Crotch strap Importance with a double hose

[Luis H]

It seems like one could fasten a hook to the end of the crotch strap. Then you could run the strap up behind the weight belt and hook over the top of it. That way the weight belt could fall free and the crotch strap is not attached to it at all, and it would work with any weight belt.

That doesn’t work if you put your weight belt first and then the tank. The back of the crotch strap will be outside the weight belt. If you try to release the weight belt, it will just hand from the crotch strap. I have seen it happen in a training demonstration.

In order for that to work you have to make sure that the back side of the weight belt is also outside of the crotch strap. That means you have to put the weight belt last after you put on your tank (like Mike Nelson used to do). That is very nice if you have a light weight belt, but with a heavy suit (or dry suit) I wear too much weight to put the weight belt last.

With my tank it is just too difficult to try to put a 24 Lbs weight belt under the tank.

The system that I have been using works great because the front of crotch strap falls with the weight belt. The crotch strap is then loose and will not capture the weight belt.

As I mentioned, this was the traditional system used by the Calypso team and Cousteau. I am not re-inventing the wheel.

 

[simonbeans]

During the early years, the crotch strap was an intregal part of the harness/backpack systems used by many manufacturers. To facilitate easy and safe usage of the strap with their hanesses or backpacs, various methods were developed. Healthways, for example, implimented a wire loop on the crotch strap which would allow the wire waist buckle to slide through and keep secure when the buckle was closed. Upon opening the buckle, the crotch strap loop would drop away. I have used this system frequently and have found that, combined with the flat plate style of the Healthways backpack, works very well.

US Divers developed another method for crotch strap attachment. A small loop was connected to the strap which would slide onto a hook on the weight belt buckle. Thus, when the weight belt was removed, the crotch strap would easily disengage.

Both methods necessitated that the weight belt be placed on top of the harness. A procedure that most vintage divers today fully embrace.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

During the early years, the crotch strap was an intregal part of the harness/backpack systems used by many manufacturers. To facilitate easy and safe usage of the strap with their hanesses or backpacs, various methods were developed. Healthways, for example, implimented a wire loop on the crotch strap which would allow the wire waist buckle to slide through and keep secure when the buckle was closed. Upon opening the buckle, the crotch strap loop would drop away. I have used this system frequently and have found that, combined with the flat plate style of the Healthways backpack, works very well.

US Divers developed another method for crotch strap attachment. A small loop was connected to the strap which would slide onto a hook on the weight belt buckle. Thus, when the weight belt was removed, the crotch strap would easily disengage.

Both methods necessitated that the weight belt be placed on top of the harness. A procedure that most vintage divers today fully embrace.

I appreciate that Simonbeans has shown the USD-buckle arrangement. This is actually from La Spirotechnique, and was used by the Calypso divers. The interesting thing is that the Calypso divers did not use a waist strap for their scuba. They simply hooked the crotch strap to the weight belt buckle, as shown in the USD arrangement above. I have experimented extensively with these systems, and this works extremely well with scuba without a waist strap IF the bands are placed much further apart than we normally do with our vintage scuba (see Simonbean's earlier post on the distance between the bands). What happens then is that the shoulder strap, which goes down to the hips, stabilizes the scuba on the back, keeping it from shifting right and left or twisting. The crotch strap then keeps the scuba from moving upwards on the diver. This is how the Cousteau divers were able to keep their three- and four-tank systems stabilized on their back.

Years ago I developed an alternative with my Para-Sea BC concept, which uses a parachute-style harness and has hip connectors for the scuba, but no waist strap. The hip connectors provide a 4-point stabilization of the scuba on the diver's back. It is similar to the Cousteau diver's strap concepts in that there is no waist strap.

I also have the Healthways harness on one of my tanks, and it works extremely well. It is more traditional, with a waist strap and the crotch strap connecting to the waist strap. The weight belt would be worn over this system, which if you have similar buckles could be a bit confusing (I do, as I use a weight belt with the same type of buckle on a rubber belt--the rubber belt works very well to keep the weight belt in place when at depth and the wet suit has compressed).

Concerning the Mike Nelson method, they typically shot their scenes in Silver Springs, and wore their scuba over the weight belt (with the crotch strap) because they changed tanks underwater during intense shooting sessions. Off-screen, there were banks of tanks on the bottom to change to, from what I hear. This simplified the tank-changing process, albeit with a problem in perceived safety to the diver.

SeaRat

 

[duckbill]

That doesn’t work if you put your weight belt first and then the tank. The back of the crotch strap will be outside the weight belt. If you try to release the weight belt, it will just hand from the crotch strap. In order for that to work you have to make sure that the back side of the weight belt is also outside of the crotch strap. That means you have to put the weight belt last after you put on your tank....

I did mean for the weight belt to be put on last, as is proper safety procedure. The dangling end of the crotch strap would then be grabbed between the legs and brought up to the front where it would be pushed up behind the front of the weight belt and hooked over the top of it. That way the hook holds the crotch strap from pulling out, yet the hook on the crotch strap would fall away easily if the weight belt had to be released.

It's basically the same concept as the USD/La Spirotechnique buckle system. By the way, I just noticed that my French non-magnetic buckle (The LaSpirotechnique style) has a hook that captures the ring of the crotch strap when buckled, while the USD one does not.

Notice:
The USD is at the top and has a hook that is always open.
The French buckle at the bottom has a hook that captures the crotch strap ring when buckled.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

One thing about putting the weightbelt over the crotch strap/harness, you can't, or at least it's very difficult to remove and replace your rig underwater. I know guys that routinely take off their rigs (these are no BC divers) and go into caves on hookah to grab bugs.
I know it's not vintage but I thought I'd throw it into the conversation.

For me even when I dive vintage it's just easier for me to put on my belt first then my rig over.
I figure if I accidentally drop my belt it will be caught by the crotch strap and if I really want it gone then I just undo my waist strap and the crotch strap will fall away along with the belt.

 

[elmer fudd]

One thing about putting the weightbelt over the crotch strap/harness, you can't, or at least it's very difficult to remove and replace your rig underwater. I know guys that routinely take off their rigs (these are no BC divers) and go into caves on hookah to grab bugs.
I know it's not vintage but I thought I'd throw it into the conversation.

For me even when I dive vintage it's just easier for me to put on my belt first then my rig over.
I figure if I accidentally drop my belt it will be caught by the crotch strap and if I really want it gone then I just undo my waist strap and the crotch strap will fall away along with the belt.

I tend to think the same way, especially when I'm wearing a drysuit. It takes some serious weight to sink a drysuit and thick undergarments. If I lose a 10 lb. weightbelt, that's not a serious problem, as I can swim down that amount of weight. If on the other hand I lose a 26 lb. weightbelt, I'm likely going to end up bobbing to the surface.

As I see it, the possibility of accidentally losing a heavy weightbelt at depth is likely more dangerous than having to perform an extra step in order to ditch it.

 

[knowone]

There is also a technisub version, QUICK 50, of the stamped weight buckle with a capturing hook at the top, on an elastic belt with a half inch orange stripe that runs the length in the middle, with the male stitched on.

Someone please teach an illiterate how to post nice photos one day please.

 

[knowone]

And to add some vim, is this welding?


Best wishes to all and yours.

 

[knowone]

Heh heh heh.

 

[DaleC]

DIY