What is the proper use of a Diver Marker "Sausage"

[terrasmak]

Its a must have for any dive , size can be an issue ( another debate ) and a finger spool is needed. Just get one a practice with it before you need it.

 

[beejw]

I have a sausage with a one way valve on the bottom so a quick blast from the octo (or if your okay with it, your primary, often easier then unclipping the octo). also, i would suggest getting one with an over pressure valve, that way, if you accidentally over inflate it, it wont burst. Mine cost me around 35-40 USD, and on top of that i had to get a reel. I would suggest getting a small cave reel, as they are easy to lear how to deploy and have the added advantage of being able to reel it in and minimize the risk of getting tangeled.

main thing is that you practise with it and learn how to deploy it consistantly so if you ever run into an emergency situation you can do it no problems.

as for the added bulk, its really nothing to be concerned about and you do get used to it really quickly. i certainly did. ive been diving with a sausage since i started.

 

[Skeeter1097]

I fined this hard to fathem. 50 to 99 dives in South Fl. and you do have a safty sausage. This is a joke right. Yes you can inflate it at 15" with a finger reel but thay have a dive marker that you are requated to have too. If you are diving from your wone boat you should know this.

 

[magnifica]

I use a finger spool, open ended variety with about 10m of nylon twine. I have a small lead weight attached to the twine about a foot from the SMB which helps it to stick out of the water. I usually deploy it from about 8-9m; with the expansion on the way up, it usually is nice and full once it reaches the surface.

I take out the SMB, unfold it and let out a *small* amount of twine. I slip my left thumb through the reel and grip the opening of the SMB with the same hand. I hold the octopus mouthpiece under the mouth of the SMB and the moment the SMB starts going for the surface, release the grip on the SMB and close my left hand (thumb and pointer finger) around the reel. The reel spins easily and doesn't jolt you up at all. Once it's up at the surface, I wind the reel up to the 5 (where i have a small knot tied in the twine) and finish my safety stop.

Using a SMB can be a bit tricky (the timing of the release is difficult at first) but after a few practice tries, it's pretty easy.

I don't recommend attaching the SMB to any part of your body/equipment in case it tangles and pulls you up with it.

Hope that helps...

 

[TSandM]

Just kind of to sum up:

Surface markers vary from "safety sausages", which are designed to be inflated at the surface and waved, to DSMBs, to lift bags. The least aggravating and most useful, in my opinion, is the DSMB which is about 6' long. This can come with an open end, a duck-bill valve (you can inflate by holding a reg under the bag and purging it), an oral-inflate valve, or a dual-purpose valve which permits oral inflation or the attachment of an inflater hose. Semi-closed (duckbill) or closed DSMBs can come with or without an overpressure relief valve as well.

DSMBs are, as their name implies, deployable at depth. They need to be attached to a line of some sort if one is going to do so. The line can be on a spool or a reel. The difference between the two is that a reel is a spool held on an axle within a frame, and has a winding handle. Reels are larger and more cumbersome than spools. An SMB rigged with a spool will fit in a dry suit pocket -- a reel will not. Spools are a little bit more annoying to rewind the line as you ascend, but it's a skill one can learn.

The deploying of an SMB is something which requires good buoyancy control, and does have hazards if it's done improperly. (You don't want to get caught on any part of something you are inflating and sending to the surface!) It is much more difficult in midwater than in sight of the bottom. It's a good idea to get some coaching from somebody who knows how it is done, to help you avoid pitfalls.

In my opinion, it is never a good idea to have a fixed attachment to anything you are sending up to the surface.

I carry a Halcyon SMB (it annoys me, but it was definitely the nicest of the four different brands I tried) pre-rigged on a spool in my dry suit pocket, on any boat dive, or any dive where I may need to surface where there is boat traffic. But it took me a while to learn to deploy it smoothly and control an ascent while managing a line.

 

[JBRES1]

Ok, this is what I have for a safety stop anchor float.
I purchased it from Scuba Toys, here is the link
http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=SafetyAnchor

The bag attaches to my bc D-ring, the line comes out attached to the bag via a plastic snap ring, and I have an o-ring set up as the weakest link between the bag and the line.
Jim Breslin

 

[Landshark44]

SMB's are a must have in any open water situation....but I would suggest that like any other piece of equipment that you practice with it several times. Spools and SMB's can be very tricky and complicated if you have not been instructed on how to use them and done some practice. Good Luck and get a SMB.

 

[kjunheart]

Become a better underwater navigator!!!...
(no excuse other than bad navigating).
Option 2 is dive with a float/flag - until you become a better navigator.

Become a better navigator. Rich, being in Marathon, you must have experienced the wonderful South Florida boaters by now. The waterways are littered with people who have the money to buy a boat but have no idea about boater safety or courtesy much less what to do when they see a dive flag. So there are many reasons other than poor navigation for someone to use a sausage.

Most of the charters I have been diving with with up in the Palm Beach/Jupiter area require you to have a safety sausage or you don't dive with them. The reason has nothing to do with navigation. A lot of dives up here are drift dives, the DM has the buoy/flag and everyone catches the current and somewhat play follow the leader. I am like Sperbonzo in that if given the chance, I want to catch dinner (aka lobster) meanwhile everyone else gets wisked away by the current. Or what about if a diver has issues (air hog, equipment, etc.) and has to surface much earlier than the rest of the group, wouldn't you think deploying the safety sausage would be a good move so they don't get a buzz cut by a passing boat?

Just my thoughts...

Sandy

 

[Sperbonzo]

Thanks everyone... some very interesting reading. I especially appreciate the posts that gave detailed instruction, very useful!

 

[DandyDon]

Welcome to SB. Post an Introduction in that forum if you'd like...

Excerpting...

Glad to see every one on the thread is on the same track – always carry a Safety Sausage / SMB on every dive. There are many variations out there closed, semi closed and open ended, they really depend on what type of dive you are doing. Recreational divers don’t really need a tek diver buoy.

Important points:

• A buoy that can be inflated underwater is the most useful, completely closed oral inflatable units tend to be quite small and can burst if they do not have an over pressure valve. (these units are really designed for the surface and are a great back up unit for a open ended or semi closed SMB)

• I'm sure it's possible, but I do my closed bag that way, as I mentioned above, as do many DMs in Cozumel
  

  [*]The weight at the bottom of the buoy will not make it stand up (unless you have added at least 2kg / 4lbs). The weight at the bottom of the SMB will prevent the air from escaping once the SMB reaches the surface, by dragging the open end of the buoy underwater as soon as it breaches the surface and ensuring that it stays that way even in swell.
  [*]Thus opened buoys will not deflate at the surface if correctly weighted.

  Oh, ok - that's how they work. Gotcha!
  
  I just send up my closed one partially inflated on my reel, keep the line tight so it will stand up easily. Even laying down, its' pretty easy to spot, but better up.