Anchor retrieval

[Belzelbub]

I wanted to respond to this, but wanted to do it outside of the A&I thread it was originally posted in. This was fairly appropriate for me. While I don't always retrieve anchors, I do find them fairly regularly, and do try to retrieve them when possible.

I lost an anchor recently. I had neglected the rode to chain splice and when the anchor got hung up, the splice unraveled leaving my galvanized plow anchor on the bottom. We back dove the spot a few times and didn't find my anchor, but we did find a better one. Got a stainless plow anchor with about 25' of chain instead. Original may have been worth around $250 new. The one I found goes for over $600 new, so I'm not mad at all.

We did manage to get the anchor up, but it wasn't fun and I'm making some changes to the process for the future, as I run across them fairly regularly, but many times it's at the beginning of the dive and I wasn't prepared to end it to bring it up.

As someone who treasure-dives, it's a good reminder that any large amount of excess weight should always be easily ditchable. I'll sometimes recover anchors, and the only anchors worth retrieving are the very heavy ones. I never attach them to my BCD.

Yep. Absolutely. While my method needs some tweaking. I only carry by hand, never tie anything off. With a heavy anchor and a bunch of chain, it can add up, and no way I'd want to tie it off. If needed, I'd want to be able to just drop it.

Initially, I used my BCD to float anchors, and then swim them back to the boat, but I found that to be a bad plan, because it's very hard to manage buoyancy, trim, surfacing-rate, etc. It's also easy to get task-overloaded; I noticed an increase in difficulty re-inserting my regulator in the surface, which might be relevant if my BCD lost buoyancy or waves from nearby boats.

Since then, I've found the best way to handle these retrievals (other than lift-bag) is to first drag the anchor up the slope (underwater) to the shore-line. After the dive, I jump in with my (sidemount) BCD, fins, and no tanks, swim to the anchor, and then bear-hug the anchor swim it back about 10-meters/yards to the boat, clip it to a drop-line, and finally pull it up once back in the boat. I prefer no-tank, because it's less complexity and entanglement-risk.

On this latest one, I found it during the dive. I took my marker buoy and some strong line that my friend loaned me. He told me it was around 100'. When I tied it off and unraveled it, I realized it was only about 50'. Since we were in a bit over 80' of water, the math didn't work. So, I sent up my DSMB, and tied off the reel to the original line and we ascended to game plan.

At the surface, we decided to move the boat a bit closer and to see if we could pull it up enough by the line to retrieve it. It appeared to be hung up again, so we instead dropped my spare anchor a bit closer and decided to go down and see. Current wedged the line under a rock, so I freed that and started swimming it back up via the anchor line. It was tough, slow, work as the anchor itself was 22lbs not to mention the barnacles and chain. In the end, it was successful. Pressure washing and a bit of soaking and scrubbing cleaned it up nicely. I did, however, realize that I need a better method for retrieving this stuff.

Since finding anchors is generally not the goal of my dives, when I do find them, I need to be able to come back to them later to retrieve. So, here's my current plan. Any comments would be appreciated.

If I find an anchor worth retrieving during a dive, I'll mark it with a DSMB, so I can continue with the dive. If this is my last full tank, I'll likely end the dive early so I can go back down to retrieve, but most likely I'll use another tank (unless it's shallow enough).

On this next dive, I'll bring a lift bag that I keep on the boat and a heavy gauge line I have for my stern anchor for sandbar days. Attach the line to the anchor (other end is on the boat) and attach the lift bag to the anchor if possible. Inflate the lift bag and begin my ascent. If light enough, the anchor should float, if not, at least it will be much more manageable than trying to pull a boat anchor off the bottom. Boat crew can pull the line in bringing the anchor up to the top.

 

[BlueTrin]

Out of curiosity what kind of liftbag capacity you’d need to safely retrieve an anchor?

I imagine it shouldn’t be too large or the anchor risk being lifted up fast and could harm someone?

I saw two anchors in the last 12 months, was wondering how hard it would be to retrieve one.

 

[Belzelbub]

Out of curiosity what kind of liftbag capacity you’d need to safely retrieve an anchor?

I imagine it shouldn’t be too large or the anchor risk being lifted up fast and could harm someone?

Yeah, that's a good question. And you are right about it being too large. That's definitely a concern. I have a 30lb lift bag. I didn't want it to be too large for the reason you mentioned, plus they can be tougher to manage. I have no doubt that the 30lb bag would not have been able to fully lift the latest anchor all the way to the surface. It likely would have gotten the anchor and some of the chain off the bottom.

It would, however make it 30 lbs lighter. That can be huge both for the diver or the people on the boat. I have a windlass on my boat as I do not like to manually bring up any anchor if I can avoid it. I wouldn't be able to use the windlass as it needs a specific size rode and chain, plus it's occupied. But reducing the weight could be huge for either diver or topside retrieval.

I saw two anchors in the last 12 months, was wondering how hard it would be to retrieve one.

I see them fairly regularly. I've been asked to unhook one for a fishing boat in the past. The anchor I lost was actually one that I retrieved. Me and a buddy actually retrieved two in one dive trip. The smaller one went on my boat. The large one was too big and I ended up selling it. It was at least a 35lb plow anchor (may have been 44lb), so for 35'-52' boats or for 40'-58'. I ended up selling that one for a couple hundred.

Retrieval of that one was a bit strange. Anchor was hung up on artificial reef structure in about 35' of water. Anchor was connected to chain and rode. Rode was cleanly cut and not down there for too long. So, we freed it up so that nothing was hung up and began our ascent. My buddy held on to the rode. Unfortunately it stopped about 10' below the surface. So he held onto it for a bit and I grabbed a line from the boat, hooked it to a fender to keep it at the surface and dropped the rest to my buddy who tied it off. We then pulled it up from the boat. We get maybe 2' tidal swings around here, so the rode being 10' short but cleanly cut didn't make sense.

 

[johndiver999]

Is your dive boat anchored or drifting? If drifting it is less complicated - assuming the boat operator can pull an anchor in. What I do. Get a 75 or 100 lb lift bag and carry on all dives, I clip off on the rear portion of my backplate or bc. When I find an anchor, haul in all the line and make sure it is free, or cut it off. I some times try to bundle it up if there is a lot. Attach lift bag to anchor or chain and send it up and the boat driver gets it. I stay on bottom. No back dives, no marking spots, should take less than 3 minutes.

If you are anchored or have a weak boat driver, then marking it seems like the only option.

 

[Edward3c]

Is your dive boat anchored or drifting? If drifting it is less complicated - assuming the boat operator can pull an anchor in. What I do. Get a 75 or 100 lb lift bag and carry on all dives, I clip off on the rear portion of my backplate or bc. When I find an anchor, haul in all the line and make sure it is free, or cut it off. I some times try to bundle it up if there is a lot. Attach lift bag to anchor or chain and send it up and the boat driver gets it. I stay on bottom. No back dives, no marking spots, should take less than 3 minutes.

If you are anchored or have a weak boat driver, then marking it seems like the only option.

That's where you fill the lift bag so it nearly lifts the anchor, attach a line and surface. Once back on the boat pull the line in, as the bag ascends the gas volume will take over and lift the anchor to the surface.

 

[Belzelbub]

Is your dive boat anchored or drifting? If drifting it is less complicated - assuming the boat operator can pull an anchor in. What I do. Get a 75 or 100 lb lift bag and carry on all dives, I clip off on the rear portion of my backplate or bc. When I find an anchor, haul in all the line and make sure it is free, or cut it off. I some times try to bundle it up if there is a lot. Attach lift bag to anchor or chain and send it up and the boat driver gets it. I stay on bottom. No back dives, no marking spots, should take less than 3 minutes.

If you are anchored or have a weak boat driver, then marking it seems like the only option.

Usually anchored. Usually my wife is on the boat. She can handle it, but usually does a little fishing while watching drift and bubbles.

Main reason I wasn’t wanting to carry the lift bag is that I don’t find them on most dives, and I usually have enough stuff on me when I dive, so was trying to keep extra gear that I’m unlikely to use off the dive.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Up here in the Pac NW, it can be a challenge to be able to see the surface. I would not be comfortable staying on the bottom knowing that an anchor under a lift bag was somewhere above me.......and unable to see.

Back in 2002 a buddy and I retrieved a 45lb Stainless Lewmar Plow off the Kehlokan wreck at Possession Point in Puget Sound. Fairly easy dive site as long as you plan the slack and only in about 70 -80 fsw max. Once hovering over the wreck in my boat we dropped a marker bouy with 125ft of line onto a 12lb downrigger ball. Buddy and I splash up current then descend on the marker line and wife stands by with a live boat flying the flag awaiting our return

It was a weekday and we had the wreck to ourselves and actually more interested in getting our Lings that we typically find in the concrete blocks that are out in the sand alongside the wreck. Once on the wreck, my first task is always to retrieve the marker buoy weight and move it out into the sand along side the wreck for easy retrieval from the boat later. I immediately saw the anchor fouled on the wreck and knew it was mine. Signaled to my buddy that I was going back to my boat and for him to hold tight.... I surfaced and asked my wife to get me my lift bag and a crescent wrench. She says...."what's a crescent wrench?" After we got that sorted out I was back on the bottom and removing the shackle.... Everything was pristine and my guess is that the anchor had been down less than a day or two. Vis was good and I could see that the boat that lost the anchor had obviously tried everything to get his anchor back going back and forth across the wreck and just fouling it more. There was no rode....it was all 3/4 in chain and at least 400 ft of it. Once I had the anchor loose from the chain I used my lift bag to move it out into the sand upside down with the plow not "set" and then tied off my marker bouy line to the anchor. I then tied off my SMB to my 12 lb DR ball and sent that to the surface for later retrieval. We then got our lings and surfaced to then retrieve the anchor and the DR ball.

Once back home I looked up the SS Lewmar on the West Marine site and found that it was a $1300 anchor.... yeah baby! But then.......... I check the chain and find that it's worth $10 per foot!!!!! So I call in sick to work the next day, call another buddy and start planning the next days slack to retrieve the chain. Perfect afternoon high slack with a minimal ebb so we knew we had time for two dives. This time we used the same 12lb DR ball to mark the wreck but used 1/2 in anchor line up to to the marker buoy. Once back on the wreck with 3 guys and five 75lb lift bags we worked all of the chain out into the sand and attached the half inch marker bouy line to one end then back to the boat for a surface interval and tank swap. We also then deployed our main anchor up current and were able to position our boat right above the worksite. To retrieve the chain I splashed with the five lift bags down to the pile of chain, inflated and attached a lift bag where the chain was attached to the anchor line, gave it three big yanks and my buddies started hauling the chain up....... with the lift bag assist... I did my best to attach an inflated lift bag about every 75 feet to keep things moving......

At the end of the salvage op I was amazed to see the huge pile of chain on my cockpit deck when I surfaced. Turned out to be 400ft of chain with a total weight of approx 1K lbs. Cold beers and high 5's were our immediate reward.... Once back at the marina the word got around and 2 days later we ended up connecting with the guy who had lost his anchor and chain. Came off of a 50ft Ocean Alexander. He had already filed his insurance claim and was just waiting for the payoff. Super nice guy and paid us an even $3K cash for the anchor and chain. I figure that he probably collected over $5K on the claim so it was a win-win.

Sorry about the long post but this thread brought back a 20 year old memory that makes me happy to remember!

 

[SlugLife]

Since finding anchors is generally not the goal of my dives, when I do find them, I need to be able to come back to them later to retrieve. So, here's my current plan. Any comments would be appreciated.

On the basis of (a) safety and (b) being unprepared for an anchor-retrieval, (c) having the ability/time to move the boat to the anchor location, here's what I'd recommend (which is almost identical to your post):

1) Cut any ropes, entanglements, etc from the anchor. Leave only the chain, or something you can tie on to.

2) Shoot your DSMB, using normal (inexpensive) reel-line. Or carry a dedicated small finger-spool with 100-150 ft of line for this purpose. Tie the bottom to the anchor.

3) When back on the surface, you can (a) proceed with proper-retrieval or (b) if you can't retrieve NOW, replace your DSMB with a short length of pool-noodle. That way the anchor is marked, and can be retrieved next time you're in the area.

3b) If the shore-line is nearby, I drag it up the slope, and make sure I can see where I put the anchor on the shore.

4) Dive on the anchor again, this time:

4a) Use a lift-bag to float it, and have someone on the boat retrieve it.

4b) Tie a rope to the anchor, and then float a rope using a DSMB. Alternatively you can drag a rope down, but I'd suggest being ultra careful to not get entangled (and have some cutting devices on you). Have the person on the surface wait for something like a pause .... and then 5+ successive tugs. Then watch the anchor to ensure it doesn't get caught again on it's way up (and free it if it does).

If you do this, you shouldn't be using your BCD to float an anchor, and all the kinds of potential hazards that brings. While I don't think floating an anchor with your BCD is necessarily dangerous if you're careful/smart about it, it's honestly REALLY miserable to do.

edit: Combining the rope and lift-bag may be a good idea for anchors above 50-lbs. That way you're getting less of a workout on the surface. When in a lake, most of what I find are probably 50lbs or less. Although as anchors get bigger, they tend to be worth a lot more, so being able to retrieve something above 50-lbs might be worthwhile.

 

[SlugLife]

Out of curiosity what kind of liftbag capacity you’d need to safely retrieve an anchor?

I imagine it shouldn’t be too large or the anchor risk being lifted up fast and could harm someone?

I saw two anchors in the last 12 months, was wondering how hard it would be to retrieve one.

It depends on the anchor. The vast majority are in the 10-to-50lbs range in the lake I dive in. However, if I came across a 75-100lbs one, that would probably be worth a good amount of $$$. The 10-lbs ones are worth so little, you're best off leaving them.

 

[johndiver999]

On the basis of (a) safety and (b) being unprepared for an anchor-retrieval, (c) having the ability/time to move the boat to the anchor location, here's what I'd recommend (which is almost identical to your post):

1) Cut any ropes, entanglements, etc from the anchor. Leave only the chain, or something you can tie on to.

2) Shoot your DSMB, using normal (inexpensive) reel-line. Or carry a dedicated small finger-spool with 100-150 ft of line for this purpose. Tie the bottom to the anchor.

3) When back on the surface, you can (a) proceed with proper-retrieval or (b) if you can't retrieve NOW, replace your DSMB with a short length of pool-noodle. That way the anchor is marked, and can be retrieved next time you're in the area.

3b) If the shore-line is nearby, I drag it up the slope, and make sure I can see where I put the anchor on the shore.

4) Dive on the anchor again, this time:

4a) Use a lift-bag to float it, and have someone on the boat retrieve it.

4b) Tie a rope to the anchor, and then float a rope using a DSMB. Alternatively you can drag a rope down, but I'd suggest being ultra careful to not get entangled (and have some cutting devices on you). Have the person on the surface wait for something like a pause .... and then 5+ successive tugs. Then watch the anchor to ensure it doesn't get caught again on it's way up (and free it if it does).

If you do this, you shouldn't be using your BCD to float an anchor, and all the kinds of potential hazards that brings. While I don't think floating an anchor with your BCD is necessarily dangerous if you're careful/smart about it, it's honestly REALLY miserable to do.

edit: Combining the rope and lift-bag may be a good idea for anchors above 50-lbs. That way you're getting less of a workout on the surface. When in a lake, most of what I find are probably 50lbs or less. Although as anchors get bigger, they tend to be worth a lot more, so being able to retrieve something above 50-lbs might be worthwhile.

Bringing stuff up in the ocean with waves and especially current and depths over 80 or 100 feet makes some of those ideas impractical. Also if the anchor is lost in deep water, the rope is usually equal or more than the depth and may have some significant value - so to cut it off and discard it on the bottom would not be my choice if I can avoid it. If you are going to keep the anchor line, it is best to lay it out neatly or possibly to bundle it up, but this does present some entanglement possibilities.

If I were diving from an anchored boat and in shallow water, I might try to find the end of the rope, tie a loop on it and then tie of an appropriate amount of string from a spool and then tie an smb and inflate. You keep the rope and if it is long enough, you can just attach the smb to the end of it.