What are the chances?

[TMHeimer]

So I'm doing one of my quickie 20 minute wet winter dives in Nova Scotia (water temp. in the 30sF)--don't worry, I have a method.
I always don fins in water. Chop, surge, 3 feet viz but could be worse. Dropped a fin. I've done this at least 2 times before in my 17 years diving-- but not in these conditions. I don the other fin (as in the past) in a futile attempt to find the lost one. Descending in 3-4 feet of water not easy with maybe 1000 psi in my AL80. After swirling around for a few minutes I say "God, don't do this to me!" (I am not a religious person). Thinking of the cost of new (split) fins. Then-- the fin hits me on the shoulder and I GRAB it. Then did the dive. WHAT are the chances?
Anyone have a similar experience?

 

[Marie13]

Heaven forbid you have to pay full retail for new fins.

On second thought, perhaps you were being momentarily punished for using split fins. LOL

 

[rhwestfall]

Sometimes you need to interpret events as a sign..... Did you read the sign correctly? Well, you showed up to post about it....

 

[rhwestfall]

Solo? I'd think this not for the "Basic Scuba" forum....

 

[lexvil]

Perhaps if you were more religious that “split” fin would have stayed gone

 

[TMHeimer]

Solo? I'd think this not for the "Basic Scuba" forum....

Sorry, my bad, didn't think of that. Then again I didn't actually say I was solo. I always put my own fins on, buddy or not, but I should have assumed someone may figure I was solo.

 

[TMHeimer]

Heaven forbid you have to pay full retail for new fins.

On second thought, perhaps you were being momentarily punished for using split fins. LOL

I hear ya. I'm old school and still think $100+ is a lot of money (or more like $160 in Canada).

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I'm all for diving, diving solo, but in a wetsuit in ithe 30's? With a single 80 with 1000psi from the start? From the shore into chop and surge? With roughly ~ 26cf?

That sounds more like Russion Roulette scuba style, lol. That was God tapping you on the shoulder with the fin saying "please gtfoh!!"

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm all for diving, diving solo, but in a wetsuit in ithe 30's? With a single 80 with 1000psi from the start? From the shore into chop and surge? With roughly ~ 26cf?

That sounds more like Russion Roulette scuba style, lol. That was God tapping you on the shoulder with the fin saying "please gtfoh!!"

My winter 20 minute dives, which rarely eclipse 10 feet depth in the same spot each time, are merely a way to do SOME diving between Oct. and May. In previous years, we often "snowbirded" to N. FL Jan.-March, so buying a drysuit made no sense. Haven't done the trip since 2017 due to health reasons, economics, and of course recently Covid and a closed US land border.
I think my solo diving in this manner is probably no more risky than in July. But, I am cutting down somewhat recently due to age and not wanting to fight with anything like surge, snow on the rocks on the beach, etc. especially in winter water.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

My winter 20 minute dives, which rarely eclipse 10 feet depth in the same spot each time, are merely a way to do SOME diving between Oct. and May. In previous years, we often "snowbirded" to N. FL Jan.-March, so buying a drysuit made no sense. Haven't done the trip since 2017 due to health reasons, economics, and of course recently Covid and a closed US land border.
I think my solo diving in this manner is probably no more risky than in July. But, I am cutting down somewhat recently due to age and not wanting to fight with anything like surge, snow on the rocks on the beach, etc. especially in winter water.

If you say it's safe for you then I'll take your word for it. I wasn't there, I don't really know. Just sounded a little on the edge... but I get it.

We broke through the ice last weekend in a quarry to get one in, so I'm not one to judge at all... some would say that's also Russian Roulette, but I know the quarry, I know the underwater landscape, I made sure we could break through if we came up. It was fine, redundant doubles drysuit and all that.

I also lost a fin when getting out once. Thankfully I had a buddy with me that time and he was ok doing a little muck diving to find it. Same damn quarry, lol.