Shooting a Sausage

[MMM]

A few years ago, a DM taught me how to shoot a sausage with a reel. I learned techniques from different depths, in current etc. ie. first lesson learned: don't hang onto the spool as sausage ascends! Let it roll freely!

I understand this isn't part of ANY PADI course. Wondered if it's part of any course? Seems to me that it's a basic skill that a DM would require. Thoughts? Comments?

 

[Narcd_dvr]

IMO, its a basic skill one should have, especially when boat diving. The PDIC and PADI AOW course don't teach deploying a sausage.

 

[diver 85]

IMO, its a basic skill one should have, especially when boat diving. The PDIC and PADI AOW course don't teach deploying a sausage.

yea & I shot my 1st one last summer @ CZM after 1100+ dives......

 

[MMM]

yea & I shot my 1st one last summer @ CZM after 1100+ dives......

What did you do those other 1099 times? Rely on someone else?

 

[TSandM]

It's taught in GUE Fundamentals, and in UTD Essentials.

I agree that it's a very useful skill, and also one that you need to know how to do correctly, because there is a lot of room for dangerous errors in doing it. (See Rick Inman's account of getting hung up in the line and dragged upward by a big bag.)

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It is taught in any intro level tech course as it is an essential part of establishing an upline or puttting a bag/smb on the surface for deco purposes.

It should be taught in recreational courses as it adds options for divers who end up being swept away from the anchor line on a boat dive, or for divers who may be separated underwater - it makes finding each other much easier.

Of course, donating the primary and even better, using a long hose primary should also be taught in OW and AOW classes, but institutional inertia is huge.

 

[Chernish]

What did you do those other 1099 times? Rely on someone else?

The old "sausage with 20-23 ft of rope", I take it.

 

[klavdivs]

I got that during my divemaster training. It does seem to really belong in AOW or earlier, but like DA Aquamaster said...

 

[Rick Inman]

(See Rick Inman's account of getting hung up in the line and dragged upward by a big bag.)

Thanks for the reminder!!

The good news is, in an effort to never repeat that disaster, I have practiced to the point that I can do a blue water bag shoot in my sleep. Also, that was a big bag, not the more-correct-for-the-job safety sausage, which I now just blow a puff of air into, rather than using the 2nd stage to blow it up.

And any good tech class or intro-to-tech will teach this skill.

 

[RonFrank]

I practice doing this every time I dive the Blue Hole. It's a lot harder than one would think. It would be easier if I were filling mine with my octo or something, but I have to use my mouth, so that adds some drama. I just use my safety sausage.

I'm getting fairly good at it, but still sometimes go up a few feet. And there is the trick, launching the sausage without following it to the surface! I generally do the launch at about 40'. Any deeper, and I'd likely hit the walls, an overhang, or a diver. I think it's actually easier to do it deeper...