Safety sausage tips

[Zept]

Since a few people in this thread are talking about buying safety sausages, how about some tips on the best way to launch them? I've changed my method several times in the last few months, but I still reckon on spending half my safety stop unrolling and inflating my sausage.

FWIW, currently I have a small shackle on the end of the line. I drop the shackle before I unroll the line, so that the line hangs vertically and doesn't get tangled in anything. When I inflate the sausage, I let the line run up through my fingers.

Any suggestions? Is there a better method?

Also, a tip for anyone buying a sausage: make sure the line is attached securely before you send it to the surface! I think mine was tied on with a slip knot, because it came apart immediately.

Zept

 

[chepar]

ok, ok, ok . . . now I'm a little confused. obviously I am ignorant about how the safety sausage is actually used as I started that particular thread.

I thought the safety sausage was something that you orally inflated once you reached the surface, not something that was inflated while still underwater. Exactly how does inflating one underwater work?

Sorry if I sound totally clueless - this is just different than what I was envisioning.

By the way, anyone have any comments about the safety signalling kit offered by DAN in the back of its magazine? The kit includes a mirror, whistle, safety sausage and light in a mesh bag - all for an extremely reasonable cost of only $30. I've seen safety sausages alone at my LDS for about $25 - is the DAN kit a good one? Are all safety sausages created equal?

 

[Zept]

I inflate my sausage during the safety stop, by purging my octopus into the bottom. It goes rocketing off to the surface. There is a 5m line attached to the bottom, and I hang on to the other end until I'm ready to go up -- kind of like a small child holding on to a balloon.

Two reasons for sending it up while I'm underwater:

* The people in the boat see my sausage come up, so they know where we are. With a bit of luck, they'll be motoring over to collect us by the time we surface.

* Perhaps more importantly, the people in the boat know there are divers under the sausage, so they don't motor right over the top of us when we're surfacing.

Sausages aren't all the same. Mine is about six inches wide, but I've seen people with wider ones, which are easier to spot. Also, mine came in a mesh pouch. I used to clip the pouch on to my BC, but it was a complete nuisance. Now I just wrap the line around the rolled-up sausage and store it in my pocket. It's less hassle and I can launch it at arm's length, so there's less risk of getting tangled up in the line.

Hope that helps,

Zept

 

[chepar]

A ha . . . got it!

thanks

 

[Jonathan]

Zept - what happens if you are caught in a drift like chepar and you want to send it up from depth? I don't do much different to Zept but I use a reel.

I'm glad you use your octo - I see too many people taking their primary out of their mouth and using that. IMHO that is extremely dangerous.

Jonathan

 

[Lemonade]

There are actually two types of this device; actually those are two different devices.

Use of one, which is most often referred to as Decompression Globe, was wonderfully describes by Zept.

Another, which is most often referred to as Safety Tube or Sausage, is only used on surface and represent nothing else but brightly colored inflatable stick, only employed to bring attention of boats or aircraft.

 

[Zept]

Originally posted by Jonathan
Zept - what happens if you are caught in a drift like chepar and you want to send it up from depth?

I'm in trouble, because I only have 5-6m of line. OTOH, a sausage with that much line will go in my pocket, so I always have it with me. A reel would be more versatile, but more cumbersome.

Lemonade, I think there are at least three different options -- inflatable marker buoys that can be sent up from any depth, sausages like mine that are designed to be sent up from a 5m safety stop, and devices that can only be used on the surface. I'm not sure why anyone would opt for the third type. I can inflate my sausage at the surface, if need be, but I have the added versatility of being able to send it up from 5m.

Zept

 

[Lemonade]

Zept --

Does your tube have some kind of a valve to keep it inflated while you are waiving it at a boat?

From your description I gather it has a wide opening to be inflated underwater by octo.

I have never seen one, which combines both features.

Thanks.

 

[Zept]

Originally posted by Lemonade
Zept --

Does your tube have some kind of a valve to keep it inflated while you are waiving it at a boat?

No. At a pinch I have this nice length of line that I could tie round the bottom... Usually I just hold the bottom beneath the surface and it stands up tall enough for the boat to see (not many big waves around here).

AP Valves makes a self-sealing model. I only know about it from the Web site, but I think there's someone here who uses one.

Zept

 

[Lemonade]

Yep, AP Valves, SMBC & SMBCi - look neat, but are pricey...