Low to no vis teather????

[Capnsnott]

I have a question for you all.
Around here, the deep lake dives tend to go to no vis or complete black after about 60', some times shallower. When we dive with three of us, we sometimes loose someone (my dad, usually) on the descent. Last weekend we dropped to 84' and had a weird current in the reservoir. It actually caused us to drift as we went down. I had about 3' vis with my 50w Hallogen and my brother had a few inches with his little light. Of course we lost my dad on the way down.

Is teathering safe? If so, what are the rules of use?

I figured on using a carribeener and 6' of sling, that way it is easy to un hook if someone can't equalize going down. Would this be ok?
Thanks
Greg

PS,
for any local divers, Glendo Res in Wyoming has some very cool dives.

 

[jbd]

I have a question for you all.
Around here, the deep lake dives tend to go to no vis or complete black after about 60', some times shallower. When we dive with three of us, we sometimes loose someone (my dad, usually) on the descent. Last weekend we dropped to 84' and had a weird current in the reservoir. It actually caused us to drift as we went down. I had about 3' vis with my 50w Hallogen and my brother had a few inches with his little light. Of course we lost my dad on the way down.

Is teathering safe? If so, what are the rules of use?

I figured on using a carribeener and 6' of sling, that way it is easy to un hook if someone can't equalize going down. Would this be ok?
Thanks
Greg

PS,
for any local divers, Glendo Res in Wyoming has some very cool dives.

I would not recommend any form of attachment in this scenario. I can see using a buddy line maybe 6 to 8 feet long but it needs to be hand held so if need be you can simply let go of it. Use the lights to communicate with each other as needed.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

I'm very familiar with no viz as we dive in the Ky. and Ohio rivers. The lakes around here usually improve with depth as far as the viz goes.

You can't communicate with a light in these super low near blackout situations either. The best we can hope for in the rivers is maybe 6 inches of viz.

We have for years used the short teather with carabeaner method. This way you still have both hands free. Use a good sized diameter teather if possible. Stay away from the small stringy stuff. And keep in mind that the carabeaners you buy at Lowe's and Home Depot usually are only rated between 50 lbs. - 150 lbs. You can go to a sporting goods store and buy stainless steel carabeaners rated to a 1/2 for about 10 bucks. I always have a handfull with us when diving the rivers.

Good Luck and Have Fun

 

[Don Burke]

Is teathering safe?

There are safe ways to do it.

If so, what are the rules of use?

I prefer to use a line with some diameter to it, about 3/8, although I have used 1/2 inch.

I figured on using a carribeener and 6' of sling, that way it is easy to un hook if someone can't equalize going down. Would this be ok?

I like to put a loop in each end so the diver can either hold the line or loop it loosely over his wrist. Clips and caribiners add things to snag and drop, so I avoid them if I can.

 

[Boogie711]

I'm very familiar with no viz as we dive in the Ky. and Ohio rivers. The lakes around here usually improve with depth as far as the viz goes.

You can't communicate with a light in these super low near blackout situations either. The best we can hope for in the rivers is maybe 6 inches of viz.

We have for years used the short teather with carabeaner method. This way you still have both hands free. Use a good sized diameter teather if possible. Stay away from the small stringy stuff. And keep in mind that the carabeaners you buy at Lowe's and Home Depot usually are only rated between 50 lbs. - 150 lbs. You can go to a sporting goods store and buy stainless steel carabeaners rated to a 1/2 for about 10 bucks. I always have a handfull with us when diving the rivers.

Good Luck and Have Fun

Oh geez - I hope you're kidding.

You're in 6 inches of visibility, and now you advocate the use of carabiners? Carabiners are called suicide clips for a reason - they'll snap over something and instantly entangle you without any warning or motion needed on your part. And now your buddy has a whole 6" of visibility to figure out the entanglement issue for you.

Not a recipe for success.

 

[String]

Buddy lines are ok in SOME circumstances but from my experience not many at all.

Its also incredibly poor practice to clip one to a diver, these lines should be held in the hands of the divers concerned only. No exceptions. You need the ability to instantly lose the tether should it become neccesary - a loop over the wrist is about the strongest tether you want to think about, even then think VERY carefully.

Carabiners and clips certainly have their uses but NOT for clipping divers together.

A buddy line is occasionally handy on a fast drift across a non kelp fairly flat bottom with vis less than 1-2ft but thats about it from my experience. Anywhere with rock outcrops or kelp and the thing just becomes an entanglement hazard. What we tend to do is if its literally zero vis we hold onto each others kit straps if needed but try to let go as soon as possible. I think i can recall one dive where a buddy line was used and then we ditched it after 30 minutes as it was just too annoying.

FWIW normal diving here is visibility of about 10ft. We dont even consider holding on or lines unless it drops much below 2ft.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

When we dive with three of us, we sometimes loose someone (my dad, usually) on the descent. Last weekend we dropped to 84' and had a weird current in the reservoir. Of course we lost my dad on the way down.

Why don't you try descending as a team so that you never lose one team member on the descent?

Tethers, or almost any line underwater, increase the chances of entanglement. As Boogie noted, in low vis this probability is not only greater, but getting untangled is more difficult also.

A much better idea might be to focus on diving as a team so that, if you're diving with your Dad or any other team member, you slow your activity to the level of the slowest member of the team. This way the team stays together under any reasonable circumstances. (Besides, if I were your Dad I might get a little escalated about being left behind consistently...)

Bright lights can also make communications easier under the circumstances you describe. You may want to consider upgrading lights (for your brother and father) and using signals with lights to keep the team together.

This may take more effort initially, but it will be safer than trying to screw around with buddy lines underwater...

 

[Capnsnott]

We generally try to stay together on descents, it boils down to training and personal preferances. I am using a bp/wing and descend horizontle, my dad is tried and true padi and goes down verticle. He goes faster than I do and generally is a pain in the butt this way. My brother has dove with me enough to see the merit in horizontle A&Ds. On the other hand. I tend to swim too fast for them, even though I only do a modified frog kick and "try" to swim slow. They dive the vests and are slower than me with more kicks.
The flashlights are a good way to go. I'm going to try that first.
I am going to build can lights for them too, they saw the validity of the "ugly looking thing" hanging on my side.

The teather might have to be tried on some dives. I like the loop in the end idea. The beeners don't thrill me, I was a climber for years and know their faults.
thanks
Greg

 

[String]

Sounds like a lot of buddy related problems here....

We generally try to stay together on descents, it boils down to training and personal preferances. I am using a bp/wing and descend horizontle, my dad is tried and true padi and goes down verticle. He goes faster than I do and generally is a pain in the butt this way.

That problem is nothing to do with BC vs Wing or attitude in the water, thats entirely buddy related. You should both match your descent rates regardless of equipment worn. If one person descends slower than the other the descent is doing with the faster descender following the other.

My brother has dove with me enough to see the merit in horizontle A&Ds.

There are merits in both. I hate descending horizontally in very low/unknown vis where i KNOW there are sharp bits of metal down there. If there arent i do.

On the other hand. I tend to swim too fast for them, even though I only do a modified frog kick and "try" to swim slow.

Again 100% a buddy issue NOT a technique issue, you need to (i) slow down or (ii) let the slower guy lead.

They dive the vests and are slower than me with more kicks.

What they wear is totally irrelevent to this fact.

The teather might have to be tried on some dives. I like the loop in the end idea.
Greg

Given the problems you described that sounds like a total disaster. You descend at different rates - that means the faster diver will be PULLING the other diver down. Never a good thing. What are you going to do being the faster swimmer? Tow him along with the rope ?

Nope sorry but a buddy line isnt the solution here, proper training and use of buddy techniques is.

 

[jkennedy]

You need to have a Brac attack. Dive the Carribean.............