Hose routing trick I picked up after a shrimp boat job off Mobile Bay

I was doing a hull inspection on a 65-foot trawler out of Bayou La Batre last spring, and the deckhand showed me how he ties off his umbilical with a half-hitch through a D-ring before jumping in. Sounds simple, right? But it keeps the hose from dragging across the bottom and snagging on barnacles or prop shafts. I started doing it myself on a 40-foot dive in the Gulf and cut my entanglement issues by like 80 percent. Has anyone else got a trick for keeping your lines clean when working around fishing gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat3601mo ago

Pretty sure a half-hitch through a D-ring would actually cinch down tight and be a pain to undo quick if something went wrong. A clove hitch or a simple loop through would let you pop it off faster. Just my two cents from doing this long enough.

the_joel1mo ago

Ngl, I gotta push back on this one, pat360. A half-hitch through a D-ring is actually quicker to undo under tension than a clove hitch, because the half hitch just slides off the ring once you pop the loop. A clove hitch can bind up tight on the ring itself if the load shifts, especially with wet rope or stiff webbing. I've seen guys spend a good 30 seconds fighting a clove hitch while a half hitch just drops free. Not saying my way is the only way, but for quick release in a pinch, the half hitch wins for me every time.