South Florida boat diving - DSMB sizing?

[Kairoos]

My DSMB is 7' and I have no problem deploying it from depth and having it fully filled at the surface, but the darn thing will not stand up straight unless I have no air in my wing and I am completely hanging on it (usually overweighted by 2-4lbs). So while I'm starting my ascent it isn't sitting up straight, which isn't very useful. Sure it's fine on my safety stop when I completely hang on it.

If I go with too small of an SMB the boat might not see it, and too tall and it's not going to stand up and the boat definitely isn't going to see it.

I'm switching back to a spool (I was using a "spreel") so that might help, but I'm thinking of going down to maybe a 5' SMB? What works for you?

 

[CuzzA]

I use a Hog 45" smb on a small reel stowed in a waist pocket and I keep a semi closed 96" smb attached to my butt d ring. My thought process is 2 is 1 and the 45" would be my primary and the 96" would be my contingent marker if I surfaced to terrible conditions or was lost at sea. The 96" would make it easier for someone to spot me after deploying my PLB.

SMB's
Surface Marker Buoy's "SMB's"

 

[sportxlh]

The boat captains are trained to look for SBM's in this area. They'll see it whether it is standing straight up or lying horizontally on the surface. I use a 5 foot sausage which I inflate from depth and send up with a Manta reel. I used to use a 4 foot sausage which I sent up on a finger reel and scuba captains always saw me. Whether you use a 4 foot or 7 foot sausage, just keep an eye on boat traffic once you hit the surface. If the divers spread out during their drift dive, it can take a while for the boat to get over to you if the captain is picking up other divers. Some reef lines get a lot a lot of boat traffic with some operators being idiots

 

[Capt Scotty]

XS scuba.....10 footer....cause Im the guy who has to look for them....lol

 

[Steve_C]

If there is wave/swell action the SMB will tend to go up, go down. That is ok. Bigger is a bigger visual target. Don't forget that often the captain is higher up then the deck. Also if it comes to that, bigger is better for planes. I carry a rolled up bright orange streamer in my BCD. Little space used and creates a 30 ft streamer which is quite visible from the air. Never used. Hope it is never used. But it is there.

 

[The Chairman]

I don't expect my SMB to always stay vertical. I like for it to do a 'wave'. A pull at depth causes it to go from lying on the water to being vertical and then back to lying on the water. Even in big waves, the boat usually idles up to my buoy while I'm finishing my stop.

 

[tbone1004]

what are you shooting the dsmb for? That determines the size.
DeepSeaSupply - Product Detail
I use this for shooting up from depth to inform people of stuff. Usually, it's letting them know we got to the last deco stop. I also carry a big ass green one that I will inflate at the surface and essentially step on. That is the "come find me" one. If I was drift diving, I'd spend the $80 on one of these
Hawaiian Hard Float | MAKO Spearguns
Has a FWC approved flag, which you need, won't pop, and can be used for extra floatation, but that's drift diving only where you legally have to be towing a flag the whole time. The little 1m from DSS is super slick for just letting the boat know where you are, but you shouldn't really be that far from them anyway to where you need a 2m market. They're up high ish so they can see better, Florida isn't known for big swells, and the 1m is perfectly fine for a "hey I'm on my ascent, so please meander in this general direction to pick me up".

 

[Kairoos]

There's always a DM in the water with a float, and I try to stay close to them. My DSMB is if I get separated from the DM. Or if my wing fails and I need the extra buoyancy.

I'm just thinking that a 5' DSMB would be stand up better.

 

[tbone1004]

yeah, that's not what a dsmb is for..... If you are separated, you inflate the big one at the surface. If you need redundant buoyancy, bring a lift bag, though if your wing fails and you can't kick the rig up, you are diving an unsafe configuration.

DSMB's are not for "come find me" type situations, hence they don't need to be big so they stand up appropriately. 3' is more than enough. If you get lost, then you need one as big as you can get and you only inflate it at the surface

 

[sportxlh]

If you're diving off a private boat, the Mako float is a great idea. However, the charters in northern Palm Beach County won't let you carry you're own float like this. The local practice is to stay with the dive guide who has a float or come up on your own with most locals inflating an SMB at depth to let the scuba charter boat captain know you'll be on the surface in 3-10 minutes and also let other passing boats know to avoid the area since there is a diver down.