3 ms·
Probably a naive question, but why don't they hook people up to guide cables with another line or cable?
by roel_v 8y ago
Probably a naive question, but why don't they hook people up to guide cables with another line or cable?
- gaius 8y agoBecause then you couldn’t pass a tie-off, where the line is fixed to something like a rock. Also, risk of entanglement.
- narvval 8y agoYou could pass a tie-off if you had two carabiners, as you do in via ferrata. Don't know about the entanglement risk though... I'm not a diver but that sounds way less dangerous to me than losing the cable altogether, since worst case you could just release the carabiner
- gaius 8y agoAnother thing to consider is this is just a guideline - 2-3mm nylon, fixed in place often just be wrapping around a handy outcropping. If you tug on it with any force it will come loose. And then you and everyone in the cave with you are in a lot of trouble.
- wallflower 8y agoAnother thing that guide mentions is that if the nylon guideline is cut, it will rapidly snap and retract and spool up (kind of like a fishing line). Also I read an accident report of some divers who survived a silt out condition, they spent a lot of time carefully figuring out what direction they should follow the rope out to exit the cave in places where it has been wrapped around a stone a few times to anchor it.
- saiya-jin 8y agowhy not use something like in via ferrata sets - a single easy-to-open carabiner with a short cord, attached to you. when you climb a ferrata, you clip&unclip hundreds of times, nothing particularly complicated or taxing, and in water you would need only a basic one with little resistance on the gate opening part. you could pass along the cable holding the carabiner in one hand, not slowing you down