How to Build Your Own Dive Flag Buoy

The peace and serenity of the open water draws snorkelers, scuba divers and free divers all over the world. Gliding through the underwater wilderness with only your dive partner and the local wildlife offers you a chance to leave behind the modern world and enter the world of nature. One way your trip can become a nightmare is for an unsuspecting boater or fisherman to invade the dive area. A dive flag tells them to stay away. Dive safely by making and using your own dive flag buoy.

Things You'll Need

  • Drill with ¼-inch bit and ¾-inch paddle bit
  • Plastic 5-gallon bucket with tight-fitting lid
  • Play sand
  • Razor knife
  • Expansion foam
  • 2 eyebolts (1/4-inch by 2-inch shank with 1-inch eye)
  • 4 washers
  • 2 wing nuts
  • 2 carabiner clips
  • Dive flag (18 inches by 18 inches)
  • PVC pipe (3/4 inch by 48 inches)
  • Nylon rope (100 feet by ½ inch)
  • Small boat anchor
  • Work gloves
  • Safety glasses
  • Hearing protection
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make a hole in the center of the lid of your bucket with the ¼-inch bit on your drill. Make the hole larger by drilling through it again with the ¾-inch paddle bit.

    • 2

      Drill a ¼-inch hole through the side of the PVC pipe 1 inch from one end of the pipe. Lay the flag onto the pipe. Line up the top grommet on the flag with your drilled hole in the PVC. Drill a second hole through the pipe where the bottom grommet on your dive flag meets the PVC. Slip an eye bolt through each hole with a washer on each side of the pipe. Twist a wing nut onto each eye bolt and tighten by hand.

    • 3

      Remove the lid from your plastic bucket. Cut one end of the bag of play sand with your razor knife. Pour enough sand into the bucket to fill a third of the space inside. Replace the lid on your bucket.

    • 4

      Open a can of expansion foam, hold it with the nozzle down and shake the can vigorously. Slip the hose of the can into the hole in the lid of the bucket. Push the trigger on the can and squirt the foam into the bucket. Fill the bucket with the expansion foam until it is protruding from the hole in the lid. Insert the PVC pipe through the hole in the bucket while the foam is still wet and push it down to the sand. Fill the PVC pipe with foam.

    • 5

      Let the buoy sit for four hours to give the foam time to cure. Snap a carabiner clip onto each eye bolt and snap your flag onto the clips. Tie a 100-foot rope to the handle of the bucket. Tie an anchor to the free end of the rope and go diving in safety.