Can I really cut myself out?

[Doc Intrepid]

Android,

Abandoning fins, boots is unlikely to be effective.

A gill-net is like a malevolent living thing. It can be large - think 15-20' top to bottom, perhaps 70'-100' long. It is invisible. It moves and swirls around to the slightest impulse. Like a bedsheet or curtain hanging vertically. A diver entangled in any portion of it will very quickly be entangled in a larger portion of it. It tends to envelop whatever strikes it and wrap around it, seizing the object/diver at any and all points where net meets valve/zipper/buckle/mask/etc.

I've witnessed a situation where a diver hit one and simultaneously had his mask ripped off, reg ripped out, his right armed pinned to his body, and both legs wrapped up, in a few seconds. He was an instructor. Two DMs tried to cut him out and both became entangled. Another instructor came up from beneath this CF and cut out the two DMs, and then all three of them did the Ginsu on the gillnet to free the other diver.

Gillnets are a freaking nightmare.

And Bear is right. Gillnets laugh at knives. It requires shears to beat gillnets. A solo diver doesn't stand much of a chance if they run headlong into a gillnet.

 

[Hank49]

.

A gill-net is like a malevolent living thing. It moves and swirls around to the slightest impulse. Like a bedsheet or curtain hanging vertically. A diver entangled in any portion of it will very quickly be entangled in a larger portion of it. It tends to envelop whatever strikes it and wrap around it, seizing the object/diver at any and all points where net meets valve/zipper/buckle/mask/etc.
.

Kind of the same effect as a large piece of plastic floating on the surface of a swimming pool. You don't want to get wrapped up in it. Man, this is scaring me. Due to lack of interested people around here on the farm, I go alone about half the time.....scuba and free dive spearing. But the good thing is we have really good vis here and I do look for these kind of things while swimming. Thanks for this post. It's always good to get shocked into realizing the reality of what can happen. Hank

 

[DennisS]

It's amazing how fast even a thick 1/4" floating poly pro line can turn into a CF, first it's around your ankle then around your valve. It takes minute to sort it out figure out where it's wrapped and unwrap it. The flourocarbon line that is now out is invisible in the water and very strong for its diameter. Thirty or forty feet of that would be a real problem figuring out.

I got hooked in the back of my car once, it was a 2/0 hook and stainless leader. I reached under the back seat and it got me in the palm. I was stuck. It was a station wagon and I did all sorts of maneuvers with my legs over my head to slide the tool box in the back so I could cut free. I finally got the box, opened it and cut the leader with a pair of wire cutters. Total time about 1/2 hour, breathing really heavy. Something to keep in mind when you're reaching in for a lobster.

Weapon of choice--SS wire cutters. They'll cut through a rope faster than a knife and will handle wire.

 

[isurus]

It's amazing how fast even a thick 1/4" floating poly pro line can turn into a CF, first it's around your ankle then around your valve. It takes minute to sort it out figure out where it's wrapped and unwrap it. The flourocarbon line that is now out is invisible in the water and very strong for its diameter. Thirty or forty feet of that would be a real problem figuring out.

Weapon of choice--SS wire cutters. They'll cut through a rope faster than a knife and will handle wire.

interesting and different entanglement experience to share with you all. This was blue water wall diving in the tropics with great viz. I'm chugging along the wall enjoying my dive when I feel a slight mosquito bite type pain on my calf (I'm wearing a shorty), I look back can't see anything and assume its just a floating nematocyst or something. I carry on and feel a second pain I look back again more closely and see a fine strand of something wrapped round my heel I go to grab it and pull it off and get burned again more sharply along my hand. The penny drops that I've somehow picked up an almost invisible jellyfish tentacle covered in stinging cells. I soon get it off by rubbing my heels together not wanting to inflict further stings on the exposed part of my body.

my reason for sharing this story is it got me thinking that in future if I ever see any kind of entanglement on any part of my body I'm going at it with my shears not with my hand. If that was say mono line that had been run accross fire coral (not impossible given the location) and I'd pulled away sharply after getitng stung I could've got line around my com[uter and entangled a hand as well as a leg at which point the situation would've become more difficult. My point I guess after this irrelevant babble is go to cut not grab first. Even though you may instinctively just think I'll pull this off my leg it may be best to surpress that urge. A second point is that stuff can get you even in clear water as I certainly never saw this 4 foot long tentacle thing that wrapped itself round me.

 

[Snowbear]

Even though you may instinctively just think I'll pull this off my leg it may be best to surpress that urge. A second point is that stuff can get you even in clear water as I certainly never saw this 4 foot long tentacle thing that wrapped itself round me.

You are correct - pulling can make things worse! A piece of monofilament wrapped around would wrap tighter and be even more difficlt to cut off, especially since this stuff seems to know how to tie its own knots :11:

 

[CBulla]

For the class mentioned above and the type of diving it is for (PSD), we carry 2 shears and a knife or sometimes 3 shears (for some reason, a pointy sharp object being used in zero viz scares people????)

My recreational diving cutting implements are a small serrated knife in a pouch on my waist strap and a pair of EMT shears in a drysuit pocket.

In my experience the shears are by far the safest cutting implement underwater, they also seem to cut more. With the exception of the dry suit, you and I carry the same. I affix shears to my webbing with small zip ties so its easy to remove when I need it and carry a small serrated on the waist.

We use the shears on all clean ups around here.. the stuff I've cut with them! Everything except anchor chain and large braided cable!

 

[TheDavil]

A gill-net is like a malevolent living thing. It can be large - think 15-20' top to bottom, perhaps 70'-100' long. It is invisible. It moves and swirls around to the slightest impulse. Like a bedsheet or curtain hanging vertically. A diver entangled in any portion of it will very quickly be entangled in a larger portion of it. It tends to envelop whatever strikes it and wrap around it, seizing the object/diver at any and all points where net meets valve/zipper/buckle/mask/etc.

I've witnessed a situation where a diver hit one and simultaneously had his mask ripped off, reg ripped out, his right armed pinned to his body, and both legs wrapped up, in a few seconds. He was an instructor. Two DMs tried to cut him out and both became entangled. Another instructor came up from beneath this CF and cut out the two DMs, and then all three of them did the Ginsu on the gillnet to free the other diver.

:11:
OK, now you've all got me paranoid. I get the message that these things suck.

How often do you run into them? How about those of you that have a hundred or more dives - how many times have you seen them? How many times have you come into contact with them? How many times have you become entangled?

Sounds like if you're a solo diver you may as well just use your knife to slit your wrists...

Geez, now I don't even want to get into my swimming pool...

Thanks!
David

 

[Snowbear]

How often do you run into them? How about those of you that have a hundred or more dives - how many times have you seen them? How many times have you come into contact with them? How many times have you become entangled?

I've seen them several times. Haven't been entangled (at least not accidentally) yet. Most folks see them rarely enough to become complacent.

Sounds like if you're a solo diver you may as well just use your knife to slit your wrists...

Unless you can't get to your knife? :11:

The point is to be aware of the possible risk and to be aware that extrication may be impossible, no matter how good you think you are.... As a solo diver, if you are aware of the risk and the consequences, you then need to be willing to accept those consequences... as in - if you can't get out of the pickle you're in and you're by yourself, you're eventually gonna run out of air and drown. I also maintain that if you have a spouse, she or he should also be part of that decision.

 

[DaFireMedic]

In my experience the shears are by far the safest cutting implement underwater, they also seem to cut more. With the exception of the dry suit, you and I carry the same. I affix shears to my webbing with small zip ties so its easy to remove when I need it and carry a small serrated on the waist.

We use the shears on all clean ups around here.. the stuff I've cut with them! Everything except anchor chain and large braided cable!

I've seen people cut pennies in half with the EMT/Paramedic shears. They are strong. I carry a set also.

 

[D_B]

Thank You Snowbear
I have learned a great deal from your post and the others that have followed

My only contribution to these thoughts are ... do you know how sharp your knife is?

My brand new serrated BC knife, that felt sharp, would not hardly cut small diameter rope, or zip ties ... sharpened it up with the round knife sharpener that you have in the kitchen, took quite a while too ... It's very sharp now though
(oh, and you can bet I will be getting shears too)