Safety stop anchor double as a sausage?

[lord.harshil]

No sir, not where I dive. Massachussetts, Rhode Island, NJ, Va Beach, NC, and when I got cert'd in the florida keys I've never seen someone blow a bag for a safety stop.

Besides training, I've used one once. Anchor got yanked out, myself and the other diver I was with started one at 60ft. We were on a 120ft wreck in current. We had one so we used it since we had no reference to the boat. Having one for that situation wouldn't have been required since we didn't have decompression. We could have just surfaced just as easily. I've never had tons of insane boaters driving around by us. I don't really see how it's required for the OP's diving.

As someone mentioned, at her current skill level she isn't even going to be able to properly deploy one.

Her skill level probably isnt one where she can deploy one without trouble. Hence I think she ought to get some practice done in shallower confined waters to make sure she doesnt tangle herself up. 10 dives ago and I was still not getting mine perfect. A lot better now that i use a reel btw.

But seriously wow. And here I was under the illusion that nearly every buddy pair had an SMB and they used it whenever they could. I suppose you could live without one, I know people who do, but they arent the majority from where I come from. I do it more for the crazy boaters and to help my divers with a visual reference to maintain depth since they're all OW or not regular divers. Also I intend to do tech where I will need to be proficient with one. If none of these applies to the OP, then perhaps she may not need one.

Even then, its a good idea as a precaution against boaters and just in case you get washed off, knock knock.

 

[HowardE]

Uh, no. Are you?

Maybe you should read a little about diving? People deploy a safety sausage ALL THE TIME at safety stops and deco stops. I frequently do... and I dive a lot.

 

[Martini]

If you dive in NJ you most certainly need a SMB or lift bag. Almost every boat captain in NJ requires a smb and frowns on free ascents. If the anchor line pulls free or you get lost, you need to
1. shoot a bag
2. attach line and bag to the wreck
3. ascend on the line.

 

[tgsmith]

Her skill level probably isnt one where she can deploy one without trouble. Hence I think she ought to get some practice done in shallower confined waters to make sure she doesnt tangle herself up. 10 dives ago and I was still not getting mine perfect. A lot better now that i use a reel btw.

But seriously wow. And here I was under the illusion that nearly every buddy pair had an SMB and they used it whenever they could. I suppose you could live without one, I know people who do, but they arent the majority from where I come from. I do it more for the crazy boaters and to help my divers with a visual reference to maintain depth since they're all OW or not regular divers. Also I intend to do tech where I will need to be proficient with one. If none of these applies to the OP, then perhaps she may not need one.

Even then, its a good idea as a precaution against boaters and just in case you get washed off, knock knock.

Where I dive, people usually come back up an anchor line and do their safety stop on a hang line. Using a SMB for this would ensure you being separated from the boat, and the operator having to drive all over the place to pick up the divers.

If you get blown off the wreck, you can pretty much just surface. I don't see why you would need to shoot a SMB at depth. You can surface and inflate a safety sausage.

What are you diving where everyone uses a SMB for doing a safety stop? I'm guessing it's got to be some sort of deep shore diving or something...

 

[tgsmith]

Maybe you should read a little about diving? People deploy a safety sausage ALL THE TIME at safety stops and deco stops. I frequently do... and I dive a lot.

\
OK cool guy. Read a little about diving......

We're not talking about decompression diving. Are we? BTW, I do a little deco myself.

No reason to get hostile with me and make inflammatory remarks just because I've never seen someone shoot a lift bag for a safety stop. For craps sake, it's a safety stop......

 

[HowardE]

\
OK cool guy. Read a little about diving......

We're not talking about decompression diving. Are we? BTW, I do a little deco myself.

No reason to get hostile with me and make inflammatory remarks just because I've never seen someone shoot a lift bag for a safety stop. For craps sake, it's a safety stop......

"safety stop" .... "Safety sausage" - get it? It sounds like you're the hostile one. eh?

You ridiculed the guy right away in your first snide comment... it's not fun when you're throwing ridicule around, and at the same time are wrong. is it?

 

[tgsmith]

"safety stop" .... "Safety sausage" - get it? It sounds like you're the hostile one. eh?

You ridiculed the guy right away in your first snide comment... it's not fun when you're throwing ridicule around, and at the same time are wrong. is it?

Please contact me via my PM instead of dragging this thread down.

 

[muddiver]

If you dive in NJ you most certainly need a SMB or lift bag. Almost every boat captain in NJ requires a smb and frowns on free ascents. If the anchor line pulls free or you get lost, you need to
1. shoot a bag
2. attach line and bag to the wreck
3. ascend on the line.

WOW! That's the stupidist thing I have ever heard!

There must be SMB bobbing all over the east coast, attached to wrecks! How could you possably miss any wreck out there.

 

[tgsmith]

WOW! That's the stupidist thing I have ever heard!

There must be SMB bobbing all over the east coast, attached to wrecks! How could you possably miss any wreck out there.

Mud,

It's accepted protocol if the anchor comes free of the wreck. Attaching the line to the wreck keeps you from drifting away in high seas/high current. You take your lift-bag with you, and someone can simply cut the line free the next time they dive. The wrecks are more littered in fishing line/nets anyways.

Anywho, it's something that's done for contingency in NJ. The OP is a basic OW diver that lives in the south, we need to keep it relevant to what she's going to be doing.

 

[charlesml3]

I think we're getting caught up in terminology here and not really answering the question.

I tied a knot in my SMB line at 15 feet. I shoot the tube from 25 or 30 feet and reel up to 15. Dump some air out of the BC and just hang on the line at the knot.

I like it. Keeps me from having to watch my depth gauge and my weight on it keeps the tube vertical.

-Charles