SMB recomendations?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

From a boat charter that goes out to Cape Flattery (northwest corner of Washington state), the captain swears by the effectiveness of sola reflective tape for tall (9') SMB's, as those could be picked up on his radar in heavy swells. I have no personal experience, but his other recommendations have worked well for me.

 

[Zeagle Eagle]

I have narrowed it down to 2. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotchlite...UTF8&qid=1455764256&sr=8-2&keywords=sola+tape

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Surv...e-Silver/dp/B00DG0NA62/ref=dp_ob_title_sports

 

[SMStelzel]

I vote the strips. What do you need 6 feet of solas tape for? And the strips are cheaper.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going with the DAN one.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm looking at this for my SMB: Oralite Marine Microprismatic Retroreflective Conspicuity Tape at FindTape.com.

Thanks for the reminder as this fell way down on my todo list.

 

[scuba5150]

I'm in the market for a new SMB. I like the looks of the DAN one but they don't say if it is a closed bottom or has a one way valve. I like you can inflate it 3 ways. Are the radar strips effective or a gimmick? Does anyone have one and do you like it. I'm open to other suggestions also.

I attended a safety talk presented by a USCG rescue team (pilots, rescue swimmers) at the Fort Lauderdale dive show a couple of years ago where the Coast Guard encouraged the use of a radar reflector incorporated into the SMB. They also like the larger (6 ft) versions of SMBs with a strobe light. The use of a radar reflective component and strobe light, obviously, make it much more likely to be spotted at night. I have heard that the Coast Guard may not search for a missing diver at night unless it is likely that the diver has a light and/or radar reflective component. I've made sure to let my non-diver wife know to tell the Coast Guard that I have both in case the issue ever arises.

 

[Reku]

I have a halcyon DSMB - the super big one - it's amazing. It's also expensive.