1st Smb/ Surface Marker

[ycc]

Looking for my 1st SMB, few questions to ask

1. Size
The most common size I see is 6"
Do I really need that big or a 3.3" will probably do the work?

I plan to use the SMB for safety stop/ surface marker


2. Open end vs close end?
I am not really comfortable with the reg leaving my mouth so I prefer the open end personally
but is that easier to maintain the buoyance with close end one?

3. need a mesh bag? or simply use the bungee/ clip that come with the SMB?

 

[Lorenzoid]

1. I have long been using the DAN 6' SMB. It works fine to shoot during a safety stop to signal a nearby boat, but from others' comments in similar threads I have come to conclude that a shorter SMB would work just as well for this purpose. The 6' SMB would obviously be preferable to a shorter SMB to use to attract help/rescuers if a diver becomes separated from the boat. In an ideal world, you might carry both a short and a long SMB. Where I dive, there is little current, the dives are close to shore, and there are often a number of dive boats about, so I could get away with a shorter SMB.

2. I prefer open end and fill it from my exhaust bubbles.

3. I use a tail pouch or sleeve like this, but there are many options for how to carry/store an SMB--you may have to experiment to see what you prefer.

 

[2airishuman]

Looking for my 1st SMB, few questions to ask
1. Size
The most common size I see is 6"
Do I really need that big or a 3.3" will probably do the work?

I plan to use the SMB for safety stop/ surface marker

You mean 6 feet and 3.3 feet?

6 foot SMB is big, nuisance to carry, requires practice to deploy especially at depth.

3 foot SMB is more manageable but can't be seen from as far especially in heavy seas and can provide a reasonable amount of emergency buoyancy.

I carry both on boat dives.

2. Open end vs close end?
I am not really comfortable with the reg leaving my mouth so I prefer the open end personally
but is that easier to maintain the buoyance with close end one?

Either works fine, but, wow, that's a pretty basic skill.

3. need a mesh bag? or simply use the bungee/ clip that come with the SMB?

When I first started bringing mine on dives I had problems with it coming loose and subjecting me to harsh ridicule while I wound it back up. On one dive I also lost the attached reel. I use the mesh bag and a couple of additional bungee loops on the big one, and a bungee with a velcro backup strap on the little one. The currently-banned dumpsterDiver advocated winding line around the large SMB rather than using a reel, which works OK as long as you have enough clearance below you to unwind the line without the clip hitting the bottom, an obstruction, or another diver.

Whatever you do, practice deployment in a safe environment before you rely on them for use in an emergency.

 

[Altamira]

I use one 6" SMB primarily because I don't want to carry two, when one 6' SMB fills all my emergency and non-emergency needs. Yes, it is a bit more difficult to deploy, but certainly manageable with some practice. I can easily put the 6' SMB plus a finger spool in a Zeagle Sport Utility Pocket on my bcd waist strap or you can bungee it to the harness.

If you are not comfortable with taking the reg out of your mouth, you might consider putting your octo on a necklace (I use one routinely for my octo), which you can buy at any dive shop or online. That way, if you want to use your primary to fill the SMB, you can stick the octo in your mouth while filling the SMB and then just let the octo drop back below your chin when ready to get back on your primary reg.

No matter what size SMB you use, they all require practice to deploy.

 

[Pinecube]

1. Depends on where you're primarily going to be diving, what kind of waves do you get? How far from the boat could you surface? I would personally prefer a 6' over a 3' SMB unless i'm in a small lake that never gets any waves.

2. The problem with open-ended SMBs are that you need to hold them down partly underwater to prevent the air from escaping. If you shoot it from depth, it will likely lose some of that air when surfacing and you wont get the full height until you can surface to add air. As for not wanting to take the reg out of your mouth to inflate it, why not use your alternate reg/octo? Whether you choose open or closed bottom, it will take a bit of practice to deploy smoothly and efficiently. Personally I'd go for a closed ended DSMB.

3. Mine is rolled up with an elastic and clipped off. Mesh bag not needed.