While diving, anything can happen- current changes, storms, waves, etc. At night its even worse! On Feb. 26, 2015 while in Cozumel, an unusual cold front brought in all of the above. March can be unpredictable in Cozumel. We went down with good weather only to surface with 5-6 waves and the boat no where to be found! PADIs new rules for divers to carry a SMB hadnt made it to any of the 7 other divers in our boat except our DM. And his was a small sausage. What started out to be the brunt o...f compensation jokes, soon proved to be a game changer. The waves and strong current were separating 4 other divers from us. We needed a boat fast! I was glad I bought Highlands 10 SMB. With minimal air from my safe second, the SMB was towering above the peaks and valleys of the sea enabling a boat to locate and pick us up. Everyone was asking where I got it! The nice thing about it is, it doubles as a 75 lb. lift bag. I wouldnt go as far and recommend it as a floatation device but if my BC ruptured or was punctured, Id feel my chances were improved with it. The nylon bag that comes with it is HD. The stainless steel grommets made mounting it to my Zeagle 911 BC simple. My only suggestion would be to sew tabs on to the velcro opening. Its almost impossible to open the bag with gloves on. Tabs would eliminate this. Ken Cottrell, Chicago
Surface Marker Buoy's (SMB) are now a requirement for all divers. If you don't dive with a SMB, you need to start now. It makes sense to be safe. Highland by XS Scuba's SMB is a big 10' (3m) tall buoy for superior visibility on the surface day or night. SMB has a wide 22" (56cm) circumference giving it 75 lbs. (19.43 kg) surface lift, so it can double as a great lift bag too! Even with its increased height, circumference and lift it still stows compact in an included 6.5" X 14" (16.5cm x 35.6cm) mesh carry pouch. The pouch comes equipped with grommets for back-plate attachment for added conveniences (mounting hardware not included).
The Highland by XS Scuba's SMB has multiple features for safety and versatility. Three bands of 3M SOLAS" reflective tape, stainless steel D-ring at top for strobe light attachment and an elastic holder for a chemical light stick all to improve surface visibility day or night. inflation of the SMB is made easy with the combination oral and BCD quick-disconnect inflator valve. Air will stay in the SMB with its anti-spill baffled bottom and over-pressurizing is never a problem with the built-in overpressure relief valve (OPV) with manual dump cord. If you find a treasure underwater that you need help getting to the surface, the 20" (50.8 cm) long lift harness with stainless-steel D-ring with give you the edge. SMB is manufactured with durable urethane coated nylon and is available in an orange color.
Denise H
What is the best way to attach this to a BCD? I was just going to clip it to a D-ring but it's huge.
VINCENZO S
Yes it is very huge. Actually I use it rolled around a Dpv. In my BCD I use another Smaller. Sorry.
PAUL H
I clip the sleeve that contains the sausage to my backplate
ALLEN M
Where is this product made? The Carter PF50 is made in USA. Important to buy American whenever possible
MICHAEL C
Unfortunately I believe it is made in China.
TJ S
How does the mesh pouch open? Is it Velcro? How easy is it to get it open if it's on your backplate?
MICHAEL C
The pouch closure is velcro. How easy it is to open depends on your own personal experience. Most tech divers mount their smb's on the backplate and most bags are velcroed close so it must not be too difficult to open.
Shopper
Can it be inflated by an octopus?
SHELLEY R
I know some of the safety sausages have an opening in the bottom to allow inflation with your octo or reg, I'm not sure this one does. It looks like it just has the valve that you manually inflate or as Craig said use your inflator hose.
CRAIG H
Yes. The lower end will open to allow a free-flow octopus to be the source of air fill. You can also DC your low pressure hose (Air2 or inflator) and connect to a valve that is on the side.
Shopper
What is the weight of this item in the storage pouch?