Boat safety line and spool

[SM Diver]

I have up to six divers on my boat, and would like to be able to hang a vertical rope from topside, down to the bottom, which can be used to make a safer ascent.

Is such a product made commercially, with a spool? Or, is it just a simply matter of throwing a cinder block or other heavy object over the side with some three braided rope? Thanks.

 

[jonnythan]

I'd say you more or less have the idea, but a cinder block is kind of excessive. Just tie some rope to a 2 pound weight (or anything that weighs a couple pounds and won't disintegrate) and drop it off the side.

 

[TexasMike]

And rather than a spool, I've seen several boats just us a small round tub or laundry basket.

And usually a 3-4 pound mushroom anchor would work to weight the line.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Are you anchoring the boat? Why not use the anchor line as a reference (don't hold the line... just ascend watching it.)

Are you diving with a live boat? Why not just have the boat pick you up as you drift your ascent... use lift bag and spool to mark your position.

FWIW:

Saturday Shane and I used a weighted grappel, 1/4 poly line and a ball float to mark the wreck we were diving.... but the boat was live. After marking the wreck we came up current and got into the water with our scooters. As we drifted to the float we used the scooters to pull us down the line against the current. When we turned the dive we just came up using our lift bag to mark our position and the boat picked us up. We went back and pulled the grappel (first order of business on reaching the bottom was setting the grappel so it would come undone easily.)

 

[Rick Murchison]

In the Gulf you typically have a very small site, and you may have a pretty good current to deal with at the surface... Lemme see if I can adequately describe what we do... First, mark the site and drop a down line - we use a mushroom weight and #36 braided nylon running to a styrofoam bullet float. We pre-tie the line at depth + 5 to 10 feet, depending on current, to give as verticle a line as possible without the current pulling the mushroom off site. (The line is wrapped around the bullet, so it just spins off quickly and the mushroom goes straight to the site - the line is also knotted every 10 feet and marked by color change at 50 feet - this may be overkill but it's what we do) We then anchor well up-current/wind, to lay plenty of scope and have the boat end up close to the down line. If the current's really strong we'll place the boat downstream of the downline so that the anchor line and downline intersect 10 to 15' below the surface, and run a sissy line from the anchor line trailing back to aft of the stern, as well as another sissy line off the stern.
Back roll off the boat, and then use the down line (or sissy line to anchor line to downline) to the site - and back.
Rick

 

[SM Diver]

It hadn't occured to me to have a freestanding ascent line on a buoy. Solves two of our problems: marking the ledge, and a safety ascent line. All of the guys on the boat want to drift dive. It'll be this weekend in 100' in the Florida Middle Grounds (Gulf of Mexico, west of Tampa).

The anchor line idea is good ordinarily, but won't work at this depth. I'd have 300' of line out.

That mushroom anchor idea is excellent for shallow diving. I'm going to use that, as well. In fact, I think I'll use a mushroom anchor as the weight for my Middle Grounds Buoy.

Thanks!

 

[Rick Murchison]

Ahhhh... Middlegrounds... bigger sites - still, scope required (minimum 300' as mentioned) makes downline the best option.
Rick

 

[SM Diver]

and helping to solidify this thing in my mind. But, do you guys use that buoy line on the jug to come up, or the anchor line. I wasn't sure if your buoy was just to mark the spot. What do you use on a drift dive, say at 100'?

 

[Aquamaniac]

Rick.
I Use almost an identical rig on my boat, when i have novice divers or kids on board, I also tie a few dock bumpers to the stern sissy line.

Also hang a Submersible 360 degree strobe on ascent line about 6 down


Surface currents in Western Australia are typically 3-6 knots

 

[Rick Murchison]

tampascott once bubbled...
and helping to solidify this thing in my mind. But, do you guys use that buoy line on the jug to come up, or the anchor line. I wasn't sure if your buoy was just to mark the spot. What do you use on a drift dive, say at 100'?

A drift's a rare thing, at least for us. The few times we've done it we've used no downline at all - just had the boat follow the bubbles, then shoot a lift bag on the way up for easy spotting.
We do use the downline as a reference for ascent, but we don't touch it. When the surface current's bad we'll use the anchor/sissy lines.
Rick