Ryan Yuen, Dive Officer II, California Academy of Sciences
Problem Summary:
An inconvenience exists where the OTS Guardian earphone pockets bind up with the lower straps during initial donning and tightening.
Push the earphones back, tighten your straps halfway, snag your earphones. Push the earphones back again, tighten your straps all the way, replace earphones over ears.
This usual procedure can be tedious and lead impatient divers to muscle their way through the conflict of straps and earphones, creating premature wear and shortened lifespan of your expensive GFFM skirts.
Solution:
A small modification to the earphone pocket can mitigate this problem. By making a cut on the bottom of the earphone pocket, you can give yourself some added play before they snag onto the bottom strap during tightening.
Items Needed:
Scissors
Super Glue
Or substitute Super Glue with:
Sewing Needle
Thread (nylon, polyester, or Kevlar)
Steps:
Cut away half of the lower strap loop of the earphone pocket by making an angled (30° – 45°) incision towards the front-side/button-side of the earphone pocket. Complete the cutaway below the top stitching, so you won’t have to resew it.
Consequently, the bottom stitching will be cut and unravel overtime. So we’ll need to either re-sew the stitching completely or dab some Superglue on the cut end to keep it in place.
If you elect to re-sew, you’ll want to use a non-cotton thread for durability.
That’s it, don your Guardian, start with your earphones all the way back, pull the straps all the way snug; you’re done!
