Navigating underwater from boat dives

[chillyinCanada]

We dive where there are big tidal exchanges. If the viz is so low that you aren't going to be able to find the anchor line if you're a couple of feet off (about the maximum amount the depth is going to change during an hour) then you shouldn't be diving off an unattended boat.

If viz is to be that bad, how will they find the crays in the first place?

 

[billgraham]

Amazing that only one or two people mentioned a reel. Actually you need two of them, one for navigation and one for the lift bag. DO NOT tie the reel to the anchor line--tie it NEAR the anchor line, or else it'll get yanked out of your hand if the boat breaks loose (which it will, sooner or later). I'll often tie it directly to a deco bottle I've left near the anchor.

The reel is a bit of a pain, but getting lost is much worse. If I'm diving a shipwreck, a lot of times I'll just run the reel from the anchor line to the edge of the wreck and drop it there. That way, I can just follow the edge of the wreck back until I see the reel.

 

[nimoh]

it is not completely clear from the OP if the boat will be unattended. If it is, then I would agree that the reel is the best way to get back, especially if there is some current that can throw off your fin kick distance measuring, or heavy boat traffic that can make surfacing away from the boat dangerous.

However, if diving in a small area and just navigating a square and surfacing away from the boat is OK, you can always just surface if the navigation fails, and swim back to the boat.

 

[rhwestfall]

we have added a strobe to the mooring block/anchor point to aid in return....

 

[billgraham]

I don't think you should ever dive with no one in the boat, that's a recipe for floating around in the middle of the ocean.

One of the old school wreck divers told me about doing a dive from a small boat with a friend. They came back to the tie in and found the boat ON THE BOTTOM. They were eventually rescued after hanging on to a cooler for a number of hours.

 

[fisheater]

I don't think you should ever dive with no one in the boat, that's a recipe for floating around in the middle of the ocean.

One of the old school wreck divers told me about doing a dive from a small boat with a friend. They came back to the tie in and found the boat ON THE BOTTOM. They were eventually rescued after hanging on to a cooler for a number of hours.

And they must have been REALLY pissed when someone else got the chance to be the first to dive their virgin wreck!


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