Actual deaths involving suicide clips

[nielsent]

So I was doing some stuff with my sidemount kit the other day and decided to add some suicide clips to the rear attachment point on my tanks to see if it would help make the attachment a little tighter to my body (at the advice of a reputable sidemount diver). As I was rigging it a dive buddy of mine walk in and starts giving me a hand, and by giving me a hand what I mean is throws a tantrum that I am going to kill myself using those clips.

Now, mostly amused and curious about my friends outburst, I decided to do a little research. So after reading old threads, some accident reports and "Deep Descent" The only instance that I could find where there was a death that may have been attributed to these clips was in the case of John Ormsby on the Andrea Doria in 1985.

So my question is this, is there any well documented instances where there was a death that was directly caused by the use of one of these clips, or is the "suicide clip" name simply a product of urban legend?

Thanks for your insight all.

-- nielsent

 

[FWADIVER]

wouldnt worry about it for sidemount, the main problem is they are line traps, but going thru a tight squeeze you can pack a boltsnap full of mud such that it wont open, the boat clips seem to be the choice in this case for sidemount divers doing this kind of diving (ie jill heinerth and brian kakuk). If the clip is facing inward on the rear attachment point it wont even be an issue as a line trap.

 

[Bob DBF]

If they are snapped onto a slack line they can unhook themselves.

Don't ask.


Bob
-------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[diver257a]

Have a look at pages 75 – 78 of ‘South Australian Diving Fatalities 1950-2005’ downloadable from the following link - https://sites.google.com/site/cdiverepts/. Page 77 mentions the contribution of a ‘snap clip’ to a line entanglement that cost the lives of 2 divers.

 

[Thalassamania]

There are other good hardware solutions. I use Spinnaker Shackles (pricey), Fixed-Eye Panic Snaps (much cheaper) and Swedish Snap Hooks with Panic Button (my favorite, when I can find them, but very expensive). These all beat the crap out of snap bolts, unless you're cool-aid inebriated.

 

[vjanelle]

wouldnt worry about it for sidemount, the main problem is they are line traps, but going thru a tight squeeze you can pack a boltsnap full of mud such that it wont open, the boat clips seem to be the choice in this case for sidemount divers doing this kind of diving (ie jill heinerth and brian kakuk). If the clip is facing inward on the rear attachment point it wont even be an issue as a line trap.

Also, this is why you should never have any metal to metal attachments.

 

[Bombay High]

There are other good hardware solutions. I use Spinnaker Shackles (pricey), Fixed-Eye Panic Snaps (much cheaper) and Swedish Snap Hooks with Panic Button (my favorite, when I can find them, but very expensive). These all beat the crap out of snap bolts, unless you're cool-aid inebriated.

Spinnaker Shakles are great and versatile. I use them a lot. What are swedish snap hooks with panic button ? never heard of them. obviously a sailing derived shackle of some sort ?

 

[nielsent]

There are other good hardware solutions. I use Spinnaker Shackles (pricey), Fixed-Eye Panic Snaps (much cheaper) and Swedish Snap Hooks with Panic Button (my favorite, when I can find them, but very expensive). These all beat the crap out of snap bolts, unless you're cool-aid inebriated.

Though inebriated, it is definitely not cool-aid . Would you be willing to supply some picutres of what you are speaking of Thal. Google has a hard time telling me what you consider each type of clip.

 

[RTee]

Though inebriated, it is definitely not cool-aid . Would you be willing to supply some picutres of what you are speaking of Thal. Google has a hard time telling me what you consider each type of clip.

+1...For Swedish Snap hook , Google Image keeps pointing me in the direction of a Swedish blondshell standing at a street corner and flimsily dressed...

 

[FWADIVER]

I wouldnt use spin shackles, if you want to its fine, but being a sailor for 27 years I wouldnt trust them to open for the type of attachment he is talking about, cant say I have experience with your other 2 options but I doubt they are better than what is already out there.