On Wed, 19 Jan 2000 03:58:17 -0800, Barbara/San Francisco wrote:

>Hi Sean,
>
>If this is *too newbie* for the list or for FAQ--if so, just answer me
>privately.  What are bondage wings? Thanks.
>
>Barbara/San Francisco

Not at all.  This has come up a few times, and will be included in the
FAQ.

Bondage wings refers to a wing design which makes use of surgical
tubing or elastic cord (the "bondage") to keep the wing restrained
tight to the diver.  The idea here was to minimize the profile by
constantly pulling the wing into as small a shape as possible.  The
folds created in the wing material when restrained like this create a
lot of turbulent water flow, and actually create more drag than they
were supposedly designed to prevent.  When you look at a standard
unrestrained wing, you will notice that the sides float up against your
tanks, and the cross section is quite flat, as compared to the
restrained wing, which has more of a circular cross section.  The
restrained wing has the larger forward profile, and hence requires more
effort to move through the water.  The leading edge of most standard
wing designs is actually tapered to reduce this source of drag, and
place more of this leading edge within the zone of turbulence already
created by your head, tanks and manifold. The restrained wings are
closer to the diver's center of gravity, which does make it easier to
roll, but at the expense of making it more difficult to maintain a
perfect horizontal attitude when you need to.  The sides of the
standard wing sit higher and further apart, assisting you in
maintaining a perfect prone attitude in the water, which is the
position of greatest function for the diver, and the position of
greatest decompression efficiency.  The cord or tubing on the
restrained wings presents an entrapment hazard as well, for any bent or
hook like shape you happen to brush against.  Perhaps the most
significant problem with the restrained wing, from a safety
perspective, is the fact that the bladder in these devices is under
constant positive pressure from the elastic.  When you hit the deflate
they deflate rapidly, but will also do so if you happen to accidentally
puncture the bladder or otherwise compromise its integrity.  This sort
of rapid unintentional gas loss is extremely dangerous in an emergency
situation.  This positive pressure in the bladder complicates using the
inflator as a tertiary backup regulator, and presents an unnecessary
lung loading when attempting to orally inflate, increasing your
potential for injury.

-Sean


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