Best SMB

[Golfer1633]

Hi All! First official post on Scubaboard! Looking for a new SMB. Do mostly warm water travel diving and some cold California coast diving. Catalina is cold to me…
Trying to figure out if I need a 6 foot or 3 foot or what would be best! I just bought a nice spool on Amazon. Now just need the SMB

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

3 feet is simply too small. If you are in "manageable" swell even it can disappear for half the time.

As a brand, I do like Halcyon (Had Some Money Once). Expensive, but excellent quality. I'm assuming you dive OC. I'd recommend one that was yellow on one side, orange on the other for applicability in most lighting conditions.

If you expect to be diving often in late evening or early morning where you are between the boat and the sun, then you'd want black on one side.

Different colors are suited for different conditions.

 

[rongoodman]

I like the Halcyon 6' Super Slim. It folds to a manageable size and inflates easily with an LP hose. (I I carry an extra one with a Dive Alert on it, clipped off to my left waist D-ring if I'm going to need a SMB with me.)

 

[Golfer1633]

My LDS stocks the Halcyon 6' super slim. It seems big to me but, maybe that's just how it is. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

[SubseaSports]

The 6' SMB that you always take with you.
There are a lot of good brands out there. Most source them from the same oem. I have a 6' Leisure pro model that I have been using regularly for about 7 years. I do disassemble and clean occasionally.
I prefer the models with open bottom duck bill valve, oral/power inflator, and of course over pressure release valve. If I am not pulling a buoy, I will send a dsmb up early with a reel using a dedicated over-length BC hose and the oral inflator valve. If I don't have the reg with this hose, I can use my octo filling it from the semi open bottom.

As mentioned by someone prior, anything shorter will be harder for your boat to see depending on sea state. If your hang at your safety, a little negative, a foot or so will be below the surface, so now you have an smb that is 5'ish above the surface.

 

[Akimbo]

Short of a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) or DSC radio, a DSMB with a Radar reflector is your best bet for being found quickly. Here is the one I use but there may be others:

DAN-STORE

DAN-STORE

apps.dan.org

I did some testing on this one and it showed as a bright blip on the screen over 5 miles/8KM away. It was very difficult to see from that distance, even in calm seas. We never did go far enough away to see when the blip was lost. Of course the height of the Radar antenna, sensitivity of the Radar, and sea state are variables.

 

[Golfer1633]

I ended up picking up a 6' Halcyon Super Slim. Thanks all -

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I ended up picking up a 6' Halcyon Super Slim. Thanks all -

Just out of curiosity, what color(s)?

 

[Golfer1633]

Orange. It has two reflective straps on the top.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Orange. It has two reflective straps on the top.

You can always add SOLAR reflective tape down the middle for a better reflective profile. That's what I do with my DSMBs. I have around a dozen different ones for the DSMB manual that I started working on a while back.