How to properly use a Reef Hook?

[charlesml3]

Gang,

There's a 50 page thread on a recent death in Palau that involved (in at least some way) a reef hook. You can read the whole thing here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/25725-lessons-learned-death-palau.html

There is a lot of bad information there about what a reef hook is and how they're used. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the proper use of a reef hook. If you want to add on yet another "My condolences to the family" post, please do that here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/25725-lessons-learned-death-palau.html

So here's the deal :

-The reef hook was developed in Palau to dive the Blue Corner, Peleliu Express, Uulong Channel and a couple of other sites in this area.

-Proper weighting, bouancy control, weighting will NOT SUBSTITUTE for a reef hook on these sites.

-Reef hooks are safe, but you need to think about what you're doing. It's a change to your normal dive setup so you have to make adjustments.

Reef hook : The Reef Hook Experience

Procedure:

Let's talk about the Blue Corner. I've dove it several times and know the site fairly well. You come in on the deep side of the wall below the current. When the DM gives you the hook signal, get your hook out and have it ready. You want to pop up over the top of the wall negatively bouyant. This will keep you out of the current while you find a proper place to hook. Look around for a rock or dead coral and hook in there.

Add some air to your BC. The idea is to kite yourself over the reef staying high enough that your fins aren't kicking the reef.

Looks like this : http://home.swipnet.se/~w-42581/palau99_pics/reefhook2_b.jpg

When it's time to go, vent your BC. You want to get back down close to the reef so the current is reduced. It's very easy to reel yourself towards the hook once you're close to the bottom. Unhook, stow the hook, and move up a few feet. The current will quickly wash you off the point and into the blue.

Some misconceptions from the other thread:

-You can never reel yourself back in if the current is strong. You can. You have to vent your BC first and get close to the reef. The current drops dramatically there.

-Reef hooks are destroying the reef. It's possible, but not if you hook properly. Find a dead spot. I've always managed to find one there.

-A reef hook dive is a drift dive. Not true at all. During a drift dive, you fully expect and even want to travel down the reef in the current. In a hook dive, you want to stay in one spot and wait for things to come to you.

-"I could just hold the rope or use a T-handle." Not for very long. I'm not going to even try to estimate the current at Blue Corner but it's heavy and it surges. It's strong enough that you hear the roar in your ears. One may be able to hold a rope or handle for a few minutes.


The bottom line is hook diving is different. If you're going to engage in the activity, you need to make changes to the way you do the dive. Think about the process, visualize what's going to happen on the way out, as you hook, as you unhook and as you head towards your safety stop. It's not inherently dangerous, or at least no more inherently dangerous than diving is anyway.

-Charles

 

[Ann Marie]

Thanks for posting this Charles. I haven't had the opportunity to get to use a reef hook, though I'm hoping to change that and go to Palau before too long.

I thought that the information that you have in your post is exceptional and I hope that you don't mind, but I've copied your post, put it in the Pacific Islands forum, and made it a sticky. Hopefully, people that head out to Palau or plan to head out to a region that has diving using reef hooks will see your thread and learn something. We don't normally allow duplicate posts, but this information can be shared for that region and we'll keep the chatter in this thread!

Thanks!

Ann Marie

 

[highdesert]

Excellent post, charlesml3. I'm sure this thread is going to attract a lot of "to hook, or not to hook, that is the question." I'm not even gonna go there.

For divers who choose to use a reef hook, certainly you want to give yourself the best odds of emergency release, if it comes to that. There's always the knife; I think anyone who's diving in places like you mention in your post should be packing a cutter of some kind.

But what if the knife goes away, or you can't get to it, or whatever? Then it comes down to being able to release the connection to your BC, or that of another incapacitated diver. I personally think any type of typical bolt snap that has a "hook" of sorts in it can be dangerous in this situation. I prefer an attachment of this type:

Trident Stainless Drift Reef hook with 50" line and easy release master clip from LeisurePro.com

... because it does not require you to get some slack in the line prior to releasing it. Even with heavy tension on it, you can give it a squeeze and it's free, yet it holds very well when you want it to.

If you're hooking in a situation where the current is washing up over a corner, yes, you can hug the bottom to decrease the pressure on your line to release it. Two weeks ago in Cozumel, we were diving San Juan (this is north of town, not in the marine park, and hooking here is not against any rules). This is a good second dive, somewhat shallower than a lot. The bottom is covered with short growth, but is fairly flat and featureless in a lot of places. The current was RIPPING, and getting close to the bottom did not decrease it significantly. With effort, I could haul myself in and create some slack, freeing myself. But I was also able, with full tension on the line, to release it from my BC (good idea to hold on to the clip here, or it's bye-bye to your hook).

Anyway, point is, cover all the bases and give yourself the best chance of self-rescue, or of helping someone else!

 

[Boxcar Overkill]

The most common reef hook mistake is when the diver forgets to deflate their BC prior to releasing the hook, and consequently goes shooting to the surface.

 

[Diver Dennis]

The current at Blue Corner can be strong but it depends on the time of day. I've done solo dives there with absolutly no current.

Sam's sells reef hooks with handles for safety reasons and they are not hard to hold on to even in a heavy current, although I always hook mine to my BC because I'm taking photos. Divers not experienced in using lines attached to them in current should start out with one that has a handle.

There is a large area right at Blue Corner that has plenty of hook in areas as it is live coral free and as you mention, lots of hook in points.

Not to nit pick but that thread was started in 2003 so it was a while ago. (Just so no one starts a thread ...)

 

[charlesml3]

Thanks for all the responses, everyone. I was expecting a lot more lash-back than I got. Reef hooks are controversial, no doubt. There just seemed to be so much misinformation in the other thread.

We dove aboard the Aggressor this past November and they required each diver to have a line cutter with them whenever the dive called for a reef hook. It's a good precaution.

I think the one message I would want a diver to take from this is "Make adjustments to your procedures and expectations before you hit the water." I know I did. I looked at photos such as the ones above and visualized how that would change my procedures. Hug the wall coming in, dump air to be negative on the approach, spot the hook-in point, let the line slip through my hands to keep some pressure on the hook, add air to go positive after the hook-in.

Then I visualized procedures if something went wrong. The hook breaks loose - dump air, grab the hook and find another spot. I even visualized what I would do if the current was SO strong I couldn't unhook even if I dumped air and was on the bottom.

Like someone else said here, dropping your weights to come up doesn't work on a hook dive. I think some divers fail to make these mental adjustments when the dive calls for them.

The diving we did at the Blue Corner was some of the most thrilling I've ever done. I can't wait to go back!

-Charles

 

[Charlie99]

Has anybody used a "panic snap" with reef hooks?

1" Eye Brass Panic Snap w/ Swivel Eye is a typical example. They are easy to release, even when under tension.

http://kmsinc.thomasnet.com/viewitems/panic-snap-w-round-eye/style-1002?&forward=1

 

[AlaskaDiver]

Has anybody used a "panic snap" with reef hooks?

1" Eye Brass Panic Snap w/ Swivel Eye is a typical example. They are easy to release, even when under tension.

Style 1002 on Keystone Mfg. & Supply Co.

I've been to Palau and have used the reef hooks on several dives there. It took me a few minutes of watching other divers hook into the reef, inflate my BCD a bit and used the "feel test" to see how strong the current was for my holding resistance. When we dove a ripping current at the Pelilieu Express site, it was simply too dificult for people to hook into the reef as the current was to strong. The few people who managed to hook into the reef (one broke the coral and drifted away, one lost the hook because he let go and the final person really strained his arm hanging onto the handle).

The reef hook is a very simple device. It is simply a plastic handle with a cord attached to a barb-less hook. I would not see the need for a sophisticated land based device such as the one you have shown for two reasons 1. It is brass. Brass & salt water make for a corrosive mix unless retentively rinsed and dried immediately after every use. The quick release could get corroded and stick over time. 2. I'm cheap. The reef hooks used by Sam's and Fish & Fins in Palau were all provided free of charge. They are very cheap to make if you feel you must have one for yourself. I have not since used a reef hook outside of Palau.

 

[captain]

I have used brass panic snaps for years to attach my speargun to my harness and never have had one jam from corrosion. If it is corroded to the point it won't open you wouldn't be able to attach it to your harness to begin with.

 

[drewdude]

I've read most of the threads on reef hooks and everyone presents some good information. I'm one of those guys who likes to tinker and make things. I've rigged most of my BCD stuff myself. I'm no stranger to splicing, sail twine, and sail needles. I want to make one. Is there a standard for the type of hook and type of line to be used? I am 6-05, 275 lbs. Consequently, I have a larger "surface area." So I'm somewhat reluctant to buy "standard" stuff offered. It's been my experience through most of my life is; works for regular folks, won't work for me.