How to use surface marker buoy SMB ?

[charlesml3]

Holly cow! What are you using, a 100 lb lift bag?!?

Man, no kidding! What is it about Scubaboard that makes people take exaggeration to completely new heights?

I don't see any way how a SMB on the way up is going to break a finger. That's just nonsense.

-Charles

 

[Interceptor121]

Usually open SMB have their own 6 meters line and fold nicely forming a pouch. Best use is to put a little lead at the end of the line to make the line goes down and you don't get entangled when you deploy it.
Deploying an SMB of this type is actually more tricky then deploying a self sealing dSMB with reel because you have many more chances of getting entangled in the line and the SMB will eventually deflate at the surface if there is surf defeating the purpose of the device itself.
If you want to use an SMB to be seen I would recommend to invest in a top quality one that is long and wide enough and has good sewing and finishing self sealing and with an exhaust valve. Also buy a reel that is of good constructions and if possible try it as many of those on the market actually do have a tendency to get stuck and pull you up once in a while.
At the beginning of your SMB deployment experience get help of from your buddy. The buddy can take the reel and you can take care of inflating the SMB or viceversa. When you get more experienced you can do everything on your own.

I have a AP Valves self sealing dSMB with a buddy pocket reel. The dSMB simply is the best on the market and the reel I have is good for the recreational diver (it has 45 mt of line) and you can still put in the pocket. I have deployed this combination some 80-100 times without a single problem.

PADI now offers a distinctive specialty SMB deployment maybe your dive shop offers that and so you can get trained in a more controlled manner if you wish

 

[Doc]

I have always coiled the 2.5mm line up inside the wraps of the SMB.

I am using only 30' of line and I am not doing it as a video demo for and advanced cult, but for 99% of the readers here, this method is sufficient and way better than just hanging a stowed SMB on your rig as an ornament (without a line on it).

I use them to mark my position as I drift along, awaiting pick-up, doing my stops.

Do what's appropriate for your needs.

Here's something that most never think about....

Mark the SMB with a distinctive pattern. Show this to your pick-up boat captain.

In certain environments, he might be confronted with 10 different SMB's... why not give him an advantage to find you?

... and yes... you can wrench a finger pretty good with a reel. Maybe even break it.

 

[TSandM]

and I am not doing it as a video demo for and advanced cult

Well, at least you admit we're an advanced cult.

Putting your fingers inside the hole of the spool as it unwinds, when you are wearing gloves, is a very good way to get stuck, stop the unwinding, and get dragged upwards (BTDT). With one of the larger bags (say the DAN 6 footer) it might be quite possible to fracture a finger with the rotary stress. With a Delrin spool, you can let go of it when you let go of the bag -- it will go up in the water column a bit, and then unspool and come back down to you. I have always been suspicious that in significant current, though, it might not come back down where I am, so I rarely do this. But it is not difficult to learn to control the spool with your fingers on the outside of it, even in dry gloves. It just takes practice, which is why early attempts at doing this should be done in shallow water. The biggest danger of SMB deployment is getting yanked up until you can't regain buoyancy control, so anything that might make a permanent attachment between you and the bag, line or spool must be avoided.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

PADI now offers a distinctive specialty SMB deployment maybe your dive shop offers that and so you can get trained in a more controlled manner if you wish

Why am I not surprised ... ... what's next, a distinctive specialty in snorkel clearing?

It's a basic skill that should be getting bundled into an existing class (like AOW).

DSMB deployment isn't very difficult ... not even for the larger, semi-closed bags.

You don't NEED to be part of an "advanced cult" ... you just need some basic buoyancy skills so that you don't accidentally change depth while you're working on deploying it.

It takes about 10 minutes, dryland, to go through the what, how, why of different types of bags and lines that you can choose ... about 2 minutes underwater to demonstrate the skill ... and a few minutes to shoot the bag. For people new to the skill I prefer to start them with the small, 6-lb. bag because (a) it's the easiest to deploy (one breath, on change in buoyancy during deployment), and (b) if you want to give the students multiple chances to shoot the bag, you can simply pull it back down, deflate, and shoot it again.

There is absolutely no justification for turning this exercise into a separate, specialty class.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Interceptor121]

Some people may prefer a training class and PADI offers a distinctive specialty, it is entirely subjective, at the end is a choice and is good to have choice.
if you are not happy with this maybe you can contact PADI directly and make a complain?

In terms of putting that in a open water training class I think that this is not at all a common skill required for all divers and also quite tricky for someone that has just started diving.
Being realistic that is something a divemaster would need to do, as in that case you will be deploying SMBs for the whole group of divers you are guiding
The reality is that if you dive with a guide the likelihood of having to use your own SMB is really low

 

[Teamcasa]

There is absolutely no justification for turning this exercise into a separate, specialty class.

Exactly.

Deployment is just not all that hard and with a few minutes of practise you will have it figured out.

Helpful hint: Don't fill that bag/SMB at depth. Just a shot or two of air is sucificent to shoot it to the surface where it will gain in volume as it heads to the surface.

 

[ligersandtions]

It's a basic skill that should be getting bundled into an existing class (like AOW).

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I certainly wish they would do that....but if it had been a skill in my AOW class, I would have learned to do it while kneeling, which certainly isn't how I want to shoot a bag.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Some people may prefer a training class and PADI offers a distinctive specialty, it is entirely subjective, at the end is a choice and is good to have choice.

OK ... but unless they're bundling in more skills it's going to be a very short class.

if you are not happy with this maybe you can contact PADI directly and make a complain?

Why ... I'm neither a PADI instructor nor a PADI customer. If PADI wants to do this, they're entitled to. I'm equally entitled to say I think it's silly.

In terms of putting that in a open water training class I think that this is not at all a common skill required for all divers and also quite tricky for someone that has just started diving.

I agree it should not be a part of open water training ... I said AOW. I teach this skill in my own AOW class (not on knees, either). And while some students will struggle with it at first, it's not beyond their ability once they've had a chance to try it a few times. Then again ... I don't take fresh-out-of-OW divers into my AOW class.

Being realistic that is something a divemaster would need to do, as in that case you will be deploying SMBs for the whole group of divers you are guiding
The reality is that if you dive with a guide the likelihood of having to use your own SMB is really low

Some of us live in areas where there are no divemasters to lead a whole group of divers. In fact, some of us live in areas where the notion of diving in groups is completely impractical. DSMB use really is a situational skill ... as the importance of the skill depends on why you would want to be deploying a bag in the first place. I train divers to dive in areas where current and boat traffic make it a desireable skill to have. Many of my students find this skill useful almost from the moment they learn it.

Just this past Sunday I was diving on a charter with students (deep diver specialty) where the captain requested all dive teams to deploy a bag prior to ascending, due to concerns over boat traffic. I know of one charter north of me that requires all divers to carry DSMBs ... if you don't own one they will issue you one for the dives on their boat.

The reality around here is that if you don't have this skill, there are some local dive sites and conditions you just shouldn't attempt to dive.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Interceptor121]

That is correct it depends on conditions and how you dive.
If you dive with your buddy without a guide definitely have SMB skills.
Here in UK is a must but it is not in most of the warm water sites in the world.

On your AOW comment I would actually agree maybe for a drift dive it would be a good idea to teach how to deploy an SMB. I mistakenly read OW apologies.

For what concerns the specialty issue I see you are a NAUI person, those two organisation have a very different approach to training and marketing and I think offering the course is a reflection of this.

All in all this thread was about how to use an SMB and I think that has been addressed except for how you assemble the kit. A small caribiner will do as the SMB only has a lift of 2/3 kg