Safety sausage as a marker buoy?

[Diver Dennis]

ok,,,please don't ride my *** on this one.. If for a very rare epsoide I need to inflate my sausage why would I do it at depth,like my 15 foot safety stop and not at the surface?

Like All4scuba said, some sites can have several dive boats around and deploying your SMB will let them know there are divers in that location. For me, especially on drift dives, it lets the boat know where I am and I don't have to wait on the surface for very long. If I'm on a boat with other divers, I'm usually far behind them, taking pictures.

 

[Jason B]

Hi JeffG,

It's logical and easy enough for any diver with proper buoyancy control and a few dives under their belt to master ... a lot easier than a reel / spool or string

From the looks of your video clip, no buoyancy control is needed at all, just kneel on the bottom.

 

[scarefaceDM]

I just looked at that video clip of how to use a SMB. It actually looked complicated. Take package out of pocket, un wrap package, put wrist strap on..( not a good idea ) un wrap somemore, then make whole for reg to inflat system...OH forgot settle on bottom...inflate..watch the balloon go....It is fine from a fixed position and a depth not exceeding the strap-line...but if your in a current and there is no bottom to kneel on...The fumbling around with that type of system is rather complex if not practiced. Let alone wraping a strap around your wrist, you risk of going up with the SMB if your bouyancy is not controlled as you deploy such a system.

This is why I rather have a finger spool incase the SMB gets dragged by current. I have more control this way as the line will unspool rather than drag me up with it.

 

[Charlie99]

ok,,,please don't ride my *** on this one.. If for a very rare epsoide I need to inflate my sausage why would I do it at depth,like my 15 foot safety stop and not at the surface?

I see three main uses of sausages:

DON'T HIT ME! --- launching even a small buoy or sausage from safety stop depth warns boats of your presence, and also gives your boat a head's up that you will soon surface. A small sausage and 30' of line are sufficient.

I'M OVER HERE, DOING MY ASCENT AND DECO STOPS --- if you are going to be doing long drifting deco stops, or long ascent drifting with the current after leaving a wreck, you need a BIG sausage or lift bag and either a reel or a spool with line 1.5 or 2 times longer than the max depth. Big lift bags with overpressure reliefs are good for this. Launching a small sausage only when you finally get to safety stop or the surface may not work, because you will have drifted too far away from the wreck and the boat by the time you either surface or get to 15'.

I'M OVER HERE ON THE SURFACE ---- if for some reason the boat is way off in the distance, you need a variety of signalling tools to get their attention; or failing that, the attention of other boats and searchers. Monster sized sausages, dive lights, whistles, Dive-Alerts, and mirrors are some of those devices. For this purpose, I carry a large yet compact FM36 signalling tube from Trident Dive. 6" diameter x 7' tall. Bright orange plastic a bit thicker than a heavy duty garbage and lawn trash bag. Still prone to being punctured, though, so the one that lives in my BCD pocket is encased in a bicycle innertube. About the size of a big cigar. Obviously, if you get a really big lift bag, it can serve as both an indicator of where you are doing ascent and stops, and function as a surface signalling device in case of boat separation.

 

[crpntr133]

Here is the one that I use. Big but nice.

 

[Udo Hartig]

I just looked at that video clip of how to use a SMB. It actually looked complicated. Take package out of pocket, un wrap package, put wrist strap on..( not a good idea ) un wrap somemore, then make whole for reg to inflat system...OH forgot settle on bottom...inflate..watch the balloon go....It is fine from a fixed position and a depth not exceeding the strap-line...but if your in a current and there is no bottom to kneel on...The fumbling around with that type of system is rather complex if not practiced. Let alone wraping a strap around your wrist, you risk of going up with the SMB if your bouyancy is not controlled as you deploy such a system.

There is no part in the video or Instructions http://www.surfacemarker.com/content/view/17/59/lang,en/ that show putting the lanyard on your wrist before deployment. Don't you take your SMB out of your pocket and unroll it before you inflate?

The kneeling on the bottom was only done to ensure that the model and cameraman where always in the same frame, can be quite tricky when you're suspended in liquid.

 

[james croft]

Webbing on it makes it ok for a hang bag while making a safety stop. Good thing the diver in the video was at the same depth of water as the webbing or he may have made a hasty ascent. I think using a spool would make it more versatile or allow you to deploy it much deeper.

 

[scarefaceDM]

I do unroll it..but it is one move...simple pull from my back plate and deploy. It is allready to go. Hold spool in left hand, check bouyancy and depth, Insert reg, purge alittle, filler-up and off it goes...

Holding an SMB all while being trimed out and hoovering..is quite the task mind you...

Just takes lots of practice. But the lanyard on the wrist thing posses a risk none- the-less. IMO

Film-makers......

There is no part in the video or Instructions http://www.surfacemarker.com/content/view/17/59/lang,en/ that show putting the lanyard on your wrist before deployment. Don't you take your SMB out of your pocket and unroll it before you inflate?

The kneeling on the bottom was only done to ensure that the model and cameraman where always in the same frame, can be quite tricky when you're suspended in liquid.

 

[Udo Hartig]

I do unroll it..but it is one move...simple pull from my back plate and deploy. It is allready to go. Hold spool in left hand, check bouyancy and depth, Insert reg, purge alittle, filler-up and off it goes...

Holding an SMB all while being trimed out and hoovering..is quite the task mind you...

Just takes lots of practice. But the lanyard on the wrist thing posses a risk none- the-less. IMO

Film-makers......

As a tech diver you know what it’s about, and it isn’t always easy. I am all for finger spools for what you are doing.

The Surface Marker WDS is for recreational divers doing no more than a safety stop. I have used reels and spools for many years IMO this is best suited for non tech diver.

We have more products later this year that will suite you as a tech diver.

 

[scarefaceDM]

Here is a little reading based on using finger spools while deploying a SMB. Written by Halcyon.
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How do I deploy a lift bag or surface marker using a spool?

Proper trim and buoyancy is an essential part of any dive. It becomes critical during the final phase of the dive, facilitating effortless ascent procedures and effective decompression.

In many diving scenarios, surface markers can be utilized in the event of an emergency, or in order to maintain communication with the surface contingent of the team while divers are decompressing. A dive team must be able to deploy any one of several inflatable surface markers with ease.

Whether stranded adrift in the ocean or in need of a way to signal or be tracked by a dive boat, Halcyon has a solution for you. From our small surface signaling devices to our full six foot divers life raft, we have an array of sturdy and reliable life support devices designed to inflate with ease via a standard SCUBA low pressure inflator fitting.

The closed circuit design
While maintaining neutral buoyancy and horizontal trim, divers can easily deploy a closed circuit surface marker utilizing a standard SCUBA low-pressure inflator hose. Prior to reaching an appropriate depth for deployment, unplug the low-pressure inflator hose you intend to use and remove the marker from the MC Storage Pack.

During an ascent, the need for addition of gas to the dry suit or wing is rare, leaving the low-pressure inflator easily available for brief, effortless, marker inflation. With the marker below the diver's chest, a small amount of maneuvering gas is added to unfold or straighten out the marker and allows it to be more easily controlled. This can be done either orally or with a small "shot" of gas added via the inflator hose. Gas addition is accomplished by pushing the inflator hose onto the quick disconnect fitting on the surface marker and holding them together until the desired amount of gas is added. The quick disconnect fitting WILL NOT lock into place.

The marker is then held out in front of the diver at arms length. With the free hand, unclip a spool and slip the looped end of the line through the eye of the stainless steel bolt snap at the bottom of the marker. Pass the spool through the loop, thus securing it to the marker. Now a final charge of gas appropriate to the depth of release is added and the marker is released. Allow the spool to turn freely while maintaining tension on the line as the marker rises to the surface.

It is important to note that the line is used for reference and is not to hang from. It can be spooled up incrementally and locked down at each decompression stop when used as a free-floating deco station.

Cold Water Tip: For divers wearing thick gloves, simply make an "OK" sign around the line, just above the spool, with the line playing out between the thumb and forefinger of the "OK". The spool will not plummet to the depths; rather it will dance about seeming to hover below your hand, while the marker travels upward.