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Unless they are the open bottom type
Have you ever deployed a delayed surface marker buoy or been taught how to?
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gcarter
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If a dive shop sells SMBs without OPVs, they are generally happy to sell it to you whether it is useful or not. I know a couple of people who wasted their money as newbies because they didn't know better.
In my OW class I was only "taught" how to inflate at the surface. I do not think I needed to know how to blow something up as I have used that skill many times with balloons and inflatable pool toys. I will say, showing me what one was and explaining why it is needed was beneficial, or would have been had I not already learned about it here on SB.
Now that I am doing my Advanced 35 course with RAID, it is mandatory to deploy the dSMB as part of that course.
I have done it twice so far with, thankfully, no disastrous entanglements although I still need to work on keeping my buoyancy in check. I have shot one at 15 meters as well as at 5 meters and this weekend we are here diving the East coast of the UAE and I plan to deploy one on each dive just to get the practice and to work on task-loading not being such an issue for me.
Now that I am doing my Advanced 35 course with RAID, it is mandatory to deploy the dSMB as part of that course.
I have done it twice so far with, thankfully, no disastrous entanglements although I still need to work on keeping my buoyancy in check. I have shot one at 15 meters as well as at 5 meters and this weekend we are here diving the East coast of the UAE and I plan to deploy one on each dive just to get the practice and to work on task-loading not being such an issue for me.
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gcarter
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LOL. Could happen with online purchases as well though. I know I was not really taught anything about SMBs or OPVs in my OW training, certainly never saw on deployed. I was just lucky enough that the people I dive with are very free with information and when I bought mine locally the shop asked me how I intended to use it.
So last weekend I was diving offshore in 60 ft of water. Beautiful up on top. Calm seas. No current. But it was Jimi Hendrix diving. Purple Haze. Buddy had an issue with ears and aborted dive on way down. I was in a solo configuration and continued on. Viz was maybe 3 or 4 ft with lots of particulate. I was trying to stay close to the anchor line but even then could not find it after a bit. Had lots of gas but was getting a bit cold, camera had gone kaput, and no luck in finding anything to look at besides a wall of tomtates and black seabass. Not having fun looking for anchor. Knew there was no current so I said the heck with it and shot my DSMB. Spent the next 10 minutes slowly going up the line with frequent stops and a safety stop. Just hanging there in the fog was perhaps the most relaxing zen like part of that whole dive. Got to the surface 20 ft off the bow of the boat with the captain keeping an eye on me. Slowly swam over to the ladder and beat the last diver up.
Point is I could have made it back with a free ascent etc. But having a DSMB and a reel and having practiced a few times in the local quarry made for a more relaxing experience and if in fact their had been more of a current than I thought the boat knew right where I was the whole time.
Point is I could have made it back with a free ascent etc. But having a DSMB and a reel and having practiced a few times in the local quarry made for a more relaxing experience and if in fact their had been more of a current than I thought the boat knew right where I was the whole time.
I have only read part way through all the posts so sorry if I repeat a point already made.
1. There are two types of Surface Marker Buoy
SMB - inflated before diving commences. Line is feed out from a reel as the divers descend. The SMB is towed by the diving pair. It allows the boat to remain in contact with the diving pair.
Typically used for 'drift diving', where divers are diving in a strong current allows the boat to track the divers, throughout the dive.
Main issue is risk of snagging on buoys and other hazards. Also, the diver with the smb is often 'towed' by the smb, so the buddy must make the effort to keep with the diver holding the smb.
DSMB - Generally used where there is a high risk of the SMB snagging. Or where towing an SMB is less than desirable/required.
Used mainly for wreck diving, where the position of the divers are known, and there is a high risk of snagging.
Deployed at the end of the dive when their known position is likely to become unknown.
2. I do believe that DSMB training should be part of core (early) diver training.
DSMB use is taught by all the technical agencies, and by the BSAC as part of the core training.
DSMB's certainly have a use where divers separation has occurred, ascent up the shot line is not possible, and boat traffic is of concern.
The reason BSAC teach it in the core training and the technical agencies teach it, I believe, is that all train divers to do dives involving decompression stops. This means there can be a considerable delay between divers leaving the wreck (or site) and arriving at the surface. In areas that are tidal, this means there is a significant risk of the surface cover loosing their divers as they drift completing there decompression stops. The DSMB allows the surface cover to track the divers as they drift.
The BSAC is slightly different to a lot of training agencies. It specifically trains divers to dive in UK conditions. (It is also a club based system.) At Ocean Diver (PADI OW Equivalent), divers are trained to dive as buddy pairs, to a maximum depth of 20m. Site planning is done by someone more senior. At Sports Diver, the next qualification, divers are trained to dive to a maximum of 35m, and complete compulsory decompression stops, with some more advanced rescue and planning skills.
UK conditions are tidal (as much as 12m in some places). Visibility is variable, last weekend we had 10m+ on the morning site and 1-2m on the afternoon site.
In poor visibility, keeping more than your buddy in site can be extremely challenging.
Gareth
1. There are two types of Surface Marker Buoy
SMB - inflated before diving commences. Line is feed out from a reel as the divers descend. The SMB is towed by the diving pair. It allows the boat to remain in contact with the diving pair.
Typically used for 'drift diving', where divers are diving in a strong current allows the boat to track the divers, throughout the dive.
Main issue is risk of snagging on buoys and other hazards. Also, the diver with the smb is often 'towed' by the smb, so the buddy must make the effort to keep with the diver holding the smb.
DSMB - Generally used where there is a high risk of the SMB snagging. Or where towing an SMB is less than desirable/required.
Used mainly for wreck diving, where the position of the divers are known, and there is a high risk of snagging.
Deployed at the end of the dive when their known position is likely to become unknown.
2. I do believe that DSMB training should be part of core (early) diver training.
DSMB use is taught by all the technical agencies, and by the BSAC as part of the core training.
DSMB's certainly have a use where divers separation has occurred, ascent up the shot line is not possible, and boat traffic is of concern.
The reason BSAC teach it in the core training and the technical agencies teach it, I believe, is that all train divers to do dives involving decompression stops. This means there can be a considerable delay between divers leaving the wreck (or site) and arriving at the surface. In areas that are tidal, this means there is a significant risk of the surface cover loosing their divers as they drift completing there decompression stops. The DSMB allows the surface cover to track the divers as they drift.
The BSAC is slightly different to a lot of training agencies. It specifically trains divers to dive in UK conditions. (It is also a club based system.) At Ocean Diver (PADI OW Equivalent), divers are trained to dive as buddy pairs, to a maximum depth of 20m. Site planning is done by someone more senior. At Sports Diver, the next qualification, divers are trained to dive to a maximum of 35m, and complete compulsory decompression stops, with some more advanced rescue and planning skills.
UK conditions are tidal (as much as 12m in some places). Visibility is variable, last weekend we had 10m+ on the morning site and 1-2m on the afternoon site.
In poor visibility, keeping more than your buddy in site can be extremely challenging.
Gareth
John Bantin
Contributor
For those unsure about Delayed deployment Surface Marker Buoys - Free-to-Read in Undercurrent: Sending Your Sausage Safely: Undercurrent 04/2018
Dsmb deployment is something we do have to do here on every dive. I use a crack bottle AP unit as it's easy in currents, but I can do all. That said I'm not averse, when on my Scooter to hunting out those about to shoot their bag and hang out around them when I'm feeling lazy
I always teach my OW students dsmb at depth.
This weekend I had a 12 year old superstar, who by OW dive 4 could launch her dsmb just on her fin tips. I had to hold the reel because her tiny hands couldn't' manage reel, reg and dsmb, but as soon as the bag went up she "snatched" the reel back and took control of the ascent and stop.
So proud! I wish I'd have been that confident when I learnt.
This weekend I had a 12 year old superstar, who by OW dive 4 could launch her dsmb just on her fin tips. I had to hold the reel because her tiny hands couldn't' manage reel, reg and dsmb, but as soon as the bag went up she "snatched" the reel back and took control of the ascent and stop.
So proud! I wish I'd have been that confident when I learnt.
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