Oceanika

[Lyrique]

Mine actually snapped and broke suddenly on the 4th of July. I own two Oceanika fins, and this was my "less used" of the two.. and I mean, significantly less used. Anyway, I emailed them about it, and there is a 12 month warrenty. I was out of that 12 month frame by 1 month, but they do review each case individually. I had to send in pictures of the fin, the break, the size on the back of my fin, and a ruler next to my foot. They also had me send in the positive reviews I had made/posted about them, and videos where I had mentioned their product. I truly love the Oceanika fins, and I know everything isn't perfect, so though I was disappointed, I had a feeling that things would be resolved. Sure enough, I got this response:

"We have reviewed you case and are please to advise even though you are out of your warranty period we will replace your fin with a new one. We have done this based on the fact you have been such a strong advocate for us and that it is very unusual type of break and we can see that the fin is still in very good condition. So please advise us of your address and confirm the size of fin you would like replaced."

So despite the minor setback on being without a fin, they handled it really well, and I will still advocate for them - I love their product !

[Lyrique]

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Here's the crack. Just emailed asking about it, so let's hope they can help me!

Oh this crack is totally okay! I actually ripped this part of my fins off because mine too "cracked". It's just extra rubber. Don't worry about it at all, and if you just cut it off, it will be just fine!

[MerEmma]

We did cut it out! It works fine now, my poppa thinks it was just a little thin piece for "extra" coverage against cracking.

[Mermaid Myu]

Hey all! I just wanted to let you guys know about an alternate way to buy Merfins if you didn't already know. So this is my little review on Carla Swimwear!

Carla Swimwear is an Australia store that's an authorized retailer of the Merfin. It just so happens that they also have free DHL (!) shipping to the United States on orders over $100 (Australian). So I decided to place my order through them, considering their price was the same on the monofin and waaaaay less on shipping as the Mahina Mermaid website.

Here's the direct link to the Merfin for sale on the website.

After I changed the site currency to United States Dollars, the price for the Merfin became ~$91. In order to take advantage of the free shipping I needed to get my order over 100, so I looked for the cheapest stuff on the site and wound up buying a little purse-sized spritzer of perfume. I figured it'd be nice to throw in my swim bag so when I'm leaving the pool I don't just smell like chlorine, lol.

I placed my order on Sunday, August 11, so I would have to wait until Monday for them to receive my order.

On Monday I was pleased to find a tracking number in my email that indicated DHL had already picked up my package!

On Wednesday, August 14, I was EXTREMELY pleased to get a voice message from the DHL guy saying he was trying to deliver my package! Unfortunately I missed him and had to schedule re-delivery for the next day, but I have to point out how ridiculously fast the shipping speed was. I love DHL, and I love that Carla Swimwear didn't waste any time in shipping my order!

So earlier today (Thursday, August 15), I got my package. Unfortunately this is where the positive review stops.

Carla Swimwear packaged my Merfin horribly. Not only did they fold it in half AND bend it back on itself, but they packaged it in only a thin, plastic mailer bag with absolutely no other protection. (On the other hand, they bubble wrapped my mini perfume... LOLOL.) In places, the plastic bag had holes worn into it, which is really to be expected with that kind of thin envelope and is why you should pack your product in some other type of protective wrap. In the places where the bag had holes, the monofin is scuffed, but it's not super noticeable and I don't really feel like raising a stink about it.

Regarding the severe bend in the fin, I have it sitting on a table with heavy books holding it in the proper shape right now. I'm sure it'll be fine, or if not fine visibly it'll still get to the point where it's perfectly okay in the water, lol. Considering I'm planning on making a tail for it, I would be a little disappointed if it never regained its shape, but it's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me!

So, to sum it all up, I'm impressed with Carla Swimwear's free international shipping offer and the speed with which the fin arrived, but I'm slightly disappointed with the state in which the fin actually arrived. If it can be un-bent, I would highly recommend ordering from Carla Swimwear if you're thinking about getting a Merfin. If it never goes back into shape... well... I would think about getting it somewhere else (if it's important to you how the fin looks out of water).

Here, have some pictures!





(Sorry for the messy state of my table!!)

[MerEmma]

OUCH! That poor fin :c Definitely lay it flat somewhere, maybe with a book on each of the tips to help flatten it. Take it for a swim and that'll straighten it out as well. Why does mine look green in every lighting but it seems like everyone else's always look blue? :P

[Mermaid Kelda]

Just a thought, couldn't you leave the currency in Australia dollars? Then it would've only cost you $91 USD, but you could have gotten the free shipping without spending any extra.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Ick... your poor fluke... My oceanika has a couple little quirky bends at the tips, but I've never been able to get them to unbend, no matter what I did.

[Mermaid Myu]

Just a thought, couldn't you leave the currency in Australia dollars? Then it would've only cost you $91 USD, but you could have gotten the free shipping without spending any extra.

I just tried that, and when I hit "checkout" and input my billing/shipping information, it automatically performed the currency conversion even though I hadn't selected USD from the dropdown menu on the shopping page. Although I think the real problem is that the fin is $99.95 Australian, so I think it's 5 cents under the free shipping threshold!! Good thought though, and if it had worked I probably would have kicked myself pretty hard. xD

Ick... your poor fluke... My oceanika has a couple little quirky bends at the tips, but I've never been able to get them to unbend, no matter what I did.

Darn... it makes me sad and a little worried to hear your fluke never unbent itself.

[Kumori Kitsune]

Thats why dhl is dead

[LaNyah]

To be fair, this isn't a fault with DHL. This is the store not packaging it very well.

I hope it unbends. Let us know how it goes. I am still debating a merfin or another shape.

[Alveric]

Try putting it in a black plastic garbage bag and setting it in the hot sun for a few hours. That might soften it up a bit without getting too hot or exposing it to direct sunlight.

[Mermaid Myu]

Try putting it in a black plastic garbage bag and setting it in the hot sun for a few hours. That might soften it up a bit without getting too hot or exposing it to direct sunlight.

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely give it a shot when the sun comes out again (the forecast for the weekend is rain so I won't be able to give you an immediate update). I also read someone mention dipping it in a hot tub or a hot bath? Do you know anything about the efficacy of those methods?

[Alveric]

Never tried them, but I don't see why they wouldn't work. The water probably shouldn't be too hot to touch.

[PearlieMae]

It's rubber...chances are hot water from your tap should be warm enough to relax it back to it's flat state. Draw a hot bath and hang your fin into the water - use a cord and tie it to your curtain rod - so the bent part is in the hot water, and that the fluke is as flat as possible, sideways in the tub...give it as much room as you can.

Good luck!

[Echidna]

Guess I'll wait getting one until some local shop sells the Oceanika.
The shipping costs are just insane, and I wouldn't want to get it bent into itself either :<

[Mermaid Saphira]

Still nothing on the whale fluke I suppose. Poo, I need a new monofin and the orca tail's fin is the perfect shape

[Mermaid Myu]

It's rubber...chances are hot water from your tap should be warm enough to relax it back to it's flat state. Draw a hot bath and hang your fin into the water - use a cord and tie it to your curtain rod - so the bent part is in the hot water, and that the fluke is as flat as possible, sideways in the tub...give it as much room as you can.

Good luck!

Thanks so much! I'm going to try this method tonight!

Guess I'll wait getting one until some local shop sells the Oceanika.
The shipping costs are just insane, and I wouldn't want to get it bent into itself either :<

I'll keep you updated on whether my flattening adventures work out. If the fluke gets back to its original shape, I would probably recommend ordering from Carla Swimwear. Considering the shipping was free, I saved a looooooot of money. I hope this all works out so that this becomes a viable purchasing option for anyone interested in a Merfin!

[Echidna]

There's still the problem of the size
I'd need a slightly bigger footpocket than they have.

There's no word whether they plan to make their mermaidy-merfin bigger, just a vague promise they'll bring out the whalefluke for guys in a bigger size (?).

[Mermaid Kelda]

Could you shave down the foot pocket a little? I know it's been done before with success. The straps themselves look pretty thin already, but you might be able to shave into the fin itself (no idea if there's enough fin to shave into... Someone who actually owns an Oceanika will have to field that).

[MerEmma]

They've actually said before that they want to make larger sizes, but can't currently.