Lizard Leg
Contributor
I am posting this in the advanced section, because well, I guess you really need to understand all of the issues involved to help me with this issue. It also really pricks my pride to ask this. But I'm at a loss.
Did some shore dives in Pensacola's Ft. Pickens yesterday. Wasn't terribly impressed but that's neither here nor there - I was underwater and making bubbles. The problem was the "shore" in shore dive. I am a right below knee amputee and the walking foot does not tolerate sand very well. Sand, carbon fiber, and the kevlar "socks" that help eliminate friction and noise inside of the foot shell = $$ in replacement and repair costs. Ask me how I know this
The dive leg I have works great in the water - but not on land. The weight limit of me and a full kit is about 90 lbs over the max this thing can handle - it's made for water, not land.
On a boat, I tell the DM that I do a seated face roll entry and need my kit handed down to me once I am seated on the deck. I sit as close to the platform as possible so they don't have to carry my rig the length of the boat - they literally just have to pick up my kit, turn around and drop it down behind me. One time, I was close enough I dropped it off the back and just jumped in after it and geared up in the water. On the exit, I hand my fins up, chicken wing out of my kit, hand it up, and then generally swim back out for a second to let the next diver in line out while I get the foot back into the walking position and then exit normally.
Yesterday, I arrived, unloaded my gear onto the wall, geared up and stood there staring at the minor hop skip and jump down to the water, while mentally calculating the weight, the unvenness of the sand - and the cost of this ankle. I tried anyway and almost made it. A good samaratian finally took pity on me - I was so embarassed and I just wanted to get off of the crowded beach and into the water.
Plan in my head so far. Get another set of 3mm long boots to slide on over the walking foot and zip strip down hard to try to keep as much sand as possible out. Walk a 4x6 or so lightweight rubber mat down as close to tide line as possible. Hump down my kit, weights, fins, etc. Back to vehicle and swap over to dive leg. Here's where I get stalled - I still have that 10-30' to get in the water, without dragging regs through the sand, breaking the dive leg or making a fool of myself. For the life of me I can't come up with a solution that doesn't involve another person holding and carrying something down for me.
I absolutely hate admitting I have limitations, and the quickest way to get me to do something is to tell me I can't. With this, it's not that I can't - it's a gear limitation, with no commercialy available options to rectify.
Any suggestions on getting a kit to water with the least amount of extra gear - by myself?
Did some shore dives in Pensacola's Ft. Pickens yesterday. Wasn't terribly impressed but that's neither here nor there - I was underwater and making bubbles. The problem was the "shore" in shore dive. I am a right below knee amputee and the walking foot does not tolerate sand very well. Sand, carbon fiber, and the kevlar "socks" that help eliminate friction and noise inside of the foot shell = $$ in replacement and repair costs. Ask me how I know this
The dive leg I have works great in the water - but not on land. The weight limit of me and a full kit is about 90 lbs over the max this thing can handle - it's made for water, not land.
On a boat, I tell the DM that I do a seated face roll entry and need my kit handed down to me once I am seated on the deck. I sit as close to the platform as possible so they don't have to carry my rig the length of the boat - they literally just have to pick up my kit, turn around and drop it down behind me. One time, I was close enough I dropped it off the back and just jumped in after it and geared up in the water. On the exit, I hand my fins up, chicken wing out of my kit, hand it up, and then generally swim back out for a second to let the next diver in line out while I get the foot back into the walking position and then exit normally.
Yesterday, I arrived, unloaded my gear onto the wall, geared up and stood there staring at the minor hop skip and jump down to the water, while mentally calculating the weight, the unvenness of the sand - and the cost of this ankle. I tried anyway and almost made it. A good samaratian finally took pity on me - I was so embarassed and I just wanted to get off of the crowded beach and into the water.
Plan in my head so far. Get another set of 3mm long boots to slide on over the walking foot and zip strip down hard to try to keep as much sand as possible out. Walk a 4x6 or so lightweight rubber mat down as close to tide line as possible. Hump down my kit, weights, fins, etc. Back to vehicle and swap over to dive leg. Here's where I get stalled - I still have that 10-30' to get in the water, without dragging regs through the sand, breaking the dive leg or making a fool of myself. For the life of me I can't come up with a solution that doesn't involve another person holding and carrying something down for me.
I absolutely hate admitting I have limitations, and the quickest way to get me to do something is to tell me I can't. With this, it's not that I can't - it's a gear limitation, with no commercialy available options to rectify.
Any suggestions on getting a kit to water with the least amount of extra gear - by myself?
I think my wife is tired of paying the repair bills when I blow up another prosthetic, and my son just wants me in the water so we can get on our way 
. 
I was told for so long that I'd never run again (although most of it was walking REAL fast, I did my first 5K a few months back - and finished in the middle of the pack), would walk with a limp the rest of my life (on dry land with long pants on even my friends can't tell which leg is which now), etc. etc. that even though I accept I have limitations, I try to find ways around them.
