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George Irvine (gmiiii@in*.co*) wrote: > Allen, this "up reel" nonsense is ridiculous. Obviouly what you are suggesting > is the right way to do it. Pop a bag, and drift with the current with the boat > (which should be live) following. > I think there are several "regional" answers to this question. In New England the boat is usually moored to the wreck (dead boat). This is the local protocol, and mostly the decision of the captain. Good boats are equipped with a chase boat and or tethered rescue swimmer, and have a watch to look for divers who come up off the wreck. In places where there are higher tidal flows (such as Cape Cod, and Nantucket Sound) we dive at slack tide, or do a drifting deco (live boat). Its important to note, though, that as a general rule NE does not have the strong currents found in southern Florida or the English Channel. > Carrying a huge spool of hemp line is strokery at its best, and planning on > discarding it in the ocean is the worst form of blubbering , inconsiderate > assininity. Only a true stroke would do something like this. - G > In high current areas, such as Southern Florida, the English Channel, and parts of North Carolina, carrying a bulky "Jersey Reel" of sisal is foolish for many reasons. Jersey Reels are meant to be used in no/low current situations for static decompression tethered to the wreck. Even without the encumberence of mitts or gloves, I can imagine few things more stressful than trying to maintain control of the line using the Jersey Reel's primitive spool, while conducting a drifting deco - particularly where gas switches or many stops are concerned. The pro's and con's of using sisal for anything but binding a package to be mailed is the subject of another debate. Despite the current, popular wreck diving "doctrine", anyone (even New England wreck divers) should consider that: 1. Many experienced wreck divers do not use "Jersey Reels". Here in NE, several manufacturers make a large cave-style line reel thats perfect for use as either a static or drifting personal decompression line. Of course this reel comes with a thicker, stronger grade of nylon line than is used for Florida cave diving. The Jersey Reel, on the other hand, is bulky, adds way too much drag, is an entanglement hazard (how many divers who actually carry them, remove them before going inside a wreck?), and is difficult (at best) to use if you find yourself in a drifting deco situation (as noted). 2. Static decompression (tethered to a wreck) on an independent up line is inadvisible (not to mention difficult), when there's more than, say, half a knot of current. The deeper the wreck is, the less current can be tolerated by both the diver (attempting to hang onto that thin line), and the line itself (one of many reasons why sisal, with its poor strength qualities is such as poor choice). And in general... 3. Never, never, never rely on "doctrine" without first passing it through your brain and ask, "does this make sense?" Who cares if some wreck-diving icon is using that technique or equipment. Sure, it may be the best tool or technique for the job, but if YOU don't know WHY this is so, then you don't know the limitations, hazards, and risks of the particular equipment or technique. regards, Greg Dawe
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