What Is a Monofin?
A Monofin is fin-shaped like a dolphin’s tail. Unlike conventional fins worn on each foot, a Monofin requires both feet to be placed inside.
Monofins are used for swimming with a dolphin kick, similar to the butterfly stroke. The swimming technique differs from the individual fin strokes for each foot, placing a strain on the hips as the body undulates like a dolphin. With practice, swimmers can perform jumps from the water surface and even swim upright with the upper body above the water. Monofin swimmers can achieve speeds 1.5 times faster than advanced freestyle swimmers. Next-generation Monofins feature joints and mechanisms for adjusting propulsion, creating movements closer to a dolphin’s tail. The fins are also downsized, enabling faster kicks, and advanced users can swim at twice the speed of competitive swimmers.
How to Use a Monofin
The use of Monofins allows for enjoyable activities such as swiftly swimming in the sea like a dolphin and performing acrobatic jumps from the water’s surface.
There are speed swimming competitions known as fin swimming, where participants wear fins. Various underwater sports include surface snorkeling, immersion competitions using small scuba tanks, and breath-hold diving competitions (Apnea). While considered a minor sport in Japan, it is an official discipline in the World Games, often referred to as the Second Olympics, and is widely popular globally. Free diving competitions, where participants compete to dive as deeply as possible without equipment, are also held.
There are costumes resembling mermaid tails that go up to the waist, allowing individuals to become mermaids and enjoy taking picturesque photos. Swimming in the sea may also attract the interest of dolphins, prompting them to approach.