A directional arrow is used by cave divers to indicate the direction to the exit.
Multiple arrows are used to highlight several things:
•Midpoint of the mainline, shown by two opposing arrows.
•Quickest exit, shown with two arrows in the same direction close together.
•The cookie shows the direction the team came from.
It may be necessary to secure your mainline, the reel line is wrapped then secured using the clip to indicate the exit direction. Slack line can be adjusted by wrapping the line through the clip.
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The Primary Tie Off should always be outside the cave to ensure access to the surface. Three carefully placed wraps ensure security.
It is sometimes required to jump to the main line using a spool or jump reel ties method is still required outside the cave.
This image shows a Wrap & Lock . This is used as a secondary tie off and also to secure ties inside the cave, there should be three wraps outside whereas inside only one may be used.
The Lock should always be in the direction of travel so a diver exiting in low visibility can easily navigate the line.
This is a Placement used as a fast method of creating tension and direction change to the line.
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A placement is a loop of line fixed over a point when speed is required.
Sometimes it is not possible to put a reel or spool through a tie-off point, the diver can then pass a loop of line through which the reel passes creating a tie off.
A line trap is a point when the line is snagged preventing a diver from finding/blinding the exit in low visibility.
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A Jump can be made using a personal arrow attached to the mainline used to fix the Jump/Gap
Spool. A team cookie is attached to show who made the Jump.
Here is an example of a popular Jump indicated by the two arrows on the mainline.
Cookie 1 shows the direction the team traveled from.
Cookie 2 attached to the spool line indicates the team making the jump.
An example when a diver may jump to the mainline using a Spool/Jump reel - the none directional cookie highlights the team using the jump and the arrow the team traveled inside the cave.
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•First see if you or your team mate can free the line.
•Take a compass baring in the exit direction.
•Look for visual references.
First secure an arrow and pull to ensure it is secure, this serves as a point to fix a spool line with a loop.
Affix the spool to your harness and test again.
You can then cut the line, not to close to the arrow leaving enough line to secure it with a knot.
Once the knot is secure, the divers have a decision to make:
•can they re-tie to the loose mainline.
•can they travel back to secure the spool to the mainline which was cut.
All this will depend on gas & team dynamics.
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First secure a line arrow showing exit direction.
The diver’s spool can then be looped to the arrow to allow a search to be conducted.
A backup light switched ON is then clipped to the mainline and spool line to fix its position to show the lost diver possible direction.
A spider web off line with arrows directing the lost diver back to the mainline may be used if the searching diver is running low on gas/time.
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Optimally there will be at least two teammates making this repair. If there is a lot of tension on the line it is best to swim up and down the line a ways to see where there is a wrap or a tie that can be loosened to give you enough slack to work.
Get one team mate on either side of the line where it is failing and cut the line at the failure point, cut all the fatigued/failed line out. Then tie a double fisherman's knot shown left, effectively joining the two lines again.
Anytime you have made line repairs, please contact the safety officer for that cave and let them know what the problem was and how you fixed it. Temporary fixes such as one made with a safety reel needs attention sooner rather than later. Also, contact the landowner if possible and inform them what has happened as well as any cave divers who may be getting ready to dive that cave.
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