Reel Question

[miketsp]

Since my use of a line is really rare, just for emergencies, I always have a spool with about 150ft of line with a double ender. It's really cheap, light and never jams - just hold it loosely with 1 finger & thumb. The double ender can serve as a winding knob.

 

[Wild Woman]

Since my use of a line is really rare, just for emergencies, I always have a spool with about 150ft of line with a double ender. It's really cheap, light and never jams - just hold it loosely with 1 finger & thumb. The double ender can serve as a winding knob.

Thanks Mike. A spool sounds like my best option. One more question, what is a double ender? Hope things are well in Brazil. Divergirl

 

[miketsp]

Thanks Mike. A spool sounds like my best option. One more question, what is a double ender? Hope things are well in Brazil. Divergirl

Just a double ended clip. One end clips the reel, the other, a d ring or anything else. Took this foto off:

http://www.bitz.fsnet.co.uk/bitzreels.htm

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Perhaps someone that is an administrator will spin this off into another thread.

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. . . . 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. . . . 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.

Although you did not deploy until your 50 foot stop verus your 70, I would like to spin this off in a different direction: when to deploy the bag in the first place.

Down here in South Florida, it is quite common to do live drops onto wrecks due to the strong Gulf Stream currents that prevail. Whenever we do not have a hook on the wreck (there can be various scenarios for this), our standard practice (that is, among the group I dive with) is to shoot a bag as soon as we clear the wreck on ascent. We do so to insure that the boat will see our bag the minute we are off the wreck and ascending.

To me, it just seems too risky to shoot a bag (even a sausage type) in a screaming current upon reaching the first gas switch or deco stop. Yet, I know that this is a common practice for many that are going into the dive knowing how fast the current runs frequently.

I recognize that shooting the bag while closer to the bottom consumes more gas and can lead to somewhat more deco, however, I typically allot two minutes to bottom time to either remove the hook if it is there or shoot a bag when it is not. To me, this seems a much safer practice than to delay shooting the bag and risking being lost at sea.

Would anyone care to comment?

 

[alemaozinho]

I'm am in the process of purchasing my first reel. I'm not too familiar with what I should be looking for. What are some of the qualities I should look for in a good all-purpose reel?

Thanks.

best reel (quality)and versatility is made by custom divers in the uk,i did see a dealer last year at the ocean fest and he sells custom diver equipment in the north florida(springs )area.good luck

 

[Wreck]

I can't make a direct comparison but neither would be a bad choice. Some of the Reef Scuba reels look good but, again I haven't actually held one. Avoid closed reels.

I have Reef Scuba's closed reel with 250' of 36 line. I've used it maybe about a dozen times this month. I've understand the the simple-is-better argument, but you have to draw an imaginary line between what's simple and what's not.

As for this reel, it proabably won't ever birdnest into a mess even though it has tried a few times when I let the line go slack and it kept spinning from angular momentum. Keep in mind this is with a heavier line. I did have a 2-inch loop of line slide between the cover plate and reel edge when I was starting to reel in a limp line last week without bothering to pull out the slacked line from the reel. There's barely enough tolerance between the cover and spindle for it to do that though. If a line ever jumps a Reef spool, all you have to do is unscrew the axle/tension knob, take the spool off, straighten it out right on the spot, and screw the spool back into the frame. If I can remember I'll pull it apart next time I'm down and mess with it a bit more.

 

[junior diver]

If they require a "reel" for your SMB, my personal favorite for this is a delrin finger spool.

Is it the first time you've used a reel. If it is I would not recommend a finger spool. Takes too much effort to wind up and is easy to let go. As far as I'm concerned the only advantage to it is the space factor. They are very small and light. I like the ones which have a lock on them so it won't let you send something up unless you push a button down. A few tips though. Try it in a pool. You'll look stupid but I did it for my first time and also, NEVER clip it to your BC.

 

[flw]

best reel (quality)and versatility is made by custom divers in the uk,i did see a dealer last year at the ocean fest and he sells custom diver equipment in the north florida(springs )area.good luck

I used to have a custom diver reel, it self jammed itself on a regular basis, eventually I lost it on a wreck, and didn't bother going to look for it.
This summer I borrowed someone elses reel ( he headed back, leaving me the reel on the wreck) and while trying to wind it back in, it self jammed in exactly the same way as mine used to, so I ended up cutting the line.
I still think the EE Pathfinder is the best bottom reel around, mine is 5 years old now, nice, simple and idiot proof. For putting up a bag I've got a small Mcmahon or a spool, both of which work well

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have a reef scuba reel that I like for penetration and serious reel applications. The tension can be adjusted to prevent the spool from free spinning afte the bag hits the surface. And if you do manage to jam the reel, it is easy to remove the spool to clear it.

But if all you are doing is shooting a bag, I have found the generic plastic reels sold by Scubapro, Trident, etc work very well. They violate the simple is better principle in that they have a thumb activated lever to release line but this does make them fairly idiot proof in operation and makes it easy to control any freespinning of the spool that may occur. Despite the plastic construction they are quite durable even in very cold water. The down side is that it is virtually impossible to dissasemble the reel underwater.

Whatever reel you use, it is usually a good idea to remove 1/4 to 1/3 of the line to create more freeboard on the sides of the spool this goes a long way toward keeping the line from jumping over the edge of the spool and jamming the reel. This will mean you need a larger reel for a given line size and application but the trade off is worth it for the increased reliability and ease of use.

I will second the comment that for any type of wreck penetration, you want at least #36 line and thicker is even better.

Finally, if you are using a reel to shoot a lift bag, it is always a good idea to use a dedicated reel for that purpose and to unreel and reload the line of the spool topside after every use to ensure it will come off the reel snag free at the high speeds involved in shooting a liftbag from substantial depths. Using your reel in a wreck, rewinding it on your way out, and then shooting a bag with the same reel from 100 plus feet can sometimes lead to a nasty surprise when the reel jams and is jerked out of your hand. NEVER clip the reel to you while the bag is still going up.