IS IT JUST ME, OR DO YOU TOO HAVE A FEAR OF DROPPING SOMETHING EXPENSIVE and irreplaceable while you’re under water?
The thought of seeing a camera, torch or essential bit of safety gear flutter into the dark waters of the abyss haunts my dreams.
One way of overcoming such potential disasters is to attach your precious gear to a lanyard. Nottingham-based Scuba Strapp has a range of such products, and I’ve been finding out how versatile they can be.
The Design
A family-run business established in 2012, Scuba Strapp produces a humble lanyard with a stitched-in loop at one end and a clip at the other, made from high-quality 25mm polypropylene webbing with either a Type 2 (80mm) stainless-steel marine snap-hook or, lately, a stainless bolt-style trigger snap-hook.
Sold as a pair, each Strapp has an integrated elastic keeper ring for neat, compact stowage when not in use. The Strapps are colour-coded red for the 0.3m length and blue for 1.2m.
Multiple Use
I’ve been using the “original” Strapp combination over a few dive-trips to secure my camera system to my wrist.
This is something I thought I’d never do, preferring simply to hold onto the handles (sometimes with a white-knuckle death grip).
The short 0.3m Strapp worked perfectly with my camera set-up. Clipped onto a small stainless ring at the base of the right handle it meant that the webbing loop was on the opposite wrist to my dive-computer, so it didn’t stop me reading critical information.
Nothing groundbreaking there, and to be honest I could have used a multitude of different styles of lanyard to do the same job.
What makes this two-Strapp combination different is its versatility. I’ve used the two Strapps connected clip to clip as a buddy-line, giving 1.5m between the two of us, with a loop for each of us to hold onto without being physically attached.
I’ve secured my scuba unit to the bench of the dive-boat instead of relying on those frayed lines or perished latex bungees that always seem to fail in rough seas.
On a high-adrenalin dive in a channel that forced the outgoing tide into a raging current, I used the longer (blue) Strapp clipped to a makeshift current-hook and it worked brilliantly, giving me a secure handhold on its loop.
The smaller Strapp was used at the end of the same dive when ascending a permanent shotline covered in stinging hydroids that would, I’m sure, have left my gloveless hand with painful stings.
I simply formed a loop around the shot with the Strapp and held onto it as I impersonated a flag in a storm.
Just after Christmas I was tasked with dog-sitting a beautiful cocker spaniel called Django. I didn’t have his lead and –you’ve guessed it – the blue Scuba Strapp came to the rescue.
Conclusion
The more I use these Scuba Strapps, the more uses I’m likely to find for them.
A big advantage is that they can be quickly rolled up into a compact package and secured with their elastic loops, clipped to a D-ring or put in a BC pocket until needed.
I’m not keen on the type of clips used on the original models, which are of the “suicide” variety – easy to clip on but not so easy to clip off. I prefer the bolt-snap version.
Luckily the guys at Scuba Strapp have listened to feedback from divers which is why this combination is now available, as is an adjustable Strapp, which I haven’t had the chance to use yet.
Straps and lanyards have been around for an eternity, but it’s the quality of materials and workmanship that sets these Scuba Strapps apart.
Their versatility probably knows no bounds and they’re so simple that they left me wondering why I hadn’t thought of them.
SPECS
PRICES: Original pair £28, adjustable £15
SIZE: Red 0.3m, blue 1.2m, adjustable 1.5m
MATERIALS: 25mm polypropylene webbing
CLIPS: Type 2 marine-grade stainless-steel snap-hook. Bolt-snaps available.
CONTACT: Scuba Strapp website
DIVER GUIDE 9/10
