How many actually use diver buoy or surface marker buoy?

[Hawkwood]

I can only recall "needing" to deploy and DSMB twice.

Once the "DM" had his hands full with Lion Fish kill and pointed at me to up up my DSMB to signal the boat. The only other time was when four of us were in Cabo San Lucas. After a week of diving we decided that on our last dive we would all put up or DSMBs before the "DM" put up his, just for poop and giggles. Have yet to have to do it out of necessity or need.

I have used it at the surface a number of times when we were out of sight of a boat.

 

[Z Gear]

It has been my experience that most boaters do not know what a dive flag is or do not care and almost none know what a DSMB is used for. It is FAR more likely that if you send one up in an area where there are boats you will attract them to your location rather then deter them. They have no idea what this thing that just popped up out of nowhere is for and will more then likely come over to have a look. As for the laws requiring a boat to stay 100' away from a dive flag, I have never seen those laws enforced once in the last 45 years and to my knowledge there are no laws about staying away from a DSMB.

I can understand why you and others might feel this way about the dive buoy or DSMB. To be honest at first glance it actually makes sense. Here is where I need to respectfully disagree and I do so because I feel the important safety aspect of this topic warrants clarity.

While you mentioned that boats or other vessels are more likely to come to investigate this sounds is a logical response to SOME vessel operaters unfamiliar to dive surface markers. That being said I was referring to SOME which means not most. Also when such boat aproaches an SMB they are not intending to run it over. They are slowing down to come get a closer look. Which means simply that you don't have to fear being run over by some of these vessels.

If you do surface and you are in the path of cruising vessel you won't have a chance.

There is to much at stake to leave this topic unclear. Too many new divers needing a good picture of what is right and safe. I feel strongly that there are misconceptions on the safety use of this device and most look at the SMB /DSMB as just a boat pick up tool. I disagree and I welcome others to chime in like you ,to give their contrary opinion on this topic.

I find this particular topic very interesting and am surprised by the different attitudes toward using these devices.

---------- Post added May 9th, 2015 at 09:10 AM ----------

I can only recall "needing" to deploy and DSMB twice.

Once the "DM" had his hands full with Lion Fish kill and pointed at me to up up my DSMB to signal the boat. The only other time was when four of us were in Cabo San Lucas. After a week of diving we decided that on our last dive we would all put up or DSMBs before the "DM" put up his, just for poop and giggles. Have yet to have to do it out of necessity or need.

I have used it at the surface a number of times when we were out of sight of a boat.

Would use a SMB when not using a DSMB. Or are you that close to your dive boat. What would you use on a shore dive with kelp? Do you think using these devices are a good for alerting boater or vessels to stay away or do you think they are primarily only for boat pick ups? Just want more clarity.

---------- Post added May 9th, 2015 at 09:19 AM ----------

I always carry an SMB with me. I don't always use a surface dive flag on shore dives although I know I should use it more often. I do have one that I like very much especially for drift dives because it offers a nice support... Dive Flag Float Cover - Mesh Bottom Version - Northeast Scuba Supply Store

I appreciate it when there some who at least have in them to admit they should probably use it more often. My intent was to bring this subject some more exposure and perhaps motivate some to at least do it more often. As for new divers, I wanted to make it clear that they should just get in the habit of doing it, experience is not on their side and practicing this on most of their dives will only help them.

 

[Hawkwood]

Would use a SMB when not using a DSMB. Or are you that close to your dive boat. What would you use on a shore dive with kelp? Do you think using these devices are a good for alerting boater or vessels to stay away or do you think they are primarily only for boat pick ups? Just want more clarity.

Not sure I understand your first question? I carry a DSMB on all dives (except ice). Whether it gets used at surface or from below would depend on the circumstance. The times I have used a marker at the surface, I could not see the boat.

When I am just diving in our local lakes, I have a smaller marker. When I travel and am diving in the open ocean, I carry a DAN DSMB - it's big, it can also be used as a life ring, it is radar reflective, can lift 35Lbs, and can be inflated in a myriad of ways.

I have only dived in kelp once. I had a marker with me. One purpose of a marker is to make you more visible - if you were unable to return to shore (I don't know, maybe swept out by current), a marker will make you more visible for anyone looking for you.

Can't answer your other question. I have never dived where one has to tow a flag, so I don't know how appropriate a DSMB is to "warn" boaters. I suppose one could "argue" that if a boater understands to stay away from a dive flag (red with white slash), as a consequence of training or public awareness, a DSMB/SMB is not the same thing to that boater.

Am I helping?

 

[Storker]

I can only recall "needing" to deploy and DSMB twice.

I can't say I've ever needed to deploy a dSMB. OTOH, I've lost count of the times shooting a sausage has made things easier for me, the dive leader and/or the boat tender.



--
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Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[Z Gear]

Not sure I understand your first question? I carry a DSMB on all dives (except ice). Whether it gets used at surface or from below would depend on the circumstance. The times I have used a marker at the surface, I could not see the boat.

When I am just diving in our local lakes, I have a smaller marker. When I travel and am diving in the open ocean, I carry a DAN DSMB - it's big, it can also be used as a life ring, it is radar reflective, can lift 35Lbs, and can be inflated in a myriad of ways.

I have only dived in kelp once. I had a marker with me. One purpose of a marker is to make you more visible - if you were unable to return to shore (I don't know, maybe swept out by current), a marker will make you more visible for anyone looking for you.

Can't answer your other question. I have never dived where one has to tow a flag, so I don't know how appropriate a DSMB is to "warn" boaters. I suppose one could "argue" that if a boater understands to stay away from a dive flag (red with white slash), as a consequence of training or public awareness, a DSMB/SMB is not the same thing to that boater.

Am I helping?

The reason I asked was because you mentioned that you have not had the need to deploy a DSMB. I was trying to clarify that the reason to use the DSMB especially for me was to make sure vessels above would not run into me when surfacing. I can not tow an SMB thru the kelp so a DSMB is my best option. I assumed it was what most prefer to use.

 

[3D diver]

Never owned one....

 

[Rich Keller]

I can understand why you and others might feel this way about the dive buoy or DSMB. To be honest at first glance it actually makes sense. Here is where I need to respectfully disagree and I do so because I feel the important safety aspect of this topic warrants clarity.

While you mentioned that boats or other vessels are more likely to come to investigate this sounds is a logical response to SOME vessel operaters unfamiliar to dive surface markers. That being said I was referring to SOME which means not most. Also when such boat aproaches an SMB they are not intending to run it over. They are slowing down to come get a closer look. Which means simply that you don't have to fear being run over by some of these vessels.

If you do surface and you are in the path of cruising vessel you won't have a chance.

You are making some assumptions that could get you in trouble. First you are counting on seeing these boats while you are underwater and once you figure in your depth vs the angle you need to look, you will be looking through a lot of water at only a very small portion of the vessel that is usually covered with a dark color bottom paint. Even if you have 100' visibility the boats would have to be VERY close for you to see them, too close in my opinion. This also assumes that it is a calm day but even a light chop on the surface will mask an approaching boat from your view. For me diving in water with 5-10' vis max this will not work. Second you are counting on a slowly approaching boat being able to avoid you IF he even sees you to begin with. MOST of these weekend warriors are not on their boat alone they have Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker and their good buddy Wiser with them to help confuse the situation. Even sober MOST do not have the skills to avoid you even at slow speeds if you pop up in the wrong place. While the DSMB sounds like a reasonable idea to us, we are not the problem, the boaters are the problem and you are counting on unreasonable, mostly drunk people acting in a reasonable manor. I would rather wait to hear the boat come and go before I come up then to have them attracted to my location, waiting around with spinning props overhead and hope that they do the right thing when I come up. Just to be clear this is not how i feel, it is what I have experienced over the last 45 years of diving and boating.

---------- Post added May 10th, 2015 at 06:58 AM ----------

When I am just diving in our local lakes, I have a smaller marker. When I travel and am diving in the open ocean, I carry a DAN DSMB - it's big, it can also be used as a life ring, it is radar reflective, can lift 35Lbs, and can be inflated in a myriad of ways.

I have only dived in kelp once. I had a marker with me. One purpose of a marker is to make you more visible - if you were unable to return to shore (I don't know, maybe swept out by current), a marker will make you more visible for anyone looking for you.

The only time I carry a DSMB and reel is when I am on a dive charter boat. I have never had to use it but if I did need it I would deploy it when I was on the surface not from below. If I am left behind by the boat I would want to be more visible but I would not know that until I reached the surface. The reel is not for use with the DSMB, it is used to keep me in place by either attaching it to something on the bottom or to my weight belt and the dropping the belt so it will act as an anchor. When someone comes back to search for me they would start the search at my last known location and expand the search out from that spot. I want to be in the first place they will come looking for me and the reel will help me stay there. I was carrying a reel decades before there was a DSMB to attach it to for just that reason.

 

[KenGordon]

The reel is not for use with the DSMB, it is used to keep me in place by either attaching it to something on the bottom or to my weight belt and the dropping the belt so it will act as an anchor. When someone comes back to search for me they would start the search at my last known location and expand the search out from that spot. I want to be in the first place they will come looking for me and the reel will help me stay there. I was carrying a reel decades before there was a DSMB to attach it to.

Here the coast guard has software to predict where a drifting person will end up from a given man overboard position. I think it can even account for divers finning towards land.

 

[Oldbear]

Dive Float -We have one dive area that is also a ski boat area so ALL dives require a float there.

SMB/DSMB - I carry one all the time, both instructing and personal dives. As an instructor I have never needed one, but have used the SMB and DSMB during instructional courses. Personal diving I have used the DSMB a few time for establishing a vertical reference and once as a lift bag to move an anchor. In Thailand diving the Similan Islands we would deploy them so the pickup boat could find us. Just one of those devices when you need one it is nice to have one rather than wishing you did.

I saw some earlier discussion on reels and finger spools. Here is my opinion for their primary use:

Float - Connect to a reel with a clutch so the line does not go everywhere.
Reels - Use for horizontal line laying.
Finger Spools - For vertical DSMB deployment.

 

[Rich Keller]

Here the coast guard has software to predict where a drifting person will end up from a given man overboard position. I think it can even account for divers finning towards land.

Thats great but I think they would use that when two or more boats are involved in the search. One will always start at your last known position to be sure that 100% of the search area is covered and the other could go to where they think you might be to start a separate search. So if you were in the water for 30 minutes boat 1 could start at your last known, boat 2 could start at where they think you might be at 45 minutes and both boats would run their search patterns towards each other to cover the most likely area in half the time.

---------- Post added May 10th, 2015 at 08:07 AM ----------

The reason I asked was because you mentioned that you have not had the need to deploy a DSMB. I was trying to clarify that the reason to use the DSMB especially for me was to make sure vessels above would not run into me when surfacing. I can not tow an SMB thru the kelp so a DSMB is my best option. I assumed it was what most prefer to use.

I have no experience diving or boating in kelp but I am assuming that you are leaving the kelp area before you surface if you expect to see these boats approaching you from underwater. IF these boats are less likely to go through the kelp would it not be a better idea to surface at the edge of that area rather then in open water?