Order of operations

[SkullDeformity]

My time away from the collective has made me weak.

I've been thinking that I really need to practice shooting a surface marker more often. I've only done it once since fundies several months ago, my current dive buddy doesn't like to "waste" time practicing skills, especially when there are turtles to visit ! I'm pretty sure I have the order down, but I don't know exactly what to do with my hands. You know, hold the spool in my right hand, marker in the left? I'm not sure.


So, you pull out your finger spool and surface marker, clip the marker to a D ring, unclip the double ender from your finger spool. Then, unclip the surface marker (do I leave the double ender still attatched or take it off, leaving it on my BC at this point?) and use the weight of the double ender on the spool to thread the cave line through the surface marker, pass the spool through the loop on the cave line thus attaching the spool to the surface marker. Unfurl the surface marker (should I have done that earlier?) and, dump some air from your BC, inflate the surface marker, signal to buddy ok to shoot marker, check above you, and let it fly.

Do I need to regenerate aboard a cube or is that correct?

 

[Vayu]

I don't think it should be necessary to clip the DSMB to a D-ring.

 

[TSandM]

Like Vayu . . . I wasn't taught to clip the SMB to anything. Just take it out, take the double ender off it and clip it to your right D-ring. Drop the double-ender from the spool through the ring as you describe and pass the spool through the loop. Clip the double-ender to a D-ring.

Unfurl the SMB, put SMB and spool in one hand (Steve puts it in the left, Joe put it in the right) adjust buoyancy for full lungs, inflate marker. Okay buddy, look UP (the step I always forget) and then pull enough line off the spool to make sure the knot has cleared and release the SMB.

What's important is the control. You should be able to stop the procedure at any point (including hanging on to the fully inflated SMB as long as you need to). That's what I got dinged on in Rec Triox, was hurrying the release.

 

[rjack321]

here's what I do:
1) remove spool and bag from left pocket (usually I leave them pre-rigged/connected)
spool is in left hand
2) Remove bungie from bag with right hand
3) put tiny puff of gas in bag with right hand on long hose and bag nipple
4) get bag to stand up out of the way with right hand, left holds spool
5) check team
6) ok team
7) remove double ender from spool with right hand, clip to right d-ring
8) inflate bag
9) check team
10) release spool in left hand (hold lightly)
11) check team
12) ascend to next stop spooling bag

Stop spooling bag at 20ft stop
Pull line down letting spool hang below
ascend to 10ft stop
ascend to surface
Wind up 20ft of line on surface while you wait before climbing ladder, etc.

Works for me. YMMV

Edit: I think in DIRF you're not allowed to have the spool+bag pre-rigged. In which case unclip the spool but leave the double ender and drop the weighted line through the Dring on the bag like LCF suggests. Then remove both double enders

 

[SkullDeformity]

Seems like you should keep your right hand free as much as possible, since that's the hand you donate with?

I was considering clipping the surface marker to a D ring because my double ender is difficult to unclip from my line, and figuring in those nice fat gloves I figured I might need both hands. Well, practice.

 

[Bismark]

Signal to team you are going to shoot bag. Remove pre-loaded smb/spool from thigh pocket. Unstow bungie off the smb, flake the smb out with the double ender still on the reel, then unclip the double ender and attach said double ender to your right shoulder d-ring. Check way is clear above. Check again with team. remove primary from mouth and inflate smb half way. (there should be no buoyancy shift as you are still holding on to the SMB) Check above again. Release smb and watch line unspool. SMB will fully inflate by the time it hits surface (assuming at least 30' release depth). Remove double ender from right dring and dlip off line on spool until you are ready to ascend. Repeat as necessary..............

 

[Jason B]

Here goes a good clip. Pretty sure it's Clare Gledhill, a GUE instructor, her account anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3puq1JMAdg

 

[SparticleBrane]

Nice video--it's slow so I can see exactly what's going on instead of the usual "flurry of hands moving then a bag magically shooting."

 

[David Watson]

I have always had my pre-loaded.

Can someone give me the benefit of not pre-loading it? It seems to me that not doing this forces you to have to do unnecessary extra work under water.

 

[JeffG]

Can someone give me the benefit of not pre-loading it? It seems to me that not doing this forces you to have to do unnecessary extra work under water.

Depend on the probability of how you use the spool.

For me, I keep it pre-loaded as well.

If I was in an area where I might run a spool, I would probably just bring another spool.