No, it is not really a descent line. It is just the line I am attached with to the float. I do not use it for the descent, rather just for the ascent.laminar said:...Do you usually dive recreationally WITH a descent line? You mention using one to pull up FIM style.
That's same with me, and there is absolutely no problem with it. As I am attached to the float, I simply drag the float behind me (or push it). I descent freely where I want, can go horizontally, and then ascent along the line vertically. Sometimes I use my fins, sometimes not at all, during the ascent. I learned that it is better keeping the line always trimmed as much as possible, never to have the buoy too far. That's better for the security:laminar said:This would not suit my recreational diving style very much at all, since I dive on steep walls and usually cover quite a bit of horizontal distance.
- You can pull the line immediately when you need to use it for the ascent
- It better indicates your position for bypassing boats - if you have a 30m line, you let the line free, and there is just a small stream or wind, you will usually surface practically the full length of the line from the float - that's not of a big help, and you cannot even really blame a boat if it crashes you 30m from your float (although I know they should keep a bigger distance, I realize that it is practically not even always possible).
- If you are in troubles and need to hold on something before you manage to breath up properly, a float tens of meters away is worthless.
I agree, neither minelaminar said:But I suppose at certain sites, or when all you want to do is generally go up and down, it would be helpful.
Not really my cup of tea, though.
Actually I think that the float is equally important (when not even more) for buddy diving too. Having a buddy is nice, especially if he knows what to do and does not panic when something bad really happens. The problem though with buddies at recreational/explorative or spearing diving is, that it is often difficult to keep your buddy always in vision, especially if the visibility is not perfect. If you are both attached to the same float (or have two floats bound together), the problem is solved.pelagicbeing said:...I would agree that a surface float / marker bouy is essential when diving solo, and if you arent currently diving with one you should get one, they do not impede your enjoyment of the dive and have a huge safety value.
In reality, "buddying" in recreational and spearo diving is more about being both at the same location and seeing each other once in a while when they manage to get together more or less by hazard. That's certainly not the buddy system we speak about here, but a real buddy system is extremely rare except of pure freediving competition style descent-line training (there I dive exclusively with at least two buddies too).
But even if you manage to find a buddy with who you really work in the right way and watch each other all the time, it is usually so that one is down, the other on the surface, then maybe a while together on the surface, and then there is the turn of the other buddy. Is something happens, the surface buddy did not yet complete his breath-up, additionally an accident immediately rockets his adrenaline and pulse through the roof, so it is quite likely that he won't be able to successfully recover you anyway. The best example was given by someone earlier in this thread describing exactly such case when a buddy was unable to recover the other because in the panic he simply did not manage to descent so deep. I do not even speak about bringing him up - most likely they would die both.
All these problems may be improved to a great extent if both divers are attached to the same float (or a float combo), and that the line and its fixation can withhold rising the diver up from the bottom, or at least keep him from falling down too quickly at a SWB - it is very tragic when you see a buddy blacking out at 10m, but before you manage to get ready to go down, and then really descent to get him, he can be already at 15m or 20m (or even deeper). If he was attached to the float, you could stop his fall immediately, and go down to get him in much less stress.