On Wed, 25 Aug 1999, Sean T. Stevenson wrote:

> There is more to a successful technical diving venture than just
> competent divers.  Effective planning and competent surface support
> personnel are mandatory.  The lift bag is not intended to be chased
> down by a ship, but rather by the (mandatory) chase boat, while the
> primary vessel remains at anchor.  A competent boat crew comes in handy
> here.

Sean - chase boats are very, very rare here. I can't claim to be "boat
wordly", but none of the boats I've used have them. That might not be an
optimal situation, but it is the way things are. I can't afford my own
boat, so I dive the way I must to accommodate the way the boat Captains
run their operation.

> For some reason, NY/NJ divers seem to feel more comfortable when
> they're tied to something.

No. It's not for comfort. It is MANDATED by the boat operations. Protocol
for a pulled hook is that the boat will keep station near the wreck, but
far enough off to avoid making chum of ascending divers. When all of the
divers are on the surface, the boat will then move in to pick them up.
Simple and effective.

> As Jim mentioned, the biodegradeable sisal line that is typically
> employed on the Jersey uplines has a tendency to become weak and fail
> at the worst possible time - in an emergency.  Braided nylon line or
> equivalent is a better choice.  If 1/16 is unsuitable for the
> environment, such as in wrecks, then use larger or more durable line -
> just put it on a well designed reel instead of the Jersey spool.

I use 1/8 inch braided nylon for my upline. Its strong enough to take a
lift bag and a couple of divers. It is, however, too big to put on a wreck
reel. My upline spool is no larger than an LP argon bottle. It is out of
the way, on the right hand cylinder, and easily accessible.

> One tool for two functions - starting to make sense?

No. I use cave line for my guideline. Its too small for an upline. It
would be less than optimal to have deployed the bag for an ascent only to
have the line break.

> The reel also allows deployment with one hand only, leaving one hand
> free to deal with emergencies.

I have a team mate with me to help deal with emergencies during the 1-2
minutes it takes to get the bag to the surface and secured.

> It stows easily and cleanly, and is deployable in seconds.

True of the little spool I use, too.

-- 
Art Greenberg
artg@ec*.ne*







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