Post your Dive buoy!

[penguinator]

Hello everyone!

I thought it would be informative and interesting if people would like to tell us about their buoy setup for freediving! (non permanent)

At the moment I am just using a tube from a car tire, with perspex sheeting in the middle. It has handles on the sides, and a hole in the middle of the perspex, which I can drop through a 35m line, with markings every 5m. At the bottom of the line of course, there is some weight to keep the line straight
A separate line attached to the buoy, has my anchor.
The next step for me is attach a dive flag. At the moment I am using my RA spearing float to hold my flag. It is also attached to the buoy.

If your setup is too hard to explain, post some photos! Or draw a diagram on paint

 

[shoutatthesky]

Here is me watching Patrick Preisig putting together his CWT rig. This photo doesn't really show the mechanism but it allows the surface team to simply drop a weight from the buoy to bring the depth line up diver and all. But you should see the catamaran he has converted for deeper water! I'll hunt out some pics.

 

[penguinator]

That seems to be a nice setup. Does the rope drop down in between the pontoons? Or does it somehow extend off to the side? I am asking because I was curious to know if while breathing up, the diver hangs onto one of the pontoons from the outside, or directly onto the rope?

I will be designing a larger float in the near future, and am weighing up rope choice. I have a retired 60m climbing rope (static, not dynamic). Will this suit my purposes?

 

[shoutatthesky]

Yes the rope goes through the middle. You can see in the pic the aluminium structure. This holds a pulley and those things they have on boats - ummm I guess the name I would give them is rope locks. You just push the rope in and it holds it but as soon as you pull it the other way the rope comes out. It makes setting the base plate at different depths very easy.
The pontoons have some nice handholds to grip whilst breathing up.

I would think an ex climbing rope would be perfect for a dive line. But as you say static(no stretch) is the only option.

 

[par2005]

Made in Lithuania

 

[S.F.]

Hy.
Thats mine.
Plattform Update
Greet Stefan

 

[penguinator]

Stefan, that is a very inventive float!

Is that just hollow tubing you are using, or is it filled with foam for better flotation? Does the tubing just come apart for easy storage?

Also, I am assuming you use some sort of depth indication on the rope itself?

 

[S.F.]

Hy.
The Tubes are hollow.
You cant seperate it because they are glued with silicone and tape.
It isnt waterproof if you didnt. I simply have tape on the rope every
5m. You see it and you feel it too even with 5mm gloves.