CCDeep
Guest
I do not carry a lift bag all the time, but I do like to carry a surface marker buoy all the time. Last trip I left mine (a scubapro) behind as a tip for the local DM, so now I need a new one.
The scubapro was nice because it was self-contained in a small attached pouch, but it was the kind that's made out of heavy plastic with an open bottom, so there was a chance it would dump if you shot it wrong. I typically shot mine from 15' for a stop, so I kept around 17' of line on it, with a small weight to make managing the line easy without a reel - drop the weight and the line straightens out, no tangles floating around you. Being plastic, sooner or later it was going to blow a seam, and it was not for lifting, just for marking. I didn't really like that it was plastic and that it had an open bottom, so I'm not sorry it's gone.
I'm looking for a better smb, and I know there are a couple out there (OMS, halcyon) that claim to have some minor lift capability, 40 or 50 pounds. I guess my first question would be, are there others besides the halcyon and oms I should consider?
I dislike the look of the halcyon, if I understand how it works. Looks like it needs to be filled with a hose. I am typically carrying a camera, and I am typically shooting the bag mid-water, so I don't have two hands free, and I don't like the idea of disconnecting my inflator hose when I'm midwater, if that's what it takes to fill this bag. Maybe it's easier than I think, please correct me if I'm wrong.
The OMS 50# float looks interesting, anybody got one? The stuff I've read about it online says it has a "non-spill air opening" which sounds promising, curious if it works.
http://www.omsdive.com/lift-smb.html
right now I'm leaning toward the oms, but I'd like to know if anybody has a better idea.
thanks a lot,
Roger
The scubapro was nice because it was self-contained in a small attached pouch, but it was the kind that's made out of heavy plastic with an open bottom, so there was a chance it would dump if you shot it wrong. I typically shot mine from 15' for a stop, so I kept around 17' of line on it, with a small weight to make managing the line easy without a reel - drop the weight and the line straightens out, no tangles floating around you. Being plastic, sooner or later it was going to blow a seam, and it was not for lifting, just for marking. I didn't really like that it was plastic and that it had an open bottom, so I'm not sorry it's gone.
I'm looking for a better smb, and I know there are a couple out there (OMS, halcyon) that claim to have some minor lift capability, 40 or 50 pounds. I guess my first question would be, are there others besides the halcyon and oms I should consider?
I dislike the look of the halcyon, if I understand how it works. Looks like it needs to be filled with a hose. I am typically carrying a camera, and I am typically shooting the bag mid-water, so I don't have two hands free, and I don't like the idea of disconnecting my inflator hose when I'm midwater, if that's what it takes to fill this bag. Maybe it's easier than I think, please correct me if I'm wrong.
The OMS 50# float looks interesting, anybody got one? The stuff I've read about it online says it has a "non-spill air opening" which sounds promising, curious if it works.
http://www.omsdive.com/lift-smb.html
right now I'm leaning toward the oms, but I'd like to know if anybody has a better idea.
thanks a lot,
Roger