In drift diving the operator I go with gives each group a flag-float and a 1/4" polypro line wound on a modified coat hanger type reel. One of the group is to take the line and tow the flag-float. It is a real pain for a couple of reasons like tugging the thing along, having it tug back in seas, having to pay out/reel in as depth changes, having one hand occupied at all times, etc. So, the question is could I get an SMB and shoot it before we leave the safety stop in lieu of using their system? I don't see much of an issue about having a boat pass overhead when we are at 40+ few. Am I missing something? I am not interested in cutting a safety corner for a little ease but I don't see the advantage of the float over a good SMB properly deployed.
Flag v SMB
- Thread starter Diverkip
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legal reasons, divers have to have a dive flag in certain bodies of water. Check the laws on dive flag use in your area. The float is there for during the dive, SMB's are for either relaying information in certain dives, or more importantly to let the boats know when you are on your stop and where you are if not on the line. Dive Flags are for constant reminders of location and to keep boats away from you.
+1 Dive flags are for your safety and so the boat operator can track your location.
I will echo the sentiments of the first two posters (with formatting added for emphasis).Diverkip:
tbone1004:
Generally, captains are not wild about having no information on diver location during a drift. In placid waters, where following bubbles is easy, the flag is not as important as it may be in waters where there is enough surface movement to make tracking bubbles impossible.
With a flag ( or an SMB) deployed from the begining of the drift dive, the boat operator can judge in what direction and at what speed you are drifting. If you wait for let say 30 minutes and deploy your smb, you may be at a considerable distance from the boat and in a direction that may have been difficult to estimate. SO for safety reason, have something deployed from the beginning for a drift dive with some current.
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please let us know where you are conducting these dives because while many are relaying the safety importance of either the Alfa Flag/Red and White flag, it is state law in most states to have it deployed. SMB's don't count.
State law in Florida basically says that you have a 100yd perimeter around the diver flag where you have to stay inside of it, and boats are supposed to go in it. The boat rule is a little gray because it says they must make a reasonable effort to stay outside of it, so if you're blocking a channel they have to stay as far away as possible, but that is state law and the fines for you not displaying a minimum 12" dive flag is pretty steep. It's a noncriminal fine, but you still have to show up in court. Don't screw with them, they are mean. The law is 100ft when in rivers/lakes etc at least for Florida.
Again, if this is in the US, this is a law for most states, not a guideline, if out of the country, please check with the laws down there to avoid any legal problems. If you don't like the reel that he is making you use, grab a pretty long primary reel used in cave diving, put heavier duty line on it with a clip on the end, and that way you can clip to the flag they are providing and can clip the reel off to your D-rings, that's what we do when we have to tow one.
Cave Adventurers - Dive Rite Sidewinder Primary Reel #24 line - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
something like that in the wreck form which has 250ft of #36 wreck line is more than enough for towing a buoy around and you should be able to have the operation let you clip into their buoy with your reel.
State law in Florida basically says that you have a 100yd perimeter around the diver flag where you have to stay inside of it, and boats are supposed to go in it. The boat rule is a little gray because it says they must make a reasonable effort to stay outside of it, so if you're blocking a channel they have to stay as far away as possible, but that is state law and the fines for you not displaying a minimum 12" dive flag is pretty steep. It's a noncriminal fine, but you still have to show up in court. Don't screw with them, they are mean. The law is 100ft when in rivers/lakes etc at least for Florida.
Again, if this is in the US, this is a law for most states, not a guideline, if out of the country, please check with the laws down there to avoid any legal problems. If you don't like the reel that he is making you use, grab a pretty long primary reel used in cave diving, put heavier duty line on it with a clip on the end, and that way you can clip to the flag they are providing and can clip the reel off to your D-rings, that's what we do when we have to tow one.
Cave Adventurers - Dive Rite Sidewinder Primary Reel #24 line - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
something like that in the wreck form which has 250ft of #36 wreck line is more than enough for towing a buoy around and you should be able to have the operation let you clip into their buoy with your reel.
I've done deployed smb drift dives in Cozumel, Egypt and canada. The surface diver down flag in canada (west coast anyway) usually draws the attention of boaters to come close and "check it out". I've lost my voice yelling at these um....er........boaters on many occasions.
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drinksfromtap
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Clipping the flag to a D-ring makes me nervous since I dive in an area with a lot of boat traffic and don't want to be taken for an unexpected ride, but I know others are of the opinion that the line will break before anything really awful happens. It's worth checking out this older thread for ideas for what to do with the flag when you're diving. My favorite thing to do with the flag is to buddy with someone else who is carrying one and leave mine in the car. 
Carrying your dive flag
Carrying your dive flag
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that is what a z-knife is for.... Also if that does happen, hopefully someone on the boat can ID the offending boat because I believe that something like that can get you thrown in jail in most states.... With #36 line it should break quite easily in an incident like that though, even easier with #24, but you should be able to get your z-knife out before it becomes too much of an issue.
As for the inconvenience of carrying the flag during the dive....
Where I have dived with a flag in south Florida, the boat will supply that plastic coat hanger-type device described earlier. If, on the other hand, you bring your own reel, as I always do, they will switch it out. There is a big difference. With the supplied coat hanger, there is not a really good way to tie it off once you are at a steady depth. With the reel, you can close it off easily. WIth one popular model, all you have to do is release the grip. The drift is usually very casual--it isn't like you are being pulled, and you really shouldn't have to pull hard yourself. I find that I can usually just swim along gently, taking in the sights, with my thumb and first finger forming the OK sign and the reel bobbing along just below it. I barely notice it. I have dived with a couple of people who have reef hooks attached to the reel, and when they want to stay in one place for a while, they just hook it off and then pick it up again when they're ready to move on.
Where I have dived with a flag in south Florida, the boat will supply that plastic coat hanger-type device described earlier. If, on the other hand, you bring your own reel, as I always do, they will switch it out. There is a big difference. With the supplied coat hanger, there is not a really good way to tie it off once you are at a steady depth. With the reel, you can close it off easily. WIth one popular model, all you have to do is release the grip. The drift is usually very casual--it isn't like you are being pulled, and you really shouldn't have to pull hard yourself. I find that I can usually just swim along gently, taking in the sights, with my thumb and first finger forming the OK sign and the reel bobbing along just below it. I barely notice it. I have dived with a couple of people who have reef hooks attached to the reel, and when they want to stay in one place for a while, they just hook it off and then pick it up again when they're ready to move on.
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