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Spinner spool? Any issues?
- Thread starter Mr. Dooley
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stretchthepenn
Contributor
If your hands are the size of a normal human (by which I mean you wear XXL gloves), your finger won't fit all the way through a spool's hole. Thus, if you poke a finger into the hole while releasing a DSMB, you stand an excellent chance of getting that finger ripped clean off.
Well...I exaggerate a tiny bit, but my fingers won't fit into the holes of any spool I've ever used, particularly while wearing drygloves. And I've tweaked my index finger a few times just by gripping the spool's hole too strongly between my thumb and finger. 0/10 would not recommend.
I use the XL thick drygloves (the knobbly textured latex ones sold by Kubi and Santi) with FE Glove Liner neoprene under gloves and I have no problems using the spool in the picture I posted above.
Seems that not all spools are created equal
Seems that not all spools are created equal
That is abundantly obvious.
Just because you don't see the point of it, doesn't mean there is not a valid use case for them. Not everyone dives the way Wibble dives, and not everyone deploys their gear the way Wibble deploys their gear.
It is a solution to a problem that you don't have or have experienced. We often look at the world through a specific lense....try to look a bit further beyond yourself and expand your perspective....or not. Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has at least one.
This has already been addressed by another poster, but I will add that if you stick your finger in the hole and your DSMB or its line gets snagged by a boat, jetski, or the like, you stand a high chance of losing the inserted finger as the spool is ripped from your grasp. While you might think it is an ok thing to do, the circles I dive in believe it is a bad practice for one to stick their figer in/through the hole of a spool...the OMS, ISE, and spinner spools are designed to provide functionality while at the same time making it impossible to insert a finger....if you want to stick a finger in the hole of your spool, thats ok, its your finger, and there are plenty of finger bangable spools on the market to satisfy your desire.
Hope that clears things up.
Cheers,
-Z
DiveLikeAMuppet
Contributor
There are alternatives… Multipurpose too, can use them to fight sharks or other divers. Just don’t drop it on wrecks, it could cause a collapse.
You are not going to lose a finger with a normal cold water spool (don’t stick it in all the way).
What I would look at with spinner spools is longevity in salt water and whether the spool works at depth. If you deploy a DSMB from lets say 21 meters into current, it might very quickly take 30-35 meters of line. Does the spinner reliably survive or have you just lost your DSMB?
You are not going to lose a finger with a normal cold water spool (don’t stick it in all the way).
What I would look at with spinner spools is longevity in salt water and whether the spool works at depth. If you deploy a DSMB from lets say 21 meters into current, it might very quickly take 30-35 meters of line. Does the spinner reliably survive or have you just lost your DSMB?
I haven’t heard of anybody losing a digit as much as the danger of that stuck digit causing us to get dragged skyward past a stop.
To account for slope caused by strong current, I use a 15% rule. In Florida where we have strong currents on the Atlantic side, it’s common to shoot as early as possible coming off the wreck so the skipper can keep track as we drift and decompress. To shoot from 40m, I use a 60m spool. For recreational dives, a shot from 30m warrants a 45m spool.
To account for slope caused by strong current, I use a 15% rule. In Florida where we have strong currents on the Atlantic side, it’s common to shoot as early as possible coming off the wreck so the skipper can keep track as we drift and decompress. To shoot from 40m, I use a 60m spool. For recreational dives, a shot from 30m warrants a 45m spool.
I believe that we are in vehement agreement even though the examples we put forth differ.
I personally have not witnessed or heard firsthand accounts of anyone losing a digit resulting from sticking a finger in the hole of spool. Nor have I witnessed or heard firsthand accounts of anyone being dragged upwards to their detriment either due to a stuck finger. I believe both to be relevant posibilities that could be entirely avoided by not sticking a finger in the hole.
But, I also realize that risk management, particularly for recreation diving, is entirely personal assessment based. Prudence is a spectrum based on one's assessment. If in one's assessment that sticking a finger in the hole of a spool is of a particular benefit and choose to ignore the risk of doing so, that is personal choice.
On a personal level, I have no issue with someone doing this as it is not my finger in question. I also fully undestand that not every one on this planet operates under the logic and experience that provides the forethought for sound judgement. For me, though, I personally elect to not do something that might directly cause me to either be unwittingly dragged to the surface or damage my finger (or both).
-Z
I bought one of the AP reels about 6 months ago and really like them. I of course got rid of the wrist strap.
For the record, I did get my finger stuck in a rotating spool once and winced in pain. Not serious though - just for an instant it was half-way as painful as getting your finger jammed in a lightly closing door. No damage except some redness from the twist …
On the lookout for a spinner now during my next vacation….
On the lookout for a spinner now during my next vacation….
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