help

[Fishboyjosh]

hi there,

im totally new to freediving. Im about to purchase a monofin, wat are the benefits and wat stifness should i buy??


any info is really appreciated

thanks everybody

 

[monofin_diva]

hi fish..

it depends what you want to use the fin for. and that would determine what stiffness to get. if you want to use it for sprinting you'd need a hard stiffness, but they aren't really comfortable for long times. if you want to do constant weight diving i'd probably get a medium fin. if you want to swim leisurely or like for pool use a softer fin works.

these are some sites that make nice fins:

http://www.leaderfins.com/

http://www.specialfins.com/

http://www.finswimming.ca/

i'm thinking about getting the leaderfins mono "wings" i like that they'll put any logo you want on it if you supply them with an image (extra cost)

good luck.. let us know what you pick

 

[Merlin]

Monofins will help distribute the muscular effort through many muscles unlike bifins. So you can swim farther without getting "tight" so early. The deal with monofins is that in order to notice significant benefit requires a lot of dedicated trainning to get the technique TRULY right. If you are more into recreational swimming even if you want to go deeper then the bifins would be better. Some bifins are still really really good in fact the latest world record in dynamic apnea was done with bifins.

As far as monofin goes, I am partial to the Water Way Model 2 Medium Stiffness. It is very good performance wise but be warned it will take your feet some getting used to it because your feet tend to cramp up from the tight foot pocket.

 

[commonerg]

I agree with Merlin. For me, the WaterWay #2 Medium stiffness has been a great dynamic (pool) fin and has also served me fairly well so far for open water diving. I bought the size recommended for my feet on the waterway site. I wear a size 9.5 (US) and use the 290mm footpocket. It is very tight but I can wear a pair of neoprene socks underneath. The performance is wonderful with the tight foot-pocket but my feet cramp up quickly. Being able to fit a pair of neoprene socks in the footpocket is, in my opinion, essential- especially for open water diving.

 

[monofin_diva]

commonerg..

so if you could recommend one stiffness.. would it be a medium? eventually i want a fin for sprinting and just leisurely swimming.. but i would like something for now that's cool in a pool or that i can drag into the ocean when i scuba

 

[Fishboyjosh]

hey thanks everyone, all the replies are really appreciated. i think ill go for the stereofins, my depths are improving with my scuba bi fins so i mite as well geta decent set of freediving fins.. thanks again

 

[monofin_diva]

once you get a mono.. you'll never go back..

 

[Fishboyjosh]

ok, im gonna get a cheapish set of bi fins. wat stifness would u recommend?? iill use the fins to practice my depth and spearfishing in open water? and also i wear a size 10 uk shoe, wat fin size would u recommend.

cheers again peoples

 

[Merlin]

The Cressi Gara 3000 HF is what I use, it is very powerful and relatively cheap fin compared to carbon fins. There are HF (stiffer) and LD (softer) models, for constant I would get the HF. The LD is very nice for surface swimming and take less effort but the HF will give you more propulsion and bring you up quicker. The fins are pretty long and if you have never used longfins it will take some getting used to but once you get the hang of them they are awesome.

I am not familiar with UK sizes but I would get it one size smaller. The footpockets are confortable.

 

[commonerg]

so if you could recommend one stiffness.. would it be a medium?

I think you would be very happy with a med. stiffness fin. It will suit you well in the pool and in the open water and help you build up your power so you can handle the stiff fin when you decide to upgrade for finswimming.

Be weary though that the waterway fin is not really made for comfort. It will hurt your feet at first. Be prepared to take a break every 10 descents or so to let your feet recover. Same goes for pool swimming. Your feet will be in some pain after 500m or so. Exercising and stretching the arch of the foot before and after your pool training can help a lot though.

That being said, It's quite the performer for the money!

 

[monofin_diva]

i gotta say.. i'm going with a leaderfin mono. now that i know they print anything on it you want i'm SO there... i only bought the waterway "finding nemo" for my son, and the masks/snorkels for us there. i definitely want a leaderfin. they even have a sale right now, but i want the "wings" one

i'll go with a medium for now.. and a stiffer one for sprinting.. thanks for your help