-
Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
- Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
- Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
- Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
- Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
- All this and much more...
You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
Bi-fin or mono fin....Which is better?
- Thread starterscoles
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
That's a huge question! Welcome to DB Scoles
Well, I would recommend you find past threads on bi-fins and monos, but to give my two cents:
Monofins:
Pros:
-great for going in a straight line.
-very efficient once you learn the proper technique.
-most of the top freedivers these days all use monos for the deepest constant weight dives and almost the longest dynamics.
-spread lactic acid over a larger range of muscle groups as almost the entire body is used while undulating for propulsion.
-can reach great speed with proper technique.
Cons:
-depending on the kind of footpocket (i.e.- open heel or bi-fin pocket like OMER), the open heel pockets can be uncomfortable when worn for an extended period time.
-more inconvenient to use a mono for recreational all day diving compared to
bi-fins.
-usually more expensive than bi-fins (about the same when you get into carbon fiber / exotics though).
-harder to learn proper form.
Bi-Fins:
Pros:
-great for learning how to freedive and for recreational use-although many compete and set records with bi-fins as well.
-perfect for spearfishing.
-easier to learn generally, more natural.
-usually less expensive and easier to acquire than monofins.
-lots of different models and footpockets out there - easy to shop around.
Cons:
-not as efficient or fast as a mono which may ultimately limit your max depth -i.e. - constant weight.
-easy to develop wrong kicking technique if starting out without coaching - i.e. - bicycle kick, excessive knee bend.
I'm sure others on DB can contribute, but this is just to get you started, and of course, this is just my humble opinion.
Well, I would recommend you find past threads on bi-fins and monos, but to give my two cents:Monofins:
Pros:
-great for going in a straight line.
-very efficient once you learn the proper technique.
-most of the top freedivers these days all use monos for the deepest constant weight dives and almost the longest dynamics.
-spread lactic acid over a larger range of muscle groups as almost the entire body is used while undulating for propulsion.
-can reach great speed with proper technique.
Cons:
-depending on the kind of footpocket (i.e.- open heel or bi-fin pocket like OMER), the open heel pockets can be uncomfortable when worn for an extended period time.
-more inconvenient to use a mono for recreational all day diving compared to
bi-fins.
-usually more expensive than bi-fins (about the same when you get into carbon fiber / exotics though).
-harder to learn proper form.
Bi-Fins:
Pros:
-great for learning how to freedive and for recreational use-although many compete and set records with bi-fins as well.
-perfect for spearfishing.
-easier to learn generally, more natural.
-usually less expensive and easier to acquire than monofins.
-lots of different models and footpockets out there - easy to shop around.
Cons:
-not as efficient or fast as a mono which may ultimately limit your max depth -i.e. - constant weight.
-easy to develop wrong kicking technique if starting out without coaching - i.e. - bicycle kick, excessive knee bend.
I'm sure others on DB can contribute, but this is just to get you started, and of course, this is just my humble opinion.
Monofins or Bi-Fins...
If you train well I think that it will be very close between them.
There is a lot of bad mono's and bi's... and to find something that fit you could take some time. Normally if your technique is bad you lose less with bi-fins. But if your style, speed and technique are in harmony there might be an advantage with the mono.
The deepest CWT with bi is 93m in competition, and 111 for mono.
When it comes to Dynamic we have 212 with bi-fins and 207 with mono.
In training its other numbers and I know for sure there is at least one to 250m in DYN with bi-fins.
Try both!
/B
If you train well I think that it will be very close between them.
There is a lot of bad mono's and bi's... and to find something that fit you could take some time. Normally if your technique is bad you lose less with bi-fins. But if your style, speed and technique are in harmony there might be an advantage with the mono.
The deepest CWT with bi is 93m in competition, and 111 for mono.
When it comes to Dynamic we have 212 with bi-fins and 207 with mono.
In training its other numbers and I know for sure there is at least one to 250m in DYN with bi-fins.
Try both!
/B
Hi Scoles,
Get the type of fin that suits your natural stroke.
Do you prefer the dolphin stroke or the bi-fin stroke when you dive - what comes to you naturally? With bi-fins you can do both, I have seen many bi-finners do the dolphin stroke, both in training and competition. But if you decide to take the dolphin stroke up a notch, you will probably have more fun with a monofin. My advice, but I am very biased. For me the monofin was love at first sight...
Get the type of fin that suits your natural stroke.
Do you prefer the dolphin stroke or the bi-fin stroke when you dive - what comes to you naturally? With bi-fins you can do both, I have seen many bi-finners do the dolphin stroke, both in training and competition. But if you decide to take the dolphin stroke up a notch, you will probably have more fun with a monofin. My advice, but I am very biased. For me the monofin was love at first sight...
I should probably reserve judgement because I dont have the perfect fin.. but I feel I should voice this view.
I dont see why everyone thinks monofins are so great. They give slight advantages only to freediving competitors.
But for the rest of us they have significant downsides:
*They have to be put on while floating in the water, and taken off while floating in the water.
*Most of them are too uncomfortable to wear for more than 15 minutes (but I like to stay out 2-5 hours!)
*The water must be at least a meter deep to swim AT ALL with a monofin. If the shore is gradual you may have to walk a long distance, a distance that would take 1/3 the time if you were swimming. Yet I can swim in water half a meter deep with bi-fins easily.
*Stationary swimming and surface swimming is very inefficient and difficult, and sometimes not possible. It is nearly impossible to recover if I have to swim in place because I cant float on my back due to waves.
*Swimming on my back is the most efficient way to surface swim. I use it to cover long distances, sometimes miles when getting to my diving location. Monofins reduce back swimming to the efficiency of the doggy paddle. Infact, there is only 2 swim styles available to the monofin: underwater dolphin kick with arms forward, and underwater dolphin kick with arms back, and most would say the later is improper.
*They are less safe. What if a surge is about to throw you against a rock? Monofins only go straight- hope your mask is well tempered. They also give us the profile of a seal.. yummy.
*Huge decrease in maneuverability- its like flying a plane, you can go straight, up, down, and pitch to the left and right. But besides doing flips, I can hardly do any fun movements. I got a monofin because I thought it would increase my experience of being a creature of the sea. It makes me LOOK more like a creature of the sea but it only makes me feel more restricted by limiting my movements. Other than feeling like a beached orca when I crawl ashore to recover, it makes me feel more out of the element than any other type of fin.
Monofins are good only for competitions, not for exploring, getting in touch with the element and your aquatic ancestry, playing, or harvesting from the sea.
I dont see why everyone thinks monofins are so great. They give slight advantages only to freediving competitors.
But for the rest of us they have significant downsides:
*They have to be put on while floating in the water, and taken off while floating in the water.
*Most of them are too uncomfortable to wear for more than 15 minutes (but I like to stay out 2-5 hours!)
*The water must be at least a meter deep to swim AT ALL with a monofin. If the shore is gradual you may have to walk a long distance, a distance that would take 1/3 the time if you were swimming. Yet I can swim in water half a meter deep with bi-fins easily.
*Stationary swimming and surface swimming is very inefficient and difficult, and sometimes not possible. It is nearly impossible to recover if I have to swim in place because I cant float on my back due to waves.
*Swimming on my back is the most efficient way to surface swim. I use it to cover long distances, sometimes miles when getting to my diving location. Monofins reduce back swimming to the efficiency of the doggy paddle. Infact, there is only 2 swim styles available to the monofin: underwater dolphin kick with arms forward, and underwater dolphin kick with arms back, and most would say the later is improper.
*They are less safe. What if a surge is about to throw you against a rock? Monofins only go straight- hope your mask is well tempered. They also give us the profile of a seal.. yummy.
*Huge decrease in maneuverability- its like flying a plane, you can go straight, up, down, and pitch to the left and right. But besides doing flips, I can hardly do any fun movements. I got a monofin because I thought it would increase my experience of being a creature of the sea. It makes me LOOK more like a creature of the sea but it only makes me feel more restricted by limiting my movements. Other than feeling like a beached orca when I crawl ashore to recover, it makes me feel more out of the element than any other type of fin.
Monofins are good only for competitions, not for exploring, getting in touch with the element and your aquatic ancestry, playing, or harvesting from the sea.
Well, as a bifiner who finally found a mono that works, I can share at least some, not all, of Polarbears comments. For me, the Dol-Fin(foil) mono was the game changer, particularly on the surface. Polarbear is right that monos (all monos) reduce your ability to make fine directional adjustments that bifins excel at. The Dolfin comes close enough that its multiple advantages over bifins win out for my kind of use (multiple hours, multiple days of reef crawling, spearfishing, etc). Most of Polarbears other comments look to me like technique issues(monos are less forgiving than bifins) or just don't apply to a Dol-fin.
For the average,leaning, recreational diver, bifins make more senseIMHO.
For the average,leaning, recreational diver, bifins make more senseIMHO.
this is a very old thread you folks brought back to life. To me, monofin is difficult to transport to fun places, need special packaging for air travel etc. Apart from that, once you get used to mono, you can do anything bi-fins will do, even spearfish. It is a matter of practice, I did my first 2-minute dives while wearing monofin, perhaps something to think about.
Once you get the foot pocket issue sorted out on the monofin I find that you can stay in the water for hours with them on. You can also spearfish and even slither through weed beds with them on. When it comes to surface swimming there are plenty of ways to maneuver on the surface. If you have a decent technique you can just do a normal surface swim with your snorkel in. If you don't have the technique down you find your head bobbing underwater with each undulation. Once you have it figured out you can swim for miles. You can do this with hands over head or by your side, but I prefer to do it with a gun, or camera, in my hands. You can also swim on your side so that it looks like a shark is chasing you. This switches things up as you roll from one side to another.
My favorite mono fin had Sporasub foot pockets on it. I could wear it for hours without worry. I now have a hyperfine which is comfortable barefoot, but not with socks on. It's more efficient, but not as much fun as one of my older monos. The Dol-fin that Connor has would seem to be the best of all worlds because you can put your own cycling shoe on it and adjust it to go from barefoot to 7mm socks with little hassle.
I have bi-fins too, but I get more out of a mono than bi-fins. Everyone's learning curve is different, but to label something as dangerous when you don't have much experience is a little one-sided. the big thing is finding the foot pocket that you can live with and then putting in the necessary time to perfect your technique.
One last thing that can be a real game-changer is the angle of the blade. My mono fin has a good 26 degree bend built into it because my ankles are not very flexible. Some monofins (NEMO) have no blade angle to them and aren't as efficient for someone as stiff as I am.
Jon
This switches things up as you roll from one side to another. My favorite mono fin had Sporasub foot pockets on it. I could wear it for hours without worry. I now have a hyperfine which is comfortable barefoot, but not with socks on. It's more efficient, but not as much fun as one of my older monos. The Dol-fin that Connor has would seem to be the best of all worlds because you can put your own cycling shoe on it and adjust it to go from barefoot to 7mm socks with little hassle.
I have bi-fins too, but I get more out of a mono than bi-fins. Everyone's learning curve is different, but to label something as dangerous when you don't have much experience is a little one-sided. the big thing is finding the foot pocket that you can live with and then putting in the necessary time to perfect your technique.
One last thing that can be a real game-changer is the angle of the blade. My mono fin has a good 26 degree bend built into it because my ankles are not very flexible. Some monofins (NEMO) have no blade angle to them and aren't as efficient for someone as stiff as I am.
Jon