SOP for getting back to the up-line in low visilibity

[King Kong Matt]

This has been a great thread so far, despite Ken's feeble attempt to pin the *loss* of his dive flag on me. I, of course, maintain that it's not lost...it's simply not with us any more.

I just wanted to clarify what I had originally intended with the question...

Two teams of 2 descend on a wreck that they have dove once or twice before...they have seen the wreck, but none would say they are overly familiar with it. On this particular dive, visibility is worse than usual.

This is what I was trying to get at...you don't really know the wreck and visibility sucks...what is SOP?

KKM

 

[O-ring]

King Kong Matt once bubbled...
This has been a great thread so far, despite Ken's feeble attempt to pin the *loss* of his dive flag on me. I, of course, maintain that it's not lost...it's simply not with us any more.

I just wanted to clarify what I had originally intended with the question...

Two teams of 2 descend on a wreck that they have dove once or twice before...they have seen the wreck, but none would say they are overly familiar with it. On this particular dive, visibility is worse than usual.

This is what I was trying to get at...you don't really know the wreck and visibility sucks...what is SOP?

KKM

We just stay really close to the anchor line and don't go anywhere that isn't obviously hard to get back from (i.e. crossing 50' of sand to get to another piece of the wreck). Sometimes the mate who tied in will run his/her reel from a point near the anchor line across the main features of the wreck and we will use that.

 

[MASS-Diver]

I run a reel on almost all NEwreck dives, even on the Poling I often run a line from the anchor to begining of the catwalk. I used to run a reel only when conditions were "bad", but, now I find myself running one more often that not, it's just that important to find the anchor. Even on shallow dives not finding the anchor can be a big problem if you come up in a current or seas. Then the boat has to chase you etc.


We also use lots of strobes, I think they work OK, I have a princton tech and one of my buddies had a very bright OMS one. We also use hand held lights. For example, (and again sorry to the non-local guys) but, for a dive at paddock rock (basiclly a trench going down to about 75-80') I run a reel from the anchor down the trench and and attach the reel to my hand held lightpointing in the direction I'm going and leave the light on the bottom, when I return it's easy to see.

I've been on a number of dives with 2 or 3 people running reels and yes it can hectic, everyone just has to becareful, of course what's more hectic is having muliple divers lose the anchor, that's a problem.

Matt, I've seen some tough stuff on the Haight wreck for example, It's a hard to navigate the site and there's ussually a current, I've been on charters and had 3 or 4 guys pop up way down current unable to find the anchor.

When in doubt, always run a line, that's SOP for us and at the least you get very good at running a reel which is a good skill to have.

Also, using someone elses line is ussually fine, just don't tug/hang on it, making an OK sign around the line with your fingers is a must.