Where to store a sea sausage?

[a4lod]

I just purchased Halcyon 6 foot sea sausage and i am now wondering where is the best place to store it on my BC? I currently have a Scubapro X-Tek BC. I have a thigh pocket for my wetsuit, but it does not fit. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[dlwalke]

I just purchased a similar item from Dive Rite. It comes with a mesh tube-like carrying case that you can clip onto the rear of your BC (DiveRite BC's have D-rings in the bag). It would clip kind of low, near the bottome and underneath the bladder. Its pretty out of the way there, but the open end of the tube is easily accesible. I suspect but do not know that the Halcyon sausage would fit in the mesh bag as well. You can order it from DiveRite express (don't remember the web address but it might be as simple as www.diveriteexpress). The cost is nominal.

[roturner]

a4lod once bubbled...
I just purchased Halcyon 6 foot sea sausage and i am now wondering where is the best place to store it on my BC? I currently have a Scubapro X-Tek BC. I have a thigh pocket for my wetsuit, but it does not fit. Any suggestions? Thanks.

You mean a DSMB, right? I clip mine off to a ring on my weightbelt along with the reel. That way it's easy to get at and out of the way when I'm not using it.

R..

[LUBOLD8431]

<somebody deleted part of my post and I dont like it...>

yeah, I just clip those off to me on a dring, or throw it into a pocket...

[lucid]

Are you wanting to store it deflated or inflated?

[Soggy]

roturner once bubbled...
You mean a DSMB, right? I clip mine off to a ring on my weightbelt along with the reel. That way it's easy to get at and out of the way when I'm not using it.

You clip your DSMB on your weightbelt? What if you drop your weightbelt in an emergency? Now your only chance of being spotted is 100 feet below you.

[roturner]

AaronBBrown once bubbled...


You clip your DSMB on your weightbelt? What if you drop your weightbelt in an emergency? Now your only chance of being spotted is 100 feet below you.

You drop your weightbelt? :wacko:

lol

I suppose it's not entirely impossible that you'd have to drop your weightbelt in an emergency but then you'd already be on the surface and it just takes a second to unclip the dsmb before you eject your weights.

and frankly, the chances that (a) you'd have a major problem causing you to abort a dive where you cna't be seen (b) you'd be too negative on the surface to stay afloat and (c) you don't have time to unclip your sausage before you dump your weights are pretty small in my opinion.

And besides, I use it to create a reference for mid-water ascents in bad viz. For example, if I can't find the anchor-line at the end of a wreck dive and I really need to leave the bottom. I've never been in a situation where I needed to use it to signal a boat.

R..

[Depth Gauge]

I just hold it in my right hand.

[Soggy]

roturner once bubbled...
You drop your weightbelt? :wacko:

In an emergency, yes, I would. If it's take a hit or drown, I'll take a hit.


I suppose it's not entirely impossible that you'd have to drop your weightbelt in an emergency but then you'd already be on the surface and it just takes a second to unclip the dsmb before you eject your weights.

What if you need to drop your weight underwater?

I'll admit...the situation would have to be pretty extreme, but it is a possibility. Especially when there are much better places to put the thing, like in a pocket or on a d-ring. Why create a potential problem when you don't have to?

[roturner]

AaronBBrown once bubbled...


In an emergency, yes, I would. If it's take a hit or drown, I'll take a hit.



What if you need to drop your weight underwater?

I'll admit...the situation would have to be pretty extreme, but it is a possibility. Especially when there are much better places to put the thing, like in a pocket or on a d-ring. Why create a potential problem when you don't have to?

Well...... I personally can't think of any realistic scenario that would make dropping your weights under water a good idea. You'd need to be solo, overweighted and in a free-fall along a bottomless wall caused by a sudden catostrophic failure of a bungee-wing or something. And then to have all of this happen somewhere that you'd surface well away from the boat...... The chances of this are probably more remote than getting run over by a submarine ..... I mean, planning for risk is one thing but you can also make things unnecessarily difficult for yourself too.

but ok, if all of this *did* happen I'd say just dump the dsmb in that case. Inflating it is pointless after you ditch your weights. You'd just pass it on the way up anyway. And I guarantee you that when you break the surface you will have *everyones* attention and you won't need to blow up your blob to make the point.

Secondly blown deco (if this is what you meant) is a very serious matter and the choice you're making can just as easily be a choice between dying from drowning or dying from the hit. Personally I'd put everything into avoiding that.

If you have a usable bottom or you're able to stop the free-fall then you'd be much better off blowing up the dsmb under water, pulling yourself to the surface along the line and *then* dumping your weights. In my opinion (I'm probably going to get jumped on for this) weights should only be dumped once you're on the surface to ensure you don't sink again. Assuming you're not trapped in an overhead the concern should never be not being able to reach the surface, the concern should be how to not sink again once you get there.

R..

[Soggy]

I agree with pretty much everything you've said. Dropping weights is almost never the right choice. When discussing usage of my weighting system with a new buddy, I preface it with, "If you want to kill me, pull here." What doesn't help is the agencies telling students, "95% of divers found dead underwater had their weight belts still on." Well, who cares? Would it have actually have saved them if they dropped the weights!?

With my BP/Wings, dropping the belt has to be very intentional, since the crotch strap holds it in....unbuckle waist-strap, remove crotch strap, unbuckle weight belt, drop weight belt, ascend way to fast to the surface.

My only argument is that there is a better place to put a marker buoy than on your weight belt. The butt D-ring being a good place (if you have one). For one thing, it makes losing your weightbelt that much more likely. I can envision a situation where something catches on the dring on your weight belt and through some fluke, pulls the whole thing off. Now you're in a big cluster-F...

[fgriffith]

The X-Tek has a space between the back pad and the harness itself. The back pad attaches to the the harness with a piece of velcro. Try folding the sausage (rolling it up could become uncomfortable) and putting it there. I've not tried this, mind you, it's just a thought.

[roturner]

AaronBBrown once bubbled...

My only argument is that there is a better place to put a marker buoy than on your weight belt. The butt D-ring being a good place (if you have one). For one thing, it makes losing your weightbelt that much more likely. I can envision a situation where something catches on the dring on your weight belt and through some fluke, pulls the whole thing off. Now you're in a big cluster-F...

Ok. That sounds plausible. Along the same lines you could get it hooked and have to remove your weightbelt to get it loose again. Never thought about that..... The chance of something like that happening are still pretty small but the problem it could create might not be.

R..

[Nick Marino]

Try rolling it up, put two small pieces of surgical tubing to retain it and hang it off the backplate or in your case the bottom of your knock off transpac. ( Butt mount}To deploy it all you have to do is reach back and pull it out of the bungees that are attached to the pack.

[a4lod]

. . . now you're getting personal.

[Tibbs]

The Scubapro X-Tec is the old Transpac design. They bought it off DiveRite when they changed to the design to the (inferior) Transpac II. Having dived both, I can sat the Scubapro one is better, but neither are a patch on a Backplate and wings. The TPII had a tendency to come unclipped on me, which didn't impress me too much, especially the last time it happened to me (coincidentally the last time I dived it...) I still had 20 minutes of stops to do and hanging half out of a harness is not the best way to maintain decent trim... Not that I have any! ;)

Chris

[a4lod]

. . . Scubapro bought Sonaform (s.p?) who was making the Transpac for Dive Rite and somehow had the design patents on it. So when Scubapro bought Sonaform, the design of the Transpac became Scubapro's and Dive Rite had to design the Transpac II.
I will agreee with you about the back plate though. My next BC will definately be one.

[fgriffith]

Hey, don't I know you? Didn't I run into you in a cave somewhere in Mexico? In fact, I think it was YOU who sold me my knock-off Transpac.

[divermasterB]

I think one reason why ditching the weight belt is reinforced so much in class is for that diver who is struggling at the surface in a panicked situation.

Usually the last thing they are thinking about is that weight belt.

For some people new to diving the gear can be somewhat overwelming. If they get into a situation where they rush to the surface OOA, or otherwise, they will likely forget to inflate the bc, and drop the weight belt.

Also, with regard to the SMB attached to the weight belt. If I have to do an in-water rescue with an unconscious victim. As soon as I get them to the surface and start giving rescue breaths, I am goind to lose their weight belt and my own. Now let's assume in this scenario we are diving from a boat and currents are strong. Once I get both of us positive and continue rescue (assuming I haven't been able to signal the boat already) breathing I am going to start thinking about getting that SMB out and using it, but it was attached to the weight belts that I already sent to the bottom.

[dlegros]

Try this link:

uk.rec.scuba DSMB page (http://www.ukrecscuba.org.uk/ukdiver/dsmb/index.html)

HTH

Dom

[detroit diver]

This is a tec forum, yes? Anyone ever consider the potential entanglement hazard from something hanging off your backplate or under your tanks where you can't reach it?

This SMB needs to be stored somewhere out of the way and free from snags. In a pocket (not possible in your case-get a larger pocket), or in an MC pack or similar. Even rolled and bungee'd to your harness (like a backup light) would be better than the above scenario.

[divermasterB]

That thing looks hideous.


...but who is going to take advice from across the pond anyway=-)

[Doppler]

detroit diver once bubbled...
This is a tec forum, yes? Anyone ever consider the potential entanglement hazard from something hanging off your backplate or under your tanks where you can't reach it?

This SMB needs to be stored somewhere out of the way and free from snags. In a pocket (not possible in your case-get a larger pocket), or in an MC pack or similar. Even rolled and bungee'd to your harness (like a backup light) would be better than the above scenario.

This is the most sensible posting yet on the subject.

Your SMB (or any small liftbag) should be stored somewhere out of the way and free from the chance of entanglement. In the right-hand pocket of your drysuit is preferred. Failing that, someplace else secure, accessible and out of sight... Try pushing it between your back and the backplate... but please refrain from having it dangling from your harness, backplate or -- worse yet -- drings on your tanks.

Doppler

P.S. The link supplied in a previous post to a UK site shows exactly what you do NOT want to have!

[zeN||]

I roll mine up with a rubber band, with a string attached, and clip this to my bcd strap around my heart area, after launching it I can remain 10 feet deep for a minute to give boaters a chance to see it before I surface zeN||

[divermasterB]

Seems like it would really get in the way there, and hang down creating a lot of drag.

Seems like there are a couple prime choices

1) folded and stowed in a pocket -- reduced drag, no entanglement

2) bungied to the base of the bc/backplate -- reduced drag, since it is under the tank, very small entaglement hazard

3) folded in a pocket between the BP and back of diver -- ala Halcyon.

[Tekkie]

I just stick mine on my butt D-ring. Don't know if thats the right term, but anyway. I can eaisly reach it and my buddies can see me easier underwater with a rolled up yellow tube hanging off my rear. If I had a pocket I would put it in that.

[Lonely Boy]

Well, i use a Seaquest Pro QD so I have no problem to put it into my BC pocket.

[MrMojo]

divermasterB once bubbled...
That thing looks hideous.


...but who is going to take advice from across the pond anyway=-)

divermasterb and there us on this side of the POND who think that you carry unfair stereotypes .....but its getting harder and harder.

MAL..