Curiosity - Wreck Diving Tie In Anchor Retrieval

[baldzilla]

This question is purely out of curiosity. I just got back from a dive trip and it was my first time diving on wrecks without mooring balls. The Captain dropped the anchor and the divemaster went down and tied into the wreck. I saw when I descended that she had wrapped a line around a sturdy part of the wreck and secured it to the chain with carabiners. So when we were done with our dives for the day, the divemaster went back down, and I only assume untied the wreck and sent the anchor up with a lift bag. We were in a pretty strong current (relatively). I'm a pretty experienced diver and had a very hard time staying near the anchor line on my ascent without grabbing on periodically and holding during my safety stop. That being said, just for my own curiosity, what is the method a Divemaster/Instructor utilizes after sending up the anchor to ascend to the boat (especially in a situation with a current like we had) in a safe manner while remaining in the vicinity of the boat (without having the Captain come chase her/him down? Thanks in advance!

 

[rivers]

Most likely sending up a dsmb and floating with the current. not sure though. in the UK, last team in the water sends up the shot line if there wasn't a permanent shot on the wreck

 

[scubadiver888]

If the DM releases the boat from anchor the boat will start to drift with the current. So when the DM ascends from the wreck, they will not ascend straight up but the boat won't remain straight up either. So they should come up around the same place the boat drifts to. In the case of high visibility, you can watch the boat from below and swim against/with the current as necessary. If it is low visibility there is a chance you will come up away from the boat. This happens in the St. Lawrence River occasionally. In that case the boat master will position the boat so it would drift into the DM, throw a granny line off the back of the boat, let the boat drift stern first towards the DM. The DM would then swim to the granny line, grab the line, first mate would pull them on the boat, start the engine and quit drifting.

That has been my experience at least.

 

[baldzilla]

Thanks for the great responses guys! Appreciate it! Just some of the things that cross my mind out there!

 

[scubadiver888]

Thanks for asking. I've had a few questions which someone asked and made me wonder how would they handle that situation.

 

[waterpirate]

When we untie in my neck of the woods, we use a lift bag to get the hook and the chain barely neutral. We then carry them up the line till they break for the surface. The diver then remains on the scope of the line to continue ascent, do their stops, while still attached to the boat. If their is a current, the diver and the boat drift together.
Eric

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

When I DM on the dive boat I untie the hook, fold it up into the chain, wrap the chain around it a few times so that the hook drags "backwards" and won't rehook. I then drop it in the sand, come up the line and reboard the boat. Once back on the boat I hook a ring and polyball to the line and we drive the boat forward slowly until the line has pulled through the ring on the polyball, bringing the hook to the surface. We then back up the boat slowly while pulling the line in with the hook and polyball on the end.

 

[Water Boy76]

When I DM on the dive boat I untie the hook, fold it up into the chain, wrap the chain around it a few times so that the hook drags "backwards" and won't rehook. I then drop it in the sand, come up the line and reboard the boat. Once back on the boat I hook a ring and polyball to the line and we drive the boat forward slowly until the line has pulled through the ring on the polyball, bringing the hook to the surface. We then back up the boat slowly while pulling the line in with the hook and polyball on the end.

That's how everybody I know does it when we anchor dive. That way you are never separated from the boat.
Anchor balls are awesome!

The only time that method is tricky is if you are on a busy dive site with a lot of boats and current.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

When we untie in my neck of the woods, we use a lift bag to get the hook and the chain barely neutral. We then carry them up the line till they break for the surface. The diver then remains on the scope of the line to continue ascent, do their stops, while still attached to the boat. If their is a current, the diver and the boat drift together.
Eric

Then you hang there with an anchor suspended above your head, supported by a lift bag?

 

[Diver0001]

Hint: the anchor line is attached to the boat ....

you don't swim back to the boat. You go hand-over-hand along the up line. There are various techniques for getting the anchor back on the boat after that.

R..