DSMB & spool purchase - my considerations.

[mmerriman]

Do NOT do that. Good way to break a finger. You pinch it with two fingers to hold it securely enough so you don’t drop it but loose enough so it can turn and so you can release it if it sticks (less likely that with a reel, but possible if it’s wound incorrectly)

agreed - no finger in the hole. I hold the reel in my palm and let go of it while the tube goes up - the reel unrolls in fron of your face. when teh tube is up - catch the reel. Not chance of getting stuck....

 

[mmerriman]

Another Food for thought on DSMB's if they are found discarded in the UK it is common for a diver search to be launched as they will assume a diver is lost at sea. Mitigate this by writing your email or phone number on the SMB. That way if anyone finds it they can call you to ensure you are safe and not lost. You also might get your SMB back if you lose it. Maybe.

that's a fantastic idea....

 

[doctormike]

agreed - no finger in the hole. I hold the reel in my palm and let go of it while the tube goes up - the reel unrolls in fron of your face. when teh tube is up - catch the reel. Not chance of getting stuck....

Never heard of that technique, and I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, I guess you could practice that and make it work, but sound like a good way to drop the reel or get a lot of loose line in the water. One thing that was always taught to me in wreck and tech training is that "line is evil". Need to keep it controlled and tight at all times - it's very easy to make a birdsnest or snag a diver.

Loosely holding the reel with a pincer grip should keep your fingers safe, allow you to control the line and keep it where you want it (away from you and all of your rig entanglement points).

 

[divinh]

Do NOT do that. Good way to break a finger. You pinch it with two fingers to hold it securely enough so you don’t drop it but loose enough so it can turn and so you can release it if it sticks (less likely that with a reel, but possible if it’s wound incorrectly)

For winding it back up, I'm guessing it's going left to right, then right to left, etc. to keep the thickness even? Do people tie a knot at various "standard" depths, like 5m? 10m? 20m? And maybe encode with single knot (5m), double knot (10m), etc. so they're easily identified by sight and feel?

 

[doctormike]

For winding it back up, I'm guessing it's going left to right, then right to left, etc. to keep the thickness even? Do people tie a knot at various "standard" depths, like 5m? 10m? 20m? And maybe encode with single knot (5m), double knot (10m), etc. so they're easily identified by sight and feel?

Yeah, just try to keep it flat and even - that's more of an issue for a reel with a wider space to fill and more line, but any wound line should be carefully stowed so that it will unreel smoothly and evenly.

I have heard of people putting knots in the line, but I'm not sure I would do that. I guess it would be helpful if you had a deco obligation and your dive computer/depth gauge failed with no backup? Is that the idea? If you were doing a recreational dive, you could just guesstimate 10-20 feet if you wanted to do a safety stop in that situation...

 

[Zef]

For winding it back up, I'm guessing it's going left to right, then right to left, etc. to keep the thickness even? Do people tie a knot at various "standard" depths, like 5m? 10m? 20m? And maybe encode with single knot (5m), double knot (10m), etc. so they're easily identified by sight and feel?

I have two knots in the line on my DSMB spool to mark 5 meters. At one time I had every a knot at every 10 meters for a 50 meter spool of line but found the knots can cause the spool to hangup when deploying from depth and made it more difficult to untangle the line when I "f"ed up deploying when I was first learning how to use a DSMB.

OP, take heed of the advice that has been given indicating that DSMB deployment is not a trivial task. It is a learned and perishable skill. Expect to drop your spool, exect to have too much line paid out, expect to get tangled in it.

Here is a good video on how to wind the line back on the spool when ascending:

Also, whatever you purchase, be sure to unroll all the line and ensure that it is knotted in a loop around the spool or you will definitely lose the spool if you accidentally drop it and all the line pays out.

-Z

 

[Dave Bevan]

For winding it back up, I'm guessing it's going left to right, then right to left, etc. to keep the thickness even? Do people tie a knot at various "standard" depths, like 5m? 10m? 20m? And maybe encode with single knot (5m), double knot (10m), etc. so they're easily identified by sight and feel?

I am mostly diving the 50m range with around 30 minutes decompression. I tie a knot at the 6m and 9m stops as these are where I do the most deco. Usually 5 mins and 15 mins on 50%. This gives a bit of redundancy if my computer goes on the wobble. All other stops would be three minutes per stop (if I'm running ratio) but in a lost computer emergency with no buddy to use for depth marking I would just make a slow ascent. Bearing in mind that with over 100 dives I never lost a buddy or a computer.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

OP, I have pretty much the same setup. The Halcyon 1m DAM and the Purple Apeks spool.

I dive quite a bit in Cozumel and prefer to shoot my own DSMB. The Purple one works well at around 30ft allowing you to come up and hang during your SS.

Biggest complaint with the purple one is that its too small. What I thought was a benefit ended up being a liability. And I have small hands. I have since swapped it out for the green one and the size is perfect. Plus I can shoot and pretty much any distance I want on a rec dive.

Keep in mind that the Apeks spools are negatively buoyant. They will not stay neutral if let go of. One its deployed the negative buoyancy will keep enough tension on the line to let go if you need to free your hands for anything.

The spools are expensive and definitely a luxury item.

 

[Diving Dubai]

A couple of quick things.

I use a different coloured line for the top 5m, more obvious than knots if I want to be lazy


Re spool length (I use the apex spools too). I’ve launched my dsmb from 10m, and almost emptied a 50m spool a few times.

Just saying

 

[CWK]

Can you orally inflate the AP Diving SMB???

Yes. I do 3 quick breaths of exhaust air if I don’t need the DSMB fully inflated at release. The lift capacity is probably in the range of 40 to 50 lbs, so I doubt if anyone will be able to orally inflate it fully before release. Partial inflation at, say, 20m would have it pretty full by the time it rises to the surface.

If I want it fully inflated for release at 5m, then I use a regulator for inflation.