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Configuration

Basically there are 2 possible ways I am going to land in the water:

Booties off the toes, but otherwise loose (this is my normal way of landing)
Booties on

For a while I considered a ‘Booties off the toes and rolled tight up the shins’ config as a 3rd option, but I realised that this is going to take quite some time under canopy, and it will likely unroll down the leg within a few kicks in the water.

THE TEST

Is to try swimming in each of the 2 configurations in my home pool.

I will attempt to follow the standard procedures taught for water landing, i.e.:

- Chest strap off
- Leg straps loose after landing
- Exit the harness and swim away
- Then, see how far I can swim with my clothes and lead on

I have no idea what would constitute success specifically, but I reckon 4 or 5 lengths (about 50 – 60m) would give me some reason to be hopeful about the future.

FINDINGS

Floating and swimming with full kit – the harness / container including the lead belt – is generally much easier than I expected, although slow. No point trying to swim fast with so much drag
Swimming with the harness on with leg-straps tight and leg-straps loose is about the same experience
Getting out of the harness is not easy at all – and in fact takes a lot of energy and head below water, twisting and turning. All rather unsatisfactory and, I think, dangerous
And, surprisingly, it is much easier to swim with the harness on (with reserve packed in) than without it. The container acts as a pretty substantial buoyancy!
Swimming with booties over the toes is more difficult because it produces less forward drive in the kick – i.e. it is less effective

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

These are recommendations to myself and not intended to be an overruling of the MOPS. But, having learnt now what I have, should I be heading for the drink in future I will:

Not worry about my lead before I land, [and not change my preference of positioning it underneath my jumpsuit before take-off]
Ensure my booties are off my toes before I land
Upon landing cutaway from main and move swiftly away. To me this is a priority before worrying about leg-straps, lead or anything else at all
Not try to exit my harness, but swim with it until it becomes a ‘liability’ – I guess this will take about 10 min at least in calm waters
If I am far from shore, I will then work my lead off from under my jumpsuit and ditch it. If I am close to shore, I may just stick with it and swim

All of the above assumes calm water.

I think that if I knew I was on my way into turbulent water (say open ocean) then I’d work harder to ditch my lead before landing – which should be easier because less concern of getting a canopy into a narrow canal – and thereafter I will do as stated above.

Paul Marcellin, D658

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