If you're using a lanyard for an AIDA competition then the rules are fairly rigid in what you can and cannot do when making a lanyard. At a competition expect your lanyard to be strength tested by the Judges, and some judges give them a real workout - i've seen a couple snap before.
This is of course for safety reasons - if a guy can yank a 1m cord apart using his arms only then it's not going to be much use when about 40kg of lift hits the lanyard... think about it - say you blackout somewhere on the way back up and stop kicking, on the surface they hit the counterbalance and you have about 30-50kg pulling a 20kg weight towards you, it's going to get some speed by the time it reaches you and your lanyard must be able to take that hit (along with your elbow and shoulder joints presumably).
All AIDA lanyards have to fix firmly around the wrist and not come off, but have a quick-release mechanism so they can be released if need be.
That's for all AIDA comps and training conditions where you might use a counterweight system or need a lanyard that has to bear a lot of weight, but for the recreational guys with no need of AIDA regulations, that dive in ice or murky kelpy conditions then I guess you're the best ones to know a) why you need a lanyard and b) what's the best lanyard setup for your conditions. In those sorts of environments the best use of a lanyard is so your buddy knows where to look for you.
Cheers,
Ben
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