Reeling off wreck (ascent)

[lermontov]

if you havent got a mooring line surely the boat has got decent GPS on the wreck -why cant they drop a marker buoy

 

[RyanT]

@Mindset, OK, I misread your post. I thought you were asking about this as a normal procedure to get off a wreck. I can't imagine that would ever be a good idea in current. I would much rather blow a bag and then drift deco as is the common procedure.

 

[doctormike]

I'm gathering input on this as I've haven't done it yet.

For whatever reason you can't make it back to assent line and a free assent / floating away for a few hours is a no go. Maybe the current picked way up on a hot drop? So you tie in to the wreck then ascend on your own line.

So what are the procedures and things to look out for? How does deploying an SMB and managing two reels or reel and spool work out? Clip then together? Reel up to the next stop then work the smb line? Omit the SMB all together maybe? Maybe clip a backup SMB/bag with a blip of gas in to keep the line taught so as not to have an iffy amount of positive buoyancy on board.

Thoughts? Ramblings? Material?

Thank-you

Billy

Not sure I understand the scenario. Are you talking about an ascent line with the boat tied into the wreck (i.e. an anchor line)? Or do you mean something like a tuna ball on the wreck with the dive boat free to move?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Not sure I understand the scenario.

They taught this during my Solo Class just to add to the class.

The scenario is the wreck is there - you can not find the anchor line and you need to go up. The way they taught it - was loop a DSMB under a railing or such (hopefully not sharp or jaded metal) and send the DSMB up. Use the reel to walk up the line to the DSMB - making appropriate stops as needed. Not sure I would ever need it but that is what they taught. YMMV

 

[doctormike]

They taught this during my Solo Class just to add to the class.

The scenario is the wreck is there - you can not find the anchor line and you need to go up. The way they taught it - was loop a DSMB under a railing or such (hopefully not sharp or jaded metal) and send the DSMB up. Use the reel to walk up the line to the DSMB - making appropriate stops as needed. Not sure I would ever need it but that is what they taught. YMMV

Right, I normally dive with the standard northeast configuration - anchor line hooked into the wreck, then a granny line to the stern of the dive boat. We rarely have currents like they routinely dive in down in Florida, and hot dropping isn't done in this area (at least in my experience).

I also was taught your approach, which works if you have enough line on your real to cover double the depth plus any adjustment for scope. If you don't, then that's what a Jersey up line is for - you make your own ascent line and leave it on the wreck. For this reason, the classic Jersey up line was made of degradable sisal.

What I didn't understand from the OP was that he mentioned both an ascent line and a hot drop. Sometimes there is a tuna ball on the wreck but the boat isn't tied in, so they can chase drifting divers and then come back for the divers who did it the right way...

If your dive boat is tied into the wreck and you can't find the anchor line but need to ascend, and there is a current, it's a really bad idea to do drifting deco. Especially if the boat has other divers in the water and can't easily chase you. If you have a significant amount of deco to do and you do it drifting away from a boat that is tied to a wreck, there is a good chance that you may be lost at sea. And that's one thing in Florida where you may not be far from shore and there are dozens of other pleasure boats in the area. In the northeast, you may be 20 miles off shore in poor conditions with no other boats around.

 

[RyanT]

I would much rather blow a bag and then drift deco as is the common procedure.

@doctormike, Thanks, I suppose I should have said "in South Florida."

 

[Diver-Drex]

The obvious is to use a wreck reel and get back to the upline reliably. But things can happen...
So I came up with an idea instead of a Jersey upline. I’ll shoot a bag on a finger spool and drift if there isn’t much current or I’m not worried about surface conditions. If I want to stay near the wreck I’ll tie into it. I carry an 8’ length of 5/16” sisal rope. I’ll tie this around something on the wreck making a loop. I’ll shoot my smb but use my reel. Then I pass the reel through the sisal rope loop and then ‘climb’ up to the smb. At the surface I can unhook the bag and retrieve the line leaving the sisal in place.

 

[decompression]

The obvious is to use a wreck reel and get back to the upline reliably. But things can happen...
So I came up with an idea instead of a Jersey upline. I’ll shoot a bag on a finger spool and drift if there isn’t much current or I’m not worried about surface conditions. If I want to stay near the wreck I’ll tie into it. I carry an 8’ length of 5/16” sisal rope. I’ll tie this around something on the wreck making a loop. I’ll shoot my smb but use my reel. Then I pass the reel through the sisal rope loop and then ‘climb’ up to the smb. At the surface I can unhook the bag and retrieve the line leaving the sisal in place.

I like the idea of a length of sisal with you, makes finding a suitable tie off much easier.

 

[doctormike]

I like the idea of a length of sisal with you, makes finding a suitable tie off much easier.

Yeah, less likely to cut the line than looping it around a random piece of shipwreck...

 

[Billy Northrup]

I use sisal for my jon line, I can use that as a leave behind and not worry about it