Safety Sausage

[picxie]

Originally Posted by splitlip

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>The plastic bag ones are pretty fragile.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Get a sturdy one. Plenty available at 5-6 ft long which are reasonably priced.</DIV>

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>What is considered to be a reasonable price? The ones that people linked to above from ST are $90 ... is that the norm? </DIV>

[picxie]

Originally Posted by splitlip

<DIV>You can buy samaller safety sausages for half the price</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I think I'd rather spend more and get the big one. If you were ever in a situation where you needed to use it, bigger is better!! </DIV>

[the gooch]

Originally Posted by splitlip

<div></div>
<div>THIS is considered a safety sausage.</div>
<div></div>
<div>http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detai...D=Seeme_signal</div>
<div></div>
<div>Not to be confused with a DSMB like the one in the other scubatoys link. </div>
<div>You can buy samaller safety sausages for half the price</div>
<div></div>

This is the device I use.

[loudgonzo]

I have a 6ft orange sausage from DAN that I bought at my lds. It came with a a signal mirror, storm whistle, and one of those break &amp; shake glow sticks. Cost me $59, and is one of those things I hope I never have to use.[img]smileys/smiley2.gif[/img]

[CompuDude]

If you buy one, practice using it, especially if you plan to inflate it at depth. It can be trickier than you thought, if you've never done it. Keeping control over your buoyancy is very tricky while inflating a large SMB at depth.

[mwhities]

I too have the one from DAN but, I will be getting one fromhttp://www.deepseasupply.com soon. I'll have both with me. For the safety stop, I'll use the DSS SMB and if I get swept out to sea, I'll use the longer DAN SMB.

Michael

[picxie]

How many people have ever been in a situation where they've had to use it, for a genuine reason?

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by picxie

How many people have ever been in a situation where they've had to use it, for a genuine reason?

Tons. Tech divers use them almost every dive, to show the boat their location while they do deco hangs. People who dive in areas with heavy boat traffic use them for every ascent, to attempt to ward off boaters from the area they are about to surface in. And they are also quite common in drift diving, so the boat can find the group and pick them up at the far end of the dive.

Those are run-of-the-mill everyday uses for them. They are, however, location dependent... I happen to live in an area where they are very rarely used (aside from tech divers) except for practice. Others live in areas where they use them every dive, tech or not.

The final use, of course, would be for emergency signaling, either to signal that there has been an emergency, or as a large signal to get the boats attention if a current sweeps you far from the area you were expected to come up in. I've never had to use it for that. I carry one on every boat dive, and especially whenever we dive the oil rigs or other deep blue water locations, just in case. I frequently don't bother on local shore dives.

[jlwest63]

I have the one that you have to orally inflate. Kind of tricky if you want to send it to the surface before you get there. I am looking for one now that I can inflate with the reg.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I used it all 8 of my dives over the weekend. Drift diving and alot of boat traffic. I want everyone to know I am donw there.</DIV>

[kevinj1]

I have only had to use my safety sausage once----on a night dive. We surfaced and the boat didnt see us. I inflated it andv waved it in the air--it actually worked, even at night...