Dumb question department... Dive Flags

[texdiveguy]

Here's Frank's take on Dive flags.....

*Dive Flags are Idiot Magnets !!

* There is no universal legal DIR way to employ a dive flag.

* Place the flag near where you enter and abandon the thing quickly.
Pick up the weight when you return and follow the bottom to the shore.

* Never surface near your dive flag if you hear any boat noise.
It is a good way to get your head knocked off by a jet ski.

* Use a heaver weight then you actually need since waves
and that sudden Summer storm can drag a small weight away
along with your pricey little flag and tube.

* The dive flag rope is the most dangerous piece of equipment you own.

* When offending boats encroch into your dive flag marked area don't
be an *** hole about it. :no Just let your sweet wife or pretty girl friend
explain the fines they might get and they will understand, thank you,
then and move on counting they're blessings. Trust me it works better that way.
So what if you don't have a wife or pretty girl friend :huh:
Well... you can just talk like a girl and they usually clear out as fast as they came
(Oh Youuuuu Whoooooooo !! )

* You can't tow a dive flag in Oklahoma but you can and must in Florida.
BTW... I got busted in Florida for snorkeling without a flag and
you would think I had been trafficing narcotics or something.

* Know the dive flag laws where you dive but use your brain.

ALSO-- DON"T leave your dive flag on the shore while you are enjoying your SI time,,,,just might not be there when you get back...as in STOLEN,,,, just ask
Timeliner or me...happened to us!!!

 

[Foo]

that sudden Summer storm

Ever been in one of these, Frank?

 

[tedtim]

Braz didn't have the line attached to himself, he just anchored down and started pulling back !!!

It was kinda funny! You could see Bubba pull on the buoy, and then you could see it jerk back.

Bet he was thinking, "Dang !!!! It's gonna take a helluva long time to clean this here'n!"

the K

Perhaps Bubba can't read.

 

[Foo]

Perhaps Bubba can't read.

Maybe he thought it was a distress flag?

 

[texdiveguy]

I was witness Sat. to how quite well standard dive flags work even in 60mph winds gusts and sustained 40mph winds on a lake.....they do very well!

 

[jchapman3]

In the for-what-it's worth department... Below is a picture of the dive flag I purchased and a monolog on how I configured it...and some things I learned REAL QUICK about it.

Basically, it's an inner tube inside a canvas case, with a mount for the flag pole. And before I sound like a complete idiot this "simple" thing came with no instructions (not even the pretty picture kind)...hindsite and practical application made LOTS of things very clear...that I didn't even consider at first.

First, should you purchase one of these fine gizmo's, you'll also need to pick up cable (rope to those of you not educated by the USN) and an anchor. I got climbing style 100' braided cable from Home Depot in a "special" bin for $8. I picked up an 8lb bell anchor from Acadamy Sports. Next, there is a brace and strap included in the kit; that you need to lash to the inner tube before you inflate it, and save yourself a wrastling match, install this at 90 degrees from the fill valve. This allows the brace to line up with a small hole in the top of the canvas, but leaves the fill valve at most exposed point under the zipper.

My first go, I tied one end of the cable onto a carabiner and latched that to the anchor. I tied the other end to the drop d-ring underneath the float. I neatly coiled the cable on top of the float and placed the anchor in the center and set it off to the side while I got geared up. The first big gust of wind grabbed the flag and tipped it over, spilling my now-not-so-neatly-coiled cable onto the ground. On my way into the water, I towed the float with me. While I was putting my fins on a wave knocked the cable (coiled, but not so neatly) into the water. Now I have a rats-nest way too close to my feet arms, etc. Now the game is to not get tangled in the cable...and with 100' of line in 20' of water and 1-2' swells...that's damn near impossible. This was an event potential I absolutely did not care for; fortunately it did not kill me. I decided that this operation needed substantial improvement, or I needed to find a waste bin...or another gullable rookie. I had a practical lesson on what what Frank said.. "* The dive flag rope is the most dangerous piece of equipment you own." Amen...and a dive knife ain't gonna do you no good if your arms are tangled to your torso...

Plan B: And this works VERY Well. I moved the carabiner end to the brace on the INSIDE of the tube (there's a HUGE cavity in there). Coiled the cable inside the tube. I brought the cable out a hole in the zippered center, threaded it through a d-ring on the side, then though the center d-ring under the center. (You can see the cable go "over the side" in the attached picture...the anchor is inside.) I then attached a new carabiner to the anchor.

With this setup, all the cable is INSIDE the float until I'm ready for it, as is the anchor, and all excess cable is well managed. When I reached my dive spot, I unziped the top, lifted the anchor out and then payed cable out through the d-rings. Once I had bottom, I added a foot or so of slack, then tied a slip not on the side of the tube so that the wind wouldn't force more cable to pay out.

Retrieval is super easy... I hualed the anchor up from the underside, and my dive buddy fed the cable back into the center. Then together, we each took a handled and make a leasurely swim back to shore. Easy, self-contained, zero surplus cable in the water, and FAR LESS dangerous... although I like Frank's idea of locating the anchor and towing that back to shore... I'll have to work on my "re-locating my anchor skills" for that one though...that will have to be another lesson I learn...

I also got a valuable on-site dive tip from TexDiveGuy, where he suggested that I toss a few of my spare weights inside the float...making them easilly accessible should we need to add (or store removed) weight for boyancy changes over the descent point.

In the event that this info is groundbreaking (and not just the ramblings of a rookie figuring out something basic)... I can provide pictures of the inside and outside config, should anyone be considering acquiring one of these devices. I picked mine up at ScubaToys and the flag size is Okiehoma legal... You can see from the pic, the flag is fairly large (21" I think is the rule).

P.S. the kit comes with a little plastic C clip that pinches over the flag and the flag pole. You may as well just go ahead and throw that away from the get go, it simply exists to just break or get lost (mine did the latter on it's second outing). Get some zip ties and yank them down tight around the eyelets.

 

[ryanpublic]

Thanks for the advice. (I think I may be the gullible rookie because I already bought one)! And Cable confused me because I wasn't a squid.

I like the anchor idea.

I have a similar setup (same float), but I looped my rope around the float perpindiculare to the Zipper. On each side I fed it through the clips and finished off a bowline knot under the float. I did this to keep the rope from pulling my drings and clips off.

Then I got one of those big orange reels. It fits in the float and barely holds my 100' of 5/8" rope. The idea is to take the reel out and feed out rope as I descend. Then I tie the rope off down below leaving my spare rope on the reel. Usually tucked under something like a sailboat or platform.

I had a small 3/8" rope but my dive buddies said it needed to be thicker. At least half an inch.

I also tied a butterfly knot about 15 feet down from my float so I could hook things on it for my safety stop. Magazines, toilet paper, you know just the basics.

I haven't used mine very much yet.

 

[UndrWatrDan]

Bubba Joe proceeds to try to collect his new found treasure from the lake.

I think I met Bubba Joe at Tyler State Park last April, but this time he had rented a canoe and was trying to collect my dive flag as his prize! :no

 

[jchapman3]

The cable I've got attached is a 5/8th; and at 8 bucks it was the cheapest part of the setup. I bet the reel is even better insurance against tangling. I like the 15 foot butterfly knot idea... the tie on possibilities are endless; besides magazines and t-paper, you could tie on a cell phone, lounge chair, ice chest, pillow ...

However, if I understand your setup correctly... your "fixed" end is on the tube and you descend with the reel, so a knot at 15' is always in the same place. In my config... my fixed end is at the "long end" of the 100'; I lower the anchor from the surface, so 15' is relative based on how much line I let out... hmmm....

I'd love to see a picture of that D-Ring setup next time you hual it out.

 

[Timeliner]

JC ... You forgot to tell everybody about the 6x9 Speakers, The Alpine CD player, the lighted makeup mirror, heated and cooled cup holders, The beverage dispenser and the Tropical Midnight Blue Gucci Suede interior with map pockets.
Would you believe that model comes with LoJack now !!

Be sure you Scotch Guard the Bimini Top pretty soon to keep it looking cool !