Hey guys, as of recently I purchased a dol-fin monofin from http://www.dol-fin.net/

For some reason I can't upload photos so I'll just link them.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin2.png
The first thing you should know about this monofin is that it is made from a very hard/thick rubber. It doesn't really bend at all besides when you are actually kicking in it and it's pretty sturdy so hitting the bottom of the pool or a wall isn't a big deal. The monofin itself is very large, as the picture shows, it is 27" wide and weighs I'd say around 6-7 lbs out of the water, but it is pretty neutral when submerged.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin1.png
Compared to the wave monofin, it's probably around half as long but nearly twice as wide. The width is great when it comes to catching a lot of water under a kick, but swimming in the dol-fin is a chore compared to swimming in the wave. While it may not be as wide, the wave's longer surface area rolls water through it and basically continues your body movement for you. In a way, the wave fin is much more forgiving when it comes to using your legs rather than your entire body to swim. The dol-fin has a nice kick to it, but to really get it up to speed you need to move your entire body and keep a tight, fast motion rather than a loose, flowy one. This of course, makes it rather tiring to swim in it correctly. It's great practice, though, and it really worked my abs more than my finis ever did. If you're a beginner when it comes to monofins the dol-fin may not be your best choice since I'd say it requires twice the effort to swim in and will probably have you running out of breath a lot faster than you would be in a wave or rapid.


One thing I did like about the dol-fin was the stiffness of the blade. While the fluke DOES move a bit when you're kicking, it doesn't flow like the longer monofins tend to. I found this made maneuvering in it to be a little easier if you go about doing it correctly. Whereas the softer or more mobile blades of longer monofins tend to bend and curl around when you try to change direction and push you ways that you perhaps didn't want to go, the dol-fin's blade doesn't move at all, so changing direction rapidly is actually a bit easier. One thing that does make it a bit harder, though, is that if you don't plan your movements correctly, sometimes the monofin blade will simply cut through the water rather than push it and you won't go anywhere.
(I'll make a swim video soon xD)


Something interesting that I found out is that the dol-fin was a monofin that I actually found MAY be reversible depending on the size of your feet.
As shown on the website and generally following common sense when it comes to monofins (I suppose), this is the way you're supposed to wear the dol-fin.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin3.png
HOWEVER, I found that when looking at the monofin from another angle, you can see there is a VERY steep angle to this monofin in the sense that it slopes DOWNWARD (when laying on stomach/normal swimming position). While a lot of monofins are this way and it's not too noticeable, the dol-fin's short and thick blade makes this slope VERY noticeable.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin6.png
Now, while this isn't a very major flaw, it is a bit strange to swim in if you don't alter your swimming style up a bit. Since the blade slops at such a downward angle, the monofin is essentially minimizing the power on kicks in the upward direction and highly emphasizing the power on downward kicks. If you try to swim while applying the same amount of force to the upward kicks as to the downward ones, you're going to tire yourself out pretty fast while only getting half the distance. I found swimming while wearing the monofin in the correct fashion was fine, just so long as you remembered to put more power into your downward kicks and relax when going up, then you could swim a lot easier.

On the reverse size, and to my preference, I found you can get away with wearing the monofin upside down.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin4.png
I'm not sure if the dol-fin automatically comes with them, but mine brought a pair of neoprene socks. These help a lot when it comes to making the monofin fit snugly, but if you do happen to wear them upside down they become pretty essential. I was able to swim for a while WITHOUT the socks, however, the thicker surface of the "bottom" of the monofin doesn't support your arch nearly as well, so you have to consider that. The socks helped me out, but I also have pretty small feet so that may come into play at some point.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7..._/Monofin5.png
Anyway, when worn upside down the monofin actually becomes a lot easier (in my opinion). The blade becomes level and lies in parallel to your body when your toes are pointed. Wearing the monofin upside down actually BALANCES your upward and downward kicks so that they provide the same amount of force. This means that you can get more power from keeping a continuous movement throughout your body that you just wouldn't be able to get with the monofin on correctly since half your power would be lost or underplayed in the upward motion.

Anyway, just thought that was my opinion on the matter! I plan on making some comparison videos in the future so I can actually see if there is a difference in speed or not.

So for my review, the dol-fin is certainly a great monofin! I really love the stiffness and weight of it, but it does take a bit more effort and skill to master. I wouldn't recommend it as a beginner monofin, but if you're looking to really add some power to your swim, this will work you out in all the right ways.