Do You ever feel Lost?
Have you ever surfaced from a dive feeling a bit lost as your dive boat seems to be miles away? Maybe you got separated from your dive buddy or drifted a bit far out with the current. On the surface, you look around... only to notice your dive boat in the far distance is picking up other divers. The only question on your  mind is... "Do they see me?"

Same photo Big difference

A Surface Marker Buoy can be an incredibly valuable tool regardless of your dive destination and especially in a drift diving environment. Hi Viz colors tubes can be seen for a great distance. A surface marker buoy can easily be the difference between two minutes or two hours floating at sea.

What sausage do I need ?
There is quite a big choice of surface marker buoys out there however  the basic safety sausage has a rather simple design. For everyday dive use that is what you want. The traditional safety sausage is only used on the surface (usually inflated orally). The delayed surface marker buoy which can be deployed from the safety stop inflated with the octopus being more desirable as it warns boat traffic of your location and allows your own dive boat to already follow your position although you are still underwater.

The world's most wonderful safety gear isn't worth anything if it's too bulky and you leave it behind or it is too complicated to use.

The worst possible signal sausage is "none".

Don’t I use them only for emergencies?
Why not use it before the emergency occurs, before your dive boat can't see you anymore, before you've drifted into the blue. A diver signal tube should be used on every dive, make it easy for your dive boat crew to track you.

To be able to use it on every dive the surface marker should be compact, easy to deploy and durable. Go for quality, you don't want your sausage to fail when you really need it.

How to Use Your Safety Sausage
The delayed surface marker buoy should be deployed while you are on your safety stop. A common problem is the risk of getting tangled with the string while shooting it up. A more professional alternative is the use of a reel. For the recreational diver this can be quite a daunting task. An innovation is the unique Webbing Deployment System WDS™ from Surface Marker which allows every diver to use it without the fear of being tangled or trying to use the reel. The orally inflatebly sausages should really only be used as a back up device.

Which Surface Marker do I choose?
A safety sausage, diver surface marker, or lift bag should be considered when planning virtually every dive, and your selection will inevitably depend upon your diving environment and skill level.

In some dive areas the use of Surface Markers is actually required. Yellow and red are the most visible colors. Every dive boat captain will appreciate a divers willingness to use a safety sausage.

With a continual concern for diver safety, Surface Marker introduced the “Diver Signal Tube with Webbing Deployment System WDS ”. With its two tone yellow and red, over 145 cm (4-feet) long , 15 cm (6-inches) wide, it is visible for a great distance. Designed with the recreational diver in mind, the primary advantage of Surface Markers Diver Signal Tube is the safe deployment with the Webbing Deployment System. No more fear of tangling and no extra reel needed.

Dive Safe and Dive Smart
Although there are other signaling devices out there, Surface Marker Buoys are a smart starting point. Before your next dive adventure, make sure you've got the appropriate safety equipment for your specific dive destination as well as the knowledge to use it.