Which safety sausage???

[highlandfarmwv]

I have 2 sausages:

One orange one about 4' with a weighted end and the whole bottom is open, requiring filling with air from tank.

One is 6' yellow (but skinny and it tends to fold over when not inflated really hard) with an oral inflator.

Which is better to use? I thought orally inflating would be more usable if OOA, but the other is easier and fatter. Is it possible to inflate the one with the large opening without using the regulator?

Thanks.

 

[MBH]

I like the one that I got from DAN. I can shoot it from my inflator and send it up from a finger spool or I can orally inflate it on the surface. It's a 6' sausage, bright orange with reflective striping. It has a standard dump/OP valve.

The only drawback that I have with this thing is that it's made out of such a heavy duty Cordura Nylon that it wont roll up and as compactly as the less expensive SMB's

 

[MBH]

(skinny and it tends to fold over when not inflated really hard)

The one I have from DAN could take "Smiling Bob" to a higher level.

 

[diver12345]

A few things to think about. If you are OOA, do you really need to complicate things by shooting a bag? If you are not diving a long hose then the other diver will be pretty close with a standard 40in octo. Increasing the potential for a tangle when the bag gets shot. The 4ft one is good if you are not in high seas or potentially high seas.The 6ft is good for high seas cause it is more visable. As for filling, You have to learn how much air to put in depending on what depth you are shootong the bag from. You can hold the open end over your reg exhaust and it will fill that way and you never have to remove the reg from your mouth. Not advisable due to the fact if the bag got away from you,the line could easily loop around your reg pull it out of your mouth stay snaged and pull you and your buddy to the surface while you are now struggling to get the reg free and back in your mouth. Another choice is to buy one that oral inflates and reg inflates. Hope this helps.

 

[MBH]

I'm of the impression that the OP'str was wanting info about inflating differeft SMB's while on the surface in an OOA state.(no gas in tank and need to inflate a SMB).

 

[diver12345]

Good point. Didnt even consider that. Maybe the OP could elaborate for us a little.

 

[orangewing]

Which is better to use? I thought orally inflating would be more usable if OOA, but the other is easier and fatter. Is it possible to inflate the one with the large opening without using the regulator?

I had the same conserns about inflation and bought one that will inflate either way.
The regulator opening has a one way type valve and will stay inflated out of the water. It also has a standard dump/OP valve.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

Sorry about being vague. My original question was meant to be for when I am already on the surface, say waiting to be seen if I somehow drifted away from the boat area. (Good percent of my diving is in open ocean with current). Probably wouldn't be out of air, but poo happens....

Sue wish I had seen the ones that fill either way before buying 2 "not as good" ones!

 

[Whale Whisperer]

Sue wish I had seen the ones that fill either way before buying 2 "not as good" ones!

That's why there's Ebay!

lol I also like the DAN SMB. You can inflate it with your LP inflator or inflate it with your second stage, and it's got a OPV relief valve. I'm pretty sure you can still inflate your 4 footer with the open end by just blowing the open end when your on the surface if your OOA

 

[idive2]

I have the Zeagle 5' signal tube that I use on all dives but bought for the drift diving up in Jupiter. It's not uncommon to be a ways from the boat on these dives when surfacing and with large swells I was not comfortable with the smaller skinnier
4' signal tube. My Zeagle is orange on one side and yellow on the other. It can be inflated at depth by directing the air from your octo into the bottom side of the tube. It can also be inflated on the surface by blowing into a valve. It has the pressure relief valve as well to release air if you send it up from depth. It does not seem to want to fold over when reasonably inflated. I keep my smaller signal tube as well to lend out if anyone needs it but really feel more comfortable with the larger one for drift diving. It rolls up just like the smaller one and is only slightly larger when rolled up.