Marking a heavy item to retrieve later

[Chip Elliott]

This coming summer I plan on diving where I have recently lost 3 nice anchors. They are in about 20-30 foot of water. However, they are too heavy for me to just grab and come up to the surface.

I would like to find them and then mark them so then I can go back later to tie a heavier rope on them to then pull them into the boat (hopefully after dislodging them from the rocks they are stuck on.

I was thinking about using fish spot markers? Or is there something better?

Thanks!!

 

[CuzzA]

Why not just lift bag them to the surface? Or bring the thicker line down on the first dive?

@dumpsterDiver has a recent video of lifting an anchor. Maybe he can share so you can see how it's done.

 

[Wookie]

A lift bag is your tool. Using a lift bag can be unforgiving. Find someone who knows how and have them show you.

 

[Chip Elliott]

That would be helpful! Three are at least 3 that I know of in that spot because they are mine that I lost last year! LOL. Probably more. They are 30lb river anchors. I could probably lift bag them but thought it might be less expensive to mark and retrieve?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

A milk jug with a 30 or 40 ft string. Tie the string to the anchor, and continue your dive. When you want to retreive the anchor, and if you don't want to use a lift bag (which can actually be dangerous if you get tangled in it)...

Then return to the marker jug with the boat, ideally you anchor close to the jug. Have a helper feed you the rope as you swim down the jug line and make sure he keeps it slightly taunt ( so you don''t get tangled in it).. tie it off, swim back up the rope, climb in the boat, take off your gear and help the other poor bastard haul the anchor in (because you were too scared to use a lift bag)...

If you have a spool and an smb, you could just tie the smb off and send it up and tie it to the anchor and use that as a marker.. maybe tow one milk jug, deploy that and then if you find another anchor, mark that one with the smb?

If the current is very light, and you have a small anchor on your boat, you could attach a clip to the anchor, anchor close to your marked jug, swim down the anchor line, clip your anchor to the lost one and then swim up and haul both anchors in on the one anchor line. Assumes you have decent visibility and mild currents etc.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Fantastic visibility and no currents at all. It's a deep freshwater lake. And being as new as I am, I am a little intimidated by the lift bag!

 

[Wookie]

Fantastic visibility and no currents at all. It's a deep freshwater lake. And being as new as I am, I am a little intimidated by the lift bag!

You should. No shame is understanding your limits. Right DD? As I say, a lift bag is the tool I would use, but I am well versed in their use, and have a number of sizes so I would use the appropriate one. Another method might to tow a float with you. Crab float, milk jug, whatever. Tie the line off to the tripping eye (or the tripping bar if a danforth) and when you get the boat to the float, you will be lifting the anchor by the non-hookie end rather than the line that will make the anchor foul when you lift it.

Was I clear? You want to lift it so it won't foul again.....

 

[CuzzA]

At 20 feet deep the risk of injury is pretty low on a simple bounce dive to retrieve an anchor.

You have 2 risks and at that depth, one of the risks isn't that bad.

The worst risk is not securing the bag to the anchor and the anchor comes loose and falls on your head. This would be bad for obvious reasons.

The other less serious risk, due to the depth and time of the dive, is you get caught on the bag or anchor and go up with it. Again due to the dive time and depth, as long as your airway is open there's little risk of injury.

I would use what I have available. Anchor line or appropriate sized lift bag/SMB. Both of which you should have if you're a diver and boater. The anchor line would be the safest. Put a big boat clip on the line and drop down to the anchor and clip it. Move the anchor from whatever it is fouled on, pull it up from the boat.

Repeat.

 

[CuzzA]

How heavy are these anchors?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You should. No shame is understanding your limits. Right DD? As I say, a lift bag is the tool I would use, but I am well versed in their use, and have a number of sizes so I would use the appropriate one. Another method might to tow a float with you. Crab float, milk jug, whatever. Tie the line off to the tripping eye (or the tripping bar if a danforth) and when you get the boat to the float, you will be lifting the anchor by the non-hookie end rather than the line that will make the anchor foul when you lift it.

Was I clear? You want to lift it so it won't foul again.....

I agree, lift bags really are dangerous. One of the most important reasons to secure your octopus is so you don't get it caught and get dragged from 60 feet to the surface in 20 seconds.... Don't ask me how I know this...