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HISTORY
OF THE
MONOFIN
BY: MERMAID RIA ©2021 BY MERMAID RIA
The monofin. A staple in many you as you swim through the
merfolk’s grottos. Either being water. Some monofins, such
inserted in a tail or being worn as the Finis Shooter—a popular
separately, monofins have monofin for experienced
become a major tool in the swimmers—are designed
art of mermaiding around the for perfecting the dolphin
globe. kick and used for speed. On
the other hand, monofins
In mermaiding, whether engineered by mermaid tail
you do it recreationally or makers specifically for fabric
professionally, the monofin is or silicone tails are more
a vital tool in enabling you to designed for fluidity and
swim through the water with creating a realistic mermaid
ease, speed and as realistically appearance in the water.
as possible.
Parts of a monofin?
Regardless of which company
produced it, a monofin will
have two main parts: the blade
and the foot pocket.
The blade provides you with
propulsion through the water.
Depending on the brand,
monofins can be made with
a mermaid aesthetic for
realism. The foot pockets,
which you slide your feet into
so that you’re secure, give
you ultimate control over the
monofin’s performance.
What materials are used
to make a monofin?
A monofin can be made of a
variety of materials. Some are
made from glass fiber, carbon
What is a monofin? fiber, aluminum, rubber or
In very basic terms, a monofin is silicone. Depending on the
a type of flipper that you insert swimmer’s ability—including
both feet into that provides muscle power, swimming
propulsion when you dolphin style, and type of aquatic
kick in the water. Depending activity they are doing—will
on the tail maker or brand of dictate the size, stiffness and
monofin you have purchased, materials best suited to their
it will vary in the power it gives needs.
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The beginning of the
monofin.
Now, the monofin didn’t just
come into being designed
like the monofin we love and
use in the merfolk community
today. It has gone through After creating the design, he
mass-produced his invention
various progressions and in 1929 and gained access to
remakes, with the first-ever
monofin being under some mass production in the United
disagreement. But from our States.
research, one of the first known
recorded models is recorded The other person who is said
as far back as the 1910s. to have constructed one of
the world’s first monofins is
One of the first attempts at Kurt Schaefer, an underwater
constructing a monofin was photographer. He invented
made by Louis de Corlieu, a not just their version of the
member of the French Navy monofin but an underwater
who demonstrated his first film camera during wartime
prototype to navy officers in military service in Italy. more!
1914. He left the Navy in 1924 to Schaefer’s monofin was
devote himself to his invention created by attaching two
and went on to patent his standard fins together with
monofin design in 1933. After straps and a cord in 1949.
creating his own model, he His creation can be found
was asked by the director of in the Aquazoo-Löbbecke
the Pontoise swimming pool Museum in the German city of
to create a new model, which Düsseldorf.
was named the “dolphin.”
This particular model was From there until the 1970s,
not designed for competitive the monofin had various
swimming but for “underwater alterations and various
ballets,” aiming to attract the concepts constructed by
public’s attention to this new people worldwide, some of
underwater accessory. which many well-known
monofins today are derived
With his patented monofin, from and some that never saw
he also included two spoon- production.
shaped fins for the hands
(what we would use today Another very short-lived
for training as hand paddles). device in the underwater
He called this equipment community—but was inspired
“Propulseaurs de natation et by the propulsion and ease in
de sauvetage,” which loosely the water from the monofin—
translates to “swimming and was a device called the Aqua-
rescue impulse device.” naut, later called the Aqueon
fins-magazine.com fins-magazine.com
by Unitex in the 1960s. Claiming
to be a “self-propelled inner
space vehicle,” the Aqua-naut
allowed its user to swim in the
water up to 5.5 knots and have
three times the propulsion
of a powerful fin swimmer.
It was said to be used for
freediving, scuba diving or
recreational swimming and
could aid in maneuverability
for underwater photography,
underwater research,
inspection and repair of ships
and submarines and much
The Aqua-naut, to me, looks
like some ride on a minuscule
underwater seaplane. It
was able to be propelled by
bending the knees slightly
and then briskly kicking back.
It was more of a device to be
“ridden,” like a bike, whereas
the monofin we know today
is designed to be worn. An
interesting device, the Aqua-
naut’s longevity was shortlived.
In contrast, its smaller and far
easier to operate counterpart
has lived on to be a staple
with swimmers, freedivers and
merfolk alike.
The archives of the internet
and online documents can’t
tell us definitively who was
the first known creator of the
monofin. Pre-1970 contributors
to the development and
creation of what we know as
the monofin today had little or
no awareness of each other’s
existence and goals for their
created devices.
All we can say is that each was
a passionate person within
their field, with an extensive
background in underwater
activities, striving to create a
tool that would benefit those
who wished to spend time in
the water.
Now when you go to pick up
your monofin to take it out for
a mermaiding session, know
that there is a history that
stretches back over 100 years.
The creation and continued
development of a product that
has made, and will continue
to make, countless merfolks
dreams a reality. If you’re
purely a monofin wearer or
don a fabric or silicone tail
in the water, the monofin is
something all merfolk use
for propulsion, fluidity and
aesthetic. So to that I say:
happy swimming beautiful
merfolk!
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