Reels and buoys
Reels and Buoys
Reels are used for giving a secure line, linking the diver and surface marker buoy. Other uses are for safety measures when cave and wreck diving, diver training and search and rescue.
Reels come in a variety of lengths; they are secured to a marker buoy, or shot line. Reels are an important safety measure, because if you are attached to a line in times of emergency your chances of been found are obviously higher than not being attached. It is an essential piece of equipment, so don’t go without it. By doing your homework regarding any piece of diving equipment it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive to be any good.
A surface marker buoy should be of a bright colour. The day-glow orange was once thought to be a colour easily seen in sea conditions, but it’s been proven that yellow colours are more visible. Orange is recognised as signalling ‘here I am’ and yellow, ‘I am here and I might need help’, divers now usually carry both. The reason behind surface marker buoys is to let everyone know where a diver is.
Surface marker buoys should easily inflate and be of good quality, so it stays inflated and has the capability of having a line attached to it securely. There is a good choice of late deployment buoys available, but is has to do what it says on the box i.e. when you release it under the water’s surface, it travels to the surface with ease and stays inflated. Some delayed marker buoys have independent cylinders or small CO2 cartridges to inflate, as you do not necessary want to use valuable oxygen. It is advisable to use a marker buoy with a skirt added to fold over the end to seal it. So the water can flow over it, as they have a tendency for acting like a sea anchor and drag the diver if not.
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