Wreck diving- shot rope tie in

Pierre Farrugia · 24th May 2006, 20:19

Hello all,

For all you wreck divers, when diving a wreck after the skipper shots it, what is the procedure ? Do you always tie the shot rope to wreck? How do you do it ? This is after some friends of mine didn't find the shot, as it drifted from the wreck!

divetheworld · 24th May 2006, 20:34

Quote: (Originally Posted by Pierre Farrugia)

Hello all,

For all you wreck divers, when diving a wreck after the skipper shots it, what is the procedure ? Do you always tie the shot rope to wreck? How do you do it ? This is after some friends of mine didn't find the shot, as it drifted from the wreck!

Just put it in properly or as secure at you can. dont let people pull on the shot on the way up or down.
If you tie to it, someone will have to untie it on the way off. This isnt always possible when the current starts to run.

hchoat · 24th May 2006, 20:39

Pierre-

We don't use a "shot line" per se- but rather a grapnel hook with a length of chain. THe combination of the grapnel and chain gives enough weight that the line drops quickly, and the grapnel hooks into the wreck pretty easily. The first team on the bottom checks the grapnel and makes sure it is secure, and the last team off the wreck pulls and fouls the hook.

Mark Chase · 24th May 2006, 20:44

We take a bright yellow waster line and tie the shot in to the wreck by tyeing on to the shot and down on to the wreck. This ensures the shot is where you left it when you return to the position at the end of the dive.

We mark the shot with a strobe for each diver/ team and when returning to the shot if yours is the last strobe you cut the waster before ascending.

ATB

Mark Chase

**RichClark** · 24th May 2006, 20:49

Normally the first pair in secure the shot to the wreck, either by making sure its secure i.e the grapple is in a good spot or by 'tying in'. If we're tying in, we normally use what we call a 'waster' generally some thin blue Polly prop rope.

When the divers are recovered, the shot is pulled and the waster snaps.

I find that tying in is more typical when we're using a deco station and it's pretty essential the shot stays in place

Cheers

Rich

Drmike · 25th May 2006, 05:31

Normally we drop anchor just up current of the wreck, scooter down the anchor cable pulling a line down to the bottom then let the current gently blow you (and the line end) onto the wreck where you tie on the line with a waster right at the agreed spot/point of interest.

Once tied in crew takes up slack from surface. If doing more than one dive the on board briefing informs divers of exact location of both downline (tied to wreck at point of interest) and the position of the anchor. It has proven useful from a safety perspective many times to have 2 lines to the surface (anchor and upline) Knowing where the anchor is in relation to the wreck has saved my butt a few times!

After all diving is finished anchor is pulled and boat motion snaps waster, line retrieved.

This method has worked very well for us on wrecks as deep as 127m and currents of several knots.

We dont do drifting deco - its too dangerous/troublesome. Dont like shots, they only work well on shallow wrecks in mild currents.

The other day the downline snapped when we still had divers on a 78m wreck, 2 knott current, Capt jumped in with a new line, scootered down the anchor cable, drifted over to the wreck and tied in about 3" away from the original tie in location. All in all took total of about 5 mins. Divers returning to the upline didnt even know it had happened!

Ivon · 25th May 2006, 09:10

Quote: (Originally Posted by Drmike)

Normally we drop anchor just up current of the wreck, scooter down the anchor cable pulling a line down to the bottom then let the current gently blow you (and the line end) onto the wreck where you tie on the line with a waster right at the agreed spot/point of interest.

Once tied in crew takes up slack from surface. If doing more than one dive the on board briefing informs divers of exact location of both downline (tied to wreck at point of interest) and the position of the anchor. It has proven useful from a safety perspective many times to have 2 lines to the surface (anchor and upline) Knowing where the anchor is in relation to the wreck has saved my butt a few times!

After all diving is finished anchor is pulled and boat motion snaps waster, line retrieved.

This method has worked very well for us on wrecks as deep as 127m and currents of several knots.

We dont do drifting deco - its too dangerous/troublesome. Dont like shots, they only work well on shallow wrecks in mild currents.

The other day the downline snapped when we still had divers on a 78m wreck, 2 knott current, Capt jumped in with a new line, scootered down the anchor cable, drifted over to the wreck and tied in about 3" away from the original tie in location. All in all took total of about 5 mins. Divers returning to the upline didnt even know it had happened!

This is the method we are thinking of employing this season, we have a large Sampson post on the front of our Rib (6.5m so a good size platform) to break the line. My only consern is the extra lines in the water with the poor vis we usualy have off the East coast of England and the line that will be left for future dives.
the way we wer going to work it was each pair take down a line and second pair in bag up the anchor so there will always be a minimum of two lines on the wreck.

Ivon

Mark Chase · 25th May 2006, 12:11

We cut the waster because we have lost too many shot weights trying to break the damed thing

ATB

Mark Chase

leadking · 25th May 2006, 14:02

Quote: (Originally Posted by RichClark)

Normally the first pair in secure the shot to the wreck, either by making sure its secure i.e the grapple is in a good spot or by 'tying in'. If we're tying in, we normally use what we call a 'waster' generally some thin blue Polly prop rope.

When the divers are recovered, the shot is pulled and the waster snaps.

I find that tying in is more typical when we're using a deco station and it's pretty essential the shot stays in place

Cheers

Rich

Nice to know your leaving plastic line in the enviroment. Why not use cotton or manila that will degrade?

We always check and set the line and last up clears the line or fouls it .

**nigelh** · 25th May 2006, 14:29

Quote: (Originally Posted by leadking)

Nice to know your leaving plastic line in the enviroment. Why not use cotton or manila that will degrade?

Probably because he's leaving it on 5000 tons of dumped, slowly rotting metal plus whatever cargo and he reasons it's irrelevant.

24th May 2006, 20:19	#1 (permalink)
Pierre Farrugia Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Malta Posts: 636	Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Hello all, For all you wreck divers, when diving a wreck after the skipper shots it, what is the procedure ? Do you always tie the shot rope to wreck? How do you do it ? This is after some friends of mine didn't find the shot, as it drifted from the wreck! __________________ Pierre Farrugia My wife told me " If you don't quit diving I'm going to leave you" My reply " God, I'll miss you" www.atlam.org www.divemed.com
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24th May 2006, 20:34	#2 (permalink)
divetheworld Dive porn pimp Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Classic Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 1,636	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Quote: (Originally Posted by Pierre Farrugia) Hello all, For all you wreck divers, when diving a wreck after the skipper shots it, what is the procedure ? Do you always tie the shot rope to wreck? How do you do it ? This is after some friends of mine didn't find the shot, as it drifted from the wreck! Just put it in properly or as secure at you can. dont let people pull on the shot on the way up or down. If you tie to it, someone will have to untie it on the way off. This isnt always possible when the current starts to run. __________________ Attitude and self praise is no reccomendation. Dont try to be a great man, just be a man and let history be the judge of you. *WWW.NARKEDAT90.CO.UK* *http://www.grpservices.com/pursuit/* Supporting Shearwater Research Products in Europe
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24th May 2006, 20:39	#3 (permalink)
hchoat Resident Selkie Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pensacola, FL- USA Posts: 227	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Pierre- We don't use a "shot line" per se- but rather a grapnel hook with a length of chain. THe combination of the grapnel and chain gives enough weight that the line drops quickly, and the grapnel hooks into the wreck pretty easily. The first team on the bottom checks the grapnel and makes sure it is secure, and the last team off the wreck pulls and fouls the hook. __________________ Duct tape is like the force... it has a light side and dark side, and it holds the universe together.
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24th May 2006, 20:44	#4 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,854	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in We take a bright yellow waster line and tie the shot in to the wreck by tyeing on to the shot and down on to the wreck. This ensures the shot is where you left it when you return to the position at the end of the dive. We mark the shot with a strobe for each diver/ team and when returning to the shot if yours is the last strobe you cut the waster before ascending. ATB Mark Chase __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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24th May 2006, 20:49	#5 (permalink)
RichClark Classic KISS No. 226 Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hove, UK Posts: 793	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Normally the first pair in secure the shot to the wreck, either by making sure its secure i.e the grapple is in a good spot or by 'tying in'. If we're tying in, we normally use what we call a 'waster' generally some thin blue Polly prop rope. When the divers are recovered, the shot is pulled and the waster snaps. I find that tying in is more typical when we're using a deco station and it's pretty essential the shot stays in place Cheers Rich __________________ The more I learn about women, the more I want to go diving... just don't tell my wife I said that To taste something a little different, try http://www.thechillikitchen.co.uk
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25th May 2006, 05:31	#6 (permalink)
Drmike RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: MK 15.X Ouroboros Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,378	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Normally we drop anchor just up current of the wreck, scooter down the anchor cable pulling a line down to the bottom then let the current gently blow you (and the line end) onto the wreck where you tie on the line with a waster right at the agreed spot/point of interest. Once tied in crew takes up slack from surface. If doing more than one dive the on board briefing informs divers of exact location of both downline (tied to wreck at point of interest) and the position of the anchor. It has proven useful from a safety perspective many times to have 2 lines to the surface (anchor and upline) Knowing where the anchor is in relation to the wreck has saved my butt a few times! After all diving is finished anchor is pulled and boat motion snaps waster, line retrieved. This method has worked very well for us on wrecks as deep as 127m and currents of several knots. We dont do drifting deco - its too dangerous/troublesome. Dont like shots, they only work well on shallow wrecks in mild currents. The other day the downline snapped when we still had divers on a 78m wreck, 2 knott current, Capt jumped in with a new line, scootered down the anchor cable, drifted over to the wreck and tied in about 3" away from the original tie in location. All in all took total of about 5 mins. Divers returning to the upline didnt even know it had happened! __________________ 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
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25th May 2006, 09:10	#7 (permalink)
Ivon Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hull, East Yorkshire, England Posts: 318	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Quote: (Originally Posted by Drmike) Normally we drop anchor just up current of the wreck, scooter down the anchor cable pulling a line down to the bottom then let the current gently blow you (and the line end) onto the wreck where you tie on the line with a waster right at the agreed spot/point of interest. Once tied in crew takes up slack from surface. If doing more than one dive the on board briefing informs divers of exact location of both downline (tied to wreck at point of interest) and the position of the anchor. It has proven useful from a safety perspective many times to have 2 lines to the surface (anchor and upline) Knowing where the anchor is in relation to the wreck has saved my butt a few times! After all diving is finished anchor is pulled and boat motion snaps waster, line retrieved. This method has worked very well for us on wrecks as deep as 127m and currents of several knots. We dont do drifting deco - its too dangerous/troublesome. Dont like shots, they only work well on shallow wrecks in mild currents. The other day the downline snapped when we still had divers on a 78m wreck, 2 knott current, Capt jumped in with a new line, scootered down the anchor cable, drifted over to the wreck and tied in about 3" away from the original tie in location. All in all took total of about 5 mins. Divers returning to the upline didnt even know it had happened! This is the method we are thinking of employing this season, we have a large Sampson post on the front of our Rib (6.5m so a good size platform) to break the line. My only consern is the extra lines in the water with the poor vis we usualy have off the East coast of England and the line that will be left for future dives. the way we wer going to work it was each pair take down a line and second pair in bag up the anchor so there will always be a minimum of two lines on the wreck. Ivon
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25th May 2006, 12:11	#8 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,854	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in We cut the waster because we have lost too many shot weights trying to break the damed thing ATB Mark Chase __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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25th May 2006, 14:02	#9 (permalink)
leadking New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 57	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Quote: (Originally Posted by RichClark) Normally the first pair in secure the shot to the wreck, either by making sure its secure i.e the grapple is in a good spot or by 'tying in'. If we're tying in, we normally use what we call a 'waster' generally some thin blue Polly prop rope. When the divers are recovered, the shot is pulled and the waster snaps. I find that tying in is more typical when we're using a deco station and it's pretty essential the shot stays in place Cheers Rich Nice to know your leaving plastic line in the enviroment. Why not use cotton or manila that will degrade? We always check and set the line and last up clears the line or fouls it . Last edited by leadking : 25th May 2006 at 14:04.
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25th May 2006, 14:29	#10 (permalink)
nigelh New member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brighton, Sussex, UK Posts: 883	Re: Wreck diving- shot rope tie in Quote: (Originally Posted by leadking) Nice to know your leaving plastic line in the enviroment. Why not use cotton or manila that will degrade? Probably because he's leaving it on 5000 tons of dumped, slowly rotting metal plus whatever cargo and he reasons it's irrelevant. __________________ nigelh
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