Tangling my wreck reel!

[Diver0001]

This is one reason why it's important to have a good buddy and easily accessible cutting tools.

In some situations, maybe.

But let me chime in here. Cutting a loose line creates two loose lines (of which neither one probably goes straight to where you want to go) and if one loose line was already a problem then creating two might not be very smart.

The point being that every situation needs to be considered carefully. In my humble opinion, cutting a line is what you do only after you're fresh out of better ideas.

R..

 

[Cave Diver]

In some situations, maybe.

But let me chime in here. Cutting a loose line creates two loose lines (of which neither one probably goes straight to where you want to go) and if one loose line was already a problem then creating two might not be very smart.

And in a potential stressful situation or a possible silt out, there is no guarantee of finding the loose end to follow out, or that the one you follow is the correct one. I don't know about wreck diving courses, but the techniques for managing this type of situation are part of the cave course and one of the reasons we always carry a safety spool as well.

 

[RJP]

I don't know about wreck diving courses, but the techniques for managing this type of situation are part of the cave course...

Part of the wreck course I took with Wayne Fisch at The Scuba Connection here in NJ.

Wayne is a stickler for line management skills, and will take any and every opportunity you give him to provide you with an object lesson in entanglement hazards!

 

[H2Andy]

well, i fancy myself an expert at tangling line ... in fact, within seconds of deployment, my reels don't just get tangled ... they explode into a mess of mythic proportions

i have found that i can (indeed, sadly) tangle a "tangle-proof" reel just as easily

i've found two things help:

1. CONCENTRATE on the reel. you can't allow yourself to get distracted from what you are doing, or it will tangle. if you need to concentrate on something else, stop the reel, make sure that the line is tense, do what you need to do, and then go back to concentrating on the reel

and

2. TENSION: it really helps if the line is always under tension. slack line tends to tangle.

there must also be a third, magic step which i don't know yet because i still tangle my line

but then i wouldn't be King of the Tangle

 

[Diver0001]

slack line [-]tends to[/-] will tangle no matter how good you are.

Fixed that.

R..

 

[RecDiver97]

Thanks for the input. I think I am resolved to "reel fast, swim slow," be slightly negative, and to concentrate on the reel. The one thing that I have to work on is the tie-offs. I think I will go back to my instructor for a refresher.

 

[Web Monkey]

In some situations, maybe.

But let me chime in here. Cutting a loose line creates two loose lines (of which neither one probably goes straight to where you want to go) and if one loose line was already a problem then creating two might not be very smart.

The point being that every situation needs to be considered carefully. In my humble opinion, cutting a line is what you do only after you're fresh out of better ideas.
R..

You're absolutely right. Like everything else in SCUBA, the answer is "it depends . . . " I should have been more specific, since everything really depends on what you're doing with the line.

If you're inside a real wreck (a place where you could die if lost or entangled) and don't know which way "out" is, cutting the line could be the last thing you ever do, since there's no guarantee you'll be able to find either end of the line or the exit.

If you're inside a sanitized wreck like the OP, or somewhere the exits are obvious, cutting the line after being tangled shouldn't be a problem and is an easy fix.

If you just shot a lift bag and suddenly find you're caught in the line, cutting the line could save your life.

Terry

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The tension on the line can also tell you an awful lot. For example I can easily tell if the last line placement came loose or if a team member is in contact with ther line. In terms of situational awareness it is almost as good as having eyes in the back of your head.

There are lots of different designs around and the Manta reel is pretty dated and overly complex. The design is also hard to control in terms of line tension. Reels have since went in two main directions:

1. The Larry Green/Ralph Hood design that is very open and essentially acknowledges that a reel will become tangled at soem point so it needs to be easy to clear undewrwater with out tools.

2. The Halcyon/Salvo design with very tight tolerances designed to prevent line from slipping between the frame and spool. It is a much better attempt at a tangle proof reel, but they have been known to happen.

Both are also side handle deisgns that are much easier to manage and maintain tension with a light in your hand.

My advice to anyone, cave or wreck diver, is to practice with a reel and practice a lot. Even the average quarry provides lots of opportunities to run reels, practice tie offs and line placements and most importantly to practice following the line back out eyes closed to simulate a silt out.

Maintaining line tension starts with a proper tie off and secondary tie off and it is an essential skill to learn. I got into cave diving by way of Cavern and Intro to Cave courses taken to improve my wreck diving skills. (It helped a lot but pretty much ruined wreck diving as cave diving is SOOOO much more fun.)

As you obviously figured out, you want to run the line from a primary tie off in open water with a secondary tie off just inside the wreck. And you want to stay off the bottom in a cave or wreck to minimize any loss of viz due to silt. Your experience had its roots in the events occurring before you even reached the bottom (the weight not stowed in the first place), and in general fatal accidents often start with what appears to be minor event or failure that starts a chain of events that quickly snowballs to hard to manage proportions.