How many actually use diver buoy or surface marker buoy?

[Nemrod]

i always use some sort of surface float with a legal dive flag presented on it. I fly a flag on my kayak when kayak diving or if beach/shore diving I tow a float with the flag. One of the floats I tow is a car inner tube with a mesh bottom. I also have a torpedo float I tow also with a flag. I have an old Pelican end over type reel I use with them. But I have also repurposed one of my old cave reels for the same job.

I also just about always carry a DSMB. Some years ago on a six pack out of Pensacola I was dropped with my two buddies on a wreck. Upon arriving at the wreck, I realized the wreck had broken in two. I could see marks on the sea floor, that indicated to me that perhaps a winter storm or some storm had pushed the now two wrecks apart. I signaled to my buddies to follow me and they both nodded and so I went off on to the sand. Only to look around and realize they had remained on the "little" piece the captain put us down on and had anchored up on. Well, okay, I could now see the main part of the wreck and so I carried on (bad, bad Nemrod). I had a great dive, got some nice photos, a lot of critters and a great solo dive. Well, the current, especially at the surface was strong and there were about three foot seas running. I had bumped into deco but I had plenty of air and knew the deco obligation would resolve itself as soon as I hit 30 feet (and it did). But still, I did a two minute stop at 30 feet and then my "safety stop" at 15 feet. I knew that five minutes at stops plus ascent time adrift in the current would put me far away from the anchored six pack (and it did). So, I shot my DSMB from the wreck at 90 feet after reaching it and hooking it off to a rail. Then, upon deciding I was enough into deco, returned, grabbed my reel and began my ascent reeling up my line as I ascended.

The captain was happy that he could see my buoy and he knew we had split up below. My buddies had come up and he was pulling anchor, I had drifted about a quarter mile or more before he could get the anchor up and get under way but all along my DSMB was clearly visible.

N

 

[shoredivr]

I carry a DSMB on every dive with knots placed in the line every 10 feet starting at 60'. If I ever have a computer failure I have my watch for time and the knotted line for depth...comes in handy if you incurred a deco obligation. My instructor, Steve Lewis, drilled this practice into me.

Me as well. I went one step further and put 6 knots 1/4 inch apart at 60, 5 knots 1/4 inch apart at 50, and so on. It's not exact, as the DSMB can be pulled a bit under the surface, but I like it.

 

[SanDiegoSidemount]

Used my SMB just last Saturday.

I always carry the SMB, spool and double ender in my right thigh pocket, but haven't needed it much in the past few months except on training dives. On this particular dive, our boat had popped its stern anchor and swung around when the wind suddenly shifted. So when we returned to where we thought the boat was, no anchor or boat were in sight. Small boat traffic is always a concern at this location.

No problem, we just ascended a bit and shot the SMB from 20 feet. It's a compact 44" one, oral inflate, on a finger spool with 100 feet of line. Did our Min Deco stops at 20 and 10 feet swimming into the current, then surfaced to find the boat where it had settled around 100 feet away. Traded OK signals with the DM and swam on over while purging and rolling up the SMB.

A walk in the park. Easy, safe, and routine, as every SMB deployment should be.



This is the rig I carry. Nice and compact, fits in a thigh pocket or hangs happily from any D-ring. One thing you can't see is there's a fishing swivel spliced into the line about 18 inches from the buoy. This prevents the line from getting twisted and hard to reel in smoothly as you ascend.

 

[D_B]

I always carry one, bungied and tucked under my wing along one side of the BC's back plate as I've seen on a BP&W , and a spool of 100ft line clipped to a D ring ... I've used it on a drift dive where it was a requirement to carry one, and I think I can roll it back up and re-stow it if i need to (never had to)
... I consider it a safety device and carry it every dive

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

I have to wonder if one reason so many scuba divers fail to tow a float is because they are not using the optimal gear. For example, a round float ball is hard to pull and generates tremendous drag in a current. An innertube with a flag, provides good hand holds to rest on, but it also challenging to tow through the surf and provides a lot of drag.

The typical “dive flag with float” configuration is inexpensive, but will be pulled underwater in anything less than a mild current and it has no reserve buoyancy to provide diver support on the surface.

What’s a better way? We recommend that diver consider a combination of:

• a hard float, Hawaiian Hard Float | MAKO Spearguns
• a dive flag mount,
• a ratcheting reel Utility Reel | MAKO Spearguns
• and a dive hook. Reef Hook | MAKO Spearguns

The hard float is essentially a life guard “rescue can”. It has several hand holds, is indestructible, can be towed through the surf because it is so hydrodynamic – yet still provides considerable buoyancy - which may be necessary in an emergency. (This is why life guards use these floats). The dive flag mount is very securely attached with a strong elastic belt that is fitted with a lead counter weight that works to keep the flag upright.

I’ve put a lot of thought into this. We have an optional “Florida legal” dive flag which meets the size requirement AND includes the mandatory flag stiffener which is mandated when diving within the State of Florida. The small, white, plastic ball on top of the fiberglass rod is added strictly for your safety. Should someone accidentally fall onto the float while on a boat or shore, the ball may provide some degree of protection.

We've added a strong, inexpensive reel which has 150-ft of nylon line. This reel will not free spool which can result in a bird’s nest of line. The reel has an automatic ratcheting lever that is easily controlled by the diver. You press the level with your thumb and line will be released. When you want to stop the release of line, you release the lever and the reel will instantly stop releasing line. There is no knob to tighten or loosen. Release of line is accomplished completely with just one hand.

We’ve had customers use this reel to anchor a kayak, so it can definitely take the tension generated from a dive float in strong currents.

We also offer a small grappling hook which can allow the diver to anchor the float on appropriate bottom structure. The hook can be attached to the frame (handle) of the reel.

Once of the big benefits of using a good reel on your float is that you can easily and precisely control the amount of line deployed. If you are diving near tall shipwrecks or reefs, then you may want to keep the line shorter, so it is less likely to get tangled on the superstructure of a wreck. If the current is strong and there are no similar hazards, then paying out additional line (scope) will make the float easier to tow, because the angle will be more gentle between the float and the diver.

Of course, using a reel to tow a float is best when ascending as well. The diver can easily wind up the line, which helps to control the ascent rate. Once a safety stop depth is reached, the ratcheting function is very nice because you can hang below the float or even drop the reel without fear of it falling back down (thanks to the ratcheting lock function) . You also have the security of ascending DIRECTLY under the float as you slowly wind in the last 15 feet or so of line.


We had some positive feedback from SB divers on this gear selection, but we also realized that it is tough to find everything when navigating through our site...So we made it easy.. We assembled everything into one package and then discounted it 10% off our already low (Factory Direct) price.

SCUBA Divers Surface Float Package | Mako Spearguns

Thanks for taking the time to read this.


Dano

 

[Nemrod]

Wow, I could only imagine that as carry on much less the astonished faces on the TSA.

N

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Wow, I could only imagine that as carry on much less the astonished faces on the TSA.

N

Glad you asked! Air travel with a hard float is not practical. That is why traveling spearos generally use inflatable floats. We offer these options as well, although they are not in packages..

Economical Float Marker

Professional Inflatable Spearfishing Float | MAKO Spearguns

High Pressure Spearfishing Float | MAKO Spearguns

 

[Horwin]

I carry an smb and never use it, I try to avoid towing a flag whenever possible depending on conditions. On my boat there is usually a flag anyway and I will sometimes tie a long rope between the buoy/second flag and the boat. A few times my flag has attracted boat traffic which I did not want ( people driving overhead to look at the flag or potentially crossing my anchor line). When I am in Maine there is no flag requirement.

 

[AfterDark]

I'm a founding member of the FTFS That is F/// The Flag Society here in RI. I hate towing a flag around but, found my solution at least here in RI where the flag is required by law. Most of the time enforcement is just looking for divers exiting the water without a flag/float. I can't recall ever hearing of a diver being stopped and cited for not towing a flag while diving. Like many that posted in this thread I carry a SMB/reel on every dive. So I had a flag sewn onto the SMB. When I get close to the exit point I deploy the SMB/flag and exit with it in my hand in full view for the nice enforcement officers to see! I've done it dozens of times and it never fails! When I'm diving it is rolled up in my safety pocket (contains a: SMB/reel, a 50# lift bag a signal mirror, whistle and a jon-line) that is affixed with book screws to the waist strap of my harness.



I've deployed it a few times in high boat traffic areas but I've only actually surfaced under a few times. I prefer to surface in <10FSW near shore or up the anchor line of the boat I'm diving from.

 

[Z Gear]

I'm a founding member of the FTFS That is F/// The Flag Society here in RI. I hate towing a flag around but, found my solution at least here in RI where the flag is required by law. Most of the time enforcement is just looking for divers exiting the water without a flag/float. I can't recall ever hearing of a diver being stopped and cited for not towing a flag while diving. Like many that posted in this thread I carry a SMB/reel on every dive. So I had a flag sewn onto the SMB. When I get close to the exit point I deploy the SMB/flag and exit with it in my hand in full view for the nice enforcement officers to see! I've done it dozens of times and it never fails! When I'm diving it is rolled up in my safety pocket (contains a: SMB/reel, a 50# lift bag a signal mirror, whistle and a jon-line) that is affixed with book screws to the waist strap of my harness.

View attachment 208625

I've deployed it a few times in high boat traffic areas but I've only actually surfaced under a few times. I prefer to surface in <10FSW near shore or up the anchor line of the boat I'm diving from.

I actually like that idea of attaching the flag to the SMB/DSMB. I wonder why they don't sell them this way?