Visual reference on anchor line

[Nick_Radov]

Am curious as to how people do their decompression on a SMB and reel/spool?

Do you get to your stop, then let go of the reel/spool to bounce up and down in front of yourself whilst holding your stop free-floating.

Or do you hang on to the reel/spool?

(BTW - thanks to the mods for the cleanup)

We generally avoid using reels for launching SMBs from depth because they can jam when streaming line out rapidly. Better to use a spool if possible unless you have to launch from really deep.

At each deco stop we hold the spool and keep enough tension on the line so that the SMB stands up to be visible to the boat crew. And we have found that small SMBs are actually more visible than large ones because they stand up straighter with less force.

Don't let the spool float free. It can quickly drift away from you if there is wind at the surface. And without tension on the line the SMB lays down on the surface. If you need both hands free then pass the spool to a buddy.

 

[Wibble]

We generally avoid using reels for launching SMBs from depth because they can jam when streaming line out rapidly. Better to use a spool if possible unless you have to launch from really deep.

At each deco stop we hold the spool and keep enough tension on the line so that the SMB stands up to be visible to the boat crew. And we have found that small SMBs are actually more visible than large ones because they stand up straighter with less force.

Don't let the spool float free. It can quickly drift away from you if there is wind at the surface. And without tension on the line the SMB lays down on the surface. If you need both hands free then pass the spool to a buddy.

Interesting.

Reels only jam when launching if you’ve got slack the line allowing a loop to form and catch the handle. If you’ve messed this up, then you should be able to sort the line out if you’re launching from the wreck/bottom. Spools have problems when you drop them.

Anyway, reels or spools are a personal preference.

A large SMB — 2m/6ft with girth to match — is crucial in choppy seas and when there’s large currents as the boat needs to see the SMB from some distance away. To get a full-sized SMB to stand up, especially in wind, requires a substantial weight hanging from it. The point of a long and thick SMB is it can be seen when it’s laying flat on the surface.

The challenge when the wind has picked up during the dive is the reel/spool bouncing up and down with the waves. If you’re hanging substantially negatively buoyant on to the line when it’s bouncing then you’ll be lifted several feet and drop back down, this is very uncomfortable at least and can be dangerous should the line part and you quickly sink.

A larger, heavier reel will be more stable than a spool as the reel has an anchor effect on the line. A spool will fly up quickly and descends slowly whilst twisting and veering sideways as it tumbles with the weight of the clip. This is especially the case with lightweight plastic spool which allows slack in the line as it doesn’t sink quickly enough after being lifted by a passing wave. There’s also the possibility of the double-ender unclipping itself whilst bouncing.

When I used a spool (Apeks 60m/200ft) I used to find that I needed to leave the spool dangling substantially below me with my hand loosely around the string in an OK sign. Sometimes used a double ender in my hand to stop the string sawing through my dry glove.

I simply cannot imagine how uncomfortable it would be being bounced around in a moderate sea hanging negative on a line for an hour or more at decompression.

Contrast that to being neutral, flat, calm and in control during deco. It’s Zen man!



For the past four years I’ve used a 100m/330ft Kent Tooling metal reel which is extremely effective at maintaining tension on the line.

 

[Celt]

Interesting.

Reels only jam when launching if you’ve got slack the line allowing a loop to form and catch the handle. If you’ve messed this up, then you should be able to sort the line out if you’re launching from the wreck/bottom. Spools have problems when you drop them.

Anyway, reels or spools are a personal preference.

A large SMB — 2m/6ft with girth to match — is crucial in choppy seas and when there’s large currents as the boat needs to see the SMB from some distance away. To get a full-sized SMB to stand up, especially in wind, requires a substantial weight hanging from it. The point of a long and thick SMB is it can be seen when it’s laying flat on the surface.

The challenge when the wind has picked up during the dive is the reel/spool bouncing up and down with the waves. If you’re hanging substantially negatively buoyant on to the line when it’s bouncing then you’ll be lifted several feet and drop back down, this is very uncomfortable at least and can be dangerous should the line part and you quickly sink.

A larger, heavier reel will be more stable than a spool as the reel has an anchor effect on the line. A spool will fly up quickly and descends slowly whilst twisting and veering sideways as it tumbles with the weight of the clip. This is especially the case with lightweight plastic spool which allows slack in the line as it doesn’t sink quickly enough after being lifted by a passing wave. There’s also the possibility of the double-ender unclipping itself whilst bouncing.

When I used a spool (Apeks 60m/200ft) I used to find that I needed to leave the spool dangling substantially below me with my hand loosely around the string in an OK sign. Sometimes used a double ender in my hand to stop the string sawing through my dry glove.

I cannot imagine how uncomfortable it would be being bounced around for an hour or more at decompression. Contrast that to being neutral, flat, calm and in control during deco. It’s Zen man!


For the past four years I’ve used a 100m/330ft Kent Tooling metal reel which is extremely effective at maintaining tension on the line.
View attachment 787599

SMB are great in flat seas with little wind. To stand a large SMB in a sea you need weight, at the last stop you’re at your lightest as your gas is used so you’re actually overweighted and hanging on the SMB, if you let go the SMB you’d sink without pumping air in the bcd. No one is drifting along merrily neutral under a large SMB. I sometimes have to set my last stop at 20 feet because of large swells on the Southwest. I’m sticking with a shot as it works in all conditions. Are divers on rebreathers heavy going back to the shot anyway. They’re not using gas is that right?

 

[Wibble]

Putting up a SMB I leave it and the reel bouncing up and down in front of me, this may be a couple or few metres (6 to 20ft). It forms a reference but doesn't interfere with me.

The big benefit of a rebreather is it is incredibly stable as there's no buoyancy changes due to breathing. Takes a while to get used to it at first, but is brilliant at deco. Agreed, OC is also stable and when experienced the minute adjustments in depth are unconscious competence.

Rebreathers are 'heavy' at deco as we use so little gas. The bailouts weigh a fair amount, depending on the fill and type. OC with twinsets and stages should have some additional gas left in them for contingency. The last thing you need is to be positively buoyant when you've still got some decompression to do.

 

[ginti]

For the past four years I’ve used a 100m/330ft Kent Tooling metal reel which is extremely effective at maintaining tension on the line.

I am a bit lost here. Isn't the tension on the line given by the force acting on it toward the bottom? So, the tension should come from (1) the weight of the reel itself and (2) any other extra force (usually, the diver pushing the reel or the spool down in my experience - but my experience is quite limited).

How does this reel manage to be "effective at maintaining tension"?

 

[Wibble]

I am a bit lost here. Isn't the tension on the line given by the force acting on it toward the bottom? So, the tension should come from (1) the weight of the reel itself and (2) any other extra force (usually, the diver pushing the reel or the spool down in my experience - but my experience is quite limited).

How does this reel manage to be "effective at maintaining tension"?

The KT reel's pretty heavy, 2.15kg/5lbs in air, say 1kg/2.2lbs in the water. Maybe I need to weigh it in a bucket!

Because of this weight and that it hangs well, it bounces up and down quite quickly and straight up and down, keeping the line taught. It doesn't stand the SMB upright, would need 10kg+/22lbs+ to do that.


When I used to use the Apeks spool, which is heavier relative to a plastic spool, it would go up then fall down, but rolling as it went and sort of flying out to the side and bouncing the bolt snap. Hence needing the 'knitting'.

 

[BlueTrin]

I am a bit lost here. Isn't the tension on the line given by the force acting on it toward the bottom? So, the tension should come from (1) the weight of the reel itself and (2) any other extra force (usually, the diver pushing the reel or the spool down in my experience - but my experience is quite limited).

How does this reel manage to be "effective at maintaining tension"?

You could kill people by throwing a Kent Tooling reel at them

 

[Wibble]

You could kill people by throwing a Kent Tooling reel at them

You should see the "heavy" version with the stainless steel backplate!

Its nickname is "The crab smasher"!

On the boats I dive on, the KT reels are extremely popular. They work and have a very positive mechanism; everything's heavy duty about them.

 

[BlueTrin]

You should see the "heavy" version with the stainless steel backplate!

Its nickname is "The crab smasher"!

On the boats I dive on, the KT reels are extremely popular. They work and have a very positive mechanism; everything's heavy duty about them.

I have the lighter version with plastic back. When I got it, I tried it at the local lake. I got some extra line caught and had to let it go.

As I realised that I should maybe move a bit, it fell on the top of my head, even with a 1cm hood, it was a bit painful: could see the bubbles of my buddy laughing at me

 

[Celt]

Putting up a SMB I leave it and the reel bouncing up and down in front of me, this may be a couple or few metres (6 to 20ft). It forms a reference but doesn't interfere with me.

The big benefit of a rebreather is it is incredibly stable as there's no buoyancy changes due to breathing. Takes a while to get used to it at first, but is brilliant at deco. Agreed, OC is also stable and when experienced the minute adjustments in depth are unconscious competence.

Rebreathers are 'heavy' at deco as we use so little gas. The bailouts weigh a fair amount, depending on the fill and type. OC with twinsets and stages should have some additional gas left in them for contingency. The last thing you need is to be positively buoyant when you've still got some decompression to do.

I really hate carrying weight I don’t need, I like diving wet when the water warms up. Thanks.