Ball joint arm safety tether?

[OzMikeM]

Hi,

I'm just got into my first photography rig. I'm using a torch mounted to a ball joint tray as shown in the photo below.

I'm a little concerned that if the ball clamp gets bumped and loosened during a dive it seems that the torch could just fall off.

Does anyone use a tether on their ball joint arms?

Thanks.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I have 4 8-inch arms on my rig (2 on each side) with 6 ball mounts for tray to arm to strobe in that order and then another on top of my camera’s cold shoe for video light. I also have 8 jumbo stix floats, 2 on each arm and then sync cables running down on each side. My rig is much bigger and heavier than yours and it’s pretty difficult to bump and loosen as you mention. (I have Sea and Sea YSD2s so they are pretty bulky.) I’m using ultralight clamps and arms. I have not had an issue diving off dinghies with them, having them passed up and down when deck hands carry them by the arms sometimes, or on drift dives. I’ve also not seen anyone tether this part of the rig. I tether my rig via the tray and always double check every night that everything is tightened down. No issues so far.

 

[Hoag]

I don't tether the ball joints. I keep them pretty tight above the surface and once underwater, I loosen them off enough that I can move them freely but not so loose that they are at risk of coming undone. (I will also check the tightness periodically when moving the arms and adjust if they feel too loose or too tight.)

I will, however tether my housing to the tray. There is a level of redundancy offered by the fact that the housing is held on with two bolts but I will also loop a fishing leader through the spot on the housing where the wrist strap goes and then through the tray.

 

[Barmaglot]

It takes like half a dozen full turns to loosen these clamps to the point where they fall off - very unlikely to happen without you noticing, particularly with the light starting to flop around every which way long before it's ready to float away. Really not an issue, IMHO.

 

[Engineer65]

What brand of tray and strobe are you using?

 

[runsongas]

the clamp is not the weak point. i recovered a sola where the clamp was still intact and tight, just the ball joint had detached. maybe consider tethering the light to the tray directly for redundancy.

 

[_Ralph]

I tether everything off to the housing with line from a spool (i.e. cave line)

My arms have holes, so it's weaved through them and clipped to the light (SOLA)

The only 'failure' I've had was the ball joint from a tray came loose on a dive, and the arm was dangling from the line at the end (30+minute transit on DPV over 200+m water).

_R

 

[gummybun]

I have a similar rig to you and have tethered light through knuckle to tray, but I have found that while after 40 or so dives I have only had the ball knuckle go loose a couple of times (never so loose as to release) but I have often found the tether line obstructing easy and rapid alterations. I am re-thinking my arrangement.

 

[Silty Sam]

I used some fishing leaders.

 

[aoshell]

Do you do the tethering for every dive? Any pics you could share?