It appears from your photos that you have not placed shin pads on the lower boards. These are critical to comfort with the Aqueon, as a lot of pressure is placed directly on the shin bones beneath the knees.
Now, a couple of notes about performance; the placement of the driving wings in front is such that a regular surface dive is almost impossible. The inventor, Mr. Gongwer, therefore promoted placing a "C" screw on the leading edge in order to hook the line to the spring and reverse the drive of the blades. This allowed a backwards flight down under the water.
Maneuvering is rather difficult downward, but with proactive not too bad. Streamline, with arms extended in front of you to get the most out of the Aqueon, and give the best maneuverability.
Comparing the Aqueon with monofins is comparing apples and oranges. They are much different in about every measure I can contemplate. In addition to owning and using my own Aqueon, I was Finswimming Director for the Underwater Society of America in the 1980s. I also have my own monofin. Monofins are more efficient for short distances, but they hurt. All the pressure when using a monofin is on the foot, both the top and the arch. The Aqueon has no foot pressure whatsoever. This is why Mr. Gongwer was able to use it for 12 hours in his marathon swim.
I'll see whether I can find more a bit later.
SeaRat
