Halcyon Pathfinder Reels and Defender Spools

Some divers assume that all guideline devices such as spools and reels are useful only to cave divers. Yet, technical divers understand that guidelines belong on every dive, whether you are exploring a cave, studying the remote recesses of a deep wreck or just enjoying the beauty of any overhead environment. Increasingly, open water divers are learning to use guidelines to mark interesting locations, float a signal marker during a drift dive, or secure alternative lift devices during an emergency ascent.

Halcyon's Defender spools and Pathfinder reels are made to the most rigorous of standards, ensuring that operation is trouble free in all applications. These devices are the result of many thousands of hours of recreational, technical, and cave diving and have consistently proven their reliability and superior design in some of the most extreme environments the underwater world has to offer.

Defender Spools

For any diving application where you will use less than 150 feet of line, the spool provides rapid, jam-free deployment and retrieval. Defender spools are the DIR choice for deploying lift devices in the ocean or for use as jump/gap or safety spools while cave diving.

• Milled from solid Delrin for crush-proof durability.
• Stainless steel, double-ended bolt snap attachment hardware.
• Available with 75 feet, 100 feet and 150 feet of #24 nylon line.

Divers with bulky gloves and cold hands sometimes find it difficult to hold the thin edge of a conventional spool. Halcyon’s Coldwater Defender spool allows divers to clip their double end snap to the side of the spool, providing a handle that greatly simplifies line retreival. The Halcyon Coldwater spool holds

• 100’/30 m of line and is constructed with a larger center hole for easier deployment.  

Pathfinder Reels

The Pathfinder® series of line reels satisfies the demanding requirements of exploration and the day-to-day needs of all divers with its performance-minded features. Pathfinder reels utilize a completely ambidextrous design that allows the user to easily reel in the guideline with either hand, or to conveniently switch hands during deployment.

The spool used in the Pathfinder reel is milled from one solid billet. The unique side handle is machined from a solid piece of aluminum and fits closely to the spool, limiting entanglement but allowing easy access to the other three sides. The handle is hard-coated for durability. Pathfinder reels now utilize a larger cold-water lockdown screw for ease of use with dry-gloves.

Pathfinder-4 holds 400 feet of #24 nylon line
Pathfinder-8 holds 800 feet of #24 nylon line
Pathfinder-12 holds 1,200 feet of #24 nylon line

 

Line Arrows

Halcyon line arrows: no-nonsense white plastic, with our logo embossed in blue. Soon to be found on the end of the line in cave systems around the world...

The jump spool contains approximately 75' of line and is used by cave divers to connect to different lines while performing jumps or gaps. The safety spool contains between 100' to 175' of line and is used for emergency purposes, including repairing broken guidelines, searching for a lost dive buddy and searching for lost guideline.

Every overhead diver should have an emergency reel as a standard part of their equipment. The larger spools are used by open water divers for managing a tow float or to send up lift bags and signaling devices.

DIR Tips courtesy of Global Underwater Explorers