Jersey Line or Up Line use?

[dumpsterDiver]

I think there is a misconception that a diver could easily tie off from the wreck and then do a safety stop or deco while tethered to the bottom. The problem with this scenario is that in a strong current, the diver will get continually sucked under by the current. To remain hanging at 20 feet would take a ton of bouyancy, a ton of line and it would have to be very strong, especially at the tie off point. I've never even tried it a strong current.

The answer is to simply come up the mooring ball line or if you screw up and get blown off the wreck, then do a drifting deco with lift bags. The boat operator and the divers need to closely coordinate the expected time of arrival of the divers (or the lift bags) on the surface.

I prefer to just drift into the wreck and then have the group meet up and leave at the downstream section at a designated time and do a drifting deco, but I don't dive the wrecks in that particular area. This would be harder to manage safely if you mis the wreck and if there is a lot of boat traffic.

 

[Jupiter31]

While the Keys wrecks have mooring balls, the wrecks in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and points northward do not. My personal preference is to hotdrop the wreck and shoot a liftbag or SMB as soon as I'm leaving the wreck.

I'd prefer to dive the wrecks in the Keys the same way except there simply aren't any operators that are willing to let me dive that way there.

I wish the wrecks in Miami - there are many - had mooring balls - I've heard that the reason they don't is because the balls would be "torn off" by pasing boats -

I don't buy this reason (if indeed its true) because they could be attached to the wreck, but placed 10 feet underwater, the way the mooring balls on the "Eagle" off Islamorada were placed - if anyone knows a good reason why the Keys have 'em but other locations don't - and Miami would be a natural - I'd like to hear it.

 

[truck1]

I wish the wrecks in Miami - there are many - had mooring balls - I've heard that the reason they don't is because the balls would be "torn off" by pasing boats -

I don't buy this reason (if indeed its true) because they could be attached to the wreck, but placed 10 feet underwater, the way the mooring balls on the "Eagle" off Islamorada were placed - if anyone knows a good reason why the Keys have 'em but other locations don't - and Miami would be a natural - I'd like to hear it.

If I had to guess and this is a guess only,no one has taken it upon themselves to attach mooring balls to the wrecks.

 

[grazie42]

Drifting deco would be my preference as well. I´ve done dives in florida where the current was almost purging the reg when holding onto an upline. Hanging of a smb the current isn´t an issue and all the skipper has to do is watch for bags.

It does require some degree of coordination and discipline which is propably why the recboats don´t like to do it...