Does anyone feel it's important to have a bottom inflate (with your spare reg) compared to an oral (only) inflation DSMB?
DSMB size - is 6’ overkill ?
- Thread starter Dogbowl
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One thing to remember is that , although you may shoot the DSMB from safety stop depth and find that it isn't full on the surface, you can still add air on the surface.
Personally for all the difference in carrying it, I will take the 6' every time
Personally for all the difference in carrying it, I will take the 6' every time
@EireDiver606. From the standpoint of the boat seeing you on the surface, bigger is always better. The large bags can be a little harder to learn on as they require more gas and generate more lift that you have to control underwater. The trick is just to practice with your bag in a safe location. Also, as I mentioned previously, shooting a bag from 70 to 100' makes it much easier. If you can practice in a safe location from 30' or so and perfect that, shooting a bag from 100' will be a cinch. As for it's stowed size, I can fit mine and it's spool in the pocket on my pocket shorts. Yeah, it bulges out a bit, but it doesn't get in the way at all.
@Snowman, I have a dedicated lp hose with a blow gun on it for bag inflation. It makes it super easy, no taking your reg out, etc. Just put the nozzle in the bottom of the bag and start blowing it up.
@Snowman, I have a dedicated lp hose with a blow gun on it for bag inflation. It makes it super easy, no taking your reg out, etc. Just put the nozzle in the bottom of the bag and start blowing it up.
So far it looks like the overwhelming majority still prefer the 6’ SMB with 100’ of line. I like the idea of the Halcyon 6’ slim. However, I am also concerned that the 6’ might be more difficult for a newbie to launch. If I can’t handle it and leave it at home instead, it will be pointless. Maybe I should get a shorter one, then later upgrade to a 6’?
Why would someone want to lunch it at 100’ or 70’ depth? Wouldn’t launching at 30’ be sufficient? My frame of reference is Caribbean waters (say, Cozumel or Belize)? I don’t dive beyond that currently.
Why would someone want to lunch it at 100’ or 70’ depth? Wouldn’t launching at 30’ be sufficient? My frame of reference is Caribbean waters (say, Cozumel or Belize)? I don’t dive beyond that currently.
Several reasons. 1) the bag is on the surface sooner, so you haven't drifted as far away from the boat when you give the boat crew a visual on your whereabouts, 2) it gives you a convenient ascent line, 3) it's just easier to shoot since you only need to fill the bag about 1/4 of the way.
Hey Dogbowl, I'm on the road right now, but when I get home this evening I'll post a couple of pictures. In the meantime, I essentially have a second inflator hose coming off my regs. Instead of attaching to my for wing controlling my buoyancy, it is just a longer hose that has a little nozzle on the end of it. I bring it around under my left arm and stick it through the scooter (crotch) ring on my harness. It stays put nicely. When you use it, you just press the nozzle to the side, it releases gas. So you stick the nozzle in the open end of the bag, push it and it inflates your bag for you. No need to take the reg out of your mouth and blow. You can also easily pop the nozzle off (I keep it bungeed to my lp hose), so the hose doubles as a backup inflator if I have to shut one of my valves down (doubles). This won't be an advantage for single tank diving, but I still use it on single tanks for the convenience of inflation.
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