New Flag/Float

[terrillja]

I have the first one, the center is also good for putting extra weight in when diving in high winds. One suggestion though is to replace the split ring that comes on the flag with a locking carabiner, the ring on mine bent and the line came off, dumping the extra weight I had in the float...

So there is about 6 or 8 lbs of coated weights sitting somewhere in back beach, Cape Ann, MA, probably near the rocks between back beach and front beach (where I found the float after it detached).

[terrillja]

Originally Posted by No Misses

I replaced the standard red & white nylon flag with a hi-vis flourecent orange and white vinyl flag.

Interesting idea, might push the rules a bit where I dive in NH, where the rules call for a red flag with a diagonal white stripe:
Section 270:31 Scuba Diving and Snorkeling.
Then again it also says the bottom of flag has to be at least 3' from the water. Sounds top heavy and tippy if there is a breeze, mine is maybe 5", but if there is heavy traffic, I have one flag attached to my reel, which is never, ever, ever permanently attached to me- attached to two rubber bands, with another flag on 10' of line behind the first.

I also have a 3x3 flag I made myself for boat diving. If you don't see that, you need to have your vision checked.

Originally Posted by No Misses

On night dives I attach a xenon strobe. I find this works much better than the glow sticks and meager led blinkers that others use.

The strobe just says to me EMERGENCY. I have one on my PFD at all times, and when we are out on the water at night everyone wears a vest, and they all have a strobe attached. If I saw a strobe, I would race towards it as fast as I could, whereas a glowing light I would approach cautiously.

That being said, people usually either:
1: have no clue what a dive flag means and come to see what it is
2: know what a dive flag is and still buzz it. I have had my flag used before as a race marker for jet skis

Originally Posted by No Misses

I also added reflective tape to the bouy. I have not yet tested how much this helps on night dives.

I haven't done this, but I was thinking about making a flag using reflective tape over a nylon base, then switching out the flag for night dives. I used scotchlite on some buoys that we use to mark the safe channel near our house, and they pop out of the water, even under indirect light.

The rocks that we have to mark around are there from back in the day when they could scoop up rocks in the winter, leave them on the ice, then dump sand where you wanted a beach, once it warmed up the rocks just fell through.

oh the days before the epa....

[b1draper]

This is the one I use and it works pretty good down here in Florida for river/lake/shore/off-shore diving. I just attach it to a reel and tow it along, since it's the law to have a flag in FL on any navigatable waterway.

http://www.123scuba.com/p-AC23DFA.html