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Safety Reminder

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Mar 22, 2009
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We recent received a report from a MAKO customer. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to drop his weight belt when he felt the situation was getting out of hand.

Connor has given me the OK to share his narrative – we both hope that it serves as a valuable reminder that diving can be a very challenging (and even dangerous) pursuit and we must prepare for situations before they occur. This includes the MENTAL preparation to ditch the belt should things get serious.

As a reminder, we have a free replacement policy for MAKO weightbelts which are ditched and unrecoverable during an actual emergency.

Freedive Weight Belt | MAKO Spearguns

Below is the un-edited note we received- Thanks again, Connor

Dive Safe!

Dano


Dear Mako team,

I would like to say thank you. I have had many successful dives and hunts in the water using majority your equipment from the weight belt, mask, snorkel, fins and 2mm reversible wet suit. I'm am emailing you in appreciation for the affordable and effective quick release weight belt for I beleive without it I would have lost my life today. It was just another day out to the beach to do a little shore diving. I still beleive I am a beginner diver and try not to push my limits too hard.

We'll today it was very stormy water in Dana Point but I made the drive so I went in the water. I was only about 30 meters out when I realised I shouldn't be out there. First thing that happened was I saw my friend get picked up by a wave and smacked and next I hear him screaming Connor No. My name is connor. Next moment I see a giant wave coming towards me. Strange thing is,is that it was unusually shallow. Around 12 foot which is very unusual for this area. Next thing I know is I'm being tossed and turned by a wave and one of my Mako competition dive fins gets ripped away.

At this point I know it's time to get back onshore ASAP. Unfortunately it was just wave after wave and set after set and the next wave I tried to dive under Sept me away and I rolled and rolled and I had been kicking so hard before that I had no breath left and truly believed that I was going to drown. Suddenly I surficed saw another wave coming. I was already struggling trying to stay afloat with only one fin so I decided nothing in my posting is worth my life.

With that realization I dumped my weight belt and instantly felt more boyent I was able to begin swimming in to shore but not before another wave picked me uo and hurled me and ripped off my Mako mini maske. Fortunately it was over I was finally able to stand up and get onto shore.

I left one fin 10 lbs of weights a dive belt and a mask behind today but I walked away with my life. Thank you for making such an affordable and reliable product
 
Massive respect for the replacement policy:) I noticed in the letter that the chap said that he went in because he had made the drive; I bet the voice in his head was telling him it was a bad idea. The one time that I came close to not getting out was when I was bodyboarding, the sea was right up to the sea wall and it was white horses all the way. I knew I shouldn't go in but did anyway. In no time at all, I was literally in a washing machine, the waves wanted to drag me all the way out, I was literally on the sea floor, under the water digging in with my fingertips, I had to line up with the steps in the wall and let a wave wash me up the steps and over the wall. I learnt to trust my instincts in a big way, I always thought I did until that day, the sea gave me a slap round the face, a real wake up call. Anyway, glad he made it out and like I said, good on you Mako.
 
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