USE THE CODE SIMONA_2023 FOR 10% OFF THE ENTIRE FREEXPERIENCE RANGE
After trying several makes and brands of lanyards, I was ecstatic to find FreeXperience lanyards for several reasons. It currently ranks as the best freediving lanyard tested so far for me.
You know your gear is good when you forget you are using it
The last thing I want when I am doing a deep dive is to be reminded that I am actually wearing a certain piece of equipment.
So many times before finding the FreeXperience lanyard I have been bothered by the thought of wearing my lanyard during the dive. Either a lanyard cable was too long, or too short, or it would entangle, or the carabiner would get in my way, or worse, the cable without double swivel attachment would get stuck and create drag.
Safety testing
A lanyard’s main purpose is to provide safety to a diver. For this reason, all lanyards should be properly tested for safety, however FreeXperience is the only manufacturer that actually tests the lanyards properly.
FreeXperience has developed guidelines for lanyard field tests and lanyard testing drop weight simulator for every diver to ensure that their own lanyard is safe.
Double Swivel Attachment Cable
The FreeXperience lanyard cable has a double swivel attachment on each end. This is a huge plus and it’s the main reason why I switched to the FreeXperience lanyard. In my previous lanyards, the connection module between the wristband and the cable would get stuck in a position perpendicular to my motion and it would create drag and resistance and I would lose energy and thoughts to try and detangle it free.
Visibility
When approaching my World Record dives at the Lake Garda, I knew visibility was going to be an issue.
The new lime green cable has been developed especially for safety reasons; the underwater visibility of the lime green color is excellent. When you lose sight of the cable, pulling the lanyard cable is the easiest way to find your way back in place and having visibility of the cable is a great plus.
Softness
Another plus of the FreeXperience lanyards is that the material for the wrist/ ankle band is extremely soft and the top velcro band is slightly smaller than the band for the bottom velcro. I get extremely sensitive to the velcro being abrasive on my wrist and ankles and I don’t get any abrasion from wearing the FreeXperience bands.
Different disciplines require different gear - lanyards are no different
The concept of one model fits all doesn’t work at all for lanyards as a competitive athlete.
I compete in all disciplines and each discipline kind of requires its own type of lanyard.
The FreeXperience lanyard gives you the possibility of interchanging the different components to make up the finished product. This is a huge bonus when competing in different disciplines. All you need with the FreeXperience lanyard is a 2.5mm hexagon tool/ Allen key which can be found at any hardware or bike shop.
Here are the different components:
USE THE CODE SIMONA_2023 FOR 10% OFF THE ENTIRE FREEXPERIENCE RANGE
And here are my personal favourite combinations for lanyards in the different disciplines:
Wrist Lanyard for CWT and CWTB dives
When I am diving in CWT and CWTB I normally wear my lanyard at my wrist, I like my cable to be longer (110cm) and my carabiner to sink faster than me from the moment I do my duck dive.
There is nothing worse than having the first breaststroke and the lanyard getting entangled in my arms and this usually happens when the cable is too short or with aluminium carabiner.
Wrist Lanyard for FIM
When I dive in FIM, instead, I like my lanyard to be fixed at my ankle, and I want the carabiner to be sinking slower than me, and the cable to be slightly shorter (90cm) so that it doesn’t get in the way of my hands when I reach the bottom of my pulls.
Belt Lanyard for CNF
Generally speaking lanyards for CNF are worn as belts so as not to tie wrists and ankles which need to be free to move without any risk of entanglement.
The CNF belt by FreeXperience comes in different sizes and I prefer mine to be with a shorter cable (90cm) and a slower sinking carabiner in aluminium.
The FreeXperience belt lanyard has a simple quick-release mechanism which is located behind the diver’s back, so that it will not open accidentally (safety strap is connected to the quick release mechanism). Also, the inner side of the belt is covered with an anti-slippery material.
For those divers who are competing, the FreeXperience belt lanyard comes with an orange velcro add-on, so to be able to attach the tag without too much hassle after a turn at the bottom plate.
Note on using the Belt Lanyard on CWT dives
The lanyard belt is also used by some athletes wanting to do Constant weight with fins (CWT) and wish to leave the lanyard off the wrist and on the waist out of the way. This could be a very comfortable options, however a deep diver should know that wearing a belt lanyard isn’t the safest option in the extremely rare and unfortunate event of the counterballast having to be actioned. In fact, if the unconscious diver is wearing a wrist or ankle lanyard, his position whilst being dragged up would be parallel to the ascending movement, whilst if the unconscious diver is to be dragged up with a belt lanyard, then his position would be perpendicular to the ascending movement, thus creating much more drag and increasing rescue time.
Having said this, a recent testing with Stavros Kastrinakis in Greece Tim Oehmingen by Deeper Blue says:
“We tested it on 40m with Counter Ballast on a 2m per second ascent. I expected to bend over with my back and that it would be a very bad position for squeezes and for getting water in the lungs. Actually I was pulled in a way that I sat very comfortable on the lanyard. It was a little bit slightly like in an embryo position. I have no doubts that this is actually the ideal position for being pulled up and I’m surprised this worked so nicely.”
DISCOUNT
USE THE CODE SIMONA_2023 FOR 10% OFF THE ENTIRE FREEXPERIENCE RANGE
RELATED BLOG POSTS
