Are you helpless without fins?

[Belmont]

What will you do if you fall off the ladder? No one is perfect. Anyone can fall.

You are right. I will call for someone to throw me a line. Like TS&M said I will not drown. I have my wing inflated and always carry a 6 foot SMB.

I have big wrists and forearms and I can't put my fins on my wrists (jetfins with springs) I don't see myself climbing aboard with that kind of bracelets on.

 

[Sas]

Srsly, why are these ladders not common? What am I missing? All of the charter boats have them in Melbourne, and other places I have dived in Australia. Maybe it is because the seas can be so rough. The only time I have had to hand up fins was in Fiji...

 

[Thalassamania]

The Aussies know better, the Gringos are ... well ... stupid.

 

[Sas]

The Aussies know better, the Gringos are ... well ... stupid.

We also have prettier dive flags

 

[k ellis]

exactly what do the dive flags look like in Australia?

 

[Sas]

exactly what do the dive flags look like in Australia?

Second pic has one.

 

[AndyNZ]

However, if you are able to back kick with no fins faster than someone can swim forward, I would say that this someone should take some very remedial swim lessons or rethink whether they should be participating in water sports...

OW students on their first pool session.... it was hardly fair sport!

It's interesting that we practice mask removal, but not swimming without fins. I suppose it's rare that a diver would lose their fins, but it happens.

I've been known to sneak one fin off someone during training, whilst straps generally don't break once the load on them is static - it could happen, and maybe one kick too hard and you fin falls off. At least that's what I tell the students, I mostly just do it because I am evil!

 

[Kern]

exactly what do the dive flags look like in Australia?

The marine Alpha signal flag.

 

[k ellis]

Second pic has one.

Gotcha Ive seen those here but they are seldom used. I think they refered to it as an international dive flag.

 

[AndyNZ]

Gotcha Ive seen those here but they are seldom used. I think they refered to it as an international dive flag.

Though the exact meaning is, I believe, to slow down to 5 knots? It has meaning outside of diving, anyway, so it is ambiguous.