Personally I don't see why there is such controversy, I feel naked without my DSMB, I carry 2 and they are deployed on every dive, unless we are coming up an anchor line, or if someone nearby has put their's up first.
Personally I use a crack bottle inflated unit (not the CO2 cartridge, but a 0.5l cylinder you fill from your main cylinder - Made by AP valves). My finger spool has 50m of line, so that I can deploy it from depth and so it has enough line to allow for drift in a current.
With our diving on a wreck the last pair of divers send up the anchor on a lift bag, so you'll deploy your bag when leaving the wreck. On reefs then we deploy when approaching he safety stop (I prefer to launch mine before the stop.
Learning to deploy a DSMB is very satisfying. You learn to maintain buoyancy while being "task loaded", and learning to go slowly, which can translate directly to other diving skills.
We (in club diving) also have to take turns to be surface cover looking out for DSMB's. From experience you need to inflate as you approach your SS. Often you see guides inflate their DSMB's in a way that "makes them look cool" Having it inflated so that it only sticks up a 1ft above the surface is useless for spotting. The bigger the better. I carry 6ft for below surface inflation in the ocean
Don't just rely on your DSMB, we all carry strobes on our shoulders and air-horns on our inflators - most carry whistles too) PLB's don't work here, otherwise I would carry one.
YOU and YOU alone are responsible for being seen and heard at the surface.
For my local diving I have a 12ft SMB (which takes some inflating) but is there for real emergencies, either to aid being spotter or as a additional surface float for 2 people.
If you don't get to deploy one often, ask your DM, tell him you're going to send one up on the check dive, and if you want to do it more often tell just let them know, they'll always be happy to oblige. Being out of practice or not knowing how to use one when you need it, isn't the best idea.
But just my opinion
Personally I use a crack bottle inflated unit (not the CO2 cartridge, but a 0.5l cylinder you fill from your main cylinder - Made by AP valves). My finger spool has 50m of line, so that I can deploy it from depth and so it has enough line to allow for drift in a current.
With our diving on a wreck the last pair of divers send up the anchor on a lift bag, so you'll deploy your bag when leaving the wreck. On reefs then we deploy when approaching he safety stop (I prefer to launch mine before the stop.
Learning to deploy a DSMB is very satisfying. You learn to maintain buoyancy while being "task loaded", and learning to go slowly, which can translate directly to other diving skills.
We (in club diving) also have to take turns to be surface cover looking out for DSMB's. From experience you need to inflate as you approach your SS. Often you see guides inflate their DSMB's in a way that "makes them look cool" Having it inflated so that it only sticks up a 1ft above the surface is useless for spotting. The bigger the better. I carry 6ft for below surface inflation in the ocean
Don't just rely on your DSMB, we all carry strobes on our shoulders and air-horns on our inflators - most carry whistles too) PLB's don't work here, otherwise I would carry one.
YOU and YOU alone are responsible for being seen and heard at the surface.
For my local diving I have a 12ft SMB (which takes some inflating) but is there for real emergencies, either to aid being spotter or as a additional surface float for 2 people.
If you don't get to deploy one often, ask your DM, tell him you're going to send one up on the check dive, and if you want to do it more often tell just let them know, they'll always be happy to oblige. Being out of practice or not knowing how to use one when you need it, isn't the best idea.
But just my opinion
