Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

First used when drift diving off of Boynton Beach, Fl. Easy to manually inflate at surface, very large and highly visible with the SOLAS reflective tape and height! Captain had no problem finding us from a distance.

Did unravel once underwater so be sure that the strap is tight. I attach to the bottom rear side D-ring on my BC with a locking retractor. Bulky but not noticable when connected the bottom of the BC.

Will try suggestion from another reviewer to fold instead of rolling and placing in pocket.

Plan to use on every open water dive.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

I used this for open water diving in Jupiter, FL. I believe this is perfect for ocean diving. It makes you highly visible to your boat and I felt significantly safer diving with this as opposed to a much smaller safety sausage.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This buoy is functional and well made. Easy to fill.

If you want to be seen on the surface, this works.

Lift capability is a nice bonus, and you can release it at depth if needed.

Fold it (instead of rolling it up) and you can fit it in a pocket, but it's not tiny.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

First time I unrolled this baby I became the life of the party! The SMB is very rugged, easy to use, and can easily be seen even in moderate seas. It's huge when deployed and rolls up to be very compact. Also the velcro straps keep everything neat and tight. Inflation is easy and I've had no problems with anything. I've used many types of SMB's and this is one of the best. Every dive people ask where I got it.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This thing is great! Six feet out of the water and VISIBLE. Can also be used as a lift bag, oral inflator, easily deflates. Yeah, it has to be clipped to the BC and it's a little cumbersome to use one handed. But if you get separated from the boat, it's visiblity will sure be appreciated.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

I bought this particular unit because I wanted a safety sausage & a lift bag-in hindsight, I don't need a liftbag often & that makes this unit somewhat overkill-it's very large which make it nice to see but alot to unroll underwater & even when rolled up it's a monster-I prefer to keep things in pockets rather than hanging from my drysuit/BCD & this is so large that it ties up a fairly large pocket. The oral inflator adds to the bulkiness-they could have done this differently to make it roll up more compact. Consider your profile underwater prior to making a purchase.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This thing is big. However, that is exactly what you want if you surface to find the boat nowhere in sight. I had a little trouble figuring out how to attach it to my BCD. It barely fits in one of the pockets, and not very well. I finally settled on clipping it to a carabiner on one of my D-rings down low. I don't find that it gets in the way at all. Contrary to an earlier post, it does have an oral-inflation valve that works very well. It inflates very quickly and easily. Highly recommended for remote locations and drift dives.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This is a good quality product and I bought this as a replacement for one I had that was too small. This has all the features and quality that I want in a surface buoy. One small drawback is that it borders on being a bit too large to fit in my BCD pocket comfortibly and it's too large to carry clipped to a D ring without getting in the way. I will now feel much more confident that I'll be spotted if I become adrift away from the dive boat.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This is not your average safety sausage in that it is twice the size and can serve as a lift bag (up to 50lbs). The relief valve and the anti-spill bottom with baffle are great features. If you want to be seen on the surface, you won't be missed if you use this SMB. If you don't roll it very tight, it can unravel.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

A rather large and bulky item. The straps do not secure well and tend to drift if not properly stowed. Not a great feature if you want to deploy one handed or while otherwise encumbered.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

I use this product every dive. Easy to inflate and stays inflated on the suface. The valve allows for inflation at depth without fear of the bag bursting.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

very functional and very large

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

Well constructed and easy to use. Taller than most SMBs so when it is rolled up it is about twice the size of others. I like the overpressure relief valve and the anti-spill bottom with baffle. It doesn't have an oral inflate. If you are looking for an SMB that will stand out, this is the one.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

This is the safety sausage that I carry. It is an excellent surface marker bouy that will get you seen (and isn't that the whole ideaa?) It's ruggedly made and has good features such as a dump valve for air, convenient D rings, and is sealed so the air won't dump if it is accidently up-ended. I like the reflective tape on the marker as this can be important in low light or night dive situations. The unit can be attached anywhere on a BC (I keep mine in my BC pocket). It can also serve as a lift bag since it has close to 50 pounds of lift when fully inflated. In heavy boat areas it can also be attached to a line to serve as a surfacing marker as you ascend from your safety stop.

Scuba Diving magazine just did an article on safety devices and for visual surface signals, this was one of the top picks. It is large, so be aware of that. But, you won't need this for every dive. I would not dive open ocean without it.

The only reason I rated this 4 flags instead of 5 was due to size. The unit does not roll up quite as tightly as it could due to the rather large dump valve.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

Does as you would expect - good construction and well built.

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

Great lift bag but rather large for a safety sausage. I very much enjoy the large tie-strap and easy to use octo-inflate. (although an oral inflate would be nice I don't miss it). Would recommend this product, just be prepared for the larger size safety tube. (8"x5" rolled)

Comments about XS Scuba Xs Scuba Surface Marker Buoy:

As far as SMBs go, I haven't seen one that can beat this one for price. It has good, solid construction and nice features.
The only thing it is missing is an oral inflate. Also, it is a bit bulky. It doesn't roll up as tight as it could due to the design of the purge valve, and i had to be a little creative when mounting it to my backplate, but those really aren't anything big.
The important thing is that it is reliable, durable, and very easy to spot.