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Dive Finger/Jump Spools


A dive finger or jump spool is the most compact way of carrying a guideline. A finger spool makes deploying a delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB) very easy as there is no way for line to get caught in any sort of mechanism. Jump spools are also useful for make jumps and gaps in caves. They are also a handy way of mapping a dive site as they are quick to deploy and re-stow.

If you're looking for a dive reel, please see Dive Reels.

Tech Tip:
Finger Spools Are Not Guideline Reels

The skills required to deploy a finger spool are different than those required to use a typical guideline reel. At first glance the simple spool looks easier, but compared to guideline reels the finger spool requires specific techniques for successful use. If this is your first finger spool then seek advice, get a demonstration, and most importantly you should practice under controlled conditions.

A common usage mistake is rewinding a finger spool in a manner that applies a lot of tension to the line, such as when hanging under a lift bag, causing the line to be very tightly wound on to the spool. Upon re-use the line doesn't smoothly unwind and sticks, causing the entire spool to be jerked out of the fingers or disappear with the lift bag.

Another consideration is the method used to rewind the line on to the spool. Hold the line loosely and use the spool to take up the line; if you hold the spool in a fixed position some wrapping motions with your hand will put a 'twist' in the line with each wrap around the spool. Depending on how you later unspool, you might wind up with a tangled mess of line (aka 'birds nest') if you hold the line in your hand while it unspools.

Although your finger spool is not a guideline reel the basic care is very similar. You should rinse your finger spool with fresh water following each dive. We recommend pulling some or all of the line off the spool before each dive, then rewinding it neatly but not too tightly, so as to help prevent problems during line deployment. If the line on your finger spool is new or very dry, we recommend pulling the line off into a bucket of water. This will moisten the line, precluding it from swelling on the spool and causing further issues or damaging the spool.

Finally, too much line on the spool can cause tangles during initial deployment, if you are having a consistent problem deploying your finger spool try removing a few metres of line.



Tyre Reef

Reef Dive Reef Dive | Boat access Boat access

Inside Port Phillip Open Water Rated Reef Dive Site

Depth: 10 m (33 ft)

In 1973, three tyre reefs were placed on the sand relatively close to the shore on the eastern side of Port Phillip. The reefs consisted of 1,000 tyres tied in bundles of eight, quarry rock, concrete cubes and steel frames. Only this Tyre Reef, off Chelsea, remains intact.

The reef is dominated by red algae, sponges, ascidians, and hydroids. Fish include snapper, ling, boarfish, red mullet, beardie and bearded rock cod, leather jacket, long-finned pike, as well as a number of smaller species. This area is popular with fishermen so beware of fishing lines.

Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

 

Tyre Reef Location Map

Latitude: 38° 3.077′ S   (38.051283° S / 38° 3′ 4.62″ S)
Longitude: 145° 4.722′ E   (145.0787° E / 145° 4′ 43.32″ E)

Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2021-05-15 08:52:21 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: Aspendale Rec Reef, 1,692 m, bearing 354°, N
Depth: 10 m.



DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.

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