Safety Sausage

[wkowalski]

Have you ever had to use your safety sausage? If so... why?

[Capt Hook]

We drift dive and have used it so the boat doesn't lose us if we get away from the group.

[skdvr]

Well there is a difference between a Safety Sausage (which I have never used) and a SMB (which I have used) The SMB you shoot from depth and I have used it just to practice shooting it from depth so that I would have the knowledge to do so if I ever NEEDED TO SHOOT IT! A safety sausage you inflate while you are on the surface to help signal to your dive boat or use as backup flotation device. The SMB is basically the same thing only you shoot it from depth to signal the boat as to where you are if necessary or to alert your dive buddy if you got seperated, or to alrert your presence to oncoming boat traffic before you surface.

Just my .02 but I like having the SMB that I can shoot from depth over something that I can just inflate on the surface. I do however know some people that will shoot a safety sausage from depth. You just have to make sure you have just enough air in it that it will not burst on you before it hits the surface...

Phil

[Doghouse]

I have used mine as a lift bag a couple of times.

We used it as an ascent line one time looping a wreck reel under some structure then shooting it to the surface. Rode it back up and made the safety stop.

[wxboy911]

Never had to use the SS but I keep it with me-I figure sooner or later it will get used.

[RECDiver]

Yes, for safety stops and it let's the boat captain know where we were.

[ScubaJenn81]

I have never had one, bad I know, but I usually do not dive on a boat, but I will be getting one for sure before I dive again, that and some sort of noise maker. Kinda got it scared into me (not a bad thing mind you)

[scubasamurai]

have one always, but if i needed a marker for shooting from depth i have one as well, but rarely use it, unless i am looking for shark teeth in venice and the boat captain uses it to keep an eye out for us

[TRACI]

Yes, it is good to have for safety stops, lets the boat captain know where you are surfacing.

[CompuDude]

I've never needed to use my safety sausage (emergency surface-only signaling device, to generalize a bit), but I have shot a bag (small SMB) from depth many times to mark my position for a pickup, especially in situations where a blue water ascent is necessary and there is no anchor line to follow.