I'm a shellfisher who is new to diving and I'm wondering what the weight logic would be behind transporting 100 / 150lb bags of clams both underwater and to the surface? I'm curious whether they could be floated back using a large enough wing/ drysuit buoyancy, or just clipped to a line and hauled. What about movement along the bottom with that amount of weight? The gear i'd be using would be something like double steel 120cf on BP/W with a drysuit.
Shellfish diving - how much weight can you swim with?
- Thread starter KS1977
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Lift bag. Please don't use your suit or your wing to lift stuff.
SlugLife
Contributor
I second using a lift-bag & definitely not your BCD.
You can also float a rope to the surface with a DSMB or lift bag, while leaving the loot on the bottom, and then pull it up while on the boat. However if you're dealing with 100+lbs, you might want a winch, or splitting your haul into several smaller bags.
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As far as using your BCD to float stuff, there are several reasons it's dangerous and annoying:
* If your BCD loses bouyancy (develops a leak, etc) you might be plummeted to the bottom.
* If your drop what you're carrying, you might rocket to the surface at a dangerous speed.
* Keeping your bouyancy and trip while carrying a weight is extremely difficult and annoying, much less holding a safety stop.
* Whatever you're carrying can become entangled in your gear, interfere with finning, etc.
* There are a number of threads in the "Accident and Incidents" section about golf-ball divers dying. How and why that happens is the subject of several very long threads, but lets just say this sounds similar you don't want to follow in their foot-steps.
You can also float a rope to the surface with a DSMB or lift bag, while leaving the loot on the bottom, and then pull it up while on the boat. However if you're dealing with 100+lbs, you might want a winch, or splitting your haul into several smaller bags.
---
As far as using your BCD to float stuff, there are several reasons it's dangerous and annoying:
* If your BCD loses bouyancy (develops a leak, etc) you might be plummeted to the bottom.
* If your drop what you're carrying, you might rocket to the surface at a dangerous speed.
* Keeping your bouyancy and trip while carrying a weight is extremely difficult and annoying, much less holding a safety stop.
* Whatever you're carrying can become entangled in your gear, interfere with finning, etc.
* There are a number of threads in the "Accident and Incidents" section about golf-ball divers dying. How and why that happens is the subject of several very long threads, but lets just say this sounds similar you don't want to follow in their foot-steps.
Not the same thing, but I have a 44 lb claw anchor that I use to secure my dive float (the dive platform). I use a small lift bag to keep the rope tight with the changing tide (we can have over a 15 foot vertical tide flux). Given the density of oysters at my family's beachhouse, if I was to harvest oysters and didn't have those tides, I would drag that platform, use a lift bag to haul up the oysters, and then use a large boltsnap on the bottom of the dive platform to secure the catch (I use it for the 44 lb anchor).
I wouldn't want to use just a lift bag for bringing in something heavy. I did use lift bags to install a 180 lb block of cement to use for a mooring line, but `I would not try that to bring it in.
I wouldn't want to use just a lift bag for bringing in something heavy. I did use lift bags to install a 180 lb block of cement to use for a mooring line, but `I would not try that to bring it in.
Got any more pictures of the float/dive platform? That looks nice. Looks like it might be a royal pain to get through a surf entrance though.
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I bought mine used. They are not cheap. I love mine.
I know you have tides up there, but do you any surf entries? I'm a bit concerned with that metal pole around it someone is going to get knocked in the head with that coming in/out during "sporty" conditions.
Did I read that right, you use a 44lb anchor lol? We currently use like a 5lb kayak anchor and thought that was overkill lol. That must be a pain the butt to haul back up from depth.
I have done lots of shell-fishing in my days living in New England especially for scallops. We NEVER EVER NEVER use our BC's as a liftbag, NEVER!! We used liftbag to lift the game bag from the bottom when it is getting full and just push it with our hand as we are moving underwater. We have just barely enough air to lift the game bag from the bottom but not to rise up to the surface when we are just continuing to swim around the bottom collecting more shellfish. When it is time to come up, we add air to the liftbag for it to rise to the surface. We have a reel attached to the liftbag and let line out as the bag rises. We reel the line in as we ascend and do our stop and then go up to the surface. The boat would be nearby waiting for us. Don't over inflate the lift bag, just barely enough for it to start to rise to the surface. Make sure that you don't get entangled in the lift bag or the line. Don't let the game bag, octo or SPG or any dangly get caught in the line. When you are handling the lift bag and reel, keep your arms extended out as far out as you can so that you keep the lift bag, game bag and reel away from your and your equipment.
We can. Remember I have about 50 feet of rope, so I can always just pull that in, get out of my scuba kit, and in just my drysuit fetch the dive platform and the anchor separately.
Yes. Now I have a rope from the dive platform going through an eye bolt on the anchor and back up to a 25 lb lift bag. That keeps the rope very tight. I came up with this for when I had to do CESAs when I was a PADI instructor. I like how it works for a reference point. For OW1, I do allow my 2 students to grab onto it. We do slow descents for them to equalize. I'm trying to do a better job at teaching other equalizing techniques than the Vasalva as I know a few people who have suffered injuries as a result.
Dive time is limited however due to temperature, but keeping classes small and doing everything neutrally buoyant and trim makes the skills go smoothly, so I have some time to play with.
I just grab the rope at the lift bag and with the same hand grab the rope coming down from the platform. I just work my way up. It takes a little bit of strength, but isn't bad. I'm not as strong as I used to be but it is manageable. A lighter weight could be used as well. Or another larger lift bag to attach directly to the anchor. I prefer having a solid anchor. Got it off Craigslist too (my Dutch half is from a rather conservative part of the Netherlands).
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