fins or no fins

[stellar]

My daughter wants me to search for a lost boat part at the dock. I will be in a river with some current and almost 0 visability at 8-14 ft. I suspect this will be a hands and knees crawl on the bottom searching by feel. My question is should I leave the fins on the dock making it easier to maneuver on the bottom, or wear them. The plan is to have a line attached to return. so should I wear the fins for safety reasons and assent or just rely on the line and bc to get me back? I really don't want to wear them for this search and would rather not have them attached to another line or to me getting in the way even tho i guess this is safest. Mark

[Jack Hammer]

Originally Posted by stellar

My daughter wants me to search for a lost boat part at the dock. I will be in a river with some current and almost 0 visability at 8-14 ft. I suspect this will be a hands and knees crawl on the bottom searching by feel. My question is should I leave the fins on the dock making it easier to maneuver on the bottom, or wear them. The plan is to have a line attached to return. so should I wear the fins for safety reasons and assent or just rely on the line and bc to get me back? I really don't want to wear them for this search and would rather not have them attached to another line or to me getting in the way even tho i guess this is safest. Mark

Wear the fins, it's to difficult to move in the water without them with gear on. If you have some shorter snorkel or board fins they will do, and they'll make it easier when you're on the bottom.

Jack

[Splitlip]

Diving under a dock or a bridge?

[cmburch]

I assume you will be on SCUBA.

Fins are a great safety feature should you become unattached. Just shoes or booties if just walking and crawling a rocky bottom will also work. Also head protection, cutter, and work gloves should there be any nails, hooks, glass, sharp objects or entanglement possibilities.

If high traffic area, something to mark where you are so a boat doesn't go over you.

You will find out if you need fins at the dock before getting in or if in the water someone can hand them to you.

[navyhmc]

Ever dove without fins? It's a complete PIA unless you're planning a moon walk and are heavily weighted-don't fall over though, talk about turtling!!!

The fins not only provide motion, but are a great source of fulcrum if you need to manuvor at all.

[stellar]

under and beside a dock. with scuba. probably crawling. vis at the top is less than 2 feet. was going to use booties and gloves and hood. Is there some other head protection? I will have a knife, but I didn't think about the cutter. Excellent advise thanks. I will have a dive flag. thanks keep it comming.

[stellar]

never went without fins. I was planning on extra weight. This is a great site. the more replys I get the better I can plan. Thanks

[navyhmc]

If you want head protection, I would go with a kayak helmet ifyou know someone who has one-lightwieght protective and is intended to get very wet.

If you're on hands and knees. extra knees pads is a plus as well-cheap skate board pads would do the trick.

[rongoodman]

I'd think this one through a little more. It sounds like you're talking about solo, no-viz, with entanglement hazards(people fish off docks), potential HAZMAT, current... This isn't recreational diving any more. Maybe you should just buy her a new part for the boat.

[stellar]

great advise navyhmc. Looks like the grandson will be without knee pads for a day. I might snag his bicycle helmit too.