Keeping spool (with SMB attached) from unwinding underwater

[EireDiver606]

If I need to shoot the SMB, I need to do it now, and fumbling to connect the two?

Why do you need to shoot the SMB quickly? Why are you fumbling?


I don’t understand this “problem”. I don’t mean any offense when I say this but I think this is a gear solution to a skills issue. Why can’t you just connect the spool to the SMB underwater when you need to? It’s not hard and there’s never a rush to send up an SMB, if you have to send it up on your 5m deco stop

 

[noj3333]

Deleted.

...

You beat me to the punch... any opinion on derlin vs stainless steel for the spool?

 

[Marie13]

I dive wrecks in the North American Great Lakes. There is no drift diving. You descend/ascend on a mooring or anchor line. You do your safety stop on the line. I don’t know about on the tech dives, but there is no reason to regularly shoot an SMB on the rec diving I currently do.

If you need to shoot an SMB, it means something is wrong. So you need it ready to go right f’ing now, not to be fumbling around. I also have dry gloves on, so why not already have it rigged to go?

 

[EireDiver606]

...

You beat me to the punch... any opinion on derlin vs stainless steel for the spool?

Metal is more durable but if you drop a stainless steel spool you can say bye bye and will not get a chance to catch it before it falls into the abyss. At least with a delrin spool, you have a second chance. Thankfully I don’t know from experience.

 

[Storker]

I dive wrecks in the North American Great Lakes. There is no drift diving. You descend/ascend on a mooring or anchor line. You do your safety stop on the line. I don’t know about on the tech dives, but there is no reason to regularly shoot an SMB on the rec diving I currently do.

If you need to shoot an SMB, it means something is wrong. So you need it ready to go right f’ing now, not to be fumbling around. I also have dry gloves on, so why not already have it rigged to go?

So, what's the big deal? A dSMB/spool assembly, ready to shoot, fits just fine in a drysuit pocket, with room to spare. And you can even clip the bolt snap or the double-ender to one of the bungee loops inside your suit pocket to avoid losing the stuff. There's no reason to make it more complicated than what's necessary.

Besides, I like to shoot my sausage from my safety stop fairly often. Both because my boat tender appreciates knowing that we're due to surface pretty soon, and where that'll be, and because the more often I shoot it the more proficient I am and the less the risk I'll mess up if I have to use it in anger.

 

[Marie13]

So, what's the big deal? A dSMB/spool assembly, ready to shoot, fits just fine in a drysuit pocket, with room to spare. And you can even clip the bolt snap or the double-ender to one of the bungee loops inside your suit pocket to avoid losing the stuff. There's no reason to make it more complicated than what's necessary.

Besides, I like to shoot my sausage from my safety stop fairly often. Both because my boat tender appreciates knowing that we're due to surface pretty soon, and where that'll be, and because the more often I shoot it the more proficient I am and the less the risk I'll mess up if I have to use it in anger.

Eire Diver implied I had a skills deficiency because I wanted to have my SMB and spool pre-rigged. I do what works for me and my local conditions.

 

[Storker]

Metal is more durable but if you drop a stainless steel spool you can say bye bye and will not get a chance to catch it before it falls into the abyss. At least with a delrin spool, you have a second chance. Thankfully I don’t know from experience.

If you use the "clip the double ender onto the line before shooting" trick, my experience is that the spool will hang just in front of you, spinning away and metering out line if you lose the grip of it. Are you saying that a metal spool won't behave the same way?

 

[noj3333]

Metal is more durable but if you drop a stainless steel spool you can say bye bye and will not get a chance to catch it before it falls into the abyss. At least with a delrin spool, you have a second chance. Thankfully I don’t know from experience.

Ahh... never thought of that, went for SS just for it's durability. I'd cry if I had to watch this rig sink to the ocean floor (paid up for it, and I'm happy with it).

 

[Storker]

I do what works for me and my local conditions.

Me too. I really prefer DWWFM (doing what works for me) over "DIR"

 

[admikar]

Metal is more durable but if you drop a stainless steel spool you can say bye bye and will not get a chance to catch it before it falls into the abyss. At least with a delrin spool, you have a second chance. Thankfully I don’t know from experience.

Are you talking about dropping your spool while DSMB is on its way up?