ropework

Dive ‘talk’ – manual signals

Although never, ‘The Silent World’, the physical limitations of a water environment continue to pose problems for divers intent on communicating effectively with their companions, or with the surface. While advances in surface-to-diver, diver-to-diver voice communications systems have had an… Read More ›

Rope Maintenance Techniques

A technique used to prevent a rope on, say, a dive boat from fraying and unraveling (and one that – especially in an age when ropes are increasingly constructed from man-made fibres – is sometimes superseded by simply melting and… Read More ›

Simple Splices

Every working diver worth their salt should have a sound knowledge of rigging procedures and elementary knots and splices. While the ability to tie the appropriate knot in zero visibility; quickly splice a line to a shackle; or join together… Read More ›

Making a Heaving Line

Serving many purposes, a heaving line should be considered essential equipment on all dive boats. A light, flexible line that can easily be thrown with – after practice – great accuracy, a heaving line can be used as a messenger… Read More ›

Knot knowing: the basics

The ability to properly handle a rope or line is – or should be – an important aspect of diving, one that begins by having a fundamental knowledge of certain elementary knots and the purpose for which they’re used. Generally… Read More ›