James Goddard once bubbled...
Yep, which is why I'm waiting to hear the intended use. I usually just carry a spool if I'm not penetrating anything.
I'm curious what is different about the Pathfinder that makes it better than the Dive Rite reels. I've never had any trouble with my Dive Rite reels though I could live without the stupid plastic lockdown nut. But then again I've never used a Pathfinder to compare to.
I have recently changed my opinion about just carrying reels on penetration dives. I
always carry a safety spool with me on
every dive with at least 100' of line on it. I often carry additional spools depending on the logistics of the dive.
On a recent dive trip, we planned to do a 220' dive on mix. Plan was to drop a hook attached to a bouy on the wreck, do or dive, then float with the bouy while doing our deco. I carried two liftbags and spool for each, in addition to my standard safety spool.
During our dive planning the night before, my dive buddy and I agreed that in the event we had to shoot a bag, we would do it from our 70' stop after our first gas switch. With a 100' spool that left 30' of "play" in the line.
The day of the dive, seas were running 6'. We decided to move to an alternate site that wasn't as far out so we wouldnt get pounded on the boat ride so badly. When we get to the new site, the current is running about 4kts. making the use of the bouy and grapple damn near impossible.
We decide to do a hot drop, upcurrent, drift down to the wreck, do our dive, then shoot bags to deco on while we drift.
We hit the bottom at 229', deeper than our target depth. Because of various small problems that popped up I called the dive early, with a bottom time of 20 minutes.
We start up, and hit our first deco stop. Once we get to the 70' mark I elect not to shoot the bag yet. My concern was that the additional 30' of line on my spool would not allow sufficient scope considering the amount of current present. Instead, I waited til we hit the 50' mark to deploy the bag.
As a result of the delay deploying the marker, the boat had trouble finding us initially. This experience taught me a few things:
1) I bought a larger SMB that was easier to spot.
2) I bought a spool capable of holding 150' of line.
3) I bought a reel that I feel is capable of using to deploy a line while we are still at depth without jamming.
The reason I think the pathfinder reel is a better reel is because:
1) It holds more line.
2) It's more ergonomic to hold and use than the D/R.
3) Its more open, so it makes it much less likely to jam or birdsnest.
4) The lockdown nut on the D/R is nylon, and it absorbs moisture and starts to swell after a while (which is why they give you an extra one when you buy it.)
5) The lock down nut presses against the face of the D/R reel, which causes the reel to be "cocked" on the spindle.
6) It's much easier to hold and operate the Pathfinder while holding a light than it is with a D/R.
Like I said, that's just my preference based on my experiences. I can guarantee you tho, that it will be with me on any open ocean dives below 170~180' and that it will be my primary guideline when diving caves.
YMMV.
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