I've been reading with much interest all of the helpful posts on getting found. Flares, smoke, radios, EPIRBs, rafts, etc., and there's a lot of good stuff there. But one thing had been nagging at me. It seems that one of the best things a diver could do to aid the search teams would be to stop or slow his drift.

There was a post on the other board where a guy related a story of getting separated from the boat. He had the presence of mind to tie his weight belt off to his gun reel line and use it as an anchor to slow his drift. A great idea, assuming that you have a reel on your gun (I don't) and that the line is long enough to reach the bottom.

How about loading 100 yards of 200 lb braided fishing line onto one of those thin spools that usually hold about 300 yds of regular monofilament line? The spools are small, about 3-1/2" in diameter by 3/4" thick, so they would be easily stowed in a BC pocket, etc. 100 yards would probably be enough scope to slow your drift considerably if the water depth was less than 150' or so, but you could carry more line for deeper water.

Clearly you don't want to be tieing knots while bouncining around on the surface, but you could pre-tie the line with a snap at each end for easy attachment to the weight belt on one end and BC at the other. Abrasion might be a problem if you were over a rock or coral bottom. So what are the netatives?

You would fight the current to keep from pulling you under if you were tethered to the bottom and the current was moving.

Maybe. Or would you just drag the weightbelt along the bottom if the current was that strong.

I think even if some how the weight snagged on somthing and held you in place, the small diamiter line pluss the bouyancy in your BC and wetsuit would keep you afloat. Not to mention you just took off all your weights.

Something like a sea anchor, I think would be pretty cool. The smallest one packed is 6"x7" (These are for boats, maybe a smaller one for people is available????)http://www.seaanchor.com/seaanchor.htm

Something like a sea anchor, I think would be pretty cool. The smallest one packed is 6"x7" (These are for boats, maybe a smaller one for people is available????)http://www.seaanchor.com/seaanchor.htm

Sea anchors are used primarily to stop wind-influenced drift. It would not be effective for a free-floating diver.

Good point loose cannon. Tin man, for a freediver anchoring to the bottom is not an option, the current will make you fight to stay on the surface and you'd lose much energy. I like your premise though. If there was no current and you figured your chances are better if you stay in the same spot it is an excellent idea.

SpearEasy - I certainly see your point for freedivers. I guess the only buoyancy he's got is his wetsuit. I was thinking from a scuba perspective, where you have the considerable buoyancy from your BC available to counter the downward pull. If the line were attached somewhere just above the middle of the tank, maybe to the tank band, it might even keep you rolled face up in a resting position.

You would fight the current to keep from pulling you under if you were tethered to the bottom and the current was moving.

Junior has just answered the question. Real current will pull anything under. 3 balls and all. Dont ignor this and think a BC will correct the problem. Tethered on the surface,You will be pulled under in real current. Havent you ever seen bouys on the ocean that are in a current event? One has only to look and see. The answer is right there.

Just make sure you dive with a Captain that knows what he is doing, and also make sure you do your part and stay on the reef with the drift of the current, so the Cpatain will know where you should come up.

east coast drift diving is not difficult if you know what you are doing.

Havent you ever seen bouys on the ocean that are in a current event? One has only to look and see. The answer is right there.

I've seen surface marker buoys on deep wrecks wholly submerged during strong currents. Mind you, these things have many times the bouyancy of a BC. In light current, maybe it would work, but you might just end up drowning yourself if it picks back up and you have nothing to cut the line.

Thanks for the honest feedback. It sounds like the currents that you guys experience on the East Coast are considerably stronger than what I am used to around Pensacola.

I grew up in the Pensacola area. The only currents I've seen equivalent to what we have off the East FL coast is in the pass at Alabama Point.

Btw, my avitar tripletail was caught off Dauphin Island.

Btw, my avitar tripletail was caught off Dauphin Island.[/QUOTE]

What year?

Btw, my avitar tripletail was caught off Dauphin Island.

What year?[/QUOTE]

1972. A weathy friend of the family kept his boat on Dauphin Island. We picked up lots of "Blackfish" driving from buoy to buoy. Most were 20 pounds plus. The one I'm holding was about 30 pounds.

edit: Looking at the picture again, that one was probably in the low twenty's. The biggest I caught was close to 30.