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This is how we do it to but the new Jersey messersmiths knows best as always. Kent Lind wrote: > Ingemar wrote: > > > Thae way i deco when diving wrecks is this: First of all we never dive on > > the anchor line because it can pull off. We have always got a separate line > > to the wreck that we do the descent/ascent from. This way we can never lose > > the line. This line is placed at a spot where it is easy to locate for > > example on the port side of the bridge. This way it is nearly impossible to > > fail in locating it. In fact we have made thousands of trimix wreck dives in > > our dive group and no one has ever missed the line If the vis is very bad > > or the wreck so broken up that it is hard to navigate on we use navigational > > guide line. > > This is similar to what I do in Alaska. On the wrecks that we dive, frequently > we have installed permanent mooring buoys for the season. Usually we just use > leaded crab pot line which is tied into the wreck with a bridle of stainless > steel cable and a shackle so that the rope doesn't chafe against the wreck. For > a float I just use a crab put buoy so it is disguised. There are thousands of > crab pots around SE Alaska so no one notices a stray buoy. I'm always worried > that if sportfishermen learn that it's a mooring buoy they'll tie off and strip > the wrecks of all the big ling cod and other fish. All of the wrecks around > here are on steep slopes (these are deep glacial fjords) and we always try to > set the mooring buoy as high up on the wreck as possible on something secure > like a bullard or rail. That way no descent is ever required to get back to > the line and it's hard for even someone new to get lost...just find the highest > spot on the wreck and there the line is. Since the wrecks are on slopes, every > thing angles upwards and you have to be brain dead to get lost, even in horrid > vis. If I'm diving with divers who haven't been there before I usually leave a > strobe on > the line as a marker. With the regular buddies we don't usually bother. > > Mostly we dive off small boats and just tie right into the mooring line so no > anchor is set. Usually we have two boats on site, one tied into the mooring > buoy and the other tied off on the stern of the first boat so a chase boat is > always ready. This isn't the North Atlantic, these are relatively narrow fjords > and the wrecks are mostly within a few hundred meters of shore so big boats are > not necessary. There's rarely any place we ever dive where the shore isn't more > than a 20 minute swim away. > > > If we cant find the line (which has never happened) we inflate the bag > > approaching the first stop and lock the reel. Note that we do not tie off > > the reel line to the wreck. When the bag hits the surface it will be in the > > area directly over the wreck and the crew will spot it. If the boat is > > anchored the crew will simply put a buoy on the anchor line and drop it and > > then start to chase the lift bag. The Halcyon surf mat is thin, long and > > in bright colors so it can bee spotted at a distance. > > Same procedure. I've practiced floating deco but have never been forced to do > it. It's more a matter of being prepared in case we mis-time the currents and > get blown off the line or the wreck. I carry a diverite primary reel with #36 > knotted line on it and I have one of the OMS 60lb SMB sausages that is stuffed > in the halcyon backplate pad. Works well. I keep another lift bag clipped off > to a rear crotch strap d-ring and I keep a cave diving safety spool in my > drysuit pocket so if I have an absolute cluster and lose my first lift bag and > reel I have a backup spool with about 100' of line on it and a backup reel. I > also usually have two 1" webbing jon lines about 8' long each which will give me > still another backup line to hang off of. The bridle on the lift bag hangs down > about 3' so hanging on the jon lines on the lift bag will give me at least 20' > and 10' > stops. I just bought a roll of 1" tubular webbing from the local climbing shop > and cut it into lengths and then brought the pieces to a local sail maker to > have the ends stitched back into loops so they look like a dog > leash but with loops on each end. For about $35 I made jon lines for all my > dive buddies at once. I use a climbing carabiner to clip it off to my chest > d-ring on a anchor line hang and when not in use the jon > lines are folded up, secured with a heavy rubber band and ride in my drysuit > pocket. > > > Locating the line will bee much easier when the line is carefully placed on > > a easy to find spot on the wreck and it is permanently placed there rather > > than a randomly placed anchor line that can end up pretty much anywhere. > > No need to have 150m 1/8 inch line on a must bee pretty huge reel and no > > need to have a 150-200ib lift bag. This means a cleaner configuration. The > > surfmat is also closed circuit so it can not sink back on you as a > > traditional lift bag can. > > Yes, we used to dive off the anchor but rather than ending up with a randomly > placed anchor, it would usually end up on the bottom of the wreck some place > which sometimes meant descending to the deepest part of the wreck to get back to > the anchor. Not an ideal situation, especially if you want to turn the dive at > a higher part of the wreck and are forced to descent t get back. I was never > really worried about the anchor pulling. My small > boat has a lightweight anchor and I usually would wrap the anchor into the wreck > or wedge it in someplace very secure before starting the dive. But that meant > you had to unwrap it or unhook it at the end of the last dive or you end up > leaving tying it off on a buoy and getting it back on another day. > > Kent Lind > Juneau, Alaska > klind@al*.ne* > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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