Has anyone tried these for body surfing? Mat, paipo or bellyboard riding?? http://www.swimzone.com/acatalog/Swim_Zone_FINS_107.html
Perhaps were looking at the future, but not realizing what were seeing? “Monofin-equipped swimmers routinely make 13-minute miles over the water in long-distance races. Over or under the water, they’re the world’s fastest (human) swimmers. Some reach speeds of 7.5 miles-per-hour” “Current monofins employ fiberglass for the blade. Two-millimeters thick at its base, the blade tapers to 0.72 millimeters at the tip. Subtle channels in the center guide the water toward the back, away from the sides where it spills off uselessly. A progressive taper encourages a laminar flow toward the back. Monofins are made in two configurations, depending on their use. For long distances, swimmers prefer a flexible blade. They use a somewhat shorter, stiffer blade for sprints” http://www.freedive.net/freedive/chapters/monofin.htm http://www.bodytrends.com/fintaper.htm 
MERMEN!
interesting, though seems restrictive.
Wind and Water website features a section on “Dolphin man” - he made some mono fins out of glass, carbon fiber, etc. One of his designs resembles Paul Gross’s Whale Tail fin. Obviously you would put these on in the water as you certainly can’t walk in them. There is a brief video clip that shows him in a pool swimming VERY fast. Check it out! http://home.worldonline.nl/~hbsmits/dolph.htm
In Brian Taylors upcoming documentary film, "State of S", George Greenough can clearly be observed using several quick "dolphining" motions (legs and feet/fins moving in unison, like a monofin) and just prior to dropping down the face of unbroken waves on his surf mat. His fins of choice were early 1970s, blue/black Voit Duck Feet.
whoa daddy this guy is a keeper ! dolphin man gets all ten points from this judge…is the dorsal the snorkel?I for one can become claustrophobcly possessive about air supply…whoa fast …leg torque…? how are the blades affixed to he foot case? wow with a coupla cans of goo could we ?play too?..although this is molding guy realm it sure tickles my inovatometer ambrose …intrigued
Hi, John, I used a similar fin put out by Scubapro(?) a number of years ago for diving. They work great and are very fast, IF you have the leg strength/conditioning to handle them. It works your upper quads more than single fins and if you have hip probelms it will aggravate them. You also need to constantly be aware of knee position(keep knees together) or you will trash your knees in a hurry since your feet are basically tied together. oouch! If you have a solid dolphin kick already then you should be able to handle this.
John: From my limited experience with monofins, I would agree with SCGary. They can be hard on knees and hips. They,however, are great for speed and distance in open water. When freediving in kelp or around structure I felt a bit restricted. Probably the result of my not practicing with them enough. Patrick