I personally know a diver and instructor for the military , rebreather , trimix and everything between which was dragged around at 250 foot depth tethered to a DPV . How many sail boats and DPV's do you currently own ?
Question Reef hook: bolt snap or carabiner?
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Kendall Raine
Contributor
0 and 4
Dan
Contributor
Back to the reef hook topic. I've been to quite a few current diving from the ripping current of Peleliu Cut in Palau, that have killed a diver who got her mask ripped off by the current, unable to release her self off her reef hook and drown while still hooked up on the reef as described in detail in this 55 pages post: Lessons to be learned-Death in Palau, to milder currents in Blue Corner (Palau), Blue Corner (Bali), Crystal Bay (Bali), Current Alley (Alor), The Channel (Maratua Atoll), Shotgun (Komodo), Magic Mountain (Raja Ampat), and even got my coiled wire reef hook line broke off in one on the Kandu diving in Maldives. So from my experience (after >1600 log dives), I come up with my best setup, as shown in Figure 1, below.
Figure 1: Reef Hook with 6-foot long 1/4" diameter polyester paracord and butterfly-type snap-shackles
This reef hook design is an improvement from what I have used before, a double hook with coiled wire line, as shown in Figure 2, below.
Figure 2: Reef Hook with double hooks, 6-foot long coiled wire line and two butterfly-type snap-shackles
The reasons why I made such design improvement:
1. Double-hook design is such pain-in-the-rear in terms of hooking (picking a crevice to hook on) as, if the crevice is too small that only fits to one of the tip of the reef hooks and the other tip would just sitting on a flat surface doing nothing. The reef hook tip, that hooks on the crevice, would make contact at an angle (because the other reef hook sits on a flat surface) which weakens the grip force. I had it came off the crevices a few times and got blown away by the current. When that happens, your reef-hook diving ends and it's time to deploy your DSMB ASAP to make sure the skiff pilot see where you get blown away to and follow you. If it's in Peleliu Corner and the skiff pilot misses following your DSMB, the next island to land would be in Phillipines.
Single hook design is much better, in terms of hooking point will always be at 90-degree of the reef surface and the point of contact is streamline with the current, not at an angle. If the current so strong, you might end up chipping off parts of the crevice or the hook bends up and comes unhooked.
2. Coiled wire would eventually fatigue. The polymer insulation would crack after some heavy uses. Salt water would get into the wire and corrode the wire. That happened to me at Kandu diving in Maldives, see post # 18 in this thread: Can newbie divers enjoy diving in the Maldives?
The replacement line, 1/4" paracord, is plenty strong. I can easily cut it with my BFK if needed.
3. I do like the OEM butterfly-type snap-shackles (BSS). so I reuse them. I tie both ends of the BSS to the 6-foot, 1/4” paracord line using rock-climbing double figure-eight loop knots, so they won’t come loose unless you cut them with BFK. The BSS can be quickly release with one hand, simply by pinching the butterfly lever with your index finger while your thumb is resting on the loop (eye) end. The BSS on the reef hook end is for keeping the 1/4" paracord spirally rolled into 12-inch line (from a 6-foot long line) and fastening it to the left chest D-ring for a quick deployment. The other BSS I fasten it to my left waist D-ring. So the setup is neat & streamlined, minimizing potential entanglement, as shown in Figure 3, below.
Figure 3: Attaching my reef hook onto my BCD
I just came back from Maldives. I used it in several dive sites, one of them called Fish Head, as shown, below. We were all reef hooked on a ledge of a wall and enjoyed seeing the shark parade.
Figure 1: Reef Hook with 6-foot long 1/4" diameter polyester paracord and butterfly-type snap-shackles
This reef hook design is an improvement from what I have used before, a double hook with coiled wire line, as shown in Figure 2, below.
Figure 2: Reef Hook with double hooks, 6-foot long coiled wire line and two butterfly-type snap-shackles
The reasons why I made such design improvement:
1. Double-hook design is such pain-in-the-rear in terms of hooking (picking a crevice to hook on) as, if the crevice is too small that only fits to one of the tip of the reef hooks and the other tip would just sitting on a flat surface doing nothing. The reef hook tip, that hooks on the crevice, would make contact at an angle (because the other reef hook sits on a flat surface) which weakens the grip force. I had it came off the crevices a few times and got blown away by the current. When that happens, your reef-hook diving ends and it's time to deploy your DSMB ASAP to make sure the skiff pilot see where you get blown away to and follow you. If it's in Peleliu Corner and the skiff pilot misses following your DSMB, the next island to land would be in Phillipines.
Single hook design is much better, in terms of hooking point will always be at 90-degree of the reef surface and the point of contact is streamline with the current, not at an angle. If the current so strong, you might end up chipping off parts of the crevice or the hook bends up and comes unhooked.
2. Coiled wire would eventually fatigue. The polymer insulation would crack after some heavy uses. Salt water would get into the wire and corrode the wire. That happened to me at Kandu diving in Maldives, see post # 18 in this thread: Can newbie divers enjoy diving in the Maldives?
The replacement line, 1/4" paracord, is plenty strong. I can easily cut it with my BFK if needed.
3. I do like the OEM butterfly-type snap-shackles (BSS). so I reuse them. I tie both ends of the BSS to the 6-foot, 1/4” paracord line using rock-climbing double figure-eight loop knots, so they won’t come loose unless you cut them with BFK. The BSS can be quickly release with one hand, simply by pinching the butterfly lever with your index finger while your thumb is resting on the loop (eye) end. The BSS on the reef hook end is for keeping the 1/4" paracord spirally rolled into 12-inch line (from a 6-foot long line) and fastening it to the left chest D-ring for a quick deployment. The other BSS I fasten it to my left waist D-ring. So the setup is neat & streamlined, minimizing potential entanglement, as shown in Figure 3, below.
Figure 3: Attaching my reef hook onto my BCD
I just came back from Maldives. I used it in several dive sites, one of them called Fish Head, as shown, below. We were all reef hooked on a ledge of a wall and enjoyed seeing the shark parade.
Dan
Contributor
Some SB member DM me on how to coil my reef hook from 6 foot long rope (1/4” paracord) as shown in Figure 1 into into a foot long coiled rope, as shown in Figure 5. So here is step by step procedure on how to coil it:
1. Fold the BSS end of the rope 6” away for the double figure-eight loop (D8) knot or 9” away from the BSS tip, as shown in Figure 2. This 6” folded rope will be used as “shaft” or “axle” for the rest of the coil to rest against the previous coil.
2. Coil the Reef Hook (RH) end of the rope, starting from the D8 knot, as shown in Figure 3.
3. Repeat the step 2 about 36 loops, make sure to pack the coils to fit 36 coils into 6” long “shaft”. Figure 4 shows 20 coils (halfway into the job).
4. Once the 36th coils is completed, there should be a small loop hole at the end of the “shaft” to fasten the RH end of BSS and secure the coiled rope, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 1: 6-foot long rope reef hook
Figure 2: Fold BSS end of the rope for 6” long “shaft”
Figure 3: First coil loop around the “shaft”
Figure 4: Half way coiling the rope (20 loops)
Figure 5: Reef Hook with coiled rope (36 loops)
1. Fold the BSS end of the rope 6” away for the double figure-eight loop (D8) knot or 9” away from the BSS tip, as shown in Figure 2. This 6” folded rope will be used as “shaft” or “axle” for the rest of the coil to rest against the previous coil.
2. Coil the Reef Hook (RH) end of the rope, starting from the D8 knot, as shown in Figure 3.
3. Repeat the step 2 about 36 loops, make sure to pack the coils to fit 36 coils into 6” long “shaft”. Figure 4 shows 20 coils (halfway into the job).
4. Once the 36th coils is completed, there should be a small loop hole at the end of the “shaft” to fasten the RH end of BSS and secure the coiled rope, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 1: 6-foot long rope reef hook
Figure 2: Fold BSS end of the rope for 6” long “shaft”
Figure 3: First coil loop around the “shaft”
Figure 4: Half way coiling the rope (20 loops)
Figure 5: Reef Hook with coiled rope (36 loops)
Dan
Contributor
To fasten the BSS onto the rope, I use double figure-eight loop knot, as illustrated in this website:
www.animatedknots.com
Figure 8 Double Loop
Also known as "Bunny Ears", it is a stable double loop in the middle of a piece of rope and is based on the simple Figure 8 knot.
www.animatedknots.com
rsfinn57
Contributor
thank you what do you do after releasing do you recoil the rope?
i wonder if one of those retractable dog leashes would work.
Dan
Contributor
I usual don’t have time to recoil it. I just clip the BSS on the RH end back to my left chest D-ring and stuff the loose rope in between my belly and BCD belly strap to avoid entanglement. I recoil it back during the 3 minute safety stop.
There is a quicker way of recoiling the rope as shown by Alec Peirce in this video:
If I do that, it’ll shorten the rope to 18”, as shown, below.
Comment on deploying the reef hook
I would unclip the BSS off my left chest D-ring and off the “shaft” loop simultaneously. Then hook the reef hook onto a crevice. The current would then push me away from the reef hook and the rope would automatically uncoil, stretch to 6 foot long.
If you want to be squarely facing the current, you may want to unclip the BSS off the left waist D-ring, and insert it through both left and right waist D-rings and clip it back to the rope to make a loop that tie both waist D-rings, as shown, below.
Dan
Contributor
It would be short lived due to salt water corrosion.
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