Jon lines from Not a good dive

heyydude

[quote=kybrt;150339] Yes indeedy...

Jim taught me how to make one when I was (trying) to learn how to Ice Dive with him wayy back when he was at Dacor.

I used it on wreck dives off of CA from then on. Worked like a champ, too. The guys on the boat would snag your "floater" and tie it to a cleat - that way, you were attached to the wreck AND the boat, and the best part was when you were ready to leave, you just drove off and the parachute cord would bust and you'd reel in all your line for the next time.

Every time I see that ugly thing sitting on my shelf, I think of Jim. He was an original - no doubt about it.

Anyway, Marv, you win the $1,000,000,000 - Joel makes that in an afternoon...



Kevin.

kybrt

ill settle for a bmcl hammerhead Rebreather. you and joel can work out the details...................

__________________
Marv


Fidelis Ad Mortem
www.diveboatkaren.com

gmasi

Joel,

I'd hold off on sending that $10.00 - Mark Nix and I have had many years of great diving with Jon Hulbert, but neither of us could remember the true story behind the "Jon line". So to help clear of the mystery we contacted Jon and have pasted his reply below. - For those who do not know Jon, he is one of the finest east coast wreck divers who has been a part of diving history for 4 decades. Numerous books and articles about east coast wreck dining expound on his underwater exploits. Jon is also a humble man who as you will see below gives some credit for the "jon line" to his friend Gary Gentile. Jon also tells a good dive story.

Greg Masi


Greg and Mark,
It was great to see you at Michael's wedding!!
Thanks for asking about the "invention" of the jon line.
Gary Gentile and I were diving the stern of the "Malchase" on June 12, 1986 off Larry Keen's Gekos. Kenny Gascon was diving the bridge area midships. Gary found the gun sight and I was taking photos of the stern gun and shooting available light images of the stern with fast film. Unknown to all of us, the current picked up from the keel side of the wreck.
After a decent dive, Gary and I ascended the anchor line to our stops. I was very frustrated by the current. For the previous 4 dives I had been unable to practice shooting balanced flash anchor line shots.
Having done some rock climbing in the '60s, was familiar with the prusik knot. So tied myself to the anchor line and proceeded to take images of Gary hanging on for dear line with both of his hands. To add insult, I proceeded to change the homemade neutral density filters on the flash
and swing back and forth for different angles. Gary later coined the
term 'jon-line' in one of his books.
Meanwhile. Kenny Gascon found silverware and dishes amidships. He put his laden bug bag on a llift bag and proceeded to send it up on a reel. After tying off, Kenny ascended only to find that when the bag had risen just above the "Malchase" hull, the bag had travelled sideways in the strong current. Despite everything Kenny tried, he could not get the bag up to his required stop depth. Eventually Kenny clipped his bug bag to his weight belt, abandoned the bag, and ascended.
While Gary and I were completing our decompression, those on the Gekos were putting out 1/4 mile of line for Kenny. Have forgotten some of the details of the rescue now, but do remember that Kenny was highly incensed when a rescue diver unbuckled Kenny's weight belt and dropped it. Kenny spent several hours decompressing below the Gekos and showed no signs of the bends.
Some related details:
A few years later Gary found the Manuella's bell on the 'Malchase', and so the name was changed. I have a photograph of Bill Nagle digging a year or so earlier near where Gary found the bell. Bill was looking for the bell. As best I can tell from the photograph, I was kneeling on bell.
It is highly unlikely that I was the first to use the jon-line concept. But I did show it around to several buddies. And Gary's description of its use in one of his books got the word out.
Invention in the legal sense means advertising a unique technique or piece of equipment. In this sense, Gary published the idea and thereby is the inventor.
On the June 12 dive, believe that I used a taunt-line hitch variation of the prusik knot. The taunt-line is quicker when one does not already have a loop.
Have heard that the jon-line was called the sissy-line before it was invented.
I wish that someone had 'invented' this line technique 10 years before. The Delaware Bay produces strong ocean currents off Delaware and Maryland where I had dived much then.
It is my opinion that Gary and I share a more important invention:
The shooting of the lift bag for the purpose of decompression. But that is another story.
Jon

Bobnob

JS1scuba

That's pretty close to what I was expecting. So now we have to rename it the Jon-Gary Line

Ok you went out and got the story from the horses mouth. Send me contact info and email and You can have a $10 coupon Too! (im not gonna welch out on the other guy)

And, yes, Jon Hulbert is a man among men. Always on the up and up.

Cheers

__________________
Joel Silverstein, VP COO
Tech Diving Limited a Division of Scuba Training and Technology Inc.

http://www.nautilusdiveplanner.com
http://www.nobubblediving.com

diverklondike

Joel,

No need to rewrite the history book... It's a Jon Line...

Mark

gmasi

Thanks for the thought but I'd feel better if you would donate the $10 to your favorite nonprofit

Drmike

Jon?

__________________
Cave diving is a sport
Wreck diving is a sport
Diving in general is a sport

'Rebreather diving' is not a sport
its the delusional obsession with a highly dangerous and often inappropriate piece of equipment