Using a reel in open water environment?

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

What are your thoughts?

Seeing is believing. Never hurts to practice technique.

 

[SlugLife]

I’ve seen more than a few divers getting back onboard a New Jersey boat with a spaghetti reel. Reeling it back in just seems so simple…

What's the big deal? It's just like messing with reel or net on land, except doing it in the water!

...with currents, restrictions, limited-visibility, buoyancy, scuba-equipment, other divers, etc.

if your reel turns into a spinning ball of entanglement and death you can always just throw it in your catch bag. don't ask me how i know this

I haven't started messing with reels much except DSMB deployment, but I'll keep that tip in mind. I always carry a spare mesh-bag with a clip in my dive-pouch.

 

[Manatee Diver]

If you are running low on air in such a situation, you may need to make the tough economic decision to leave the reel behind.

Tie it off to something and cut the reel off from the line. Replacement line is cheap, $40 will get you enough line to fill all but the largest exploration reels.

That being said I don't bring expensive reels into open water. I take the cheap classic reels or a spool. If I lose one of those I won't be as heart broken as losing one of my nicer sidewinder style reels.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Remember this: Line is evil.

Remember this: convey confidence, not paranoia.

 

[flymolo]

Tie it off to something and cut the reel off from the line. Replacement line is cheap, $40 will get you enough line to fill all but the largest exploration reels.

That being said I don't bring expensive reels into open water. I take the cheap classic reels or a spool. If I lose one of those I won't be as heart broken as losing one of my nicer sidewinder style reels.

I would advocate for just leaving the reel where it is and following the line back. You can always come back for it another day.

 

[doctormike]

Tie it off to something and cut the reel off from the line. Replacement line is cheap, $40 will get you enough line to fill all but the largest exploration reels.

That being said I don't bring expensive reels into open water. I take the cheap classic reels or a spool. If I lose one of those I won't be as heart broken as losing one of my nicer sidewinder style reels.

This is what you want - classic Jersey upline. Organic, too, so that the line you leave on behind won't stay an entanglement hazard for everyone else!

Doesn't work on Long Island wrecks, sorry...

 

[Manatee Diver]

I would advocate for just leaving the reel where it is and following the line back. You can always come back for it another day.

If you are following the line you are going to need to tie it off anyways, cutting the reel off takes a trivial amount of time. And removes the financial worry, so you are more likely to do it.

 

[flymolo]

If you are following the line you are going to need to tie it off anyways, cutting the reel off takes a trivial amount of time. And removes the financial worry, so you are more likely to do it.

Cutting the reel may but add much time, but you still need to tie a new loop on the end of the line so you can then stow it properly without it unraveling, not to mention it’s much faster to swim a line than it is to reel it in. Financial concerns aren’t important in a real emergency.

I might add that in a cave diving scenario you wouldn’t waste time spooling in a jump if you are exiting under duress, you’d just leave all the jumps in place and come back for them another time. Open water isn’t much different.

 

[doctormike]

Cutting the reel may but add much time, but you still need to tie a new loop on the end of the line so you can then stow it properly without it unraveling. Financial concerns aren’t important in a real emergency.

I might add that in a cave diving scenario you wouldn’t waste time spooling in a jump if you are exiting under duress, you’d just leave all the jumps in place and come back for them another time. Open water isn’t much different.

Wait, I'm getting confused. Are we talking about exiting with a normal, well placed line during some sort of diving emergency? Dealing with a snarled line? Or two simultaneous problems?

If there is some sort of emergency, yes, then make a safe ascent as quickly as possible, leaving the line an reel where it is (if collecting it is going to slow you down). If it's just snarled and you can't free the reel from the line, then cut the reel off, tie the line to the reel handle or something (don't bother trying to make a proper end loop), clip it off and go.

 

[SlugLife]

If you are following the line you are going to need to tie it off anyways, cutting the reel off takes a trivial amount of time. And removes the financial worry, so you are more likely to do it.

Cutting the reel may but add much time, but you still need to tie a new loop on the end of the line so you can then stow it properly without it unraveling, not to mention it’s much faster to swim a line than it is to reel it in. Financial concerns aren’t important in a real emergency.

I might add that in a cave diving scenario you wouldn’t waste time spooling in a jump if you are exiting under duress, you’d just leave all the jumps in place and come back for them another time. Open water isn’t much different.

In a REEL emergency when you don't have minutes or seconds to waste, sure, ditch the reel. Hell, I'd ditch an entire empty tank with regs, in a life-or-death seconds to spare scenario.

However, if it's just an entanglement-mess and not enough air to safely sort it out, I'd say just cut the reel from the line, try to ensure the mess isn't an entanglement-hazard for other divers, and come back to the mess later. You can always bring a spool, mesh-bag, better cutting tools, etc with you later to clean it up.