Advice needed: 1st Reel

[BettyRubble]

Thank you everyone! Great info as usual. My lds is going to run me through shooting an SMB this weekend at the quarry. So I'll have a litte (very little) training. I am going with a finger spool for now. With so many tasks to master as a newbie, I wanted a simple and effective approach and so a spool it is. I appreciate that suggestion too as I had not realized I could go with a spool in place of a reel. LDS was suggesting a $100 reel and $100 sausage. (I must look like money). I hate not buying from my LDS for everything, but this time I went to scubatoys and got the spool and DAN sausage for $69.

Thanks again!

 

[jmorriss]

Thank you everyone! Great info as usual. My lds is going to run me through shooting an SMB this weekend at the quarry. So I'll have a litte (very little) training. I am going with a finger spool for now. With so many tasks to master as a newbie, I wanted a simple and effective approach and so a spool it is. I appreciate that suggestion too as I had not realized I could go with a spool in place of a reel. LDS was suggesting a $100 reel and $100 sausage. (I must look like money). I hate not buying from my LDS for everything, but this time I went to scubatoys and got the spool and DAN sausage for $69.

Thanks again!

For $100 that had better be a nice 6' + sausage with a LP inflator, blow off valve and a nice lift rating...thats just nuts. You should look in the for sale forums, I came off a real nice one for $45 last week.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Well since I will be doing my first ocean OW dive in July, I am investing in the safety equipment. Picking up the Dan Signal tube (with mirror, whistle, etc).

Apparently I need a reel. I'm clueless on reels. Also, since as a single mom I've been spending my children's college fund on scuba, I need to be mindful of the price without compromising safety. Any suggestions on a quality reel and in particular how much line I should have. I am newly certed so 60 feet is my max but I understand the need for longer line for current etc. I've seen board comments about those who only carry 40 ft of line and some who carry much more.

Appreciate any advice you can offer.

Thanks!

For the purposes you have in mind, don't bother with a reel. All you need is a delrin (Black plastic) spool that holds 100 feet of line. You can pick both up at Leisure Pro for $15 or less. Reels are great, but IMHO overkill to only be used for shooting a marker buoy for a drifting safety stop. I have used finger spools for years and only now am considering buying a reel, but not so much because I feel I really need one, but more because I feel that as a beginning technical diver, I should be able to use one. Plus, I like playing around with dive equipment. But for what you mention, especially on a tight budget, a finger spool is all you need. They are not hard to use, either, but I second other posts in this thread who suggest that as a brand-new diver, you should not mess with a spool or line in the very beginning. It does take some getting used to and is potentially dangerous. In order to deploy line safely, regardless from a spool or a reel, your skills like buoyancy, ascent rate control and so forth have to be second nature. As long as you have to concentrate on those (and as a new diver you will for the first 30 dives or so), I'd say don't mess with a line. Plus, as a beginning diver, you should not be in a situation where you have to deploy a buoy or a line. This is definitely advanced diving.