ft and you might get lucky and see 200, winds are down, but can still be breezy (and somewhat rough) because that is down in the trade wind zone, it can blow all the time. With any luck, it will be 12 knots or less out of the east, perfect. Hurricanes in that area before the 15th of July are fairly rare and don't get to be a likely problem till mid August.

On land it can be hot as heck, especially when the wind drops. Its a trade off.

Enjoy the one of the very best diving areas in the world.

Connor
 
i prefer the closed heel fins [either mono or bi-fins]
give me a better control of the fin
 
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