Using Cave Cookies Versus The Traditional Clothespin.
I began my cave diving career using clothespins. I?m not sure cave cookies were out at the time. But when they did come out, I liked them. They cost about $2 each, which is double that of a line arrow and much more than a whole bag of plastic clothespins. But I like the cave cookie for several reasons.
I have been on dives in the past, where the clothespin I placed on the exit side of a T got pushed down the line via the strong current. Specifically, this happened in Little River Spring in Branford, Fl. I was very familiar with the cave and the T was well marked already, so I had no problems knowing which line I had come in on. But had I been in a completely new system, the outcome could have been different. Luckily I saw my clothespin a few feet down the line. I have also heard of clothespins falling apart. This doesn?t sound like a good thing to me. In addition, I just don?t like pinching the line with the pin, even if it is only slightly. Clothespins are also easy to get knocked off the line by other divers. Lastly, the plastic clothespins have ridges on the sides. So it?s hard to get your initials legibly written on them. All in all, I just don?t like the clothespin concept.
The advantages of the cave cookie solve each of the concerns above about the clothespin. The cave cookie can be placed on the line just like a line arrow, even being double wrapped and it doesn?t pinch the line. This keeps the least ?face? exposed to current and provides a secure fit on the line. It?s not likely at all that it will fall off or get know off, even if the line broke. It?s a single piece of plastic, so you don?t have to worry about it breaking or falling apart. Plus, it?s just as easy to initial a cookie as it is an arrow.
I do believe however that the cave cookie is a little large. I think it could be reduced in size a little. In fact, I did so. I call it the cookie monster. I just shaved off some of the "excess", as shown.
I carry two cave cookies (or cookie monsters) with me on every dive, in addition to two line arrows. I don't even bother with clothespins anymore. In fact, it's my opinion that the training agencies should adopt into their training standards the cave cookie as being the non-directional marker of choice in cave diving. I believe the agency standards should be modified to reflect this change in cave diving innovation. I don?t know that cookies have made it into DIR acceptance yet, but I don?t see why it won?t eventually. If you?ve not considered the cave cookie, I highly recommend it.