In the early days of cave diving, reels were not available to buy off the shelf. Divers used anything they could, including empty electrical wire spools. When exploring, divers would pay-out the line and if they didn't empty the entire spool it would be left in the cave for the next dive since winding the line was difficult if not impossible. The Aqua Ratchet Primary Reel is a large diver's reel designed for cave and wreck diving. The reel is available with 2-line lengths of 140' or 250' (42.7m or 76.2m). This unique, high impact and corrosion resistant plastic reel is extremely durable and feature a unique, thumb operated, ratchet lever line payout design. Press the lever and the spool releases line, stop pressing and the ratchet lever stops spool from turning. Reel is equipped with strong and durable line that has a special braid capable of holding a maximum 176 lbs (80kg) of dry weight. To attach the reel to your equipment, reel has a chrome-plated bass spring loaded 360 Degree swivel gate clip and a durable ABS plastic handle. The reel positions the handle on top, which helps divers who use a handheld light to hold both the light and the reel in one hand, freeing the other hand to work the reel.