Dive Reels....

[eurotin]

what do you use a dive reel for? I am new to scuba and i have just about gathered all of my own equipment.. just going through items that i see for sale at LDS and online.

so what is the main reason someone would carry a dive reel?

thanks,

 

[TSandM]

Reels are primarily used for laying guidelines, to find your way back to an anchor line, or to enter a wreck or a cave. There'd be very little reason for a brand new diver to own or use one.

Spools, on the other hand, are smaller devices that will fit in a pocket. They have a multitude of uses, including finding your way back to a starting point, sending up a surface marker (for example, when surfacing away from the boat, or in a traffic area), or serving as a jon line (a cord that allows you to do your safety stops more easily in a current). Spools are much more of a pain to wind back up than a reel is, which is why reels are used where you are going to play out a significant amount of line.

Reels are expensive; spools are not. For my money, a spool and an SMB are safety equipment, and I don't do a boat dive without them.

 

[eurotin]

thanks for the info....

just one quick question... whats an SMB?

 

[jeffrey-c]

Surface Marker Buoy, like these at:

http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dam.shtml

 

[ClayJar]

Incidentally, as I've just picked up a couple more spools and am happy with the results, I suppose I should mention that you can get them online from what's-his-name's site. They have a special for us on "100 ft" and "160 ft" spools. You may want to remove some of that line, as it makes the double-enders a bit hard to clip on, but hey, 75ft and 130ft spools are fine, and $15 each is the best price I've seen around me.

(Figured I may as well give word-of-mouth to a store that did me well.)

 

[miketsp]

A few more uses for a spool when things go wrong.
Tying the group together while drifting in a current waiting for the boat to find you.
Dropping your weight belt to use it as an anchor (not necessarily recommended if you're in deeper water or believe the search party will try to predict your track.
Running a search pattern when your buddy loses his weight belt in near zero vis.

 

[eurotin]

Surface Marker Buoy, like these at:

http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dam.shtml

gotcha... i know about the maker buoy.. just am new to the abreviations.. thanks

 

[mirrocraft]

if you get in to rescue you will use a reel for search patterns your buddy can stay in one spot as you sweim out holding the reel swimming in circles and may other pattern as for the cave diving there are many types of reels main line gap and for get the other lol theres a large medium and small lol

 

[shugar]

i bought a spool and SMB as a "toy" when i got my new BC (spools/ SMBs not a major requirement in diving conditions here) and learned how to deploy the SMB

it came in handy when i had to surface earlier than the group... not that the boat would have had a hard time finding me, but it felt nice to know i had a way of telling them where to look

Jag