Entanglements - Scuba Forum

Rick56 · 10-14-2007, 07:12 PM

How common are (life threatening) entanglements with fishing line, etc.? Where are they most likely to be encountered?

DevilDiver · 10-14-2007, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick56

How common are (life threatening) entanglements with fishing line, etc.? Where are they most likely to be encountered?

I believe you should narrow this question down a little. It will depend where and on what type of diving you plan on doing.

I stand little chance of getting tangeled in kelp here in Texas.

RoadRacer1978 · 10-14-2007, 07:20 PM

True, I'd think monofilament line would be most likely in a lake type enviroment. Not likely to encounter a big fishing net or kelp in the lakes around here, but maybe a net in some of the big lakes like the great lakes. I've never ran into an entanglement issue yet but have seen some fishing line and just made a point to avoid it. Luckily with the silty lakes around here everything except some newly deposited line shows up well from all the silt covering it.

Splitlip · 10-14-2007, 07:36 PM

In the ocean, divers dive the same place fishermen fish. Reef, wrecks..anyplace fish are present. I would assume it is the same in lakes?

I see it as a real concern. I see mono on pretty much every dive. I have been snagged a few times and have seen others get snagged.

Once my first stage was hopelessly tangled and I was by myself. Kind of scary.

RoadRacer1978 · 10-14-2007, 07:40 PM

Oh yes, it could be quite scary and I was not trying to play down the danger. Luckily I have ever been entangled and do try to go out of my way to avoid it as much as possible. There is a definate life threatening danger there if the entanglement was bad and if you panicked or didn't bring the tools necessary to free yourself.

Desert_Diver · 10-14-2007, 08:43 PM

I've only had one type of entanglement incident. It was at Catalina Island and involved giant kelp. It has happened a couple of times since then, but the only time I was nervous about it was the first go around.

The kelp snagged the first stage regulator. No matter how I tried to turn or wriggle, I couldn't see the point of entaglement. I ended up taking one arm out of the bc (my weights are integrated, so I didn't want the bc to get away from me). Once I could swing the tank around in front of me, I could see what I needed to do. I carry EMT shears and I was free in no time.

I've never had a problem with monofilament, nets, or electrical cables. I am pretty cautious about entering wrecks. If there is even a hint of entanglement hazards, I will stay out.

Art

tremtech · 10-14-2007, 08:52 PM

Two entanglements, One time a hook and liner wrapped some 20 pound test around my fin, I tried to rip their pole out of their hand but the line broke, I cut the rest off with my ginsu. The next time I got wedged in between some lincoln logs on concrete bridge reef, my first stage got hung on some rebar while searching for dinner , I had to doff the bc and weights to get it free unfortunetly I lost the plastic cover on my mk25 1st stage. I also got reef rash on my neck ,thankfully a 18 pound grouper agree'd to come home for dinner.