oceanika merfin stretching

[Mermaid Bella]

Hi guys, I know there is already a merfins thread but its so long I don't want to get buried in the oodles of messages and I really need opinions- many many opinions as payday is coming and I am irresponsible....

I really want a merfin for a few reasons, other than them being super cute they are an Australian seller and apparently the only place I can get a monofin without going overseas and paying 70 buckeroos on postage. they are also recycled rubber and I'm all about recycled rubber. problem is... I have honking big feet. au women's 10-11 don't know what that converts to as I'm on my phone and it doesn't do the multitasking very... what's the word..?..... At all! Lol...

So I just about gave up when I read that some Mers are heating and stretching theirs, can someone please tell me; firstly what the wiggle room in the size before stretching is, how much can you stretch them and does it make the rubber brittle? I'm seriously considering buying one and just going for it but I just don't have the money. lastly on the website there is a picture of a merfin on a rock and its sort of flopped over... just how floppy are they? Will I be able to get any speed up or will I be doomed to be a wet fish?

Thanks so.much for reading everyone. ~MWA!!! <3<3<3

[Winged Mermaid]

According to a site I found on google that converts shoe sizes across the world, a 10.5 AU W would be a 12 US W, or 27.3 cm. Oceanika only goes up to a US W 9, which is a AU W 7.5 or 24.2 cm. I highly doubt it will stretch that much :( Sorry dear. I know a few mers who had their heart set on an oceanika, bought one, and could not make it work even after stretching and had to sell it. I also know mers who have too-small feet to fit their dream monofin (such as the finis competitor). It's such a bummer when that happens.



As for others, a US W 9 will be a stretch, literally. Looking at the conversion chart (here: http://www.convertworld.com/en/shoe-size/Australia,+women.html), that size is actually 25.4cm and the foot pocket is only 24.2cm long. So keep in mind if you are a size 9 and order you may have to stretch the pocket to make it comfortable. I believe this is where others ran into an issue, but were able to solve it in that way. When in doubt, always check the CM measurements if possible as it will give you the most accurate sizing across different countries.

[Mermaid Bella]

*headdesk* 3 cm....

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I have heard of one mer who cut a bit out of the foot pocket itself to allow more room for her foot. I'm not sure it would help in this case though.

[Morticia Mermaid]

^^ That was probably me Lorelei :) Cutting the foot pocket open a bit more where I cut it only helped relieve the ENORMOUS pressure I was getting on the top of my foot, at times it made it very hard (and slightly painful) to get the fin off. I had to have help getting it off numerous times. The opening was so tight that the edges of the opening were biting into my foot. I wish I had gotten pictures of those incidences before I cut it. But since I cut it, it fits so much better. No more snagging on my skin when I pull it off and I can get it off on my own :D

I'm not sure what someone could do to lengthen the foot pocket. I know that the inside of the pocket is VERY wide. I've got to wrap a sock around the end of my toes to keep them from wiggling around too much... Had a bad foot cramp my first swim from the fin being too loose around my toes. As mum said, I kept trying to grab the inside of the pocket with my toes. I had one toe trying to curl under towards my heal, and one trying to curl up towards my ankle. Not sure if you can imagine how much pain that was. Took 20-30 min for it to go away.

My advice for you Bella. If you decide to get it, try it on before you mess with it so you know where you will need to alter it. IF you decide to alter it, make sure you use a VERY sharp knife (do this carefully I might add, almost chopped my finger off cause the knife was a bit dull), then use a pair of good scissors to clean up any rough edges. Cleaning up the edges will keep it from being too rough on your feet. There will be a little give in the heel strap when you are swimming, so even if its a bit snug on land, it might loosen up a bit in the water. And just in case, you should also be prepared for it to possibly not fit despite anything you do.

I hope this helps:)

[Aquatarian]

I'm actually having a similar problem. :/ I bought a used competitor. It fits me perfectly literally. There is zero wiggle room, but my feet still fit unlike your case Bella. :/

The problem is after swimming for maybe more than 5 or 10 mins, I get these blisters on the top of my feet from the rubber constantly rubbing against me. :( I bought some neoprene socks to stop the blistering but with the neoprene socks on, it's really hard to get my feet in, and after I do they are super tight to the point where it's painful to wear after a while. Would you recommend something similar to what you're telling Bella by physically modifying the foot pockets? or would heating and stretching work in my case???

I just don't know what my next step should be.

[AniaR]

THIS is totally hearsay, but I thooought I read somewhere that Mahina was planning on offering bigger sizes?

[Winged Mermaid]

I heard the same thing from a mer (Marla) who talked to Mahina. But who knows when that may be :/

[Mermaid Bella]

I asked mahina a while ago and she just said she only has plans to make them in child sizes... most likely she has bought stock already and they don't tend to make things like this in small runs, usually 25000 or more. that might also be why the dolfins are delayed. poor thing is probably itching to expand. I've been there hehe. So its not the width of the foot poket where my trouble will lie but in the heel strap? If that is the case then I could extend it with ease... or is it both? Looks might I might buy one juuuust to see >8D so look out... there might beta used merfind on sale soon, ha ha!

[Mermaid Star]

I asked her today about the creation of a larger sized fin and she said that they are working on one now. So just look to the horizon, a fin for us big footed mers are in site!

[Koral]

I'm a size 8.5 - 9, safe to say a "small 9" in my case. I read into it first before I decided to get an oceanika, so I'm guessing I should be fine. If there's too much pressure I'll probably harass you Lexia if I can't figure out exactly where to cut - and that's IF I can reach it since the fin is going into one of Stevie's Fish Butts!

[Mermaid Harmony]

Ya, im a tad nervous about this as well as i wear 8s and 9s and just ordered my tail this weekend from fish butts with an oceanika!! Super stoked, lets pray it all works out

[Morticia Mermaid]

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3165-Oceanika-Merfin&p=43362#post43362
If you look at that thread. I made a post with pictures about where I cut and such (hopefully the pictures are actually working... Been having issues with pictures not showing up today)

[Koral]

Harmony that's great! Lets cross our fins together for extra luck fitting our feet in there!

Lexia four images arent working. :(

[Morticia Mermaid]

>.< I'll try to get them fixed

EDIT- I re-uploaded them directly to the thread from my computer this time instead of linking them from my facebook. Hopefully they are actually working now

[Elle]

I'm thinking of buying one of these. I've looking at the sizing chart, and apparently i'm .3 of a cm too big so I don't think it'll be an issue :S but there's apparently a stockist about an hour from me so i'll just have to make the trip down to go see

[halesloveswhales]

As for the floppiness that you asked about, the merfin is pretty floppy, and you won't go quite as fast as you would with a Competitor or a Waterway, but you definitely won't be floundering around in the water. I was pretty concerned about this too, when I ordered the Oceanika. However, I can get around much faster with the merfin than I can with just my feet. It's also great because it's much better for underwater tricks. You can move and flip around better with the merfin than with a stiffer monofin (I have a Waterway) because it's flimsier and yields to the water better.
Also, merfins are really great for doing fluke slaps on the water. It's a lot of fun :)

[Mermaid Bella]

The picture of mahina with the orca merman, when can I get one of those??? The fin not the merman mwa ha ha

[Winged Mermaid]

They're not making that fin yet. They said they may release it for purchase in the future though.

[-Annwyn-]

I know Mahinas own yellow fin was a one-off (prototype) she made herself.

[-Annwyn-]

The Oceanika is not built for speed, but as far as SPFX goes it cannot be beat in my honest opinion. It's flowy, it makes the heels blend in really well with the tail and the foot pocket actually shows underneath as opposed to on top like you would see in a Finis fin. I really, really, really enjoy it. Fortunately I fit into the large size fin. Also a protip: The fin is best put on in the water rather than dry.