Dive Flag Tips / 1st dive

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spectrum

Dive Bum Wannabe
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
11,395
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Location
The Atlantic Northeast (Maine)
# of dives
500 - 999
My wife and I just got back from our first post certification dives a local pond. We had a good time and landed a total catch of 11 golfballs, she bested me 9/2.

Now there's a reason why she beat me, I had the blasted dive flag. If I had appreciated the task loading involved we would have gone elsewhere for our first dive. It all went OK except for forgetting the line keeper on the surface on our first descent, it all made for good practice. We got to spend some good time in the 25-35 foot range don't ask me what our BT time was, I was too busy with the flag to start my watch.

Any dive flag handling tips?

Pete
 
Whenever possible, I leave mine in the car.

Find out just what the laws are that apply to your diving and go from there. In my case, TX does not require a dive flag on inland waters so I don't use one unless other regulations also apply. TX code does regulate boating activity in the vicinity of a flag but enforcement is rare. But COE does require one on TX waters that they control. However, there is no specific COE requirement for how close the diver must stay to the flag so I usually position the flag too close to shore for boats to play with it and go about my business.
 
Keep the line tight. If it drags too much behind you it can tangle in your fins.
 
I don't EVER drag the flag around with me. It's on a weighted line that I just heave out into the water when I get to the site and I forget about it until we head back to shore. And when I say that I forget about it until the swim to shore what I mean to say is that only occasionally do I have to swim back out to get it because I forgot to bring it in. :wink:

-Ben
 
I use one of those H line holders
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Item...SortField=SKU&SortDesc=False&SearchTerm=float

Lay out the line on the beach and take the end with you. Swim out and drag the float off the beach.

Have the line holder set up so that it floats about 10 feet behind you. I use a loop and either hold it or put in on my arm around my elbow.

When I have enough line out I just put a clove hitch on the line holder to keep the rest of the line from unraveling.

Wind it up and secure the line before coming ashore so there is no risk of the line tangling beach swimmers or yourself.

Floating yellow polypro line is the way to go.
 
Swim out a little ways and tie off your flag to a rock or tree UW. Remember at what depth you tied it off at, and it makes a good way to practice nav skills. It also helps to find your entry/exit point without a surface swim.
 
Do NOT clip or otherwise attach the flag to yourself. Always assume your flag is a target, and be very careful ascending around it. Boaters, and especially Jet Skis, are drawn to dive flags like moths to the flame.
 
A lot of people run their float off a reel attached to a small net buoy. Then another 6' of floating polypropylene line is attached to this. They clip this to a cable tie attached to their tank valve so it floats up and out of the way. If the flag gets grabbed or snagged, the cable tie just fails.
So at the beginning and end of the dive, they just mess with the reel, set it for their depth, and do the dive. I absolutely hate dragging a float with me while dive, but I sure like it when my divers are dragging one around.
 
Thanks to all that posted so far. State law does not require a dive flag here in Maine but this particular pond has some residents association that will give you a hard time if they catch you leaving the water without a flag. There is moderate boat and jet-ski traffic at times. I was warned that the flag is as much bait as repelent for the hot shot boaters.

I had made a line holder much like what you linked to DennisS from 1/4 polycarbonate, it needs a few refinements but I was tickled with how most of it worked. I'll probably post it in the DIY forum when it's complete. I rigged a ball bungee to capture the line and prevent any despooling and included a small mesh bad that I add a stone to when I want to anchor it. Right now it's positive on it's own with polypro line so I need to make it slightly negative so it can't go up, up and away.

Setting it stationary and using it as a base is the way to go.

My wife did get entagled at one point, on the surface at the end.,she couldn't understand how. She didn't panic at all we handled it and went on our way.

Being something new it was a perfect demonstration of task loading I won't forget.

Pete
 
I also use one of those yellow handled H shaped line keepers. With a little practice it can easily be worked with one hand (ascents and descents). I actually don't mind carrying it around on the dive. Absolutely do not clip it off to yourself because of the previously stated "target" reason, but also because that is how you will get entangled. If I change a foot in depth, I am taking in or letting out a foot of line.
 

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