AtlantisDreamer
11-15-2013, 01:10 AM
So I finally took my first swim today! I went to my local gym and paid to use the facility for the day without a subscription ($10). I brought my yoga mat so that I could sit on the edge of the pool without putting the fabric against the cement. The lap pool was very shallow - 3.5ft on one end and 4.5ft on the other end. Upon first getting in the water, I had to readjust the rubber strap that goes around the back of the ankles (I have a Finis Wave fin - the "Rapid" is identical except that it's for shoe sizes 8 or 9 to... Not sure. That would be in American Women's shoe sizes). The fin touched the bottom and the fabric rubbed up against the cement in the pool quite a few times, but I'm aware that a fabric skin made of swimsuit material is going to have to be replaced frequently, and for now, I'm fine with that. So, I discovered three different ways to swim with it - I could swim with a breast stroke and my head above water while just using a pushing motion with the fin. The second way was underwater and I was trying really hard to move the fin back and forth from my feet, the way you would with regular flippers. It created a lot of pull on the feet and an extraneous amount of energy. Finally, before leaving, I figured out that while doing a dolphin underwater, if I just let the fin follow through instead of trying to move it back and forth from the feet, that it will just follow through with the motion naturally, which was much easier to do and I still got plenty of propulsion. There was a young girl (high school) in the lap lane next to me with goggles and I asked her to watch what the fins and flowing parts looked like underwater and she said that all of them moved the way they looked like they should from the fabric cuts. It was nighttime, under a starry sky and nearly full moon - it looks like a waning gibbous that was probably completely full only a day or so before. I pushed off from the side few times (with my heel, not the fin), and the fabric definitely rubbed against the pool concrete quite a few times... It was gentle and I haven't noticed any snags or anything yet - like I said, I know the fabric skin will have to be replaced frequently. When getting out, carrying the wet tail inside my yoga mat was MUCH heavier than I thought it would be, so it's kind of making me think twice about getting a really heavy tail. As a former surfer, I know how heavy the Neoprene will be when wet and how to take care of it, but for everyday use, I think I really like the fabric skin. Lastly, cleaning up was a bit of a chore... I had to rinse everything out in the bathtub, and then, rather than taking the fin out of the fabric, I hung it from the clothing line (from the monofin's rubber clip - not just draped so that the fabric was hanging from the weight of the fin). Overall, it was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. I've not been in the best shape (not overweight but with weak muscles as I've spent a lot of time in bed over the past several years from a fatigue disorder), and I can already feel the lactic acid setting in - argh! I had a thoroughly wonderful time though, feel like I've gotten the hang of it and intend to continue. Let's see... Was there anything else I wanted to mention? Oh yeah, right now I have a disposable underwater camera but since it was dark, we didn't take any pictures. And I don't have an underwater digi-cam at this point nor the budget to pay for one so it'll be awhile before I can get some digital images. I'll be posting my photo stills though as soon as we take them, develop them and scan them in. Oh yeah, if you're considering buying a fabric tail from AquaTails.com for their approximate $325 for their cheapest tail that comes with either the Wave or Rapid (based on shoe size), or even the Finis Competitor fin, I'd definitely give this company a high recommendation for other people just starting in this, people who need a fabric tail for weight fluctuations, people looking to get a tail for a cheap price that actually works and looks cool, AquaTails.com was able to provide all that for me, as well as the tail being finished within only a week or two and shipped on 2-day priority :)