DSMB Requirements

[MacLir]

Hi all. I am hoping for some clarification from experienced folks regarding required use of DSMBs on Red Sea liveaboards. We are planning a family trip next year for either the North/Wrecks or St Johns routes. Due to experience levels in the group (1 entry level Tech, 2 PADI AOW, 2 PADI OW), we are not considering the BDE route as we consider it beyond our collective skill level.

This will be our first trip to the Red Sea. We have not picked a boat yet. Prior liveaboard/land based diving has been New England US, Carrib., Hawaii and similar. All have boat diving experience well in excess of 30 dives.

I have seen conflicting posts on SB and elsewhere as to whether deployment of a DSMB at depth is required for the above itineraries. I have some experience with DSMB deployment, but only in limited training contexts; the rest of my group has no experience. All of us are, of course, familiar and comfortable with inflating and using SMBs at the surface.

Can anyone advise on what the standard practice/expectation is regarding use of DSMBs on Red Sea liveaboards?

Thanks!

 

[dflaher]

Another boat with ladder-equipped zodiacs was Blue Planet's MY Blue and MY Red Sea Explorer, which is the boat I eventually opted for. The latter turned out to be a superb boat, actually.

Was the MY Red Sea Explorer run by Extra Divers? I did not find the Red Sea Explorer on Blue Planet's website. Thanks.

 

[scubajasonr]

On the dives that were form a zodiac, did the liveaboard ask you deploy an SMB from depth, or was it good enough to deploy it once you reached the surface? The OP seemed concerned only about being able to deploy from depth, especially if the liveaboard somehow required this. It's preferable to deploy from depth if there is boat traffic, or to deploy it at safety stop depth so as to give the zodiac some advance notice, but I would imagine that is not something a liveaboard could require their divers to do. Like the OP, many divers have difficulty with that skill.

We were told to deploy the SMB at the end of the safety stop, the main reason being to keep boat traffic clear. However I tended to deploy a bit earlier to make sure the zodiac was on the way when we surfaced.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

As the zodiacs (hopefully...) do not need 3 min to locate and reach you, you can use the safety stop to get your stuff sorted and get the SMB up with no rush. Unless the guide does it for you. In a group of x, it does not make sense to have x SMBs deployed unless you want to have fun with tangled lines, indeed.
That leads me to the part of the pre-dive briefing/agreements: who is the one that will deploy his SMB and who is the next one if that fails.
And remember: their boat, their rules. If they ask you to do something, they will have some reasons based on experience, why they are asking for it.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I have some lower back issues myself and one year ago I did some research into which Red Sea Liveaboards use zodiacs with solid aluminium ladders for getting in after dives. Unfortunately, it's not a long list. I don't think any Emperor boats had them. Don't know about Blue O Two.

I was on Blue O Two's Blue Horizon in December 2021 in the Red Sea and one zodiac had a ladder and one didn't. I had trouble getting in the zodiac due to strength (not mobility) issues so I always took out my weight pockets and took off my BCD and then went up the ladder. If I had the zodiac without the ladder the crew member honestly just lifted me up into the zodiac. I can't believe how strong he was. If you can at least reach the side of the zodiac and kick with your fins they'll drag you in.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Hello! I have some lower back issues myself [...]

[...]I always took out my weight pockets and took off my BCD and then went up the ladder. If I had the zodiac without the ladder the crew member honestly just lifted me up into the zodiac. I can't believe how strong he was. If you can at least reach the side of the zodiac and kick with your fins they'll drag you in.

Don't worry and apply procedure above: remove and hand weights and BCDs to the crew and they will help you out, if you use your fins or not to help. Fins have to be kept for "the unlikely event" that you get drifted away.
If at Elphinstone, they will even pull you out with your full gear on, including weights...

 

[Lorenzoid]

We were told to deploy the SMB at the end of the safety stop, the main reason being to keep boat traffic clear. However I tended to deploy a bit earlier to make sure the zodiac was on the way when we surfaced.

Interesting. So it sounds like the OP's research was spot on: at least some boats require divers to deploy an SMB from safety stop depth. Could it be a new requirement instituted in the last few years? My one and only Red Sea trip (BDE route, with Aggressor) was in 2017, and as I mentioned above, the boat made no mention of divers being required to deploy SMBs from the safety stop. It's possible the boat required divers to possess SMBs, but I don't specifically recall hearing that since I always carry one. If I recall, divers usually surfaced as a group, or at least in buddy pairs as they arrived at the endpoint of the dive and saw others who were surfacing or already on the surface waiting for the zodiacs. Someone there usually had an SMB deployed, but we didn't all deploy our own. If my buddy and I had ever been among the first to surface or surfaced away from the group, we would have deployed one, but I don't recall that happening on that trip.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I always carry a DSMB on Red Sea liveaboards and probably deploy 5-6 times during the week, usually on drifts at the safety stop. As others have said, this is mainly for Zodiac pick ups.

A lot depends on whether you go guided or unguided as they'll shot a bag if surfacing away from the mothership. However, it's easy enough to stray out of sight and, if it not for the eagle eyed boatman, you could have a twitchy moment hoping you'll be spotted.

I've seen a couple of close calls with outboard props buzzing around like angry wasps, so wouldn't want to surface unsighted.

 

[Darnold9999]

Two Red Sea trips on Aggressor BDE and southern itinerary and one on another boat and they all wanted you to carry an SMB but no requirement to shoot it on the first dive as I recall. However none of the divers on any of those trips were anywhere near beginners so I suspect they might have just decided it was not needed. I do have a vague recollection that it was discussed as something that if you hadn’t done it in a while to practice on the first dive.

I typically try to avoid shooting a DSMB because I carry a fairly large camera with a pair of strobes and keeping everything untangled is a pain. Mostly try to find someone else like the guide at the safety stop and go up with them. However always carry one and if needed it it is pretty simple. Worth practicing a couple of times as you may need to do it and a stressful situation is not the time.

None of the Ribs had ladders, but if there was an issue the boatmen would lift you out of the water fully geared up. Aggressor required tanks and weights to be removed in the water so these guys lift a lot of weight in a week.

 

[Parlem]

Was the MY Red Sea Explorer run by Extra Divers? I did not find the Red Sea Explorer on Blue Planet's website. Thanks.

Apologies, I've just re-read my post and I realise it is unclear. MY Red Sea Explorer is indeed owned and run by Extra Divers. You cannot book it through Padi travel or liveaboard.com

Sorry about the confusion.

 

[rongoodman]

I was on a Red Sea Aggressor boat a couple of years back and don't remember having to demonstrate DSMB deployment, although I carried one. My dive buddy learned in the AOW class she took during the trip and I remember hanging over her head with an EZcut in my hand as she launched one for the first time on her own, just in case.