fnfalman
Contributor
How about we split the difference? Jump in with one fin donned and one fin in hand?
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Commercial divers worldwide jump in without fins. On scuba board....it'll kill you.
True, but they have an umbilical and usually a downline or hog-line.
I do not think jumping in the water without your fins on, without your mask on, your BCD under inflated or with your gas turned off is going to "kill" you in the vast majority of cases. It is how the diver handles the situation next that matters. If a diver panics then it only gets worse. But an advance diver (remember we are in the Advanced Scuba Discussion) should be able to don their fins and/or mask on the surface or underwater, inflate their BC after entering the water and reach back and turn their own tank valve on and off. At the very worst they can ditch their equipment and swim back to the boat or float and wait to be picked up.
As advanced divers I would hope they practice prudent dive practices and exercise good judgement for the particular dive circumstances at hand...beginning with a through pre-dive check or buddy check. Most of the time I prefer to don my fins just before entering the water. I have been known to enter the water with fin straps around my wrist holding the fins securely just to quickly get off a very crowded boat deck and make room for others.
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As advanced divers I would hope they practice prudent dive practices and exercise good judgement for the particular dive circumstances at hand...
Hey, I can do all that donning and probably blindfolded; but why should I if I don't have too?
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I put my fins on before entering the water. The only time I didn't was when I was jumping out of a C-130 or chopper.