Jim,

FYI

During the course of the NACD workshop I never observed anyone manning the
OMS booth. I suspect it was either embarrassment, shame or a combination of
the two which caused the occupant of the OMS booth to disappear. The usual
bondage wings were prominently on display along with the newest addition to
the OMS buoyancy product line.

During the gear rigging presentation sponsored by the WKPP the dangerous
absurdity associated with the use of this bizarre contrivance was stridently
emphasized.
The horrendous drag profile, constraining bungee cords and the multiple
bladders combine to create a perilous system.  The recent wave of deaths, in
which “bungee wings” were along for the ride seems to have been largely
ignored by everyone except ourselves.

Bungee wings were developed in response to the perceived need for additional
buoyancy to support excessively weighted divers. We have gone to great
lengths to debunk the widespread fantasies regarding weight distribution. It
is irresponsible to dive in the ocean with weight that cannot be ditched in
a emergency and the use of a gross displacement device is a mistaken
compensation for an erroneous practice. AS is usually the case in technical
diving one foolish practice is compensated for by a progression of even more
stupid schemes. In the case of the bungee wings the increased drag profile
that the huge gas bag causes is compensated for by the retracting elastic
bungees which withdraw the bag into an irregular surface which creases even
more vorticial hydrodynamic drag.

The problem arises when you find yourself inadvertently stuck to the bottom
because of overweighting (steel tanks, stage bottles, reels, tools etc.) and
the inflator device fails you are left with only one option and that is to
manually inflate the compensator. The positive pressure, which must be
developed by your lungs in order to overcome the force of the bungees, is
either insufficient for inflation or highly risky from a pulmonary
standpoint. Forced pulmonary gas expulsions run the significant risk of lung
rupture and embolism.

Not to be outdone by the foolishness of their bondage wings the folks at OMS
are now marketing a “Bondage less” version.  The gas bag on this device
appears large enough to refloat the Andrea Doria and may in fact be designed
to lift perished victims from the said same wreck while avoiding the
complications of lift bags. When we first observed these giant unbungeed
wings it seemed like their purpose was for humor only and the howling and
peels of laughter were unrelenting (no wonder the OMS rep wwas hiding).
When it turned out that this was for real the inconceivable horror regarding
the mindset of who or what had conceived this abomination was very sobering.

Tell anyone to please feel free to send hate mail to me and I will forward
it to the list and bring it to the attention of my other colleagues for
their amusement.

Best wishes,

Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Cobb <cobber@ci*.co*>
To: vpg@li*.ne* <vpg@li*.ne*>; Tech Diver <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
Date: Thursday, November 19, 1998 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: Bondage Wings and things


>As everybody on the lists know, I don't like stuporwings. I have done
>dozens of posts outlining in excruciating detail the drawbacks of these
>things and others have done dozens of posts supporting my opinion. But I
>have been getting hate mail from those stuck with these POS, they can't
>sell them or even give them away now, thanks to me.
>
>So I have revised my position. Vinney, stuporwings are the best, please
>purchase your stuporwings from the poor slobs trying to sell them on this
>and the cavers list. And I also recommend, seeing how you are a firm
>believer in backups, that you purchase 2 pair.That way you will have 4
>bladders all together, which, as you already know, is twice as good as
>two.
>
>I propose, however, that you do not write your name with indelible ink on
>your wings because these units have had so many owners, some are starting

>to look like a innercity subway wall and are a real eyesore.
>
> Jim
>
>Sender: vpg  Date: 11/19/98 11:50 AM
>
>>Hello everyone,
>>
>>Im pretty new to this but willing to learn, Im looking for some advice on
>>equipment, initially a good set of wings.
>>
>>My first thought was the Dive-rite superwings but a couple of guys at my
>>club are using OMS wings and swear by them ( Im based in the UK and Im
>>interested in wreck diving ). The concept of the bungee cords seems good
to
>>me, the guys who dive with them think they are great and have had no
>>problems but I get the feeling from you guys that they are not such a good
>>thing????????
>>
>>Im reviewing my set up and approach to equipment and believe that you
should
>>be primarily self sufficient, to be able to deal with all emergencies
>>independantly and that your buddy is effectively a bonus. I base this on
the
>>fact that if equipment is not 100% predictable, your buddy 50 metres down
is
>>less predictable and if something happens to him then your solo anyway.
Dont
>>take that the wrong way, I know in practice you can rely on the guy you
dive
>>with but Im talking in a worst case analysis or risk assesment.
>>
>>I can see the value of streamling or simplifying but I believe you still
>>need backup systems. To argue against that goes against logic, equipment
>>fails.period. How you recover from that is the next question, this goes
>>beyond diving ( Im an engineer by profession ).
>>
>>Ive diversed slightly, what I was after was logical, fact based reasons
why
>>bondage wings are at best useless and in somecases fatal. What I dont
>>understand as an engineer is that someone can say the bungee cords
restrict
>>the wings ability to inflate underwater? if I can inflate them fully at
the
>>surface then I can do the same underwater, if the relief valve doesnt open
>>on the surface it wont under water. The increased pressure required to
>>inflate the bladder underwater is offset by the increased pressure on the
>>relief valve before it opens ie, ambient pressure - that is an engineering
>>fact not an irrational theory.
>>
>>Im not saying OMS is great or bondage wings are great, Im trying to make
an
>>informed choice, some of what Ive read goes against the experiance of OMS
>>users I know, how many of the guys here with violent opposition to these
>>wings have used them to any extent? Im very interested in your comments
but
>>please respond in an intelligent manner, Im not interested in some of the
>>personal insults flying around :)
>>
>>Best Regards,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Vinny.
>>England.
>>
>>--
>>Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
>>Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
>>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
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