johndiver999
Contributor
Clipping it off allows your hands to be free, to do things, to work a scooter, to use other gear, to not loose it in a current.Yes, it can be unclipped. Question is, how easily can it be unclipped in an emergency? A bag full of scallops is several kilos negatively buoyant. Have you - or others who seem to be ok with attatching it to themself - actually tried to unclip and ditch one? How easy is that in an emergency? How probable is it that you remember it? After all, it isn't a skill which is taught at basic level and re-rained at higher levels.
It's a completely unnecessary risk factor.
I clip a bag to my waist strap, but if ditching is really a major concern, then it could be clipped to a weight belt with a quick release, I suppose.
Clipping anything off that is negative does add to the complexity and could present some dangers, but the diver would need to balance the inconvenience of having their arm fully occupied and some might argue that the exertion of holding a heavy bag, might be undesirable from a decompression standpoint.
On ascent, I would prefer a heavy bag clipped off compared to hand carrying, due simply to the potential consequences of dropping the bag accidentally and floating up too fast in shallow water. A lift bag is probably best, but if you compare hand carry versus clipped off, I would probably go with a clip.
I’m not saying hand carrying is necessarily to be avoided, but there may be more than one way to dive without making huge concessions to safety.