Signaling tube question

[Shasta_man]

Not sure this is the right place...

I have a 9 foot inflatable tube but don't know how to use it exactly. I see that some deploy it while still on their safety stop. What's the procedure for using one of these things? THe one I have did not come with any line to hold on to it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Diver0001]

You should really get someone to go with you and show you. In any case if you're going to learn how to use one then please be safe and do so in shallow water at first. Launching one of these things isn't as trivial as it might look and if you do it wrong it could pull you along for a quick ascent.....

Typically I launch it from the bottom to give myself a reference for deep/mid-water ascent and/or to let the boat know that I'm coming up and where to find me.

The basic idea is to attach the DSMB - delayed surface marker buoy (what these tubes are called) to a reel or spool with enough line on it to reach the surface from your deepest depth. Put a tiny bit of air in it to get it to stand upright and get everything set and then blast it as full as you can and let it go (it helps to exhale as you do this). If it's an open-ended design you need to keep tension on the line (about the same as flying a kite) to keep it from falling over and dumping the air once on the surface.

To get more information you can do a search on "DSMB" in the archives.

Hope that helps.

R..

 

[Shasta_man]

Thanks for your assistance.

I will practice first near the surface to understand how to use it.

My first thought of its use was merely to make me more visible on the surface, but then I was reading that others use it from depth to signal their location to the boat.

Launching from the bottom is interesting. In my neck of the woods, we have lots of kelp, which I would expect to hamper it's use. Perhaps that's why I don't see them used.

I also don't see any divers with a spool of line either, which was confusing to me as well. Most of my dives have been shore dives with some boat dives which didn't use them either.

Warm water diving coming up so I thought to understand my gear.

Many thanks for your time.

You should really get someone to go with you and show you. In any case if you're going to learn how to use one then please be safe and do so in shallow water at first. Launching one of these things isn't as trivial as it might look and if you do it wrong it could pull you along for a quick ascent.....

Typically I launch it from the bottom to give myself a reference for deep/mid-water ascent and/or to let the boat know that I'm coming up and where to find me.

The basic idea is to attach the DSMB - delayed surface marker buoy (what these tubes are called) to a reel or spool with enough line on it to reach the surface from your deepest depth. Put a tiny bit of air in it to get it to stand upright and get everything set and then blast it as full as you can and let it go (it helps to exhale as you do this). If it's an open-ended design you need to keep tension on the line (about the same as flying a kite) to keep it from falling over and dumping the air once on the surface.

To get more information you can do a search on "DSMB" in the archives.

Hope that helps.

R..

 

[DBailey]

There are two types:

The type with the line is used to let people on the surface know where you are. For example, on drift dives you can drag one along on the surface for people to follow or you can pop it at the safety stop for the boat to start heading toward your spot. Some locations require divers to drag one along the surface during their entire dive.

The other type (without the string) is an emergency signal sausage. Lets say you surface away from the boat. You inflate it so that people looking for you have something that is a little easier to see. These are hand held and possibly waved around to attract attention.

 

[ERP]

Personally I'd wait for about 20 ft before deploying it.

Your deploying it so that boats don't run you over as you ascend, and potentially so that the boat picking you up can see you. There seems no point in having it acting as a sail on the surface while you ascending from 100ft.

As mentioned above deploying one isn't as simple as it seems, if you mess up you can end up on a ride to the surface possibly tied up in the line.

Have someone show you how to do it right and make sure you practice.

9ft is a huge marker, I really like the smaller 6ft ones, the Halcyon one in particular, because the inflator is loose enough that I can inflate it by blowing into it, and in less than one breath.

 

[herman]

......... Put a tiny bit of air in it to get it to stand upright and get everything set and then blast it as full as you can and let it go (it helps to exhale as you do this). If it's an open-ended design you need to keep tension on the line (about the same as flying a kite) to keep it from falling over and dumping the air once on the surface.

R..

"blast it as full as you can" may not be a good idea. That is fine for open ended types and OK for types with relief valves but some are completely closed and do not have any way of relieving excess pressure. If you do it to a sealed type it will blow apart well before it gets to the surface. The amount of inflation depends on the type and how deep you are deploying it from.

 

[Diver0001]

"blast it as full as you can" may not be a good idea. That is fine for open ended types and OK for types with relief valves but some are completely closed and do not have any way of relieving excess pressure. If you do it to a sealed type it will blow apart well before it gets to the surface. The amount of inflation depends on the type and how deep you are deploying it from.

You're right, of course, but I haven't seen one without an OPV for ages. I don't think anyone even makes them anymore, do they? Clearly the sealed types are only good on the surface. That's probably what DBailey was referring to as well.

R..

 

[fmw625]

My SMB inflates from your regulator or octopus. It's open ended and has about 1/2 pound of weight at the bottom and a string to tie a reel to. At safety stop I take regulator insert it into opening at bottom hit purge button a short burst and away she goes. I also have a mark @ 15 ft. and 20 ft on the reel line for refrence.

 

[DBailey]

Also, anytime that you deploy if from depth, DO NOT tie it off to your BC. You can hold on to it, but in the event a passing boat snags it, you don't want to be dragged off with it. You can do a search and read some great stories about people using dive buoys as a slalom course.

 

[herman]

You're right, of course, but I haven't seen one without an OPV for ages. I don't think anyone even makes them anymore, do they? Clearly the sealed types are only good on the surface. That's probably what DBailey was referring to as well.

R..

Not sure if anyone still makes them but I just got one from Zeagle with some stuff I had ordered that did not have an OPV and seems like the less expensive ones I have seen in the past did not have an OPV either....OPV=over pressure valve.