Purpose of an SMB?

[clifftondiver]

It seems everyone has covered the uses of SMBs. One point, however, that hasn't been mentioned. Be mindful of your depth vs. line-length on your spool (whichever kind you use). For example, you don't want to be deploying your SMB from 115' (did it 2 weeks ago) when you only have 100' of line (or however long it may be).
Should you have a Manta Reel, take the time and effort to measure how much line you have. Of all of my dive buddies, (we all bought them for a wreck class) not a single one had the advertised line-length!

SMB's should be a regular piece of your rig, IMHO.

As far as difficulty, it's not complicated. But it does require practice to deploy while maintaining your depth.

 

[k374]

I found this video pretty useful:

YouTube - SMB Deployment (dry run)

I particularly liked the point he made about not putting your finger to hold the reel because if the SMB gets caught up in something it could very well just break it!

 

[veg123]

excellent video above. We use an SMB all the time from 20ft off local RIB. It takes a lot of getting used to, I was afraid to deploy for a long time, and I had to overcome the fear, but after I got used to it I now feel slightly exposed hitting the surface without one.

I prefer to be slightly negative when I start to deploy. I find it easier to correct been slightly more negative as opposed to slightly more positive.

One other thing... if the balloon hits the surface and you don't pull the line tight it can start to sink again. If this happens do not try to fin up to the balloon to correct it. Sit tight, let the balloon sink, and be careful not to get entangled in the line as it will sink along with the balloon.

It's definitely a skill that needs to be practiced, I went to the pool a couple of times to get the hang of it.. but do it a few times and it'll just feel like part of the dive.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

If you purchase a closed-circuit SMB it can also be used as an inflatable at the surface to support a diver in distress. Some work better than others for this purpose, but depending on the nature of the problem they can be handy in numerous situations.

http://www.halcyon.net/?q=node/11


(Open-circuit SMBs are the ones that can collapse at the surface if not properly weighted...OTOH they make useful lift bags. Different strokes for different folks.....)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

On my last dive trip to the Galapagos, one of my dive mates highly recommended getting an SMB with a spooled line instead of the mouth-inflatable safety sausage I had (the liveaboard recommended them for the trip -- I'd never had one before). He said that he oftened deployed the SMB at 15', when he did his safety stop.

I have to admit that his SMB looked quite cool, particularly since you could inflate it with your second stage. But I'm wondering why one would deploy an SMB while still underwater. Can someone please explain?

Thanks in advance.

A story to illustrate why ... a buddy and I were diving off an island in British Columbia. We reached a point where the current coming from the other side of the island met the current we were peacefully drifting along in ... and suddenly we found ourselves pulled out away from the island. The bottom dropped from the 75 fsw we were drifting at to who knows where ... it simply disappeared underneath us. The strength of the current was such that there was no chance of swimming against it to get back to where we could see anything but the water around us. My buddy immediately deployed an SMB and we began to ascend. Approximately six minutes later we surfaced ... we were a good quarter-mile from the island, but the dive boat was only about 30 feet from our SMB. The crew knew all the while where we were, and followed our progress as we ascended. Besides providing the crew a visual cue as to our whereabouts, the bag and line also gave us a visual cue as to our ascent rate, and an easy means to track our safety stop depth.

Wow that looks hard!:sarcasm: I bought one this season. Took it diving and deployed to try it out. Where does the training come in? Is there a PADI course for that?

I dunno about PADI, but I teach SMB deployment as part of my NAUI AOW class.

I found this video pretty useful:

YouTube - SMB Deployment (dry run)

I particularly liked the point he made about not putting your finger to hold the reel because if the SMB gets caught up in something it could very well just break it!

The video is very good and thorough. Only one point I do differently ... which is that I do not take the double-ender off the spool until just before I inflate the bag. Think of the SMB like a grenade ... and the double-ender is the pin. You don't "pull the pin" until the grenade is ready to be launched. Otherwise, if for any reason you let go of the spool ... :shocked2:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[knowone]

On my last dive trip to the Galapagos, one of my dive mates highly recommended getting an SMB with a spooled line instead of the mouth-inflatable safety sausage I had (the liveaboard recommended them for the trip -- I'd never had one before). He said that he oftened deployed the SMB at 15', when he did his safety stop.

I have to admit that his SMB looked quite cool, particularly since you could inflate it with your second stage. But I'm wondering why one would deploy an SMB while still underwater. Can someone please explain?

Thanks in advance.

Have someone that actually knows what they are talking about explain and deploy a couple with you.

 

[Doc]

If the boatsman is going to see an SMB, they will also see a sausage, which is lighter and cheaper. You can finger spool a sausage just the same as an SMB.

Boatsman like when you shoot it and hang at 15' awaiting a pickup. You stay safe and vomit-free, under the surge. When they decide it's your turn (they plan the best practical route), you''ll see the boat appear. Swim away from the reef towards the boat and make your ascent safely.

Whichever your choose, mark your device with distinctive Magik Marker- either big letters or design.

Show this design in advance to your boatsman in any congested area where different resorts might be looking for different people. Not so much an issue in the Galloping Pogos, but in the Red Sea, the Philippines and many other areas... it could really be helpful.

Either way- you can use the device to pass it to the boatsman from a safe distance- then he can reel you in by the cord if necessary.

I have a 4' safety sausage and a "porn-star sized SMB". I take the one that is most relevant for conditions and expertise of the boatsman. The guys in Ecuador are really eagle eyed.

 

[k374]

question... how do these SMBs usually stay upright at the surface? I would think that they would just fall over when they hit the surface. What about if there are winds, will they tend to fall over?

 

[Tortuga68]

question... how do these SMBs usually stay upright at the surface?

You're on the other end of the line... pull down

 

[flw]

We use them on pretty much every boat dive, as do most other divers in Scotland. Most charters will require at the very minimum one dsmb per pair, possibly one per diver.
They are deployed at the end of every dive, if on a shallowinsh dive from the bottom, or on a deeper one from around 20-30m ideally. No boat will ever be moored, so the descent/ascent is done via a shot line - which as the tide starts to build may be unusable on the way back. With a significant deco requirement, then the additional stresses ( sliding up line issues) associated with hanging onto a line in a strong tide/current may be negated simply by putting up a line and going with the flow. As long as all divers do the same, they will end up drifting in a line, failry close together - unstressed and no line crowding issues - easy for the boat to cover - and since he will know your run-time anyway - the boat will be right there on surfacing
It's easier to inflate with one holding the reel, and a second diver filling with a second stage. However, although there's a definite knack to it, it's also easy enough to fill from your own exhauast bubbles, which whilst there is an entanglement danger, it is avoidable with care and it does mean it's easy to inflate mid water and solo - which in very tidal conditions even with buddy pairings may be necessary