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At 11:23 AM 6/11/98 -0400, Todd Leonard wrote:
>>  	Jersey reel with 200' line, 50 lb lift bag tied to line and wrapped
>>  around reel
>
>Clip to D-ring on rear of crotch strap.  BTW, I don't know specifically
>what a "Jersey" reel is -- do you really need 200'?  If not, take only
>the length you need on the reel sized appropriately, just to be as clean
>as possible.

It's common to see "serious" divers here in the NY/NJ area with
this device, or a variation of it. The one I use is a small spool,
about 12" long with two 3" dia. plates about 3" in from the ends. It's
wound with heavy braided nylon, mine has about 350 ft. of the
stuff. Yes, it's considered unfriendly to leave this stuff on a wreck,
and there are ways to deploy it so that the line can be recovered
in its entirety.

Wrolf said it's in case you can't find the anchor, or for use
with a lift bag to raise a heavy artifact. It's also used when
the anchor is GONE - hopefully not because the boat just ups and
leaves without you. I've been on dives where the hook came loose
(some training dives where the exercise was planned, others not),
and I consider this the primary purpose of the device. The best
place to be when the boat comes back to look for you is on the surface
near the wreck, and this is the device that makes it possible for you
to do that.

In use, it is attached to the wreck and the lift bag sent to the
surface. One then ascends on the line and stays with the lift bag,
which serves as a marker, till the boat returns. If you're using one
of the deployment methods that allows recovery of the line, you have
a double length from the bottom to the surface. Allowing for this and
for scope in a current, it's reasonable to have a length of line that is
something more than twice your planned max depth, minus any suitable
bottom relief. So mine is suitable for up to about 150ft. doubled.

Since the one I have is so small, I stow it on my left cylinder
with big rubber bands made from truck tire inner tube. It sits
about where an argon bottle might be, and occupies about the same
amount of space. This is not a device that would be put back
once deployed, so this position and attachment method work fine.

Right now I'm stowing the lift bag folded flat on the other cylinder,
but I think behind the backplate might be a better option. I'm looking
at the Halcyon pocket for that - it goes on the inside of the
backplate, out of the way.


Art Greenberg
artg@ec*.ne*

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