Safety sausage as a marker buoy?

[O2BBubbleFree]

To those who responded to my questions to Scareface, thanks.

I understand the use of the SMB, and drifting along with it.

I guess I misunderstood Scarface's post. When he mentioned having extra line in case the SMB was 'getting dragged away with the current.' I was envisioning a surface current much stronger than the current at his deployment depth. So I envisioned his SMB being far down current by the time he finished his stops. My bad.

 

[scarefaceDM]

no worries

 

[Meng_Tze]

I think it is a bad idea. Boaters, including those who have taken boating safety, are trained to look out for a diving flag or a flag on a float.

Safety sausage offer low visibility, they often lay flat in the water, and actually might bring attention to boaters who might get closer for a second look.

Our goal should be to maximize visibility at the surface and use standard marking that all boaters know and respect.

I would like to be able to agree with this. But here where I live (FL), I can get a boat and pilot it across the waters without any form of training. There are many small craft (jet ski's, power boats, speedboats etc) that have many partying people on them. Not all are aware of a: what a SMB is/means, and B: the SMB even being there.

SMB's need to sit up as high as possible, yes, but also not be attached to the diver in any way shape or form in case someone misses it and takes it for a ride.

 

[crpntr133]

So what size pony bottle should I carry? Slung or tank mounted? Will a BP/W put me face down on the surface?

 

[Guba]

Upon surfacing at our full fledged buoy anchored in a lake, complete with dive flag and markings, my parters and I were surprised to find a Sea-Doo parked alongside. The teenaged driver and his passenger seemed surprised to see us. "Hey, mister," the passenger piped up as he held up the corner of the flag. "What is this?"

I spit out my regulator and replied, "About a $250 fine, if we'd be lucky enough for a patrol boat to come along."

It would be nice, indeed, if watercraft operators had to know what a dive flag means, but in this neck o' the woods, that just isn't the case.

 

[DandyDon]

At least he asked, instead of taking it with him. :lol2:

It happens even off of Key Largo, the most dived location in the US - as they rent those to tourists there. Pull a flag if away from the dive boat, pop a sausage or whatever before surfacing, but I always listen hard at the SStop for motors - and make sure I am slightly negative even with an emtpy tanks so I can duck fast.

 

[MarkUK]

I always carry a DSMB and a reel when I am diving in the UK or on assignment abroad - you never know when you might need to let the boat know where you are, and if you are whizzing along in a current, it is no good waiting till you hit the surface to inflate your safety sausage, as you could be miles away from the boat.

My DSMB is about two metres long, yet it rolls up tightly and clips on the front of my Glide Tek BCD out of the way. It has a self-sealing bottom and a dump valve, so once it reaches full capacity, it vents any excess air. This means it is rock solid on the surface and if I put a little weight on the reel, it stands straight upright.

The reel I used is by a company called Bodaine, here in the UK. It is small, compact and carries 50 metres of line. I've attached a pic off their website - www.bodaine.co.uk – so you can see the size of it.

Mark

 

[dschulte]

Only if you get separated from your dive buddy and need to surface away from the dive flag. They are great for stabilizing a safety stop in rough water. As a float or surface marker, I would rather drag an old tire around than a safety sausage, they do not tow well.
:monkeydan

 

[fisherdvm]

Not sure where you're from (no profile info), but around here that's sure not the case. Who trains boaters to recognize dive flags?

Some states, Iowa was one, required boater safety. The one I took did not show typical tubes. But if you have one that is high visibility at a distance by a speeding boat, more power to you.

My fear is getting snagged by a prop and pulled to the surface faster than I should.

There are too many kids riding boats and jetski on the water with no knowledge of what a red flag with white stripe means.

 

[AmyJ]

That's...certainly an interesting deployment system to launch an SMB.

Ok... somehow I snagged the wrong quote... jeez!!! Anyway.. in response to why shoot from depth not at surface....


I like somewhere to hang for a safety stop... if the surface is the least bit rough and I can see it and feel it from 15-20 feet... I will start puking... but if I can hang on a line and look down... I am fine.