The Clermont was at one time the world's largest dredge. She was sunk in a storm while under tow on January 8, 1927. Today she sits upright on a sandy bottom, partially intact, rising 15' off the bottom. Some of the dredge pipes are visible in the sand off the starboard side of the wreck. Divers have recovered several interesting objects from the wreck such as deck prisms and bricks from the boiler stamped "Weideimer".
Lift bags are commonly used for recovering heavy objects from the bottom. The bag is simply tied on, inflated from a regulator, and shot to the surface. An often-overlooked use for a lift bag is to get yourself to the surface in a safe manner when you have become lost and can't find the anchor, or if the anchor has pulled out of the wreck. Using your reel as described above, you can shoot a bag directly to the surface and then ascend on the line.
However, under such circumstances, I prefer to get myself off the bottom and up to my decompression or safety stop depth as quickly as possible, and then deploy a bag to the surface using a short length of line attached to the bag for just that purpose. Either way, the bag marks your position for the crew of the dive boat. You should write your name in bold letters on your bag, so you can be identified before you surface. The bag will also keep you from being sucked down to the bottom if there is a strong current. Most lift bags have open bottoms. A bag like this can hit the surface, tip over, and deflate. For self-rescue, as described, you should use a bag with a self-closing bottom.
More: Lift Bag ...
Questions or Inquiries?
Just want to say Hello? Sign the .