Lost anchor

[The Natural]

OK so I have a wee bit of a question here. I notice most of the divers on the boats do not carry Jersey reels with them unless doing deep dives. Do most divers simply plan to use their wreck reels or spools with s SMB or lift bag if they lose the anchor line?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

My take on it.

If I can't find the anchor line, I screwed up. If I can't make it back to the anchor line because I don't have enough gas, I really screwed up.

Beyond that,

If it is not a deco dive and there is no current, there is no real need for an ascent line - just surface and come back to the boat.

If it is a deco dive with no current, then shooting a bag with a wreck reel, safety reel or finger spool would work fine.

If there is a strong current and you are going to do a drifting deco anyway, a wreck reel is again fine.

If you are doing a deco dive with a strong current but the deco will be done above the wreck, then a strong upline (and a larger lift bag or smb) is important and a jersey reel would be the way to go.

 

[Diesel298]

yeah SOP is blow a bag
there are other reasons you may not fing the anchor line.. like..
its not there because it parted...
i carry 2 reels with me on deep dives, but generally always have one
i have the dive rite wreck reels....
but i think im gonna go the the OMS reels because i like the design better..
less chance of fouling it, and the screw/lock is way better too

 

[The Natural]

Thanks guys, I always carry a SMB and a lift bag with a wreck reel and a spool as well just in case. Just wondering what everyone else does. I def. see the point in carrying a Jersey reel on a DEEP dive with Deco. Just wasnt sure what SOP was for generally shallow dives were and what people planned on doing if they couldnt find the anchor or it parted from teh wreck.

 

[Diesel298]

BTW
happy birthday

 

[flw]

My take on it.


If you are doing a deco dive with a strong current but the deco will be done above the wreck, then a strong upline (and a larger lift bag or smb) is important and a jersey reel would be the way to go.

Depends very much on the wreck/tide as to whether or not that is likely. We'll sometimes anchor in if there's not much tide. However there are plentyof wrecks where an upline is simply going to get taken down in the tide - and any diver is unlikley to be able to hang on anyway. In the UK at least a drifting deco is the norm, anything else is unusual, be it bag off from the wreck, a deco station or a simple lazy shot.
I have beeen on wrecks where the shotline complete with decostation and bouys ( 45gallon drums) have ended up on the seabed - largely as the tide built from the top downwards