80 replies to this topic

[ScubaDadMiami]

You have to be careful about clipping onto down lines with large groups of divers that tend to be negatively waited. When they all depart for the surface, you will get dragged up to the surface too quickly to get to the line connection, releasing it. I will only use something like this in fairly stable conditions.

My preference is to pull the line, drifting with it at the end of the dive. If I can't do this, I would rather shoot a bag from the wreck, completing my ascent while drifting and enjoying the ride.

[PerroneFord]

Come do some practice dives with us. We often shoot bags and to other skills to keep ourselves at the ready.

Did you just say PRACTICE??? This is diving, not football? Come on man...

Next you'll tell me you work on sharing air with a buddy! Geez...

[Boatlawyer]

At least for those who are open-minded enough to try them out.

Open minded as in the recent poll answer: "I don't know what it is, and I don't care to find out about it?" You mean that kind of open minded?

I don't know what's worse, not having or wanting one, or, being like me, actually owning one of the darn things, but trying to dispense with the "chuck wagon" profile. After poor Grayfins got tangled up in mine while toting the dive flag one day, I've been skeered to use it!

Come do some practice dives with us. We often shoot bags and to other skills to keep ourselves at the ready.

I am looking at Saturday afternoon. I would like to do some nice, easy drift diving such as in Boynton Beach. I can be sold on other activities. However, that was my thought at this point.

Let me know when and where. Have spool, will travel

Edited by Boatlawyer, 26 September 2006 - 08:23 PM.

[ScubaDadMiami]

Come do some practice dives with us. We often shoot bags and to other skills to keep ourselves at the ready.

Did you just say PRACTICE??? This is diving, not football? Come on man...

Next you'll tell me you work on sharing air with a buddy! Geez...

Who said I would be willing to give my precious, life-sustaining gas to someone else? Shooting a bag will protect myself. Donating gas? Why should I ever consider doing that?

[nurseshark]

I have encountered this behavior, unfortunately, on more than one occasion.

After finding myself kicked, shoved and knocked off of lines by rude, and unruley divers, I finally invested in a jon line..it was the best investment yet. Although I dont know what Walters' buddy line is , and am curious t find out, the Jon line has worked well for me. With the jon line , I use it in heavy currents and in line "clusters" to put space between me and the unruley ones... It fits in my BC pocket and I can easliy clip it in place quickly. I have also used it in heavy currents to hang from the line , it was very useful in the Flower Gradens for this reason. I also have a spool which I have clipped to my bc for my lift bag, but havent used it for any other reason at this point.

Hope this helps!

Karen

Thanks Karen, I like the jon/buddy line idea because it fits in your bc pocket and it's one less thing to get hung up on the dive ladder, tangled or otherwise handicap me in rough conditions. I like Ray's point about the web, which I understand jon lines are made of versus a piece of line, because it's more visible to the ascending divers

Your welcome,I hope it works out for you ..I use mine like Norm described..I have brass clips on both ends, attach one to me , one to the line and in strong currents I "fly like superman" too..I have had some enjoyable times "flying" in the current attached to the line and also with the "unruley ones" , it gives us a good 15-30 feet apart. (You can get them in differant lengths.)

Karen

[Twinklez]

Well, I certainly felt like the epitome of patience when I left the up line rather than further agitate the situation. And until I heard otherwise topside, I assumed they were new divers. Other than assume the zen position and give the Namiste bow to them, not sure how much more patience I could have demonstrated.

Inquiring about it on the board, if that is a lack of patience, certainly brought out some very good suggestions from Walter and Perrone. AS for the SMB, if you mean a safety signal, I have just floated it by hand. Of course, now that I think of it, if I have to surface without a flag, then floating it by hand won't give surrounding boaters enough notice to avoid me. So, there's another use for Walter's buddy line! Live and learn... and vice versa.

I certainly didn't mean to offend you by my comments. I hoped you would see them as positive suggestions just as you saw the suggestions about buddy lines, spools, etc. The solution is not always a matter of learning new skills or acquiring more gear, but sometimes just a matter of understanding. When posting on a public board you will receive all kinds of feedback, even some you might not want. As I said, it was not my intent to make you feel uncomfortable about my suggestions; if I did I do apologize.

Edited by Twinklez, 26 September 2006 - 08:40 PM.

[finGrabber]

I have encountered this behavior, unfortunately, on more than one occasion.

After finding myself kicked, shoved and knocked off of lines by rude, and unruley divers, I finally invested in a jon line..it was the best investment yet. Although I dont know what Walters' buddy line is , and am curious t find out, the Jon line has worked well for me. With the jon line , I use it in heavy currents and in line "clusters" to put space between me and the unruley ones... It fits in my BC pocket and I can easliy clip it in place quickly. I have also used it in heavy currents to hang from the line , it was very useful in the Flower Gradens for this reason. I also have a spool which I have clipped to my bc for my lift bag, but havent used it for any other reason at this point.

Hope this helps!

Karen

Thanks Karen, I like the jon/buddy line idea because it fits in your bc pocket and it's one less thing to get hung up on the dive ladder, tangled or otherwise handicap me in rough conditions. I like Ray's point about the web, which I understand jon lines are made of versus a piece of line, because it's more visible to the ascending divers

Your welcome,I hope it works out for you ..I use mine like Norm described..I have brass clips on both ends, attach one to me , one to the line and in strong currents I "fly like superman" too..I have had some enjoyable times "flying" in the current attached to the line and also with the "unruley ones" , it gives us a good 15-30 feet apart. (You can get them in differant lengths.)

Karen

Now where in the world would a finGrabber find such an apparatus???

this flying like superman sounds like alot of fun to me!

[Boatlawyer]

Well, I certainly felt like the epitome of patience when I left the up line rather than further agitate the situation. And until I heard otherwise topside, I assumed they were new divers. Other than assume the zen position and give the Namiste bow to them, not sure how much more patience I could have demonstrated.

Inquiring about it on the board, if that is a lack of patience, certainly brought out some very good suggestions from Walter and Perrone. AS for the SMB, if you mean a safety signal, I have just floated it by hand. Of course, now that I think of it, if I have to surface without a flag, then floating it by hand won't give surrounding boaters enough notice to avoid me. So, there's another use for Walter's buddy line! Live and learn... and vice versa.

I certainly didn't mean to offend you by my comments. I hoped you would see them as positive suggestions just as you saw the suggestions about buddy lines, spools, etc. The solution is not always a matter of learning new skills or acquiring more gear, but sometimes just a matter of understanding. When posting on a public board you will receive all kinds of feedback, even some you might not want. As I said, it was not my intent to make you feel uncomfortable about my suggestions; if I did I do apologize.

Twink, the practical suggestions were great! Like I said, I was stupidly carrying around my "SMB" with no freaking line to send it up. DUH. Thanks for setting me straight. I'm still skeered of getting tangled up in my spool, though maybe scubadad can help me out with that.

I was confused because I thought you were suggesting I was being "impatient," when my actions were to give those divers a clear berth and keep us all alot safer.

Believe me, I think long and hard before posting my travails to a bulletin board. But, I learn so much when I do that it's worth it.

[netmage]

Tho when you start carrying spools - you have to keep an eye on the buggers. They are more active than a bunch of rabbits... and procreate rapidly...

[AliKat]

No thanks - don't see the need. And Twinklez, I don't even know what an SMB is, and I've never been on a boat in 14 years and two oceans that required one or a spool

Hmmm,

A PADI Divemaster that doesn't know what an SMB is, and cannot see any need for such a device.

MMMmmmmmkay.

Yep - so is someone going to tell me what it is??? I know what DIR stands for, and it is this exact attitude that makes me so very "closed minded" to it. That, plus the fact that having earned 1 BS degree, 3 Masters Degrees, 1 Post Graduate Degree and a Naval War College Diploma - you all make it sound waaaayyyy too much like education to be any fun at all to me. I suppose it is closed minded, but I'd give up diving before I'd make it so much of an educational pursuit. But, don't worry, the waters will soon be safe - I am committed to one more SD trip and then I'm hanging up my BCD.

But, in the meantime, I really would like to know what an SMB is - we never talked spools or anything related in any of my PADI classes - even the DM classes. I also don't go in anything I can't see out the other side of and will abort any dives in strong currents.

[6Gill]

An SMB is a Surface Marker Bouy(google is your friend) but in a nutshell it is a long tube that comes in a varity of length(3ft and longer).It can be used to indicate an issue to the boat,should you come up away from the boat or be drifting on the surface it is much easier to see then a divers head.It can provide a visual reference while in blue water while doing an asscent.It can provide another additional flotation device at the surface.
The spool it self is almost the equivilent of underwater duct tape and some of it's uses are only limited by your imagination.
Not sure how what DIR stands for and the attitude of some divers is reason to be closed minded about something,are you bothered by DiveRite,ScubaPro?I'm sure with all the courses you've taken towards furthering your education you must have come across profs and TAs with attitudes,did you reject the concepts of an idea because of this?
A final note there are many that claim to be DIR but haven't a clue just self taught on the internet.Case in point I know of a PADI IDC Staff Instuctor that claims to be a DIR guru...he has been bent multiple times,bent his girlfeind twice(in less than a year),caused a friend of mine to go for a chamber ride after violating the plan and was unable to teach a fellow member here how to use a PADI RDP.She learnt easily went taught by others...oh and he has only been diving 3 1/2 years.Yet I don't judge all PADI profesionals by the actions of this person

[Travelnsj]

Well I now know what a spool is used for....could of used that on a dive in Dili under the pier this week....Vis was about 2' swam for about 10 minutes never cleared up I lost the DM, he lost me surfaced and called the dive. ...well back to my Pizza and the sun setting in Bali

[PerroneFord]

Nevermind.

Edited by PerroneFord, 27 September 2006 - 06:44 AM.

[hnladue]

Spool??? That's what I use to tie off my buddy to a wreck so I can steal his gear, right? Or I tie him off to a wreck when he steals MY gear!!!

I too just started carrying an smb and spool. I need to paint a happy face on the end of mine however. Something so someone topside will know it's me!

[Diverbrian]

Spool??? That's what I use to tie off my buddy to a wreck so I can steal his gear, right? Or I tie him off to a wreck when he steals MY gear!!!

I too just started carrying an smb and spool. I need to paint a happy face on the end of mine however. Something so someone topside will know it's me!

I didn't know that you and your buddy were out to steal each other's gear . Oh, that's right, there is something about an AL40 on the Forest City that almost wound up on your buddy's rig for the dive.

Actually, I am using a lift bag for the purpose of a marker while I do my deco/ safety stop. I haven't had the need for a true SMB and the captain has found me easily enough with the lift bag. But then again, I can't drift clear over to Europe before they fish me out either. The farthest that I will wind up is Ontario without a passport .