Best DSMB/spool?

[Adobo]

Sounds like I may want a larger one for a backup on boat trips. And, the smaller one for classes. I'll purchase the smaller one for now, get proficiency. When we have a boat trip planned somewhere, I'll pick up the larger one.

I use the 3.3ft Halcyon SMB when doing boat dives involving drift deco in Monterey/Carmel. In fact, in all of the boat charters I've been on where deploying SMBs where part of the dive plan, most teams used a 3.3ft SMB. I do occasionally hear of teams using the "big" bag but I am not sure exactly what additionally utility the big bag gives you. I do know that of the few occasions where dive teams got separated from a boat, the bigger bag would not have helped. (The two examples I can think of - 1. fog rolled in and the boat was unable to spot the team's bag and 2. boat crew had to look in the direction of the sun to spot the team's bag)

If you are worried that a 3.3ft SMB will be insufficient for the conditions you will be in, it might be better to think about plan b (dive whistle, signal mirror), plan c (water proof marine radio/gps) or even plan Denny's (skip the dive, go to breakfast instead).

Also, I don't see why you would bother going with anything less than a 150ft spool. A 150ft spool will give you sufficient line for recreational dives as well as tech 1 dives. And it isn't any harder to manage than a 100ft spool.

 

[kathydee]

Sounds like I may want a larger one for a backup on boat trips. And, the smaller one for classes. I'll purchase the smaller one for now, get proficiency. When we have a boat trip planned somewhere, I'll pick up the larger one.

Perfect plan. The smaller one will be much easier to inflate in class . Good luck!

 

[g1138]

The BAUE/GUE teams that dive off the Escapade in Monterey/Carmel all use the 1m Halcyon SMB's. There's been a few occasions where one of those certain members decides to shoot the larger 4.5ft one. But all times I've seen it, it's been laying flat; much less visible at a distance than the upright skinny 1m.

You can't really hold those up with neutral trim and hanging from it with a scooter, 8lbs camera, and stages is a no-no.

 

[rlynch]

purely for signaling - the 3ft SMB by Halcyon with the one way valve. For ascending on a wreck after the boats anchor has broken loose = Lift bag (50lb) with oneway valve, Halcyon inflated from either the Deco bottle or your drysuit inflator. you need a good anchor to ascend off of in order to not get blown off the wreck. For class like others have said, small Halcyon SMB, and a Delrin spool (I use 100')

 

[eelnoraa]

The BAUE/GUE teams that dive off the Escapade in Monterey/Carmel all use the 1m Halcyon SMB's. There's been a few occasions where one of those certain members decides to shoot the larger 4.5ft one. But all times I've seen it, it's been laying flat; much less visible at a distance than the upright skinny 1m.

I totally agree here. Beside the halcyon 3.3 ft, I also have a 6ft smb. So far, I haven't been able to shoot it in properly at the depth of say 30ft. Maybe my technique is not solid. When I exhaul one breath into the smb and let go, the 6ft will lay flat on surface. If I try to put a 2nd breath into the smb, I can't maintain buoyance anymore. At the end of the dive, my wing is almost empty, drysuit has little exessive air to vent.

So for fundie, don't make your life harder with a bigger SMB. It is already a tough class.

 

[nimoh]

it sounds like the dsmb you have should work fine, assuming since it is a dsmb that it has an over pressure relief valve.

For fundies, you will only be orally inflating your dsmb (based on my experience in fundies two weeks ago). As for the spool, I have a 100ft spool, and I cut off about 20ft to make it easier to clip the bolt snap on.

 

[rlynch]

Yep for fundies - Oral inflate the SMB only - use the small one with not only the OPV but also the with the No-Lock connector (you don't have to push in the mouth piece while blowing into it, makes it easier)

 

[Adobo]

For some reason, a lot of this "it will work great in class" or "do it this way in class" advice is nagging at me. So if I may, I would like to put the original question back into context.

I'd like to buy my DSMB and spool. I want to make sure this will work for a Fundies class and any future classes I may take.
Any recommendations? There are just so many to choose from online, I have no idea where to start.
Currently, I have a DSMB, but it can only be orally inflate. I'm assuming that this won't work for a class? I don't have a spool, yet.
My husband just purchased a Halcyon lift bag and spool when he bought his Halcyon Cinch system. Would this work?

As important as it is to get gear that is suitable for the class, it is even more important that the gear is suitable for the diving you will be doing after class. If the gear only works for class, then I would question the value of the class and (its required gear) in the first place.

The 3.3 ft Halcyon SMB is a great choice, not because it maximizes your chances of passing Fundies but rather, it works quite well for recreational dives. I would also argue that it also works quite well for Tech 1 dives where teams are doing drift deco. I believe g1138 works as a deck hand on the Escapade, a boat that the GUE divers in Northern California use almost exclusively when doing recreational and technical diving out in the ocean. Based on the observations he has posted, it seems clear that from a deckhand's perspective, the 3.3ft SMB is, in most cases, the most visible of the various SMB sizes offered by Halcyon. This particular model of SMB has a lot of great features including an inflator mechanism that can be either manually inflated or inflated by using a low pressure inflator hose.

This is a great choice for an SMB for boat diving. At least, that is what my experience has been. For this reason, it is the one I recommend. Whether or not this SMB will make it easier for you to pass Fundies should be, IMHO, the last consideration.

Also, regarding the spool size, if you "begin with the end in mind", you will consider that:

• for recreational diving, you will be diving to depths of 100ft
• for T1 diving, you will be diving to depths of 170ft
• for T2 diving, you will be diving to depths of greater than 170ft

In my experience, there is no point in getting a 100ft spool "for now". For sure, the 100ft spool will be useless if/when you progress to T1 dives. In the T1 dives I've done, the 150ft spool has been sufficient. (Usually we deploy SMBs in the 90ft to 120ft depth range when diving the pinnacles around Carmel, CA). The 150ft spool is no more difficult to manage than the 100ft spool. Getting a 100ft spool to use just for recreational dives or even worse just for class seems pointless. If you can't use it in your diving, why bother bringing it class?

For T2 dives, if you get that far, you will likely be shooting a bag with a reel anyway.

As for the spool, I have a 100ft spool, and I cut off about 20ft to make it easier to clip the bolt snap on.

So.. what happens when you have to deploy your SMB from 90ft? Or if you have to deploy it at 70ft and there is current?

 

[kathydee]

For some reason, a lot of this "it will work great in class" or "do it this way in class" advice is nagging at me.

As important as it is to get gear that is suitable for the class, it is even more important that the gear is suitable for the diving you will be doing after class. If the gear only works for class, then I would question the value of the class and (its required gear) in the first place.

Good point. The 3.3 ft SMB has worked quite well for most of my post Fundies dives that required shooting a bag. Occasionally, rougher conditions require a larger SMB.

 

[Ragnar]

3.3 is the right one for Fundies because you will be shooting from a shallow depth, your SMB doesn't know you are in a class Of course it works for deeper dives also but I prefer something bigger depending on the dive since deco puts you in the water longer with a greater possibility of the weather changing while down there even on a nice day, and more flotation in current if needed for an up-line while wreck diving and becoming navigationally challenged