SMB Questions

[DevonDiver]

The color coding of SMBs? No. We work out contingency plans with our captains (which go well beyond what we'll shoot up if we encounter problems).

None of the tech agencies include it in their training or materials?? Sure??

I honestly think using color coding of SMBs for varying messages is pretty silly...

Do you do decompression diving?

 

[Rainer]

None of the tech agencies include it in their training or materials?? Sure??

None of the agencies with whom I trained do (I have "tech" certs from NAUI Tec, GUE, and UTD). I have never met a diver locally (either in CA or in the Northeast where I've done most of my diving) who has used / been taught a color coded SMB system (that includes divers trained through the above agencies and TDI + IANTD).

Do you do decompression diving?

Yes, a fair amount. Color coded SMB use strikes me (and those I dive with) as utterly unnecessary.

 

[lowviz]

None of the tech agencies include it in their training or materials?? Sure??

Here is all I can come up with:

My TDI manual says:

"A lage brightly colored surface marker buoy can be used as a surface platform for completing decompression hangs while facilitating the boats ability to follow the diver, or if you surface down current of the boat, the buoy can make you a much easier target to locate. For our purposes as advanced wreck divers, the marker should have at least 50lbs of lift, should be colored either bright orange or fluorescent yellow.........."

 

[Blackwood]

Andy -

As far as I can tell, color coding only makes sense in the case that there are support divers equipped to respond to varying problems.

Around here, when we are doing deep dives, it's usually just the captain on the boat. I could shoot a purple spotted white bag and it would make no difference.

I suppose one could mean "here we are" and another could mean "call the coast guard." But like Rainer, nobody I've seen doing decompression diving out here (includes 500 foot CCR folks) color codes bags.

GUE, UTD, NAUI, TDI and IANTD to the best of my knowledge don't teach it. You're the resident DSAT expert, though not in the US (does it vary regionally?).

 

[Rainer]

For the most part, we don't do drift decos here (in SoCal or in the NE; for many reasons: diving in shipping lanes, diving far from shore, diving in areas with floating gill nets, etc). If I shoot a bag, it's really only to indicate that I've lost the upline and am now drifting. We are set up to deal with any in-water "emergency" (either within the team or through the use of support divers, who will already be in the water on the fixed line). As Blackwood noted, usually there is only a captain on the boat. He isn't going to be able to help solve a problem occurring underwater, so we have to dive prepared to deal with what might happen in the water. If a message needed to be relayed topside, the use of support divers who can immediately ascend is going to be more useful than a colored marker.

 

[DevonDiver]

None of the agencies with whom I trained do (I have "tech" certs from NAUI Tec, GUE, and UTD). I have never met a diver locally (either in CA or in the Northeast where I've done most of my diving) who has used / been taught a color coded SMB system (that includes divers trained through the above agencies and TDI + IANTD).

Ok... that surprises me. I guess, being a Brit, I assumed that such things were more standardised internationally.

Yes, a fair amount. Color coded SMB use strikes me (and those I dive with) as utterly unnecessary.

I'd like to hear your reasoning for this. I'll start a thread in the Tech section, as I don't want this to go off-topic in the Basic Scuba area.

 

[Rainer]

I'd like to hear your reasoning for this. I'll start a thread in the Tech section, as I don't want this to go off-topic in the Basic Scuba area.

See my post above (and Blackwood's). I've also responded in your new thread. Basically, though, there's no topside support in place so using different coded colors isn't going to serve any real use.

 

[mwalsh787]

Wow! This has been very helpful and very informative. I appreciate all of the thoughtful and very complete responses. It is great to have a Board like this as a resource. Thanks again to all who responded!

 

[BoltSnap]

Do divers in the UK or other places that use the color coding for the SMB actually carry two bags with different colors to be used depending on need?

 

[diver 85]

Do divers in the UK or other places that use the color coding for the SMB actually carry two bags with different colors to be used depending on need?

Was wondering the same.......What if the above water support guy is color deficient??......-----somebody's in trouble....