crotch strap

[Irishdiver84]

Ok, lets see if anyone can help me with this one... I'm a girl and when I freedive I use a rubber weightbelt and put it on my hips (so as to not impede breathing) but when I am descending it occasionally falls and comes up around my armpits. I'm trying to get some sort of crotch strap so that it cant do that, but I've been having trouble making/finding exactly what I want. Anyone with a similar problem? Any ideas/thoughts?

[sanso]

A nice trick I learned from naias:

Tighten the belt well around the waist, then slip it down over the hips. That will give You a tight fit without impeding breathing and not only will it stay put, but will also keep water from entering into the top of Your suit.

HTH

[armandozx]

I hope this works! well you can also do like a holder on your weight belt that simply attaches to your thigh. Hmm I really don't know how to explain it but just make a loop on the belt and tie it to your thigh like if you were to have a knife holder on your thigh and simply give it enough slack so there's room for pleasant kicks. think of it like a sexy outfit! O=O <--- ex belt, straps, thighs!

Also when that happen to me I would suck in my breath and then clap the belt in don't know if you have that option since your buckle is different I guess you have holes in your belt.

[BennyB]

I place my belt right down low on the hips and stretch the crap out of it so it's on really tight, but not impeding my breath.

I guess you could also try tying a shoestring or something on the centre back of your belt, put your belt on and bring the string between your legs and tie to the front. You might want to make the string the same colour as your wetsuit though, otherwise you'll get all sorts of weird looks as people see you walking along with your g-string on over your wetsuit...


Cheers,
Ben

[ulysses]

The solution is rather simple, provided that you use a so-called 'marseillaise' type weight belt.

You attach a 20-25mm flat nylon strap to the centre of your belt on the back with the appropriate strap holders / stoppers (i.e. plastic ones in 'H' form which provide for an adjustable loop), bring it to the front between your legs, and hook it on the pin of the marseillaise buckle before you close the buckle.

From a practical point of view your issues will be resolved a 100%.
From a security point of view the set-up enables you remove the weight belt AND the crotch strap at the same time when in distress.

The plastic strap holder / stopper looks like this:
extremtextil - Dreisteg

Some additional tips and pics (albeit spearfishing oriented):
Document sans titre
Document sans titre

Cheers

[sunfish]

2008_01170008.JPGCrotch strap! Mine is just under two feet from buckle tip to buckle tip. The one shown has buckles made of ordinary wire so they're rusty but I've since used stainless steel wire (from wallties used to join inside and outside of cavity walls). The strap itself is car seatbelt.
After the weightbelt is fastened on the hips the buckles are tucked under the belt, front and back.
It works well but over a season or two of diving the nylon seatbelt eventually wears holes in the ass of your trousers!
Keep your weightbelt buckle a little to right or left to make room for strap at the front. It falls away if/when you have to dump your belt.

[deep thinker]

At how deep does the belt start to slip down?
If its during the beginning stages of your dive it could be that you just dont pull it tight enough. If its deeper in at 15m or down its due to compression of your suit.
Id just pull the belt a notch or two tighter and maybe also do sansos trick and see how it goes from there. I like going with as little gear as possible and a crotch strap of some kind will just be something else that can get lost. Besides it mite make it more difficult to get out of your belt fast should the need arise...
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
BTW a belt with a roller buckle and pin that fits into the holes cut into the belt ( like the marsailles type by Rob Allan ) works better than the simpler pull through buckle so perhaps a new belt or bucle mite be a better decision.

[Irishdiver84]

Hey all,
Thanks so much for all the help. I've tried pulling the belt tighter, and its rubber so it compresses too, but as a girl w/ a small waist and big hips I think I'm just doomed to have a slipping belt. I got ahold of a dive supplier and they're going to do something custom for me. Although I must admit- the shoestring idea was intriguing! Thanks again!

[Crazys13]

Hi Irishdiver. I too have had this issue, although with a nylon belt. Before I made my strap I had seriously impeded lung volume do to the belt. What I did was get a strap, which I believe was made for scuba in the event that you use a drag line for caves or something. Either way it is nylon, has a quick buckle and loops on either end, and the metal ring on the back made for the drag line worked perfectly to hold my fish stringer. I unfortunatly dont have pictures of it. But it works nicely because I made it so that when you pull the belt release, one of the loops slips out, and the belt can fall right off you. Any old nylon strap with some securing clips on it will work.

[Irishdiver84]

Hey, thanks! I did finally get this resolved though- I work at a dive shop and I had one of our suppliers make something for me. It's definitely not fashionable, but it works great! It sounds very similar to what you have actually.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Irishdiver84

... Although I must admit- the shoestring idea was intriguing! Thanks again!

That's what Tanya Streeter appeared to be using on some recent TV programs. Just be careful that you rig it so that the belt still quick releases properly.

[ulysses]

Another link to demonstrate the pratical use of the marseillaise belt combined with a crotch strap as already described above (again, the loop comes on the buckle pin):

=> souscutale

Cheers,
ulysses