SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog

Sidewinder Primary Reel

#RE50400, #RE50250

North Florida cave diver, Woody Jasper, first invented sidewinder-style reels around 1980. Less likely to entangle than other reels on the market, Woody's original reel was made of aluminum and a PVC spool. The side-handle style of the reel lent itself to exploration because it could easily switch from hand to hand while laying out line. Twenty years later, sidewinder-style reels were popularized in the technical diving community when DIR enthusiasts began using them for paying out line in deep caves at high speed on a DPV. Our Sidewinder series of reels are designed to be anti-jam by using precision machine tolerances between the frame and the spool making it nearly impossible for the line to slip between the spool and the handle. Choose between our Sidewinder Cave Primary (RE50400) with 400-feet of #24 braid line our Sidewinder Wreck Primary (RE50250) that has 250-feet of #36 braid line, both with extra large stainless bolt [continued]

snap.

DuPont fiber braid line provides strength and minimizes fraying.
Cave series reels use #24 braid line giving 220-lbs of breakage strength. Wreck series reels use #36 braid line giving 350-lbs of breakage strength.
Injection molded polycarbonate spool resists breakage and cracking.
Marine grade stainless steel axle is corrosion resistant.
High quality aircraft grade aluminum frame is corrosion resistant.
Marine grade stainless steel bolt snap is corrosion resistant.
Knurled lockdown screw has a low profile to prevent snagging
1.37lb (0.62 kg)

Before diving with a new reel (or a dry reel that has been in storage), put the reel in a bucket of water and after soaking, pay out the entire length of line and reel it back in. This will moisten the line, precluding it from swelling on the reel and further preventing the possibility of jamming or damaging the spool.
As with most dive equipment, you should rinse your reel with fresh water following each dive. You should also periodically disassemble the reel, and remove any build up of salt or sediment on its internal parts.
Dive Rite recommends pulling some or all of the line off the spool before each dive, then rewinding it neatly but not too tightly, so as to prevent the possibility of jamming during line deployment.
Finally, too much line on the spool can cause jams during initial deployment, if you are having a problem [continued]

with jams try removing 10 or 15 feet of line.