Home / SCUBA Knowledge / Reel and Guideline use

Reel and Guideline use

Welcome at your Wreck diving or Adv. Tech Wreck course with Chang Diving Center!
Today we will give you a rough idea of how to use a reel or guideline in Wreck or Cave diving. The first thing, of course, is to prepare your specific gear, in this case, an appropriate reel (spool) or Guideline, at least 2 depending on dive planning, but you always need at least 1 Main + 1 Backup. Also, line Arrows, Cookies and Non Direction markers should be present.

The Gear we use:

• Spools, Reel or Guideline
• Line Markers

Now got your gear right?

Preparation of the reel or guideline before the dive:

• Rollup your line completely and carefully check for damage or knots which can make the deployment difficult. if you find damage fix or replace the line, also check the appropriate length of the line if it’s suitable for the dive
• Check your Line Markers if they are ready to use and properly marked with your Initials…
• Plan the mission with your team members, make sure everyone knows his place inside the Team.
• diver 1 (Line deployment), diver 2 (light), diver 3(support)

General rules

• Never dive inside overhead environments if you are not properly trained to do so.
• Never ever remove Guidelines, Spools or Deco-, Travel Tanks stored on a guideline outside, even there is nobody around!!
• Always set up your own Line if you aren’t sure if the existing line is permanent or not.
• Never put your line over an existing line!
• Always put your line lower than an existing one, and never cross this line!
• The Diver who enters first, exit last!

Main penetration

Deploy a guideline always start from outside the Wreck or Cave. Look for the right tie-off point and put the line around and the Spool through the loop on the Spool. Before you enter make your second tie-off outside with two rounds around the object and go under/over. Now its time to place your Travel, Deco tanks in between first and second tie-off (depending on your dive plan) and a Marked Cookie of each team-member (the best Dive team size is 3 team-members). Check that line and tanks are secured and appropriately marked. Now its time to enter the Wreck/Cave. Lead the guideline always around 15 cm above the bottom! watch out for the next tie-off. Which will be one time around and under/over. continue in frequent distances. Be aware of sharp objects which might cut your line. At the end of your dive fix the Spool two times around an object secure the spool with a boldsnap showing to the direction OUT!

Reel and Guideline use at Way junktions

If there is a room or different way you like to explore, deploy a Line arrow showing the direction out on the main guideline, followed by a cookie where you are able to secure a second spool on the mainline, but remember you can’t use your backup line for this, as the backup line is needed for emergency procedures only. If you plan your dive like this you need to enter with at least 3 Spools. Now you can enter the room with the same tie-off procedures. You might deploy cookies from each team member the same as at the entrance. This helps you on the way out in bad conditions to determine if all team members are out of the Room/Way, Wreck or Cave.

Our Trainingsites

• HTMS Ship wreck
• T11 Ship wreck

A small nice made Video

---

---

---

Go up