How many actually use diver buoy or surface marker buoy?

[OBXDIVEGUY]

Very common here in SE Florida. We'll hot drop on a wreck, and then the boat will sort of circle around the waypoint on the GPS. When we start our ascent off the wreck, we'll shoot a smb on a reel to the surface to drift with, and the boat will follow until we back up.

 

[Yoyodyne-88]

Dive flag required by law in NH.

PITA.

It really offers little protection from boats. I've seen boats drive right up to see what it is, troll salmon gear right through the flag area, or complain we are blocking traffic. Lobster boats will drive right over diver buoys deliberately.

On the other hand when working I often trail an inner tube with a milk crate inside it, and mount a flag on that. Handy for misc dive gear, tools, or treasure.

 

[Wookie]

I use one on all of my cave dives. A snorkel too.

J/K. I don't really cave dive.

They are handy when recovering a porthole from a wreck.

 

[azmodan50]

It's a law in NY to have a flag. The only time I don't take a flag is if I plan to stay within 100' of the boat which has a flag raised.

There really should be stiffer penalties for boaters coming within 100' of our flag. Around here they act as if they are slalom markers. Pretty dangerous if you have to do an EOOA.

 

[Kmart4321]

I use one on all of my cave dives. A snorkel too.

J/K. I don't really cave dive.

They are handy when recovering a porthole from a wreck.

In all seriousness though, as a boat operator, do you like seeing them pop or are they just a waste of time to you?
Cheers

 

[diver 85]

ALWAYS have a reel & SMB strapped to my azz-end.......Why not???.........

 

[Locus]

It amazes me that many do not consider DSMB deployment a vital skill.

There really should be stiffer penalties for boaters coming within 100' of our flag.

 

[lowviz]

It's a law in NY to have a flag.

Yep, most amusing. I have to drag a boater's target over acres of polluted shellfish beds for my own safety. God forbid that I bend some boater's prop.

In a similar vein, I have a current NJ shellfish license. It allows me to unload clean shellfish in NJ that were collected offshore. Nothing open inshore that I can find (in NJ). But I digress...

 

[Storker]

I take an smb and spool on every dive, whether from a boat or from shore.

Me too. However, I don't deploy it regularly on shore dives. Only once in a while to avoid my technique becoming too rusty. I really should do it more often, because it helps me to ascend r-e-a-l-l-y slowly from my SS.

On boat dives I usually shoot it. Although the risk of being hit by a boat upon surfacing is close to nil, it helps the boat tender to spot me easily. Makes for less hollering and waving to get their attention, and if I'm close to the agreed max run time it tells them I'm on my way up and sticking to the schedule. That way they don't have to worry whether they should start thinking about calling emergency services.

The standard deal around here is "if you're three minutes over max run time, we call 112"

--
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[nolatom]

We talking flag, or Surface marker buoy?

I HATE flag buoys, but rent one when I hafta (Phil Foster Park in Palm Beach).

I don't use a surface marker buoy, meaning deployed from a reel when still down there, during ascent. Often my buddies do. Cool.

I do carry a surface sausage on all dives, and often use it on drift dives so the boat can find me. You never know....