Self-inflating SMBs

[Gareth J]

Reels are very much a case of personal preference.

In the UK, for coastal diving, almost all divers carry a reel and DSMB at all times. I actually always carry three DSMB's, 1 spool and one reel.
Small RED (orange) gas DSMB + reel. For normal deployment. A RED (orange) Buddy self sealing DSMB if I loose the gas one. And a Yellow DSMB with a clip and a slate for emergencies (clip to the deployed RED SMB with a note and let it go). I also carry a spool in case I loose the reel or it jams and I have to let it go.

In the UK loss of a DSMB at the end of a dive means you are at risk of being lost by the boat. Hence with the exception of newly qualified divers, every one carry's a DSMB and reel. Any buddy pair will therefore have a minimum of two reels and two DSMB's.

Spools have the advantage that they are generally small, so easy to carry. The disadvantage in that they can unspool, and winding in can be a bit of a pain, but from shallow deployment 10m or so and as a backup, a great idea.
Most UK divers carry a reel of one sort or another because DSMB's are generally released from the seabed, or wreck. Failure to do this in the UK often means you can be swept along way from the site by the tide.
Generally I carry a 50m reel (50m reels are pretty common in the UK). Ffor deeper dives, over 30m (100ft) then I switch to the 100m reel (larger and heavier made from S.S.).

Probably the most common UK reel is the McMahon. I personally carry the smaller MGE. The McMahon is common because its good and reliable. It has a large spool, so it seldom tangles or is over filled with line. The large cranking handle makes it easy to wind in. The down side is it is a large reel to carry.

Another option is a drop line. A DSMB with 10m of line and a weight on the line. Pull it out, add some gas and let go, the weight goes down and DSMB goes up. (Note - 10m of line because we tend to expect our shallow stop to be 6m (18ft), because surface action - waves - will often make it uncomfortable shallower).

Gareth
You tend to recognise UK divers on holidays, they are the ones carrying a DSMB and reel even if every one says you don't need one.... you get to feel very vulnerable without one.

 

[Edward3c]

Reels are very much a case of personal preference.

In the UK, for coastal diving, almost all divers carry a reel and DSMB at all times. I actually always carry three DSMB's, 1 spool and one reel.
Small RED (orange) gas DSMB + reel. For normal deployment. A RED (orange) Buddy self sealing DSMB if I loose the gas one. And a Yellow DSMB with a clip and a slate for emergencies (clip to the deployed RED SMB with a note and let it go). I also carry a spool in case I loose the reel or it jams and I have to let it go.

In the UK loss of a DSMB at the end of a dive means you are at risk of being lost by the boat. Hence with the exception of newly qualified divers, every one carry's a DSMB and reel. Any buddy pair will therefore have a minimum of two reels and two DSMB's.

Spools have the advantage that they are generally small, so easy to carry. The disadvantage in that they can unspool, and winding in can be a bit of a pain, but from shallow deployment 10m or so and as a backup, a great idea.
Most UK divers carry a reel of one sort or another because DSMB's are generally released from the seabed, or wreck. Failure to do this in the UK often means you can be swept along way from the site by the tide.
Generally I carry a 50m reel (50m reels are pretty common in the UK). Ffor deeper dives, over 30m (100ft) then I switch to the 100m reel (larger and heavier made from S.S.).

Probably the most common UK reel is the McMahon. I personally carry the smaller MGE. The McMahon is common because its good and reliable. It has a large spool, so it seldom tangles or is over filled with line. The large cranking handle makes it easy to wind in. The down side is it is a large reel to carry.

Another option is a drop line. A DSMB with 10m of line and a weight on the line. Pull it out, add some gas and let go, the weight goes down and DSMB goes up. (Note - 10m of line because we tend to expect our shallow stop to be 6m (18ft), because surface action - waves - will often make it uncomfortable shallower).

Gareth
You tend to recognise UK divers on holidays, they are the ones carrying a DSMB and reel even if every one says you don't need one.... you get to feel very vulnerable without one.

And on that last point. I was in Thailand just before Christmas and deployed my DSMB from 25m because of boat traffic, my dive guide (a newly minted DM - Hero to Zero) got caught out and was low on gas so I took over the dive management.

 

[Freewillow]

try a finger spool. Cheaper and safer IMHO

 

[rivers]

Spools have the advantage that they are generally small, so easy to carry. The disadvantage in that they can unspool, and winding in can be a bit of a pain, but from shallow deployment 10m or so and as a backup, a great idea.
Most UK divers carry a reel of one sort or another because DSMB's are generally released from the seabed, or wreck. Failure to do this in the UK often means you can be swept along way from the site by the tide.
Generally I carry a 50m reel (50m reels are pretty common in the UK). Ffor deeper dives, over 30m (100ft) then I switch to the 100m reel (larger and heavier made from S.S.).

I use a spool, and only a spool. And regularly deploy it from 30m without issue. I find reels cumbersome. Most divers I know also use spools
Also, to stay somewhat on topic, my preference for a dsmb is the haclyon 4.5ft. I use my drysuit feed to inflate it.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

KISS - Keep It Simple (you can fill in the last S)

This looks like an over-engineered version of a simple device. How hard is it to blow into a SMB?

Reminds me of a new diver who buys everything they think might be useful in the dive shop and hangs them from their BCDs...hence a Christmas Tree Diver. Then they discover that less is best and simple is even better.

Perhaps it has more features than is needed in most situations. They are popular with some freedivers who want to deploy at depth and mark a gun and they obviously can not blow into an SMB.

The Carter model I showed has the OPTION of oral inflation as well. If a scuba diver feels he wants the most immediate and least stressful means to inflate an smb (at the surface or below), pulling the detonation string may be desirable. I would think that normally a scuba diver would orally inflate this device.

Thanks for your comments!

Dano

 

[Freewillow]

The DSMB that I was talking about - but not using - has a small bottle that can be filled with gaz from the main tank before the dive.

The major advantage that I see with this system, is that you open the bottle and let go. So the DSMB inflates while it is going up. So it has no influence on the floatability of the diver. I have a pretty large SMB - 20 L - and I can tell you that if I do not launch it from depth, I need to put in it a substantial amount of gaz before the launch.

 

[Johanan]

Terrified......the dangers it creates are far more grave than then seeming inconvienience of manually inflating.......hopefully they won't ever invent a self inflating BCD....oh?....too late.

Actually, they already have: SUBA® THE SMART SCUBA DIVING SYSTEM FOR ALL DIVERS

 

[Remy B.]

The DSMB that I was talking about - but not using - has a small bottle that can be filled with gaz from the main tank before the dive.

The major advantage that I see with this system, is that you open the bottle and let go. So the DSMB inflates while it is going up. So it has no influence on the floatability of the diver. I have a pretty large SMB - 20 L - and I can tell you that if I do not launch it from depth, I need to put in it a substantial amount of gaz before the launch.

This system is very used were I'm doing my TDI training, actually very easy to use, open a little the valve, you have time to manipulate the real, the SMB will inflate slowly and by the time it reach teh surface it is fully inflated as the gas expands and the bottle is calculated to 110% of the volume of the SMB, the excess air is purged by the over pressure valve, that is a mini version of what your BCD have.

 

[Kairoos]

We also carry self-inflating SMB's. Carter manufactures these and they are built very well. One-time use CO2 cartridge..

Can be orally inflated and the cartridge is replaceable after use.

Carter Spearfishing Float | MAKO Spearguns

Could you keep the co2 cylinder separate and screw it in while at depth, then pull the cord (I would assume so)? I wouldn't want to carry something like this loaded, seems like a great way to get bent.

I wonder if those little cartridges are refillable. They're not the real small ones, and they're threaded. Deploying a DSMB is not hard, but definitely not as easy as this could potentially be.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I have the AP Diving DSMB. Its a nice feature to have here in the Northwest when you are in choppy water or strong current (like when going through the Tacoma Narrows), have you hands full with a large camera and want to quickly send up your DSMB without any fuss. Expensive? Sure. Easier? Sure. Worth it? YMMV. For me yes. Others no. I have to carry a DSMB anyway, so not a big deal. It just takes a bit more space. I use a Manta reel with it. Easy peasy.