Taking fins off in deepwater

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Messages
8
Reaction score
6
Location
Michigan
# of dives
200 - 499
First off, I apologize if this is the wrong forum for this. If I should move it just let me know.

Secondly, I also apologize if this seems like an insanely stupid question. I am embarrassed to even have to ask if, if i am being honest.

When i am diving my technical setup (complete with dry suit boots) I STRUGGLE taking my fins off in deep water. I manage to get the first fin off by tugging and jostling it feverishly, but when i attempt to do the same on the other foot, I find i simply dont have the same leverage and my twin tanks end up simply throwing me face down into the water or turtling me (which now compounds the problem as i dont have fins to help kick myself upright). In choppy or rough water this exercise is EXHAUSTING and causes me a great deal of anxiety.

Has anyone else experienced this challenge? If so, how did you resolve it?

Thanks in advance and i fully expect some hazing :)
 
Are you feeling the anxiety about it all also if you leave your regulator in until your stable in the position you want to be with your fins off?
 
my fins are tight and difficult to remove -if youve got someome on board the boat I just lift my foot up and they remove them for me . what is you body positioning like when you put them on can you replicate it in water?
 
I would have two questions for you.

1. How inflated is your BC? I find that being barely on the surface is more stable than fully inflating and floating"above" the water. I find keeping my shoulders submerged helps a lot.

2. Why the need to remove the fins? Is it the style of exit that dictates that?
 
Sometimes if im in a bulky undergarment I can't quite get to my fins on the surface. I just ask for a hand from my buddy. Usually he's in the same predicament!
 
What do you mean in deep water???

With twins I find it a little bit more challenging, especially in rough conditions, but it is manageable...
Get rid of your stage/deco bottle first, and keep you reg in your mouth, it helps.
 
i have to really pull to get my fins off....so i just take my fins off when i get on the boat.

if i cant climb the ladder with my fins on, i just have a buddy pull them off me before i get out of the water.
 
I used to have trouble getting my fins off because of reduced range of motion due to knee and hip replacements, and it also felt like there was some sort of vacuum action in the foot pocket, forcing me to wiggle and pull the fin like crazy, or get an assist from a buddy. Sometime the buddy even had trouble getting them off my boots. Now I give the fin pocket a squirt of silicon every 3-4 days of diving and the fins slide off very easily.
 
Wow. Thanks for the responses!

Some of you asked why i need to take my fins off in the water and how deep the water is: we dive off a small boat on the Great Lakes where depth can range from 60 to over 200 feet. Water can be extremely choppy which makes stability a challenge even without having to manage my fins. The ladder on the boat is too small to allow us to exit the water with our fins on.

I have been asking a buddy to help strip my fins off so its nice to hear others have resorted to that too.

Whether i am fully inflated or not, the act of bringing my second leg up causes me to lose balance and either turtle or fall face down without a good means to right myself (maybe this is normal for most of you too?).

I have NOT tried to put silicon in my fin boot to loosen it but that sounds promising! Does this have any downside? Does the fin still feel secure?
 
No need to be embarrassed. I often help my buddy remove her fins for boarding. Sometimes they're just hard to reach in tech gear! If for some reason your buddy can't/won't help, it's usually easier to do it while inflated at the surface and hanging on a tag line. While inflated on the surface face down, you might be able to cross each leg in front of you so that you can reach your fin. Reaching behind you is harder.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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