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Diver killed by propeller in Cebu
- Thread starter jigo
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shugar
Contributor
hey! i have my own!
i use it to signal to shore as the boat comes in after a dive... that way when i step off the bangka and the boys carry my gear for rinsing, a resort staffer hands me a cold one...
can't imagine a dive w/o one...
Jag
tsk, tsk.... BabyD, Mike, Codman and I are all "Norte Americanos" and we seem to know what an SMB is
Personally I have an SMB, mirror, and a Dive Alert Plus. I can tell you from "real world" experience that the Dive Alert Plus can in fact be heard a mile away
CODMAN
Contributor
That's true Bill, but honnestly I leaned it in the PI! 
Around here, nobody dives with them. They are not taught by Padi instructors here, either OW or AOW. Maybe it's because lots of dive sites here are buoyed, so there is an ascent line... But honnestly, I think it's lacking in eastern Canada at least. People give me Christmas tree remarks because I have my SMB and reel tied off to my BCD... They often don't even know what it is... I honnestly think it should be part of the Padi course... At least AOW...
Around here, nobody dives with them. They are not taught by Padi instructors here, either OW or AOW. Maybe it's because lots of dive sites here are buoyed, so there is an ascent line... But honnestly, I think it's lacking in eastern Canada at least. People give me Christmas tree remarks because I have my SMB and reel tied off to my BCD... They often don't even know what it is... I honnestly think it should be part of the Padi course... At least AOW...tsk, tsk.... BabyD, Mike, Codman and I are all "Norte Americanos" and we seem to know what an SMB is
Personally I have an SMB, mirror, and a Dive Alert Plus. I can tell you from "real world" experience that the Dive Alert Plus can in fact be heard a mile away
That's true Bill, but honnestly I leaned it in the PI!
Well that is likely a good point. I did my OW and AOW so long ago that SMB's were not being used (this was prior to BCD's also
I didn't get around to doing Rescue until 2007 and deploying an SMB was part of that course. An SMB per buddy team was required when I dived in Guam, 6 weeks after doing Rescue. Fortunately I had added one to my kit by then
I include DSMB deployment in my AOW courses, and in my OW courses when I have suitable students.
Here in Belize virtually none of the local DMs or instructors use them, or even have them. They prefer an free ascent in open water, assuming that there won't be a boat around to take their heads off (and those of their guests).
I know "experienced" American divers who won't carry or use one because they say their buoyancy control is so good they don't need an ascent platform. Rather missing the point..... Whether I need one or not I still use it.
Here in Belize virtually none of the local DMs or instructors use them, or even have them. They prefer an free ascent in open water, assuming that there won't be a boat around to take their heads off (and those of their guests).
I know "experienced" American divers who won't carry or use one because they say their buoyancy control is so good they don't need an ascent platform. Rather missing the point..... Whether I need one or not I still use it.
that was one odd thing I found in Belize, free ascents with nothing alerting the surface that hey looky here something is happening lets stay clear for a bit . . .
Shasta_man
Contributor
Wow, no one uses them, and American divers that refuse to use them?! Stunning! Are these guys diving in a swimming pool?! Many places I have dove and many places all over the world, you could be gone, gone, gone with the currents. Riding around the skiffs with the boat guys looking for the rest of the divers quickly demonstrated how tiny heads dressed in black are. And the horns, which I also carry, are good but I wouldn't rely on them completely due to the wind, weather, people not paying attention, the motor running, etc.
I'd much rather carry the SMB than bob around for 36 hours in open ocean waiting to be found.
I'd much rather carry the SMB than bob around for 36 hours in open ocean waiting to be found.
shugar
Contributor
gordon taught me how to deploy my smb... sadly didn't learn it in any course... and i do agree it would be something good to teach/ include at least at the AOW level
Jag
Jag
Really :shocked2:
What is "experienced"? How many people do we see who show up and "think" they're experienced when in fact they aren't?
I think that you find individuals like that everywhere You state that it's a serious problem there in Belize with the local DM's and Instructors who are after all PROFESSIONAL's :shocked2:I don't know about the Americans you are seeing in Belize... I only know that the ones that I've seen in this part of the world are using SMB's and as I said it was required when I dived in Guam (a US territory). There were usually around 20 of us on the boat and generally with the exception of a few Japanese divers, were all Americans.
In the Philippines again, as I mentioned, the dive ops I've dived with both locally and foreign owned (but usually with local guides) either utilized SMB's or returned directly to an anchored or moored boat.
You seem more bent on coloring all North Americans as un-safe divers based on your limited experience in Belize. The world is a big place. Experience varies
I've met a few Brits who were pompous asses... I don't say they're all that way
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