The SMB with strobe and a dive alert for noise allowed me to be seen when my dive boat decided to go back in shore without accounting for people. It was the day I should have played the lottery because a boat was fishing in that area and saw me. That day I cashed out one of my 9 lives, so I know it does work in choppy waters.
Holy crap, man! Glad you made it back in one piece. I think I will skip any SCUBA expeditions that don’t allow me to take the boat keys down with me.