It's convenient to be able to free up one or both hands by clipping off the abalone iron you're carrying. For that reason, it's fairly common to see weightbelts rigged with one or more clips. The clips you will usually see are the type that have rightfully earned the nickname "suicide clip" in other diving circles. Their use while freediving in kelp can be extremely hazardous. Quite simply, they are inappropriate for any use underwater.

The clips I'm referring to are Spring Snap clips and are characterized by a J shaped hook with a spring loaded closing gate. Opening this type of clip is simply a matter of pressing in on the gate and that is where the "suicide" moniker comes from. Assuming you have one of these clips hanging off your weight belt, it's entirely possible and eventually probable that simply brushing against something underwater will open the gate of this style clip. If the thing you're brushing against is a kelp stipe, you may inadvertently clip yourself to the kelp. If this happens while breathhold diving, the subsequent ascent may prove more exciting than you'd like.

Another "feature" of the Spring Snap clip is the ease with which you can lose whatever you've attached to it. Simply twisting the item it's holding can be enough to cause the gate to open.

The alternatives to suicide clips are any clips that require a conscious action to open the gate. The Bolt Snap or Trigger Snap clips most commonly found on pet leashes are examples of a more appropriate clip for underwater use. It requires a much more complicated scenario for this type of clip to be inadvertently opened and that substantially enhances the safety of their use. (Note - the current McMaster catalog has a nice selection of snap clips including hard to find stainless steel versions. Try searching for "bolt snap".)

One last suggestion to improve the safety of clips and clipping things off with them is to put the clips on the items you may want to attach. For example. put a clip on your abalone iron rather than having it on your weight belt. On your weight belt, mount some 2" D-rings for connecting the clips to. This eliminates hard attachment of clips to the diver and effectively eliminates the possibility of ending up inadvertently attached to something they'd rather not stay intimate with.