Are you helpless without fins?

[Mike Boswell]

Mike, that's 'cuz you eat all that spinach (and catch Ulu'a like the one in your picture) and have those humongous "Popeye" forearms

I use Jets with spring straps, and yeah, it is a tad "squeezie" to get my forearms through.... in my case if I'm climbing up low lava on shore dives + surge I slide them up fairly high so my wrists are unencumbered and I can climb..... maybe I just need a "dive sherpa" to hand them to, pass me towel and drink.....

Best wishes.

I wish... but to be honest, I think it's because my AquaLung Rocket II fins have a fairly long foot pocket, and with the spring straps there isn't much room to put my hands through. Anyway, I would rather have my fins on my feet, so that's always my first choice.

To me, just being aware of the issue is important: If I am behind a boat, anchored in a current, and there is only one person manning the boat, I will try to make sure that I keep my fins on my person, somehow, until I am back in the boat.

And if I should ever find myself finless and drifting away from the boat, I will shuck my gear if I need to, and swim.

 

[Mike Boswell]

What this entire conversation about Fins on Wrist or Not (a new one ... FOWN?) goes to show is that it depends on the gear and the person. I have no problem Fins On Wrist, I don't clip to my rig or my weightbelt because I often take those off and leave them clipped to a line. Even with my old Viking Dry Gloves FOW works fine ... for me.

I very much agree, and would only add that the conditions are going to dictate my level of concern. Strong current and choppy water is not the best place to be finless.

 

[Walter]

I think some of our differences of opinion about putting fins on our wrists may have to do with where we dive. Almost everybody I know uses dry gloves, and dry gloves have rings that may preclude being able to slide the fin well up onto the wrist.

I think it's the equipment and conditions rather than where. While I've made a few dives in a dry suit, I've never used dry gloves.

Good for you. I'm still going to "risk my life support system" by handing my fins off to the deck hands.

I'm pretty sure we all knew that. I'm not trying to change your mind, just correcting misunderstandings.

 

[String]

Wouldn't class it as safe to hand up fins first. OK if you dive in really calm conditions to boats that are always moored with no current it will work.

Other situations when the boat is pitching or rolling you want to be able to get away from that swinging ladder if you fall off. You also want to be able to get back to the boat if you drift a bit.

Also you wont have the luxury of time to take fins off before climbing a ladder moving up and down by 4ft every few seconds.

Climb a ladder with mask on, reg in, fins on, full diving gear. Only safe way in anything but benign conditions.

 

[Walter]

Also you wont have the luxury of time to take fins off before climbing a ladder moving up and down by 4ft every few seconds.

I've never had much trouble doing it. The key is to grab the bottom rung of the ladder, stiff arm the ladder to hold you away from the ladder. It will swing you around, but as long as you keep your arm stiff, you won't hit anything and you'll be perfectly safe while taking off your fins.

Climb a ladder with mask on, reg in, fins on, full diving gear. Only safe way in anything but benign conditions.

I disagree.

 

[String]

I've never had much trouble doing it. The key is to grab the bottom rung of the ladder, stiff arm the ladder to hold you away from the ladder. It will swing you around, but as long as you keep your arm stiff, you won't hit anything and you'll be perfectly safe while taking off your fins.

Try that when the entire ladder is out of the water one second and fully submerged 2-3 seconds later. Or when the boat is moving sideways at 3-4kts when wind and current dont agree with each other.

 

[Walter]

Sounds like you're diving in conditions that are dangerous. Either the boat/ladder is too small for conditions or you are diving in seas worse than the 4 ft you mentioned in setting up your scenario. I don't dive in 8 ft seas because there is no safe way to do it. Try to take off your fins, you'll get beat to hell, don't take off your fins, you'll get beat worse. If the current is pushing the boat 3 - 4 knots sideways, again conditions are not safe for diving. Go to the movies, this is not a good day for diving.

 

[Teamcasa]

Try that when the entire ladder is out of the water one second and fully submerged 2-3 seconds later. Or when the boat is moving sideways at 3-4kts when wind and current dont agree with each other.

Sounds like many of the dives I've had off the San Diego/Mexico coast.

My process is the same, grab the ladder/swim step and hold on. Once I'm secure, I hand up my fins and climb on board. If I should ever (I've never had fallen yet but have seen it on a rare occasion) fall back in, the deckhand would toss me a line and pull me back to repeat the attempt.

 

[TSandM]

A lot of boats have closed sided ladders which are either impossible or unsafe to climb while wearing fins. I honestly prefer them, because if my feet slip, they don't slip off the rungs.

 

[Herk_Man]

Lucky for me I have split feet!