What smb and where to buy it?

[ggunn]

I don't remember how much mine cost but it wasn't that expensive. It's about 4' long and 3-4 inches in diameter, red on one side and yellow on the other. I deploy it on my first dive for a refresher and then every time I come up more than 20' or so from the DM's buoy. It comes with me on every dive.

 

[kelemvor]

I've never heard of any dive op providing SMBs. I think SMBs are basic commodity type items - maybe not a great difference between them? We got ours from DAN.

I've dove with several that had a bucket and handed out both SMB's and dive computers if any diver didn't have either. I think Florida Keys Dive Center was such an op, but I might be remembering wrong. Also some op in the Palm Beach area of Florida. I didn't buy my own smb until I went to Cozumel where you were required to deploy one on every dive. They're super easy to use, I think people make mountains out of molehills.

Just like other things in life, size matters with an SMB. The bigger it is, the farther away it can be seen. Someone being able to see it is the entire reason you have one. Might be your boat that needs to see it, might be a search & rescue helicopter if you've had a bad day. I wouldn't pony up the cash for the DAN unit because they've completely lost their minds on pricing. I paid $20 for mine (6') at an annual LDS sale. Piranha has them for $30: Surface Marker Buoy's "SMB's" I see some 10 foot models, think I might upgrade. Don't forget a finger spool so you can deploy it before you get to the surface.

Regarding size. If you've got waves that are cresting just 3' above the surface then the trough is another 3' below. That means even a 6' smb cannot be seen very far away when you're in the trough. Things floating on the surface of the ocean can be very hard to see. Personally, I don't know how dive boat captains consistently manage to find all their divers.

I also have a nautilus lifeline radio, and I have used it. Even such a brief incident as this really impresses upon the mind how important these safety items are.

It would also be a great idea to get a mirror and a whistle. Both are cheap, and can be easily tucked into a small pouch so they're out of the way unless you need them.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Any dSMB is better than none.

For the most part they are much of a muchness. Unless (like me) you are deploying them every dive most weeks, the brand differences don't really matter. What you want is the type YOU find the easiest to use. Learn how to use it and practice in easy conditions, so that IF you really do need to shoot one in difficult circumstances (either poor conditions or in a heightened state of anxiety) you can

People will debate the pro's and con's of each type. Whether it's manually inflated by mouth, whether you can use your second stage or LP inflator, whether (like mine) you can use a small gas bottle refilled from your dive cylinder (not the CO2 capsules)

Personally I Suggest a 2m dSMB for the ocean - you need it to be seen when there are waves. - for this size generally one you can inflate with your second stage/ LP inflator is easiest

Consider also type of spool you will use. I don't subscribe to the 6m length of string, I would always launch mine deeper before I get to my final stop.

I tried a number of finger spools before I found one I liked and felt comfortable for me (I use the Apex spools as does my wife) Think how much line you want. If you get taken off a site or wall you may want to shoot the bag before you ascend In which case over 30m (100') line , remember the bag might get pulled in a current so extra line is better to have rather than having to let go or be dragged up - but a reel with say 100m of line is over kill

Supersize ones? Not really. I do have a 12' dSMB for real emergencies, but in reality it's deployed at (or near the surface) as additional buoyancy for multiple divers or to wave if you really are lost

Like others, I carry a dive alert air horn, a small signal mirror and signal torch just in case...

 

[Charred]

I was just in Coz last month and my wife and I both had dSMBs. Aside from DMs, were the only ones. I even got asked why do you carry that by other divers.

The answer is in case you get separated from the group and need to surface alone. There is a shocking amount of boat traffic over the reefs. You need to protect yourself if you have to surface alone.

We use the Dive Right ones. I think they are 5 feet and pretty wide. In the event you need to, you could easily float yourself on it so it has that extra safety function.

 

[Brules]

Dive ops do not provide them - deploying them from depth takes practice and you can easily get entangled if you do not know what you are doing. I dont carry one, and the majority of people who go there do not from what I have seen. Maybe 1 or 2 on a boat of 6-8 might have them from what I have seen over 20 years.

I have one but not on a reel. It is for in case I come up away from the DM's SMB and I need to mark myself for traffic or to signal a dive boat if you get spread out. I wish someone made a small - short reel that was like enclosed/auto wind. It is like they come in 100' reels or not at all lol.

Here is a pic of mine:

XSSSMB10

• Brules
• Apr 4, 2017
• 2

Think it is big enough?

 

[Lorenzoid]

In Cozumel, the most likely of the unlikely scenarios is that you get separated from the DM and you have to surface on your own and signal the boat. Just about any SMB will work for that, because you will be inflating it on the surface. If you haven't practiced deploying an SMB from depth (say, at your safety stop) and you don't plan on practicing this before your trip, then there's no need to narrow your choice down to one with features that facilitate at-depth deployment (the so-called Deployable SMB or DSMB).

 

[Brules]

Exactly this ^^^^^.

 

[kelemvor]

I was just in Coz last month and my wife and I both had dSMBs. Aside from DMs, were the only ones. I even got asked why do you carry that by other divers.

That must vary from operator to operator. I dove with Dive Paradise in 2015, and divers weren't allowed to splash if they did not have one. They had extras for folks that did not. Even sharing a single SMB between a pair of buddies was not acceptable. Personally, I think it was wise on their part.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Here is a pic of mine:

XSSSMB10

• Brules
• Apr 4, 2017
• 2

Think it is big enough?

That looks like the 16 footer that one of the boat captains in my area for when he's out in Neah Bay (where the weather/waves can change dramatically during a dive). Where did you get it?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That looks like the 16 footer that one of the boat captains in my area for when he's out in Neah Bay (where the weather/waves can change dramatically during a dive). Where did you get it?

Edit: Nevermind. Found it: Highland by XS Scuba 10' (3 meters) Surface Marker Buoy