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I shoot a yellow bag for assistance needed - red for everything elseis used to signal an emergency where you need assistsance (gas); a lost anchorline typically wouldn't be an emergency and you're unnecessarily (hopefully) putting a crew member in the water by using one.
operators have their own protocols - as @acxc says the briefing is important - as long as theres a clearly understood plan between divers and crew it will reduce screw upsListen to the briefing.
Got into an argument on here once from someone claiming all dives from a boat should be drift dives, lol. Try that in a heavily trafficked shipping channel (like it is here). Would never work.As others have said, it depends on where you are diving and what local norms are. For instance, off southeast Florida most dives aren’t moored, so folks do drift deco (shoot a bag, drift with it, boat comes to get you when you’re done). Other places you are going to stay put, and ascend up the same moored line you used for your descent.
I like the DiveRite 75 lb lift bag.
Hmmm. I've never used a spool. (Can a spool load as much wreck line as a primary cave reel?) I continue to use the same two very basic reels (a primary reel and a back-up reel) that I purchased new in 1988 for the NACD/NSS-CDS Cavern and Basic Cave cert courses I took in the Ginnie Springs FL area. Never had an issue.Reels are prone to tangling and falling apart. Spools are foolproof.
Like everyone said above.....It just depends how the local diver procedures happen. When it comes to line choices, Nylon is less than half the cost of Dyneema >>>but it's twice as heavy and less fits on the reel/spool. We've switched to 2.1 Dyneema which has 3 times the strength and can fit 300 ft instead of 150ft of nylon braid on a medium reel. It winds up nicely without kinks & twists but it's tiny if you want to hand grab it. It doesn't absorb water and it doesn't wear out like nylon braid. All that said,,start cheap and replace it when it breaks with the good stuff .I assume I'd need slightly thicker line as well.
We have had a few (scuba) divers tell us that this dymena line is very nice for that application. This particular line has a somewhat stiff external jacket which makes the line MUCH easier to handle and less likely to tangle underwater. With extreme abrasion resistance and over 650-lb test, this 1.9 mm line comes in several colors, some of which are high visibility. As you mentioned this line is not inexpensive, but should perform much better than nylon braid line which typically comes with dive reels.Like everyone said above.....It just depends how the local diver procedures happen. When it comes to line choices, Nylon is less than half the cost of Dyneema >>>but it's twice as heavy and less fits on the reel/spool. We've switched to 2.1 Dyneema which has 3 times the strength and can fit 300 ft instead of 150ft of nylon braid on a medium reel. It winds up nicely without kinks & twists but it's tiny if you want to hand grab it. It doesn't absorb water and it doesn't wear out like nylon braid. All that said,,start cheap and replace it when it breaks with the good stuff .