DSMB is flaccid upon deployment. Looking for tips.

[inquis]

I find it interesting that some suggest letting air out of your BCD before inflating the DSMB. I assume that these are not the same people who believe that all air should be out of your BCD on safety stop?

The latter group says *weight* yourself without air in the wing. If one leaves the bottom with sufficient gas for 2 stressed divers, they will have a fair bit left on a normal ascent.

ETA: the DSMB is typically deployed from deeper when there is more air in the wing anyway and less is required in the DSMB.

 

[apedai]

*Deleted by author

 

[apedai]

hahahahaha

See how many breaths it takes to blow it up fully on land. Then do the math for 15 feet to find out if you can do it on one long breath. Then go online to buy a smaller smb cause you now know your 6ft monster woukd need it's own Al80 cylinder to fully inflate.

 

[Tigerpaw]

UPDATE..........
Now that the board is back up I can provide an update. When I went back out to the lake, I inflated the DSMB and it made it to the surface!!! HOWEVER it was laying flat. I then found out that once it makes it to the top, one needs to wind the spool a few times to pull it down. Pulling it down results in it standing upright! While I am ecstatic I realize I need to continue to practice, practice and practice to get it right and be proficient.

 

[mattvish]

UPDATE..........
Now that the board is back up I can provide an update. When I went back out to the lake, I inflated the DSMB and it made it to the surface!!! HOWEVER it was laying flat. I then found out that once it makes it to the top, one needs to wind the spool a few times to pull it down. Pulling it down results in it standing upright! While I am ecstatic I realize I need to continue to practice, practice and practice to get it right and be proficient.

Size matters ... Large DSMBs are almost always flat on the surface, it needs several lbs to get them to stand up. Small DSMBs (1.2m) are much easier to deploy (one good breath), need only little tension to stand upright and are therefore better to spot.
I carry a small orange as primary and a large yellow for emergencies (eg. deploying both means help)

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

UPDATE..........
Now that the board is back up I can provide an update. When I went back out to the lake, I inflated the DSMB and it made it to the surface!!! HOWEVER it was laying flat. I then found out that once it makes it to the top, one needs to wind the spool a few times to pull it down. Pulling it down results in it standing upright! While I am ecstatic I realize I need to continue to practice, practice and practice to get it right and be proficient.

I told you if you tugged on it it would stand up. Congratulations on figuring out your DSMB ED issue.

 

[Doc]

I told you if you tugged on it it would stand up.

Almost 50% of students really can’t grasp this. They hear you mouthing the words, but can’t wrap their head around it. Practicing (in my case i use a 1/4 of a soda straw) in the classroom helps but then underwater they’ll likely blow it.

(thank you to Chevy Chase, I’ll be here all the week, tip your waitress)

 

[BlueTrin]

I told you if you tugged on it it would stand up. Congratulations on figuring out your DSMB ED issue.

For some reason I read “hugged” instead of “tugged”