Imported post
Just a quick "hands up" to having a problem with using bungees for fin straps.
Don't get me wrong, they are absolutely great, reliable, robust and extremely cheap to make. However, I had some fun with them on my last dive (a night dive) which was on Saturday.
At 30m, felt a bit loose on the left foot. Lo and behold, strap had slipped off heel and was not holding fin on - friction only. Not a problem, reached down and pulled the twin bungees over the heel stud and over the ankle weights for safety - I didn't fancy trying to tighten them and if they come off once because they are too loose, they are going to come off again. Now, since both fin straps start off the same length, I have learnt that problems with one means the other is not far behind. I lifted my leg up to check, and watched as the other b*gger washed off my foot! Oh good. No sweat - grabbed it, checked my buoyancy and started to put it back on. Then my torch went out. Someone up there was having a laugh! I had a bit of a laugh myself at that point and wondered what was going to happen next!
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So, fitted the fin and was extracting backup torch when Sherpa Doug arrived with his spare (so that's what buddies are for).
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Finished the rest of a cracking dive - excellent. (Had to replace Doug's torch when THAT ran out though)
So, what happened? I had left the bungee locked using the buckles only. With use, this had gradually slipped (you can see the corrosion stains on the bungee) until it was just loose enough to slip off. I had intended to fix it with cable ties once I had made sure they weren't too tight - and had not got round to it.
So, unless you are very good at finning with one fin on, get your bungees cable-tied now!!!
Just a quick "hands up" to having a problem with using bungees for fin straps.
Don't get me wrong, they are absolutely great, reliable, robust and extremely cheap to make. However, I had some fun with them on my last dive (a night dive) which was on Saturday.
At 30m, felt a bit loose on the left foot. Lo and behold, strap had slipped off heel and was not holding fin on - friction only. Not a problem, reached down and pulled the twin bungees over the heel stud and over the ankle weights for safety - I didn't fancy trying to tighten them and if they come off once because they are too loose, they are going to come off again. Now, since both fin straps start off the same length, I have learnt that problems with one means the other is not far behind. I lifted my leg up to check, and watched as the other b*gger washed off my foot! Oh good. No sweat - grabbed it, checked my buoyancy and started to put it back on. Then my torch went out. Someone up there was having a laugh! I had a bit of a laugh myself at that point and wondered what was going to happen next!
So, fitted the fin and was extracting backup torch when Sherpa Doug arrived with his spare (so that's what buddies are for).
Finished the rest of a cracking dive - excellent. (Had to replace Doug's torch when THAT ran out though)
So, what happened? I had left the bungee locked using the buckles only. With use, this had gradually slipped (you can see the corrosion stains on the bungee) until it was just loose enough to slip off. I had intended to fix it with cable ties once I had made sure they weren't too tight - and had not got round to it.
So, unless you are very good at finning with one fin on, get your bungees cable-tied now!!!
