First christened the Safety Sausage, the Surface Marker is now being used by thousands of Dive Instructors and Dive Professionals all over the world. They are a vital piece of equipment used to indicate a diver’s general location.
The Safety Sausage comes in a broad arrangement of brands, sizes, and types, however, there are particular distinctions which should be understood before using them.
he close-end Surface Marker Buoys or SMB’s are what you may recognize as a simple tube. This style is excellent for choppy waters or waters that could become choppier during the dive. This type of buoy uses an inlet valve which ensures they stay inflated as well as easy to spot.
The open-ended surface marker buoys ultra simple tubes with one open end which stays underwater in order to prevent air from inside the tube from escaping. Unlike closed-end, this SMB is ideal for calm and predictable diving conditions.
The delayed SMBs are usually deployed from underwater when the situation needs them. These SMBs ensure that a diver does not need to worry about other SMBs becoming tangled. These convenient surface marker buoys tuck neatly into your pocket and can be inflated rapidly if necessary. Once fully inflated, these SMBs quickly rise to the surface, making marking the position of the diver easy.
Then there is the surface marker buoy. The connecting line between you and the buoy can easily get entangled with gear, obstructions in your diving site, and most importantly, other diver’s SMB lines. Also, there are situations where your reel can get stuck or fail to unwind as it should.
Practice with your surface marker buoy before attempting a dive in order to familiarize yourself with how it works. This is best done in shallow waters and with a buddy familiar with the gear.
All the above mentioned Surface Markers are available at Koh Tao’s leading Dive Retail store, Drift by Big Blue Diving.
