Stolen Wreck Reel from water at Dutch Springs-Sept. 13th

[Dr. Lecter]

bus, helicopter, firetruck... again ocean diver here, I only get to see marine creatures, rocks and some debris after holiday weekends, but this is the description of quite an entertaining location.
Appears to have lots of divers coming and going... why would any one leave gear behind?

To answer your question: as an ocean diver (who occasionally dives inside wrecks, but that's neither here nor there for this purpose), I have in the past emplaced and left line out for navigating long distances where relying on compass navigation alone was not ideal. An example would be transiting a little over a quarter mile from a deeper site at 300' to a shallower wreck at 100' for deco (and staging extra bailout gas on that shallower wreck). Putting in a semipermanant line makes the drive easier, and hitting the target the first time more sure.

Can I find it via compass alone? Yes, eventually, even under bad conditions. But as a hedge, it makes sense sometimes to put line out in the ocean and leave it there. And anyone who came across a line placed/running between 300' and 150' with a reel attached to the end of it should know better than to bother it.

 

[RJP]

seriously ... I'm an ocean diver so the concept of leaving something underwater for the next dive without a buoy is mind bugling. Never mind something supposedly valuable.

As a frequent ocean diver, who frequently penetrates wrecks, I can assure you that - while it probably makes no sense for the typical "pretty fishies" recreational diver - "leaving gear behind" from one dive to the next is frequently done. Reels in particular. If I've run a line through a wreck on dive 1, why would I take the time (valuable bottom-time) to remove it at the end of that dive... only to have to spend time (valuable bottom time) re-running it on subsequent dives?

---------- Post added September 19th, 2014 at 08:46 AM ----------

And anyone who came across a line placed/running between 300' and 150' with a reel attached to the end of it should know better than to bother it.

Having crewed on a wreck dive charter boat for many years, I can't tell you how often some "helpful" newbie comes up after a dive with a stage/deco bottle saying "Hey, someone must have dropped this... I found it right on top of the wreck."

:d

Best regards,

Ray Purkis

 

[Ana]

To answer your question: as an ocean diver (who occasionally dives inside wrecks, but that's neither here nor there for this purpose), I have in the past emplaced and left line out for navigating long distances where relying on compass navigation alone was not ideal. An example would be transiting a little over a quarter mile from a deeper site at 300' to a shallower wreck at 100' for deco (and staging extra bailout gas on that shallower wreck). Putting in a semipermanant line makes the drive easier, and hitting the target the first time more sure.

As a frequent ocean diver, who frequently penetrates wrecks, I can assure you that - while it probably makes no sense for the typical "pretty fishies" recreational diver - "leaving gear behind" from one dive to the next is frequently done. Reels in particular. If I've run a line through a wreck on dive 1, why would I take the time (valuable bottom-time) to remove it at the end of that dive... only to have to spend time (valuable bottom time) re-running it on subsequent dives?

Thanks to both, real wrecks are not my thing, and my ignorance showed. Even with the sanitized wrecks in S. Florida I rather do true open water, I'd do more blue endless water if it wasn't such a long transit time.
Looking at the map posted above I get visions of lots of divers congregated in relatively small areas, seems counter intuitive to leave gear behind, but your explanations make perfect sense. thanks again.

 

[BugHunterNY]

Thanks to both, real wrecks are not my thing, and my ignorance showed. Even with the sanitized wrecks in S. Florida I rather do true open water, I'd do more blue endless water if it wasn't such a long transit time.
Looking at the map posted above I get visions of lots of divers congregated in relatively small areas, seems counter intuitive to leave gear behind, but your explanations make perfect sense. thanks again.

Haha. Ana, you would LOVE swimming around one of those close to shore attractions while 3 open water classes are all fumbling around. There are times when it could be as bad as 15-20 open water students on one attraction!

I think we all prefer the open ocean to the quarry - but it presents a controlled environment to hone and tweak skills, practice with new gear, etc - so that you're not in an ocean that will kill you if you make too many mistakes or are not practiced with your kit.




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[Dr. Lecter]

Looking at the map posted above I get visions of lots of divers congregated in relatively small areas, seems counter intuitive to leave gear behind, but your explanations make perfect sense. thanks again.

For open ocean or big wrecks I think the explanations make sense, but you're not wrong in your evaluation of Dutch Springs. I did my first two dive classes in Dutch, and I can't think of a good reason to leave line in it. That said, whether the OP needed to run line for his class or not doesn't matter, you don't take someone else's line out of the water. If you or a student are going to get entangled by it, place it better. If your idiot student still gets wrapped up in it, you cut it and tie off the ends as best you can.

Deciding you're going to reel it in and take it out of the water for safety's sake isn't an option...I think it would be practically impossible to get so lost in tiny, shallow, relatively clear Dutch Springs that you panic and drown when you wander off course and can't find the line your instructor said you could follow. But there are enough muppets out there that I'd be sure that the day I pulled out an unnecessary line was the day it would happen.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One of the biggest hazards of running reels in places like Dutch, Gilboa, or other inland sites is OW divers who have no business being in OW yet. But their instructors need to get em in and get em out so they can run the next crop of clueless individuals through.

I do run lines in several of my classes for students to follow. Usually in blacked out masks or no mask with their eyes closed. It is a real pain in the ass to set up a course for this only to have some crap instructor bring a bunch of students who should still be in the pool along. No buoyancy control, trim is what you do to hair in their minds it seems, and absolutely no idea of line etiquette. Or that you never go under a line, you go over it.

But then these are the same numbnuts doing checkout skills kneeling on the platforms instead of next to them, over them, or while swimming where they should be done. If they taught their students, I mean really taught them, they'd know about lines and reels and stay away from them. My students from OW on know that if you touch a piece of gear that you did not place or drop while doing classes with me, you fail the course. Messing with other people's gear can kill someone. That is made perfectly clear on numerous occasions during training.

 

[doctormike]

I think it would be practically impossible to get so lost in tiny, shallow, relatively clear Dutch Springs that you panic and drown when you wander off course

I don't think so: Dive Accidents | Dive Training | Lessons For Life | Scuba Diving