Drift Diving?

[gcolbert]

Go to Cozumel. Dive with any operator. Your next question will be "why would anybody dive any other way?"

Drift diving is just diving where the entry point and the exit point are determined by the currents. For some of the dives mentioned in this thread (Tacoma Narrows) can be dangerous, need an experienced divemaster, and you probably need some specialty training. For Cozumel, just go and become totally and irrevocably spoiled. You can cover miles of reef without having to do a bit of work.

 

[kevink]

I will be in palau in t-minus 13 days. Leave your reel at home. In places they will use a ball attached to a wreck reel line so that you can keep a suface marker bouy while you are underwater. This is the way I saw it done in West Palm & Jupiter. In Palau the only one that may be carrying a ball is one of the DM's (if at all). When I left there in '01 only the PalauSport liveaboard did this as standard practice. It's not a bad idead to tie 20' of line onto your safety sausage. You can deploy it at 15', wait for the boat, and knock out a safety stop all at one time.

 

[Blue Moon]

I need a little clarification here on drift diving equipment.... what is the reel and line used for? ....How do you use a reel and line? Thanks for the replies.

Barracuda2,

In the reference to this thread regarding drift diving, reels are used to deploy a Signal Marker Buoy (SMB) during the dive as it allows the boat to easily follow the divers below. I deploy my SMB after we finish with any planned swim throughs and always at my safety stops if I have not already deployed it.

A serious word of caution here.... some SMB's come with 15 feet of line not on a reel but pushed into a small pouch. I highly recommend only using a reel and not loose line as it is very easy to get bolted to the surface when deploying loose line in current....This could result in a tragic accident if you deployed and get tangled in your line as it can easily result in an unplanned, accelerated accent.

Practice using your reel with an instructor, hopefully in a pool, or if you must try it in open water, then I recommend that you do so on your decent so that your risk will be limited... Bottom line, don't try your new reel out the first time at depth....

Here is a picture that I took last month in Cozumel of Carlos, a DM with Emerald Dolphin Dive Services showing the proper way to use a reel. Notice that the reel is no longer clipped to his harness... You do not want to become a missile headed to the surface if the reel jams.... You want the reel and line completely away from your body and gear when you deploy the SMB. Make sure that the current is pushing the line and SMB away from you as it deploys so that you do not get tangled in it... Hope this helps. BTW, www.ScubaToys.com has a good selection if your LDS does not carry them.

 

[Charlie99]

A serious word of caution here.... some SMB's come with 15 feet of line not on a reel but pushed into a small pouch. I highly recommend only using a reel and not loose line as it is very easy to get bolted to the surface when deploying loose line in current....This could result in a tragic accident if you deployed and get tangled in your line as it can easily result in an unplanned, accelerated accent.

While not loose and pushed into a pouch, I do have 25' of 2mm cord wrapped around my sausage. The easy way to avoid getting tangled is to deploy the cord first, and then inflate the sausage. A small boltsnap on the end of the line works as a weight to sink it. Obviously, this is for cases where the water depth is greater than 15+25'= 40' or else the boltsnap will end up on bottom while you are inflating the sausage.

 

[Barracuda2]

Blue Moon and Charlie99,

Thanks for the advise and information. I wll obtain a reel and practice with it before my trip to Palau. your advise on technique use will be very helpful to me. If there is anything else I should know, don't hesitate to PM me anytime. If you've been to Palau, is it out of the question to use my video cam in this kind of current? it sounds like I'm going to have enough to keep me busy what with staying with the group, hooking the reef, deploying line and safety sauage. I'm using the Amphbico VH1000 housing (not a small housing---I'm leaning on it in my avatar)

 

[kevink]

You can do a reel, or you can smartly wind your SMB and save the weight in your suitcase for something else. With a 50lb limit from the states I would not relish having to pack a reel just for a SMB.

I agree that with 20' of cord tied to a SMB you can rocket to the surface as well so you should practice with this in the pool.

Don't just wrap the line around the SMB either, you will surely rocketship. I am not the "name the knot person", but there is a very simple self unwinding braid used for things like parachutes, this is how you want to wind this. At the end of the line use an 8oz fishing weight just to keep it tethered.

That is what I did all of the time. And while you are on the surface waiting for the boat you can re-braid the line. I can shoot a picture of the knot if needed.

 

[Michael Schlink]

Instead of a reel or just wrapping the line around the sausage just use a spool, doesn't way enough to matter and keeps things tidy.
Barracuda-Palaus currents can be challenging for some but not so much for others-I have seen people that didn't have any business carrying the're gear into the water. On the other hand I wouldn't go that far and not have my camera- I have some great stuff I shot while hooked into the 'Corner" and Peleliu "Express" was one of the best drift dives I can remember-All done while carrying my housing (L&M) and needing to deploy a SMB. I just clip off my housing to my chest "D" ring and do what needs to be done-Have fun in Palau-nice place

 

[Blue Moon]

Instead of a reel or just wrapping the line around the sausage just use a spool...

Barracuda 2 et al,

I agree with Michael. To be specific, when traveling, I actually use a finger spool most of the time instead of a ratcheting reel... The spool does not weigh much more, if at all, than the fishing weight that others use, and in my opinion, is a lot safer as it makes it much easier to deploy line in a current without getting tangled.... Again, make sure that you don't have the spool attached to your body or gear when you are deploying...

In addition to my above deployment tips, just to be clear, if I'm diving with a group and the DM already has one deployed, I obviously don't deploy my SMB, however, I have often ended up using mine and it is always better to be safe than sorry...

Here is a picture of a finger spool from Scuba Toys that I use:

 

[dumpsterDiver]

While not loose and pushed into a pouch, I do have 25' of 2mm cord wrapped around my sausage. The easy way to avoid getting tangled is to deploy the cord first, and then inflate the sausage. A small boltsnap on the end of the line works as a weight to sink it. Obviously, this is for cases where the water depth is greater than 15+25'= 40' or else the boltsnap will end up on bottom while you are inflating the sausage.

This is exactly what I do and I drift dive a lot. Also, a sausage will not drag you rocketing to the surface because the bouyancy is not that much. Why carry a reel or a spool if you do not need it. A little saussage is not a big dangerous lift bag.

Another issue with drift diving is that you are never really sure if the boat(s) see you. Ascending under your personal (or your buddy's) sausage is just a safer practice to follow as a standard protocol.

Another drift diving tip: Never swim horizonatally just below the surface when drift diving with live boats. A decent capt. is looking for bubbles when he moves, but if you are ascending from 10 feet to zero while swimming horizontally, you are not under your bubbles and this is very dangerous!

And another drfit diving safety tip: If you don't have a sausage, when you are done with the safety stop, find you octo. and purge it for a good 10 seconds before the ascent, this gives the captain an excellent visual clue and is one more way to reduce the chance of you getting run over.

And one more drift diving safety tip: When buddy diving, I always let my buddy ascend first, if he makes it and is floating safely, then I ascend..