Can a SMB Deployment be Dangerous?

[GeorgeC]

This past week I was diving in Mexico and shooting my SMB at the end of each dive. The instructor was pretty cool and agreed I would be the one to take care of this safety practice. Whenever possible I volunteer or ask if I can practice this exercise.

After shooting the bag and hanging at my safety stop I began to think what happens if my secondary gets caught in the strap of the bag or the line on my reel or spool hooks something. I am using approximately a 6’ tall bag about 8” in diameter so at 30 feet filling the bag half way has a bit of buoyancy to it. It is one of those bags with he opening in the bottom where it captures the air and keeps it inside due to the funnel shaped valve design.

Has anyone thought about the problems of getting caught on the bag? Or, had a problem where they did get caught and went up for a ride? I would hate to turn a safe practice into a dangerous situation.

 

[Web Monkey]

T

Has anyone thought about the problems of getting caught on the bag? Or, had a problem where they did get caught and went up for a ride? I would hate to turn a safe practice into a dangerous situation.

That's why you want your buddy standing by with a line cutter or knife ready in case you start going up with the bag.

For some reason unknown to modern science, if you give it half a chance, the line will wrap itself around things you thought were safe from getting tangled. I got caught by the tip of a glove finger once.

Terry

 

[Doc Intrepid]

George,

Shooting a bag is potentially real dangerous, considering the fact that you may have a deco obligation when you deploy the SMB.

That's one reason you never clip the line (reel) to yourself and generally let go of the spool, if you're using a polymer spool, when you shoot the bag.

Additionally, it takes practice to be able to do it smoothly, efficiently, and safely.

Like most skills, its worth spending some time working with it so it will be there for you when you need it in a real-world situation.

Doc

 

[TSandM]

Rick Inman posted a thread a year and a half ago or so about getting caught in his lift bag and being pulled up about 70 feet, if I recall correctly.

Yes, deploying an SMB improperly can be hazardous. It's always important to try to keep the assembly away from your body, and if you are using a regulator to fill the bag, be very cautious to keep it away from the line.

 

[texdiveguy]

For some reason unknown to modern science, if you give it half a chance, the line will wrap itself around things you thought were safe from getting tangled. I got caught by the tip of a glove finger once.

Terry

YEP!

I had a line once loop one time around my inflator hose mouthpiece....I was lucky and was able to 'flick' the line free only moving up a few feet.

Practice-practice-practice.

 

[Willuw]

Like the above said - yes it can be very dangerous - but is a good thing to practice under controlled conditions. Practicing it at the end of a safety stop is a good time! To add to what has already been said, I like to keep the bag above me to prior to and during filling to ensure nothing is tangled. Just make sure you have your buoyancy under control beforehand and maintain it while you focus on the inflation.

 

[MBH]

The danger factor of shooting a bag is easily mitigated with a little training and practice.
I learned how to shoot a bag by practicing the; deploy, rig, inflate, and release method at an astounding depth of 10'. You can practice this drill all day long with no deco obligation and you'll quickly learn that any un-tended or loose line will quickly become a wild animal in the water. Murphy thrives on loose line.

Next thing is to end every non deco dive with a bag shoot exercise.

It's really easy to get good at shooting a bag. It just takes practice...and then a little more practice.

Did I mention that Murphy is just waiting for you to give him some slack line to play with?

 

[amitsi]

stupid question, what's a SMB?

 

[spar]

surface marker buoy

 

[Gary D.]

Murphy's Law can take over at any time.

Gary D.