Suggested rigging for dive flag float

[jadairiii]

If a boat snags your float/float line there is a 99% chance that it will be the lower unit/outdrive/props that sang it and it wont last long. The line will immediately wrap around the props and the props will sever the line.

I would never put a break-a-way "part" on my float line.

 

[Johnoly]

This video will give you a pretty good idea of what the bottom looks like:

That video is perfect to show what all your conditions are like. You've got a great flag setup for that spot !!

 

[doctormike]

I use a reel attached to the float with a break away but it's attached to me with a bungee cord loop around my forearm. The break away is good but what if the line gets snagged below it? The bungee loop is snug but still has lot;s of stretch to slip over my hand if need be. I usually slide the reel up on my arm a ways to get it out of the way.

The breakaway is just for the risk of the float getting snagged by a powerboat moving fast on the surface. If it got snagged on something below the surface (like a dock or another diver), I don't need a breakaway for that, right? Not sure I understand the question.

 

[doctormike]

That video is perfect to show what all your conditions are like. You've got a great flag setup for that spot !!

And great diving! Come try it...

 

[doctormike]

If a boat snags your float/float line there is a 99% chance that it will be the lower unit/outdrive/props that sang it and it wont last long. The line will immediately wrap around the props and the props will sever the line.

If the line gets wound around a prop shaft, I don't think that I would be comfortable assuming that there is a 99% chance that the line would be cut. Having seen a lot of fouled props, the blades don't usually just cut the lines free...

I would never put a break-a-way "part" on my float line.

Then you should never do it!

 

[jadairiii]

If the line gets wound around a prop shaft, I don't think that I would be comfortable assuming that there is a 99% chance that the line would be cut. Having seen a lot of fouled props, the blades don't usually just cut the lines free...

I've had my float line run over by a boat, slight tug, snap, float gone. I've also witnessed a drift fishing boat run over a diver and his float, cut the float line and destroyed the float.

Only time I've had my float line wrap and not break is when the boat just slowly drifts over the line and the engines are put in gear, they will wrap but not break the line. But once the boat powers up, thin float line is gone.

 

[johndiver999]

I would not want to drag flag in that inlet, but I suppose if you have to. As others have said it is easier to hold a hook than a reel, partially because you can hold other things in your hand simultaneously.

 

[doctormike]

I would not want to drag flag in that inlet, but I suppose if you have to. As others have said it is easier to hold a hook than a reel, partially because you can hold other things in your hand simultaneously.

Yeah, but I wouldn't do that. A big DSLR with long strobe arms is an entanglement hazard as it is, so I would rather not have a line in my hand while using one.

 

[johndiver999]

Yeah, but I wouldn't do that. A big DSLR with long strobe arms is an entanglement hazard as it is, so I would rather not have a line in my hand while using one.

I thought this was put together to help new divers figure out how to dive? In my experience, clipping the float to you body, rather than hand carrying it, increases the chance of serious entanglement, but I am clumsy and have entangled myself in my own string, many dozens of times, literally.

Trying to take pictures with the hand that is holding onto a float that is bobbing on the surface, is clearly not the way to go.

 

[doctormike]

I thought this was put together to help new divers figure out how to dive?

No. It wasn't. I was just sharing the way I rigged my float, since some local people had asked me and appreciated the photo, so I thought that some people here might find it useful as well...

In my experience, clipping the float to you body, rather than hand carrying it, increases the chance of serious entanglement, but I am clumsy and have entangled myself in my own string, many dozens of times, literally.

Yes, you are probably right. I have (as I mentioned in the OP) occasionally gotten my legs tangled in the line. But I still clip it off because I need two hands.

Trying to take pictures with the hand that is holding onto a float that is bobbing on the surface, is clearly not the way to go.

Agreed!