Safety Sausage

[abitton]

I've been looking at the one by DAN myself. I like that it has all the other accessories with it.

Can anyone else comment on the one that DAN puts out?

Found here:

http://diversalertnetwork.org/catalog/products/641-1000.html

I'll also vouch for it. Mind you, I've never had to use it in an emergency, but it deploys well, and is very visible (according to my usual charter captain - he saw it sticking out when I practiced deployment).

However, as stated by another poster, you cannot use a direct inflaction system with it. Hasn't been an issue for me, and I think most sausages don't have that feature.

YMMV,

A.

 

[ishbaby]

hmm, i think i should get myself one.

 

[drbill]

I've been looking for one I like, mainly for my blue water deco stops. Also thinking of them for dive boat emergencies when I can't surface timely (due to deco obligation) as it will indicate to the captain where I am underwater. So far I like the Halcyon Big Diver Alert SMB.

 

[Charlie99]

Consider where you'll put it, before you buy one. I bought the ultra cheap one sold by Trident. It's 10 feet tall, but made of such cheap plastic (like a 10 foot tall red plastic bag) that it rolls up very small. All but one of the times I've deployed it, someone has comented how much better theirs was ...but they couldn't show me how great theirs was, because it was at home. If you don't bring your sausage for drift dives in the Carribean, there's no point in owning one.

(emphasis added). I agree heartily. Those orange garbage bags are easily punctured or ripped by other stuff in you BCD pocket, though, so I protect it by encasing it in a short section of skinny bike innertube.

The monster sized garbage bag tube permanently lives in my BCD pocket whether or not I bring the smaller 4" x 44" sausage with 25' of cord for deployment from safety stop depths as a "don't run me over" signal. Pic and description of smaller sausage

 

[skateboarddiver]

I personally use a Safety See Me sausage with a safety reel. It is inexpensive and useful. Bright orange or yellow make these very "fast" colors. But if you are looking to hang at you safety stop, go with something with a little more lift.

 

[witchhead]

I just bought a new one from a company called Surface Marker (http://www.surfacemarker.com). It is very compact yet very visible so you can always carry it with you. A unique feature is the "Webbing Deployment System". Works great and is much safer then using a string and you do not need a reel.

I deploy whenever I make a safety stop

 

[CompuDude]

I just bought a new one from a company called Surface Marker (http://www.surfacemarker.com). It is very compact yet very visible so you can always carry it with you. A unique feature is the "Webbing Deployment System". Works great and is much safer then using a string and you do not need a reel.

I deploy whenever I make a safety stop

Very interesting. It's not practical for uses at depths deeper than the 15' safety stop, but quite simple and handy for those situations. I might have to steal the idea for use with my existing SMB... it's just bungie, some stainless hardware, and 15' of 3/4" webbing...

 

[akscuba]

I'll also vouch for it. Mind you, I've never had to use it in an emergency, but it deploys well, and is very visible (according to my usual charter captain - he saw it sticking out when I practiced deployment).

However, as stated by another poster, you cannot use a direct inflaction system with it. Hasn't been an issue for me, and I think most sausages don't have that feature.

YMMV,

A.

I am also a big fan of the DAN SMB I own. I don't keep the whistle or mirror with it though--makes it far too big, and it's pretty bulky already.

one thing about it--I would HIGHLY recommend buying bungee to attach it instead of the attachment it comes with--when I first took it out to practice I had a very hard time getting it off of my BC with the clip it came with. I've since gotten the hang of it, but it's still tricky, so I've decided to make the switch for ease of removal in an emergency, by me or a buddy.

 

[tc_rain]

How about the SOS from Aqualung?

 

[BradDB]

However, as stated by another poster, you cannot use a direct inflaction system with it. Hasn't been an issue for me, and I think most sausages don't have that feature.

A.

Just to clarify - the DAN SMB (which I own) can be inflated in three ways:
1. Low pressure hose
2. Orally, using the same inlet
3. From the bottom using a second stage. There is a one-way valve in the neck to prevent the air from leaving the way it came in.

This SMB folds nicely in the Halcyon MC backplate storage pack.