Wetpixel Live: Essential Advice about Housing Lanyards

@adamhanlon and @Alex_Mustard discuss some dos and do-nots about using housing lanyards and how they attach their housings to themselves when shooting underwater. Both of them tend not to use lanyards a great deal, and they see out their reasons for this in the episode. 

I'm pro lanyard all the time.  I clip on a coiled lanyard as soon as I splash.  I have had to deal with critical safety and rescue scenarios more than once under water where there is no time for spare for the camera.  Not having a lanyard already in place means you either don't deal with the emergency when needed most, or you lose the camera.  

I’m considering Lanyard options for an Aquatica D850 Housing with a pair of Ikelite DS161 strobes with a pair of ultralight arms for each strobe.

I’m wondering what length the Lanyard should be and if it makes sense to have a pair in order to attach a snap bolt to each shoulder D-Ring on my BC. I am transitioning to a long hose with bungeed backup and need to consider that.

I have watched the recent video but it doesn’t mention length. 

Most of my dives are beach dives in the cool green water of Puget Sound and there can be a bit of a walk over rocky beach, stairs and/or hills. That also means a drysuit with drysuit gloves. The handle configuration would likely be the most used but having a hand free assuming I’m also carrying my fins would be convenient. 

The attached picture shows an Aquatica 20” Lanyard option with their Mounting bracket. I’ve ordered the mounting brackets. Aquatica also has a 10” option. In the overall scheme of things, I’m also open to just buying an Aquatica Lanyard though I realize they aren’t difficult to make and cheaper options are available.

With a 20-inch lanyard, what do I do with the lanyard once I am diving? I don’t want it getting in the way of controls.

I never used one before but as I get back in the water and get some more training, including deploying an SMB, I’m ready to add a Lanyard.

Thank you.
 

1 hour ago, GeorgeH said:

I’m considering Lanyard options for an Aquatica D850 Housing with a pair of Ikelite DS161 strobes with a pair of ultralight arms for each strobe.

I’m wondering what length the Lanyard should be and if it makes sense to have a pair in order to attach a snap bolt to each shoulder D-Ring on my BC. I am transitioning to a long hose with bungeed backup and need to consider that.

I have watched the recent video but it doesn’t mention length. 

Most of my dives are beach dives in the cool green water of Puget Sound and there can be a bit of a walk over rocky beach, stairs and/or hills. That also means a drysuit with drysuit gloves. The handle configuration would likely be the most used but having a hand free assuming I’m also carrying my fins would be convenient. 

The attached picture shows an Aquatica 20” Lanyard option with their Mounting bracket. I’ve ordered the mounting brackets. Aquatica also has a 10” option. In the overall scheme of things, I’m also open to just buying an Aquatica Lanyard though I realize they aren’t difficult to make and cheaper options are available.

With a 20-inch lanyard, what do I do with the lanyard once I am diving? I don’t want it getting in the way of controls.

I never used one before but as I get back in the water and get some more training, including deploying an SMB, I’m ready to add a Lanyard.

Thank you.
 

 

I shore dive regularly getting in and out where both hands are needed due to swell etc.  I put a coiled lanyard (images are above) on one side and on the other have a carabiner/double ended bolt snap then a stainless snap shackle which is quick release.  Coil lanyard goes to top right shoulder d-ring and the other stuff to the left shoulder lower d-ring.  Camera hangs level and frees both hands.  Hook it all back up before getting out.  The quick release comes into play boat diving as it allows me to unhook the coiled lanyard and release the other side just before handing the camera up.   I find it a good system.

I also have a short lanyard connecting the top of the two strobe arms.  I use long clamps with shackles for that joint.  The lanyard can stay there for macro work, if I need to spread arms remove one end and clip both ends to same side, or remove all together and clip to a d-ring.

4 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

I shore dive regularly getting in and out where both hands are needed due to swell etc.  I put a coiled lanyard (images are above) on one side and on the other have a carabiner/double ended bolt snap then a stainless snap shackle which is quick release.  Coil lanyard goes to top right shoulder d-ring and the other stuff to the left shoulder lower d-ring.  Camera hangs level and frees both hands.  Hook it all back up before getting out.  The quick release comes into play boat diving as it allows me to unhook the coiled lanyard and release the other side just before handing the camera up.   I find it a good system.

I also have a short lanyard connecting the top of the two strobe arms.  I use long clamps with shackles for that joint.  The lanyard can stay there for macro work, if I need to spread arms remove one end and clip both ends to same side, or remove all together and clip to a d-ring.

Thanks Chris, 

I have a coiled lanyard but never really liked using it. 

I'm not seeing the picture. Regards

5 hours ago, GeorgeH said:

Thanks Chris, 

I have a coiled lanyard but never really liked using it. 

I'm not seeing the picture. Regards

Hi George didn't post a pic - sorry, I posted about one on another thread recently.  One like this: 

There's various flavours and combos of clips and type of coiled cable available but it allows you to clip up so you can shorten it  for use getting in and out of the water when you go hands free.  I find them very effective.

On 11/21/2020 at 3:07 PM, davehicks said:

I'm pro lanyard all the time.  I clip on a coiled lanyard as soon as I splash.  I have had to deal with critical safety and rescue scenarios more than once under water where there is no time for spare for the camera.  Not having a lanyard already in place means you either don't deal with the emergency when needed most, or you lose the camera.  

I am also pro lanyard all the time. I totally agree with davehicks as I have had to assist a fellow diver (not my buddy, I dive mostly solo) in a rapidly deteriorating situation where panic was about to set in. Every second was precious to prevent him from doing an emergency ascent (equipment problem with reg.). Since my kit was already attached using a lanyard similar to that pic from ChrisRoss, I just dropped it and used both hands to deal with the panicked diver. Fortunately everything worked out.

I attach my lanyard to a D-ring on my BCD belt. That way it stays out of my chest area and dangles below my feet when dropped assuming there is no bottom just below me.

I always use a lanyard, clipped to my D-ring on my right side of my waist belt.

I have had various lanyards, and I just got one of these. This seems like the best design on the market (that I know of).

https://www.opticaloceansales.com/coiled-webbing-lanyard-bolt-snap.html

I got the version with a bolt snap to clip to my D-ring.

The only plastic in the whole thing is the QR buckle used to shorten it up. That means there is no plastic anywhere that could break and allow the camera to be lost. The webbing that connects the 2 ends is something like 4000# tensile strength. It's all sewn together (versus RF welding or any kind plastic).

I clip it on as soon as a boat person hands it down to me in the water (using the handle that is connected on each side between the two middle strobe arm clamps). I unclip it when I'm ready to hand it up to a boat person. So, there are two very brief periods where it is not clipped to anything. Those times make me nervous. But, the idea of having to fumble around to unclip it after I've handed it to someone on the boat - which is potentially rocking and rolling - seems even worse. I don't know. Maybe I will change to doing it that way next time. So far, having them hand it down to me has never been any kind of issue. I think even if they fumbled and dropped it, I would be able to catch it.

FWIW, I've not been doing u/w photography all that long. 4+ years. But, I have never had any issue with a coiled lanyard going from the housing to my right waist D-ring, as far as the lanyard getting in the way of moving the camera around, twisting/turning it, positioning strobes, etc..

@GeorgeH I have done most of my u/w photography while diving doubles w/long hose. I always tuck my long hose behind my waist belt on the right side. That is regardless of whether I'm doing photography or a deep technical dive or anything else. With the long hose tucked that way, having the camera lanyard clipped to my right side waist D-ring means there are no issues with long hose deployment in an OOA situation.

7 minutes ago, stuartv said:

FWIW, I've not been doing u/w photography all that long. 4+ years. But, I have never had any issue with a coiled lanyard going from the housing to my right waist D-ring, as far as the lanyard getting in the way of moving the camera around, twisting/turning it, positioning strobes, etc..

 

@GeorgeH I have done most of my u/w photography while diving doubles w/long hose. I always tuck my long hose behind my waist belt on the right side. That is regardless of whether I'm doing photography or a deep technical dive or anything else. With the long hose tucked that way, having the camera lanyard clipped to my right side waist D-ring means there are no issues with long hose deployment in an OOA situation.

Even with bailout or deco bottles on your right side? I always clip mine off to a chest D ring so that it doesn't get in the way of my bailout bottle, reg & hose, etc. -- especially if I had to hand off a bottle to a team member.

I can just envision the chaos that would ensue if a coiled lanyard got caught on a reg or reg hose on a deco or bailout bottle. It would be on the right side bottle so you hopefully would have some time to figure it out, but still...

- brett

11 minutes ago, TmxDiver said:

Even with bailout or deco bottles on your right side? I always clip mine off to a chest D ring so that it doesn't get in the way of my bailout bottle, reg & hose, etc. -- especially if I had to hand off a bottle to a team member.

I can just envision the chaos that would ensue if a coiled lanyard got caught on a reg or reg hose on a deco or bailout bottle. It would be on the right side bottle so you hopefully would have some time to figure it out, but still...

- brett

I don't use deco or BO on the right at all. I have tried doing it that way a few times and I have never liked it.

For a deep OC dive, I'll run 2 x AL80 clipped on the left and 1 on a leash. Leash clipped to the left waist D-ring and slung over my left thigh, floating between my legs. So, right side stays clean and no problem carrying a camera clipped to the right waist.

I have not advanced my CCR diving to that level yet. The most I've carried is 2 BO/deco cylinders on CCR. But, same thing. I've tried carrying one on each side and I don't like it. I'd rather carry 2 on the left.