Superb service from Specialfins

[ash]

I believe in letting people know when I get good service from a company and I have to say I am very impressed with Specialfins. I was interested in their freediving monofins, so I got in touch with Jyri (their sales manager) who was incredibly helpful from the first email I sent him.

He was quick to reply to every one of my numerous questions and was very patient with my hesitation in picking a size for the footpockets. Even when I added stuff to my order at the last minute, he made a plan and got me the goods with no extra charge for the shipping.

The shipping costs were reasonable for the long haul to NZ and the financial side of things went off without a hitch. The fin arrived last Friday and I am really impressed. It is my first mono and I am very happy with it.

So credit where credit is due. I recommend Jyri and Specialfins without hesitation

Ash

 

[Jon]

Ash,

I had the exact same experience with Jyri and Special Fins.

He spent the time emailing me back and forth to make sure that I got the right monofin for me and what I do. He didn't just try to sell me the most expensive thing he had as some companies will do.

Which mono did you get and how do you like it so far?

Jon

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

Not to sound like an infomercial, but I just got one too and will be getting it in the water for the first time Saturday. Looking forward to having some fun ...

 

[ash]

Originally posted by Jon


Which mono did you get and how do you like it so far?

Jon

If I were writing a report on my dives yesterday, it would have to be titled:

“World's clumsiest monofin freediver gets confused ”

I bought the colored monofin, same as you. I am not sure what stiffness it is on their scale but I told Jyri that I weigh about 110kg and have quite strong legs, so he made the fin to suit. Bear in mind that I am the all time king of stiffness and inflexibility according to my physiotherapist, with my back and hamstrings being particularly bad, so I didn’t expect too much of my first session.

I spent about an hour in our local lake yesterday, just messing around in 10-15m or so and I had a blast.

Having read all the threads about these fins, I have to say that I am vastly impressed by the way it performed. I can generate so much more power with this fin than either of my plastic bi-fins (Gara 2000HF and Sporasub H Dessault).

Surface swimming was awkward at first but I sort of figured it out. Descents were very odd, especially the first few meters where I could barely get going. I felt very much like a novice with a plank on my feet during this part of the dive. Horizontal swimming and the ascent were amazing in terms of effortless speed when I got it together. I'll have to download some profiles off my D3 at some stage so I can compare the ascent speeds but I was much faster with the mono.

So I am very pleased with my decision to go with this fin instead of an open heel mono. It was your post on the comfort aspect that decided me as I am basically a recreational freediver and I want to be able to spend ages in the water. The Omer footpockets fit perfectly but I see what you mean about having to break them in. I realize that I have a long hard road ahead before I master the techniques of the mono but that’s fine, I’ll put in the hours until it’s just right. I can’t wait for my next chance to try it out, which will hopefully be this weekend.

Ash

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

Sounds like I got the same one

I'll be trying it Saturday at a YMCA pool so I won't be able to do any descents per se, but it should still be a trip.

 

[loopy]

They certainly look the part - what stiffnesses are they? And does anyone know how they'd compare to waterways stiffnesses?

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

Originally posted by loopy
what stiffnesses are they? And does anyone know how they'd compare to waterways stiffnesses?

Mine's Specialfins' Freediving Monofin Coloured in medium-hard stiffness.

http://www.specialfins.com/eng_products.php?product_id=20

I don't have any experience with Waterways' to compare them to.

 

[ash]

Loopy - I don't have a clue about the Waterway fins but according to Jyri (who just responded to yet another email from me), my fin is between hard and extra hard in terms of stiffness.

I think Jon owns one of each so maybe he can say how the stiffness compares between them?

Ash

 

[Mikko]

Loopy....drop a line so we can see what stiffness suits you the best.

Cheers,
Mikko

 

[jkhage]

I bought the "Karmo" model back in 2001 and absolutely loved it but unfortunately the foot pockets were too small (with neoprene socks on). I could only stay in the water for an hour before my feet went numb. So I decided to get a new one earlier this year. This time I chose the "Peter" model (coloured) with the same stiffness (medium).

The medium stiffness Peter is much softer then a medium Karmo. This could be due to changes in technology, etc over those two years, but I clearly prefer the softer stiffness of my current mono. I've been through two back operations over the last three years and I find the softer fin to be much more suited to my "ageing" back.

I'm 180cm tall and weigh about 75 kgs.

I haven't got much experience with other monos but I highly recommend Jyri/Specialfins to all you mono-wannabes out there...

 

[Lambis]

Me to had the same experience with Jyri.
He have answer me all my emails and that was a lot of emails
He was incredibly helpful with my decision about foot size,
monofin stiffness, material and model.

In some days my Monofin will arive and not only I am sure that it was the right one but also sure that this will be not the last monofin that i by from Jyri & specialfins.

I hope some other companies take a closer look and learn how companies must treat customers from Specialfins.

Like Ash have wrote: "Credit where credit is due".

Me to recommend Jyri and Specialfins without hesitation.

Lambis

 

[Jon]

I have a Waterway LD#2 and I think that the blade might be stiffer than my Specialfins mono- I was just flexing them both to see.

I couldn't really compare in them in the water because the Waterway kills my feet! I also don't think that my feet flex flat enough to get a good kick out of it. My Specialfins is just plain more comfortable. I don't have my feet cramping up after two laps I the pool and I have been able to wear it for more than 20 minutes at a time- a LOT more than 20 minutes.

The angle between the foot pockets and the blade also helps with my inflexible ankles. I used it a couple of weekends ago for spearfishing, just to see if it would work, and was pretty comfortable with it. I won't really get a chance to do any depth with it until next spring.

Jyri has been great to work with. He spent the time to answer my, numerous, questions and has even offered to send some fins to Freedive-a-plaooza next summer for people to try, or even buy.

I know that Ted has been very happy with his bi-fins and has started to sell off all of the other fins he has owned becasue he no longer wants to use anything else.

Jon

 

[uvjagt]

spearfishing with mono

I just wondered if any one else have tried monofin spearing. In the med they do fishing down to 40 50 m with bifins.
There are not much stalking down there, just down look under a rock or wait at aspetto style and then up again
Wouldnet this be easier with a mono
Not that it is a problewm for me I dont spear deeper than 30 : )
johan denmark

 

[Mikko]

Spearing with mono has been tried.
However I see it to be most useful when hunting for large pelagics that tend to stay near the surface.

Especially good for Mahi Mahi, marlins and wahoo as they would be easier to shoot with better sprinting capabilities.

Personally I do not see mono fit for bottom fishing as they are quite clumsy and overly large for that.

SpecialFins is going to start a new project to produce a monofin that is designed for pelagic spearing.

Cheers,
M

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

Originally posted by Frank O'Donnell
I'll be trying it Saturday at a YMCA pool so I won't be able to do any descents per se, but it should still be a trip.

Monos rock! I did a few laps in the YMCA pool, and it's definitely more pickup than I'm used to. Can't wait to get it out to the ocean to try descents.

 

[ash]

Originally posted by Frank O'Donnell
Monos rock! I did a few laps in the YMCA pool, and it's definitely more pickup than I'm used to. Can't wait to get it out to the ocean to try descents.

I had another bonding session with my mono this morning and I would have to agree with your comment Frank, monos do indeed rock!

My dive charter was cancelled because they were expecting really bad weather. Of course the day turned out perfect, with almost no wind and an absolutely flat sea, so I went for a shore dive instead. This was my first longish swim with the mono, I was in the water for about 2½ hours and I felt no discomfort at all. I have been doing a lot of stretching though, particularly of my shoulders so I can stay in the arms extended position for longer and this has made a huge difference compared to how I felt earlier this week.

I know my technique is still shocking, bad enough to give a thrombosis to a finswimming coach but I am slowly making progress. Descents are starting to feel much better and ascents are a joke compared to my bifins. The sheer power that is available when I need it is a pleasure, as is the ability to just cruise along, making small movements of the fin using almost no energy. At this rate, I may consign my bifins to the same closet that has all my scuba gear.

Something else that made the day so good is that I found a small wreck against a set of rocks in about 14m of water. All that remains is a broken shell and a small debris field but I certainly never expected to see a wreck of any sort at that site. I’ll head back next weekend with my camera and get some photos if the visibility is decent enough. For a wreck nut like myself, seeing that shell loom up in front of me was a fantastic feeling. That must be how you spearos feel to see a huge fish coming into range.

All in all, I am totally happy with the mono.

Ash

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

Non-apneic mono practice?

Just a minor question on technique -- if I want to get some exercise in at the pool but don't have a buddy to spot me, is there a non-apneic way to swim laps with the mono? Based on my very brief experimentation, submerged swimming seems like it would be a lot more efficient than trying to swim at the surface. But I gather that general swimmers who aren't trying to become freedivers use monos too?

 

[Mikko]

Yup....you'll need a finswimming (rhino) snorkel for this.
I strongly suggest that you try to find some finswimmers from your area. They can give you some great pointers on technique.
Swimming with a mono on the surface is not too easy...at least no for me.

Cheers,
Mikko

 

[loopy]

I totally agree here - watching videos like the Forgotten Origin and the CYprus DVD, its very easy to see which mono users have had finswiming training and which haven't

 

[Lambis]

My Monofin have arive!!!

I'll be trying it tommorow at a pool.
Can' t wait

Lambis