Kevin, Carmichael, Volker and I did the Jane recovery. She had a drysuit,
but the bungee wings would not work. When I tried to use them to lift her,
the elastic just made the opv let go, and then the inflator mechanism itself
was blowing by.

Bungee wings are the product of sheer stupidity on the side of the
manufacturer, and sheer ignorance on the side of the buyer. All of what you
say here is true and I could do on from there as to why these are the
antithesis of what is actually needed.

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Rottner [mailto:kevin@So*.co*]
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 7:27 PM
To: Joe; techdiver@aquanaut.com
Subject: Bungee Wings of Death


So did you explain why he might not want to do that?

Just curious.

Regards.

Joe




Hey Joe.
OMS markets their "Elastomeric Retraction Bands" as a device that " Assists
in deflation" and "Elimination of air shift " and " Low drag / low snag "
and finally " Trim Adjustability." These are the buzzwords. But I really
think people dive them because they " look tech ". I personally think that's
why people still dive with cages or cobras, and things like ten brass snaps
on their  for no reason.
But these " look tech " bungees are really an evil plot, much like the
Russians and Water Fluoridation. ( I think we need a few more laughs a
little more often on this list .... )
Why I think they are bad:
1. Even loose, they can prevent you from getting all your lift out of a
bladder, and the tighter the worse the problem.
2. Even loose, you cannot fully orally inflate them, and once again, the
tighter they are, the worse the problem.
3. Even when set "right", they create surface folds on the bladder which
increase turbulence and create more drag than they could ever eliminate.
4. They can trap air in a wing not allowing you to fully deflate the wing
 sort of the reverse of # 1 )
5. The bands hold the bladder closer to the diver, closer to the center of
gravity, this can effect roll, and making some positions more difficult.
6. A stuck dump valve can become a fatal failure even with moderately tight
bands, literally power dumping your wing, on the way to the bottom.
7. I'm a wreck diver, and they can be serious snag points, despite the
marketing claims.
But don't take my word for it. Research the Jane Orenstein fatality, dual
steels and a wetsuit in a mix course, body recovered by some of those on
this list. Check out the Ben Longhi fatality, totally attributable to those
dams cords. Or research John Claypool / Andre Smith / Mike Ekin fatalities.
I could go on and on ...... I also grow tired of burying divers.
What purpose do they have. If you don't need it ......

Kevin


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