Reeling off wreck (ascent)

[Billy Northrup]

I'm gathering input on this as I've haven't done it yet.

For whatever reason you can't make it back to assent line and a free assent / floating away for a few hours is a no go. Maybe the current picked way up on a hot drop? So you tie in to the wreck then ascend on your own line.

So what are the procedures and things to look out for? How does deploying an SMB and managing two reels or reel and spool work out? Clip then together? Reel up to the next stop then work the smb line? Omit the SMB all together maybe? Maybe clip a backup SMB/bag with a blip of gas in to keep the line taught so as not to have an iffy amount of positive buoyancy on board.

Thoughts? Ramblings? Material?

Thank-you

Billy

 

[rongoodman]

That would be "ascent".

 

[decompression]

Well......you could always shoot a bag, find a nice clean spot to loop the line, then ascend up the line, reeling out from your reel. When you surface you detach your SMB and reel your line in........nice to have 200-400’ reels. Maybe.......

 

[Bob DBF]

The biggest issue would be the current, you would go up at an angle because of it, and may need a lot of line to stay attached and reach the surface without getting dragged under. Better shooting a bag early to let the boat know which way you are drifting.


Bob

 

[Steve_C]

So you have a raging current. Not clear how much going up on a tied in line will help. I would think it would blow you and line over. As you let more an more line out it will expierence more and more water pressure. Water pressure on a line can get very large. Even fishing line can experience a lot of drag going cross the flow. Not clear the best bet is not to shoot something to the surface quickly and then start you slow assent. Those topside should see the bag/dmsb and know which way you are going.

-bob posted while I was typing. More succinctly said what I did

 

[lermontov]

The biggest issue would be the current, you would go up at an angle because of it, and may need a lot of line to stay attached and reach the surface without getting dragged under. Better shooting a bag early to let the boat know which way you are drifting.


Bob

a current like this? thats the 12m bar at 3m depth - me sitting on it with empty BCD trying to push it down

 

[RVBldr]

Just did that exercise as part of TDI Deco Procedures. Luckily it was just practice, but at the 10' stop in about 40' of water, the line snapped, and up I want. Too much buoyancy on the line instead of being closer to neutral. Good lesson. Unless you had a stronger line, I'd think the chances of snapping a line in a good current would be likely.

 

[RyanT]

Just out of curiosity, how is it that you have 1,000+ dives and are in Key Largo, but yet this is a mystery? Key Largo has plenty of current and the dive ops are well versed on this.

 

[Billy Northrup]

Just out of curiosity, how is it that you have 1,000+ dives and are in Key Largo, but yet this is a mystery? Key Largo has plenty of current and the dive ops are well versed on this.

I have never done it, never seen anyone do it either. Hot dropping and blow SMB's all the time, even from 200+ feet depending on what the dive calls for. I think you may be talking about shooting a bag a reeling up, yes that would be odd to have never have done in Key Largo. A few times I've shot from deep through three different currents and watch the line zig zag through three different directions ending up with a metric ton of line scope.

 

[divezonescuba]

Have done it once on a recreational dive. Could not make it back to the mooring line due to low visibility. Some current.

An smb would have actually caused more problems as I did not want to do a drift safety stop. I tied a line to the deck of the wreck and ascended to 20 feet and did the safety stop. We were down current from the attachment point being held in place by the line. The scope was about 3 to 1. Two others actually were attached to the line by Jon lines. My major concern was not the line breaking, but the remaining line on the 165 foot finger spool. We surfaced not too far from the boat. Had to abandon the finger spool. One day I will retrieve it.

Lesson learned, tie a line to the mooring line in poor visibility so you can make it back. We should have also sent up an smb during the safety stop, just in case anyone violated our diver down flag.