Having recently been on a boat where I had to help a good number of divers tie their cylinders up to stop them falling from the benches, I offered to run a session on knot tying for Dacorum Scuba.
There was a good turnout for Tie Knots or Tie Lots? at our social meeting on 11 August 2022.
We started with the simplest of knots; the overhand knot that tightens under load and damages the rope. We went on to the figure of eight, another stopping knot, but one that can be undone.
We needed to get chairs out to learn the clove hitch, one of the best knots for tying a cylinder to the rail on a boat. As kit pulls on the knot, it tightens, stopping it coming undone. From the other side it undoes easily. I added the highwayman’s hitch into the mix as a way of undoing the clove hitch quickly.
The round turn and two half hitches is the best knot to tie a boat up with as it can be undone under load.
The bowline is a secure knot that creates a loop. We then did the Alpine butterfly, which can create a loop on a line. This knot keeps the strain in-line with the rope, whereas a simple overhand loop puts strain in one direction and can damage a rope. It can be tied into a shot line or in a stage rigging kit.
To tidy up, we used the chain sinnet to shorten our rope. It can be undone easily by pulling, so can be used for a buddy line stored tidily in a pocket.
There are many more useful knots that divers should know…but that’s another evening.
If you want to refresh your skills, you can click on the name of each knot above to see a demonstration of how to tie it. See the Animated Knots by Grog website for far more knots that you’ll ever need.
