How to use a diver down buoy/flag.

[lavachickie]

Here's your easy question for the day -- it seems so simple I can't bring myself to ask at the LDS (I've already made my stupid mistake for the month and don't want to go over quota).

So far I've dove in areas where there are no boats, OR with a group where someone else had some sort of device to signal divers in the area (flags, floats, etc.).

But I need my own as I'm going out with one or two people more often, and I like to be ultimately prepared.

So... um... how do these things work? I assume you get a reel that's appropriate for your depth of dive, you attach it to the floatie dude and then to yourself and away you go, right? I admit the first time I saw a reel I thought, "I'm totally going to mess THAT up and find myself tangled up in my own line." I've not really played with the reels, so how do they not just unspool and have line all over the place!?

Just choosing one is a challenge... there's so many. I admit I like the Mares Torpedo Buoy... it's cute.

I checked the Dive Flag Awareness section, and also searched, so perhaps I'm just dumber than the average bear, but I figure if I'm wondering about this, I can't be the only one so I'll just put it out there and ask. =-)

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

The torpedo-flags are MUCH easier to tow than an innertube float. I own both types, and vastly prefer the torpedo... the one I use is similar to the type lifeguards use, but with a flag mounted on it.

You need to decide whether you will be towing the flag the entire dive, or tieing it off. Much of this depends on local regulations (in Hawaii, you need to SURFACE near the flag, but do not need to tow it). You also need to decide on length of tow rope, as this will limit your depth and determine whether or not you want to use a reel.

I do not use a reel, and use about 60' of tow rope (I think). Remember, the rope will trail out behind you as you tow the flag (it creates an angle), so you'll need a bit MORE rope than you think if you plan to dive below say 60'. And the more rope you have out, the more drag the rope itself creates.... my feeling is that towing a flag is really best for shallowish dives (in the 30-40' max range).... beyond 60' it is probably better to tie-off... but agian, that depends on local regs and dive conditions, and you can certainly tow at deeper depths (but I'd want a good reel and very streamlined float).

Best wishes.

Edit: As far as line attachment and towing.. HOLD the reel or end of the rope, do not attach it to yourself. You want to be able to let it go if needed (a boat snags your float ). How the line attaches to float varies, but most common is a bolt snap on the end of the reel line that clips onto a loop or ring on the float.... in my case (no reel) the line is tied to the float, and I have a loop tied to the end I hold, the line is held in a coil in my hand, and I uncoil the line as I descend... it can really be that simple (with shorter line lengths). You do need to be comfortable with your buoyancy to handle line underwater...

 

[elmer fudd]

I've only used one once, but it was kind of interesting. Basically, we got a buoy with a dive flag and we attached our line to it. Since the dive shop only had expensive wreck reels, we just made our own by buying some utility cord at a Safeway and wrapping it lengthwise around a scrap of wood.

One of us would just tow it along and either pay out or take back in the line as we ascended or descended and it didn't hinder us nearly as much as we thought it might. The biggest hassle of the whole thing was that it kept at least one hand busy at all times. On the plus side though, you didn't have to pay much attention to your buoyancy. You just kept a little bit negative and used the buoy to balance things out.

 

[Straegen]

Not sure I would attach myself to a rope unless it had a break away of some sort. Most of the OW dives I have seen have a guy with a kite spool in his hands attached to a float. Lets some out when we go deeper or the current is faster, reel some back in if needed. At the safety stop just winds it all up. Kind of like this:

http://darrinjillson.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/diy-dive-flag-and-float/

 

[netmage]

This is the typical S. Florida setup for drift dives\live boating....

Folks who dive allot will get their own reels like this.....

 

[acwest]

So... um... how do these things work? I assume you get a reel that's appropriate for your depth of dive, you attach it to the floatie dude and then to yourself and away you go, right? I admit the first time I saw a reel I thought, "I'm totally going to mess THAT up and find myself tangled up in my own line." I've not really played with the reels, so how do they not just unspool and have line all over the place!?

The first thing to remember is don't attach it to yourself. It has been known to happen that a boater or jet-skier will grab your float and run off with it, which leaves you in a very unhappy position if you are attached to it. I personally use an inner-tube around a milk crate. It can be a bit large, but gives you a place to carry your weights and other gear in the car, and is great if you are collecting bottles or something off the bottom. You can use a reel, but I have been known to use a cord caddy to spool the line. These aren't ideal, I prefer using a vinyl bread-board that has been cut on the sides to resemble the profile of a spool, with a deep notch to hook the line in, and a fairly large hole cut in one end to hold it by. The hole has to large enough to be held while wearing your gloves, of course...
-Craig

 

[seaducer]

The first thing to remember is don't attach it to yourself.

+1.

For many of the dives I do where a flag is needed, we get in and out in the same spot. We simply drop the flag with a weight on the way out, and grab it again on the way back. If you need to surface anywhere else in an emergency there is no law against it, so you shouldn't get a ticket.

I carry a small sealed SMB that I will inflate and send ahead of me, then I can wave it around if someone gets too close in a boat, and whistle at them.

I am also close to navigation hazards so no one should be that close to me anyway, flag or not.

For other dives I use the plastic handle someone else posted, and drag the flag with me. I also have multiple cutting tools, should I get tangled up in the line.

 

[lavachickie]

Thanks to all; I'm all clued in now. Most of the sites we dive are indeed areas where you wouldn't need to tow. I'll add those items to my next LDS shopping trip list. =-)

 

[knowone]

This is the typical S. Florida setup for drift dives\live boating....

Folks who dive allot will get their own reels like this.....

It was insisted I tow one of these once. It spent a substantial portion of the dive fully submerged.

 

[Sas]

It was insisted I tow one of these once. It spent a substantial portion of the dive fully submerged.

Yes I have had that issue on drift dives now and then. The entire buoy was submerged for a large part of a recent dive due to how strong the current was. Also when most of us got ripped off the line at one point due to the drift line (which we were told we had to stick to despite this never going well) being wrapped around a large bommie I put up an SMB. We were in 12m of water and I had 30m of line on my SMB - it ended up fully extended and completely horizontal... :\

So anyway I reckon if currents are very strong get a decent buoy. The buoy and reel in that picture don't look very big or robust... But perhaps conditions over there are different.