Imagine you are diving, and one of your fins becomes loose and goes away from your boots. (I think the probability of having two fins off is nearly zero.) What do you do?
The question is too hard to answer without describing the situation underwater. Therefore, I list a few common scenarios in which this happens to make answering the question easier. I'd be very grateful if anyone could come up with more circumstances and discuss the solutions. Ultimately, I described what I did when I faced this situation and how I responded when my buddy had this issue.
1. Descending, depth > 10m
2. Swiming around a certain depth (> 10m)
3. Ascending, depth > 10m
4. Ascending, depth < 10m
5. Safety stop (4-6m, 3min)
I encountered this situation when I was around 18m. Although one of the fins wasn't entirely off, it was very loose, as I couldn't use it to push water. First, I tried to ensure I was neutrally buoyant. Then, I started to fix the issue. I also signaled my buddy to get attention from our guide by using a noise maker.
Recently in a dive, my buddy encountered this problem when we were very close to the safety stop. (We dived independently without a local guide.) His fin was entirely away from his boots. And I saw him swimming upward to catch the fin (lighter than seawater). I was afraid his ascending speed was too high, so I tried to grab and pull him back. Yet, I only manage to stop him around 2m. Then, we decided to abort the safety stop and got out water directly.
I look forward to hearing all the suggestions.
The question is too hard to answer without describing the situation underwater. Therefore, I list a few common scenarios in which this happens to make answering the question easier. I'd be very grateful if anyone could come up with more circumstances and discuss the solutions. Ultimately, I described what I did when I faced this situation and how I responded when my buddy had this issue.
1. Descending, depth > 10m
2. Swiming around a certain depth (> 10m)
3. Ascending, depth > 10m
4. Ascending, depth < 10m
5. Safety stop (4-6m, 3min)
I encountered this situation when I was around 18m. Although one of the fins wasn't entirely off, it was very loose, as I couldn't use it to push water. First, I tried to ensure I was neutrally buoyant. Then, I started to fix the issue. I also signaled my buddy to get attention from our guide by using a noise maker.
Recently in a dive, my buddy encountered this problem when we were very close to the safety stop. (We dived independently without a local guide.) His fin was entirely away from his boots. And I saw him swimming upward to catch the fin (lighter than seawater). I was afraid his ascending speed was too high, so I tried to grab and pull him back. Yet, I only manage to stop him around 2m. Then, we decided to abort the safety stop and got out water directly.
I look forward to hearing all the suggestions.