Photo of Joe and I with the head monk, discussing the diving conditions. Photo by Ed Woodstock, courtesy of Aqua Survey Inc.
Thank you for responding to my click-bait exaggerated-danger title. An alternative title could be; "Why Global Underwater Explorers reject the Wichard “Safety Snap Hook”.
Here is the actual story...
It’s true that we were prepared for difficult diving conditions when Joe and I walked backwards into the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle region of Northern Laos. The possibility of entanglement had been discussed and prepared for, as well as how to not be shocked if we encountered a 600 lb Mekong Catfish.
Fortunately, Joe has a lot of experience with river diving. It was the end of the dry season, and the expedition had been organized planning on the lowest river level and velocity possible, yet it was still high and strong in mid-March this year. Expedition Leader Ken Hayes had brought Joe and me along to help resolve the mystery of a Buddhist Temple from 500 years age that disappeared in antiquity, which is currently giving new hints as to where it has been hiding all these years. Archaeologists from the Lao National Museum had contacted Ken to help with the search.
My own experience with archaeological diving in various seas involved more moderate currents, or preferably none at all.
the day was warm and the water temp not shockingly cool, didpite its source in the snow melt of the Himaiayas. By the time I got to 3 m depth, the current was so strong that I was hanging onto larger rocks and a substantial tree branch with both hands. If I let go with one hand, I’d start sliding backwards in the current.
The bottom was rocks, boulders, logs, and branches, plus twisted sheet metal and fishing nets.
I knew this because there was about 30 cm of visibility, and by putting my face near my hands, there was enough light to see.
I noticed that my line reel had paid out. The clip on the end must have stuck or tangled on something, now upstream somewhere out of reach. A few minutes into my second dive, I had stumbled into one of the classic axioms of dive gear management: “ Don’t get your stuff tangled with debris in a strong current.”
Now I was entangled under the Mekong...
m
Entangled, but not entirely trapped. The reel was clipped to my harness. If could reach the reel clip with one hand and undo it, i'd be free, and could abandon it if necessary, but I would need to claw my way forward to the location of the tangle in order to be able to keep it.
I heard Joe's bubbles. He must have followed the same path of least resistance to the current as I had. Once he had sidled up next to me and we were both clinging to the bottom mask to mask, I tried to update him on my gear issue, that I had hung up on something, by using hand signals, putting my right hand near his face mask. Realizing that this was an recipe for miscommunication, took his left hand and guided it to the line going forward into the stream.
“Wait up,” you say. “ Why didn’t you use the comms?”
It’s true we had a through-the-water communication system in both masks, and to Scott on the surface. The problem with underwater comms is that you can’t hear another party talking or transmitting very well if you are inhaling, exhaling, or talking yourself. Clear, concise transmissions are key. Therefore, before speaking, you must compose a single, tight phrase, inhale, push the button with your right hand, spit your sentence clearly, let go of the button and exhale, inhale deeply, and listen for the response. Of course, the responder doesn’t know where you are in the cycle, so they might or might not respond when it’s convenient for you to listen and get the entire response as it travels acoustically through your bubbles.
That’s why I just showed Joe the line with my hands. He nodded his head.
Together, we clawed our way up steam a few meters to the clip. The Safety Snap Hook had taken it upon itself to attach to an abandoned fishing net, which was tangled around a tree branch and some sheetmetal roofing. I unclipped it and reeled in the line with my right hand. Problem resolved.
I have used Wichard safety snap hooks for years in underwater archaeological diving for various purposes, despite the risk that they catch on something by accident. Ruggedly handsome and robust, they are made for sailing, not for diving in extreme conditions.
Preferred is a clip that you have to open with your thumb before attaching it to something. Global Underwater Explorers recommend bolt snap or double ender. I use them on everything on my regular working/ salvage/ science dive gear, except this one reel. My bad.
Joe and I attempted to go deeper into the stronger current, but it made no sense. After looking around for a while together, covering a few miserable square meters, protected behind a large log, we remade the signal and crawled our way back to the shallows.
After discussion with Scott and Ken, with us all counting on Joe to give us his opinion based on his vast experience and successful salvage dives in rivers fast and slow, His response its not possible to work effectively in those conditions. We decided that we would have to focus our efforts on the electronic survey and attempt to identify targets using cameras lowered from the raft into the stream. Until the river lowered, the expedition was at the mercy of the monsoon seasons and those that controlled the dams upstream.
As a debriefing, the clip incident was easily classified as a potential hazard. I had a knife and could cut the line on the reel. But not to let a perfectly good lesson go to unlearned, I scoured my kit for other potential snags. And reviewed options for clearing them.
The expedition ended with success, with the mapping of many targets for investigation, the successful recovery of an intact Stele referring to the history of this important archaeological site. Most important to me had been the appreciation of the local Bokeo Community, who supported us ( the Temple ladies made us lunches every day), the modest village parade, and the well wishes of the people that came by the site or met us in the town, showing us their religious medallia, objects of devotion, and photos alluding to the historical temple and its Giant Buddha statue. Which remains to be found. https://www.aquasurvey.com/laos-videos/
Here is an Image that the local community had posted envisioning a more successful dive experience.
Entangled, but not entirely trapped. The reel was clipped to my harness. If could reach the reel clip with one hand and undo it, i'd be free, and could abandon it if necessary, but I would need to claw my way forward to the location of the tangle in order to be able to keep it.
I heard Joe's bubbles. He must have followed the same path of least resistance to the current as I had. Once he had sidled up next to me and we were both clinging to the bottom mask to mask, I tried to update him on my gear issue, that I had hung up on something, by using hand signals, putting my right hand near his face mask. Realizing that this was an recipe for miscommunication, took his left hand and guided it to the line going forward into the stream.
“Wait up,” you say. “ Why didn’t you use the comms?”
It’s true we had a through-the-water communication system in both masks, and to Scott on the surface. The problem with underwater comms is that you can’t hear another party talking or transmitting very well if you are inhaling, exhaling, or talking yourself. Clear, concise transmissions are key. Therefore, before speaking, you must compose a single, tight phrase, inhale, push the button with your right hand, spit your sentence clearly, let go of the button and exhale, inhale deeply, and listen for the response. Of course, the responder doesn’t know where you are in the cycle, so they might or might not respond when it’s convenient for you to listen and get the entire response as it travels acoustically through your bubbles.
That’s why I just showed Joe the line with my hands. He nodded his head.
Together, we clawed our way up steam a few meters to the clip. The Safety Snap Hook had taken it upon itself to attach to an abandoned fishing net, which was tangled around a tree branch and some sheetmetal roofing. I unclipped it and reeled in the line with my right hand. Problem resolved.
I have used Wichard safety snap hooks for years in underwater archaeological diving for various purposes, despite the risk that they catch on something by accident. Ruggedly handsome and robust, they are made for sailing, not for diving in extreme conditions.
Preferred is a clip that you have to open with your thumb before attaching it to something. Global Underwater Explorers recommend bolt snap or double ender. I use them on everything on my regular working/ salvage/ science dive gear, except this one reel. My bad.
Joe and I attempted to go deeper into the stronger current, but it made no sense. After looking around for a while together, covering a few miserable square meters, protected behind a large log, we remade the signal and crawled our way back to the shallows.
After discussion with Scott and Ken, with us all counting on Joe to give us his opinion based on his vast experience and successful salvage dives in rivers fast and slow, His response its not possible to work effectively in those conditions. We decided that we would have to focus our efforts on the electronic survey and attempt to identify targets using cameras lowered from the raft into the stream. Until the river lowered, the expedition was at the mercy of the monsoon seasons and those that controlled the dams upstream.
As a debriefing, the clip incident was easily classified as a potential hazard. I had a knife and could cut the line on the reel. But not to let a perfectly good lesson go to unlearned, I scoured my kit for other potential snags. And reviewed options for clearing them.
The expedition ended with success, with the mapping of many targets for investigation, the successful recovery of an intact Stele referring to the history of this important archaeological site. Most important to me had been the appreciation of the local Bokeo Community, who supported us ( the Temple ladies made us lunches every day), the modest village parade, and the well wishes of the people that came by the site or met us in the town, showing us their religious medallia, objects of devotion, and photos alluding to the historical temple and its Giant Buddha statue. Which remains to be found. https://www.aquasurvey.com/laos-videos/
Here is an Image that the local community had posted envisioning a more successful dive experience.
An AI Generated image of the colossal Bokeo Buddha statue under the waters of the Mekong River in Laos. Thats obviously me on the lower right
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