Dive Rite Classic Reel

When setting out to buy your own gear, it can be overwhelming with all the things you "should" get and those you "need." In the end, you don't need anything as most places have rental gear. Some will nickel and dime you for a snorkel, weights, mask ect. At Coconut Tree Divers you pay $35 per tank and that includes all your gear. If you have your own gear then the dives are $30 per tank. The point being that you can rent the gear, but it is nice to have your own.

Where does a reel end up in the things you need list? For us it is quite high as we do drift dives on a regular basis. For cave, tec, and  wreck divers it's a must. In our divemaster trainee program we make sure they know how to deploy them without being pulled to the surface by the surface marker buoy. If you are headed down to do your PADI Divemaster course with us, you will need one. It can be as simple as a finger reel, but you will need one. Gone are the days of wrapping 20ft of line to a 2 lb. weight. It's gone from our shop anyhow.  If you end up getting separated from your divegroup it is not a bad idea to have your own signaling device. In a high boat traffic area you are better off sending the marker buoy to the surface before you reach it and hopefully avoiding getting run over. It happens, and having a signal device floating on the surface is no guarantee that some yahoo will not head your way. At one point Rags had to push off the oncoming boat whose captain was paying no attention. And yes she did have an SMB deployed. For the most part, boat captains in Roatan respect them for what they represent, Divers Below. That’s my case for purchasing a reel and marker buoy. This review boils down to an endorsement of one that has been with me for over 4 years.

The Dive Rite Classic Safety Reel can be purchased at; DiveGearExpress for under $45. It has over 100 ft of line. You can now choose the color from white or orange for the line. There’s nothing better than an orange and blue reel, is there?  I’m rooting for the Florida Gators tonight against the Volunteers.

What you might be careful with is the lock down screw. It’s what keeps the reel from unraveling. If you unscrew it too much it will come right off. It's a pain when it comes out all the way as it's made of plastic. After a couple of time of going back in the plastic gets chewed up. Luckily you can purchase them  for about a $1. Apparently this has been addressed in the newer version of the DR Classic Safety Reel. The other consideration is for the actual SMB. How you attach it will help you stay streamlined and keep it from getting caught up while diving sites like Canyon Reef and Hole in the Wall. I use a wrist band and attach it to the reel itself.

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Big Blue CF 250 with Goodman's glove

Big Blue, who are they? We had never heard of this dive light company, but Jose first gave them a try by purchasing the CF250 light with neoprene glove for easy hands free operation. At 250 lumens, this light has a double o-ring seal, magnetic switch, a twisting bezel that focuses the beam angle from 6 to 31 degrees, AND it only uses 3 AAA batteries which when freshly charged, will run for over an hour and still shine brightly!

A few months later Marco and Rags also purchased the same light. We have never had any problems with them even after more than 500 dives each. We have them with us on every single dive...divers love it  when you are able to show them the true colors of the reef, even during the day!  It also makes pointing out critters much easier (this is where the narrow beam comes in handy!), without having to get too close to the sensitive coral formations - always a good thing when following the Roatan Marine Park regulations of not getting too close to avoid any incidental damage!

These lights are also great if you are taking pictures or video underwater the hands free operation the G-Glove makes focusing your camera during macro photography much easier.

That's from Jose Silva who is closing in on 1000 PADI Certifications (now en route to Maui with 35 certifications to go!).

The only gripe with the light is the Glove's longevity - the Velcro (tm) attachments do wear out after a while.  It is an excellent concept that, surprisingly enough, has not been adopted by other light manufacturers. It's amazingly useful and comfy. When you need light simply flip over the switch.

Other lights also use double O-ring technology as does this one. To turn them on you unscrew the light. If you keep going they shut off. Keep going after that and they flood. Yikes, that was dumb is when I realized my awesome Hollis light failed. That's a user error I accept.  Was looking for something different this time (duh!). Hence copying Jose and his "light." We give it double OKs.

We purchased a charger and we reuse batteries over an over. We no longer worry about whose batteries they are. The lights have undergone lots of testing, under "live" conditions. Easy conditions in fact. That's why we live here, silly. Again, if they can't work here, how can they work elsewhere? It's not like Monty does the 430 ft Trimix dives every month, not yet anyhow.

The solution for the failing Velcro (tm) on both the palm of your hand and the wrist is as follows; The hand strap can be kept together by wrapping duct tape.  At the time of writing, it has been holding up for over a week. This is after six months of daily use. I do not take the light into confined water on a regular basis. If I had tweet this review and you trusted the content above, it would read something like; The Big Blue CF 250 is a good acquisition.  The wrist Velcro can be folded over itself as shown in the picture.

The cost of the light was about $135 back when we bought them. Today September 12, 2012 it is selling for about $89 atLeisurePro. Be warned, there are some crappy reviews on there, which are quite ridonculous. It does not turn on by unscrewing it. Regardless, we promised to keep these honest.

We are gearing up for the Roatan Fishing Tournament this week-end. As of this entry I had son, little William Alexander.  Thanks for reading. Join the blog and let us know if there is any particular set of gear you would like tested and reviewed. Best wishes from Roatan. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at;  Coconut Tree Divers