Need help with comparing Mertailor fantasea 1,2 and 3 monofins plus a good starter

[Mermaid Kurziana]

(sorry in advance for crappy grammar/punctuation/spelling, I am currently in bed sick and tired from a long day of work, and no coffee to boot.)

Hi, I'm mermaid Kurziana, a primarily freshwater mermaid.
I'm new to mermaiding in general but as a kid had no problems swimming in my own makeshift mermaid tails and monofins that I used to sew together.

I have been a certified PADI scuba diver and coral reef research diver out here in Key West for almost 3 years now, and have EXCELLENT buoyancy control and spatial awareness/movement control in high seas, taking on and off gear underwater, doing things while blind, breathing fluidly and with excellent control (most ppl go 45 mins on a 3,000 PSI tank, I can go almost 1.5 HOURS. I sip air like a dang whale lol), crappy visibility and amongst stingy pokey bitey things on the reef. (because, you know, science.) so far my free-diving breathe hold record is 4.5 minutes.

however I had a few things I wanted opinions on before I dive in and get my first real monofin. I know better than to do things on impulse and to educate myself well before buying anything or doing anything so here I am.


the fantasea 1 by mertailor looks like a good starter shape, and I would pair it with the water lilly skin (SO pretty, I'm a sucker for big flukes and long trailing fins and natural color schemes, I am in LOVE with the faint pink colors too),

but how does it handle, from a more experienced merfolk perspective?
is it too floppy? does it have good propulsion?
can you get far with just a few kicks, or is there a better monofin out there that would do a better job?
is the fantasea 1 a good start for someone who's not quite a beginner in the water but considered so in the merworld?

basically I want the one fin out of the three they have that has the best of both worlds;
-easy to use and comfortable.
-uses the least amount of energy to go the farthest in one kick
-movement looks natural underwater
-could be used for a semi-experienced mermaid right off the bat
- wont break the bank (I could afford any of mertailor's 3 monofins though)

preferably I'd like to stay with mertailor monofins, but out of the 3 they have, I feel like the 1 and 3 are the best bang for your buck, just from an outsiders first glance. I know I could probably handle a fantasea 3 but I feel like even if I could, it would still be smart to work my way up to such a HUGE fluke. eventually I plan on getting it anyways, and pairing it with the Tonga skin.

If y'all think I should just go with the fantasea 3 off the bat with the experience I have and that I could handle it, I have no problems investing in such a huge fluke (yasssss)




ALSO: I plan on having a 'starter' monofin first and practicing with it in the pool in my free time while I save the money for any mertailor products, but I'd like to buy my first legit tail and monofin set from mertailor. they are from my hometown and I like to support local!

I am currently watching and reading and comparing opinions and reviews on a good cheaper end 'practice' monofin as you are reading this.
currently eyeballing the linden, finis, and other popular brands.

I don't intend to wear a skin with the practice one, I just want a smaller beginner fin to fool around with in the pool to warm up with and get the movement and mannerisms of having a tail into my muscle memory before getting the mertailor fluke.

what do you guys think? I'm really just looking for someone to paint me a picture of the three fantasea fins so I can see which would be better for me. or give their own personal experiences and advice. just info. I'm looking for all the info I can get before making such a big decision.

thanks for reading this far!

[the.tattooed.mermaid78]

I started out with the Linden and I learnt to swim like a mermaid in it. Fantastic monofin, so comfortable are really god propulsion. The hydra is so friggin fast but it gave me foot cramps. Luna again so comfortable and a good amount of propulsion. Mahina, foot pockets for me are quite tight so I had to change from my size a medium to a large and wear neoprene socks. I'm quite flat footed and find the foot pockets over the bridge of my foot are tight so gonna put it in the bath with tin cans in to stretch it a bit but again good propulsion. Now the fantasea fin 3 wow just wow. Comfortable, looks gorgeous in the water, so flowy, an absolute dream to swim in. Good amount of propulsion easy to travel with as its flexible. I've seen quite a few of the fin 2 tear in the same places so I'm glad I didnt go for it. Hope that helps

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[Mermaid Kurziana]

Now the fantasea fin 3 wow just wow. Comfortable, looks gorgeous in the water, so flowy, an absolute dream to swim in. Good amount of propulsion easy to travel with as its flexible. I've seen quite a few of the fin 2 tear in the same places so I'm glad I didnt go for it. Hope that helps

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Would you recommend the fantasea 3 to a brand new beginner? or would that be a bit overwhelming?

[the.tattooed.mermaid78]

I wouldn't say so at all. Most mrs recomend going for a finfun first however I dont like the look of them and the company I went to, to get me into mermaiding used the hydra and the Linden. I bought the Linden and it was fantastic. No foot cramps no nipping of the feet like the mahina. The fin 3 is so comfortable and flows lovely. Me personally I think you will be fine with it as a first tail as long as you've done lessons first to get you mermaiding. If you want it ....... go for it

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[Mermaid Kurziana]

thank you! I think I'll be smart about it and start with a linden, then buy a fantasea 1. that way i dont overwhelm myself, but a 3 will always be the end goal!

[the.tattooed.mermaid78]

I went straight from the Linden to fantasea fin 3 and I bloody love it lol. I took to mermaiding like a fish in water literally lol. The woman teaching my lessons said I was a natural.

thank you! I think I'll be smart about it and start with a linden, then buy a fantasea 1. that way i dont overwhelm myself, but a 3 will always be the end goal!

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[Naiadele]

thank you! I think I'll be smart about it and start with a linden, then buy a fantasea 1. that way i dont overwhelm myself, but a 3 will always be the end goal!

I don’t think you’ll need that many steps personally. There is quite a range in possible starting abilities and you sound like you are an advanced swimmer, I’m sure you will take to it easily. I was only ever a very casual swimmer that had never tried dolphin kick but took to it super quick when I got my finfun. I then pretty much immediately upgraded to a mahina.
If it’s a cost thing and you want to get a cheap fin first to check that you actually like it before investing in a more expensive fin then that’s a good idea. So getting a linden before your fantasea three would be smart, but getting a fantasea 1 in between the two will probably just be a waste of money. You’ll have a better idea what will suit you once you get your initial practice fin though

I’ve never tried the mertailor fins so I can’t really weigh in, but it sounds like the propulsion on the fantasea 1 is pretty weak so you’d probably be disappointed and just want to get your fantasea 3 straight away..


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