Keep your fins!

[ScubaWithTurk]

I have very limited experience but the 4 dives I have done here on a boat all required you to approach the ladder, grab hold and take off one fin and hand it to the DM, then remove the second, hand it up and climb the ladder.

I would prefer to take them off and wrap them on my wrist or clip them off on a D-ring so if I do fall I have the to put back on but I will do as the DM and Captain ask me to do. That is unless I feel that what they are asking is 100% unsafe and then I would have a discussion about that with them.

 

[Diving Dubai]

There are Pro's and con's with all ladder types, although personally I've seen more people slip and fall off the fin ladders than the normal type.

Here generally we don't have fin ladders, it's SOP to hand your fins up then ascend the ladder. If the sea's are rough then we generally put our knees on the first rung to remove our fins. Our ladders are on the side of the boat rather the transom and we have hang lines along the sides or the boat.

No matter how much you tell (or shout) at divers they often (especially in rough sea's) crowd the ladder. Unfortunately I've seen a diver take a tank on the head after the guy on the ladder slipped. It wasn't pretty although could have been much worse, it did mean an overnight hospital stay and the loss of the remainder of his holiday

 

[archer1960]

Not necessary...ever heard of African naked mole-rats? They live in deep holes where oxygen can be as low as 3%. And they live longer than any rodent, up to 32 years.

So you're a naked mole rat? That's cool; I didn't know they had internet access! People, on the other hand...

 

[tarponchik]

@tarponchik. We have had a similar discussion before. It may be that I could lose a few days, months, from my life with repeat exposure to "high" O2 but its a sure thing that a stray bubble through my PFO could shorten it much more severely.

Right. Breathing Nitrox for an extra minute while on the surface will help you, of course.

 

[scubadada]

This is the type of ladder where you can't ascend with your fins on?

Yes, I don't know of a boat that has any other type of ladder here. A good point as the tourists were probably unaware of the danger they were putting themselves in.

Jupiter Dive Center has Christmas tree ladders you can ascend with your fins on both of their boats.

 

[scubadada]

The ideal thing to do in this situation is perform what is sometimes called the "divemaster's exit," that is, climbing the ladder while your fins are suspended over one forearm by their heel straps. It works with most open-heel fins but not all. You don't have to be a divemaster to do it. If you don't make it up the ladder you can put your fins back on.

Some boats have ladders with a center post that allow a diver to exit the water while wearing fins. I find them awkward (in heavy seas it's hard to get your fin-clad feet on a step and keep them there) but it is one way to solve the problem.

In heavy seas, I always exit with my fins around my wrists

 

[lv2dive]

This is what I've been doing for at least the last five or so years, and I haven't had any issues with any boat captains in FL or NC.

I used to climb up ladders with fins over my wrist but then a few things happened:

• I got older
• My bum knee got worse
• My gear got heavier (moving from rec to tech)

I started handing my fins up once I had a good grip on the ladder. Maybe I'd be fine looping them over with my wrist with a single tank on my back, but if I have anything heavier I want to be able to focus completely on grabbing the ladder and not misstepping.

I have very limited experience but the 4 dives I have done here on a boat all required you to approach the ladder, grab hold and take off one fin and hand it to the DM, then remove the second, hand it up and climb the ladder.

I would prefer to take them off and wrap them on my wrist or clip them off on a D-ring so if I do fall I have the to put back on but I will do as the DM and Captain ask me to do. That is unless I feel that what they are asking is 100% unsafe and then I would have a discussion about that with them.

 

[uncfnp]

Right. Breathing Nitrox for an extra minute while on the surface will help you, of course.

Sorry I thought you meant my diving nitrox period. True that extra bit probably doesn't add much overall but its part of many steps I take to maximize my safety margin.

 

[DanMont]

Interesting discussion. Personally I have never dived off a boat (other than a RHIB or tender) that didn't have a ladder you could climb with fins. Another feature that is not uncommon on British dive boats is a divers lift, I was wondering if there is anywhere else in the world where these are found?

 

[KevinNM]

Apparently there are no USCG approved diver lifts. Or so I understand.