SMB deployment question

[Alekseolsen]

So this seems to support the argument that Nitrox helps fight the sleepiest right?

Yes, if you get the sleepies, thats likely "DCS light" (subclinical I believe is the appropriate word).

I'd that is the case, then diving nitrox without diving longer deeper etc. Would help prevent/ mitigate the sleepies.

 

[BlueTrin]

I deploy mine at the bottom but that’s mostly to make sure it’s fully inflated by the time it hits the surface and also because we are asked by skippers to deploy dsmbs so they can follow us.

 

[BRT]

Yes, if you get the sleepies, thats likely "DCS light" (subclinical I believe is the appropriate word).

I'd that is the case, then diving nitrox without diving longer deeper etc. Would help prevent/ mitigate the sleepies.

Or diving longer, but still leaving more no deco time than you would have on air.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I would suggest determining how deep you have to be to inflate a DSMB. Mark the depths where once you partially fill, Boyle's Law does the rest. I.e., mark 1/4 for 100'/30m, 1/3 for 66'/20 m, 1/2 for 33'/10m. That way you don't have to muck around with your buoyancy, going negative. Just stay neutral the whole time. That's what I teach my open water students.

 

[The Chairman]

So this seems to support the argument that Nitrox helps fight the sleepiest right?

Sure. It's always best to limit the amount of N₂ entering your body. Diving NitrOx as if it was air is a good strategy. Doing both at the same time only makes sense.

Or diving longer, but still leaving more no deco time than you would have on air.

Many divers tend to ride their computer's NDL. In this case, you've lost the "protection" that NitrOx might provide if you dove it as if it were air.

This is more important as we age. Your cells are not as elastic as they were when we were younger. Divers over 50 should be sure to be on NitrOx, stop trying to push their NDLs, and be sure to do a full five minutes on your safety stop. That's actually a good protocol for divers younger than 50 too!

FWIW, I like to inflate my sausage below 40ft. Here are a couple of facts...

If your reel starts to pull you up: LET IT GO!!! The reel will eventually fall back down to you and there's no need to chance getting an embolism in shooting it. You're drifting at the same speed, so don't sweat it.
You can do this with no air in your bladder. there is no need to be over-weighted to shoot a sausage.
At this point in your dive, you should NOT be horizontal. Being vertical allows you to spin around easily so you can look for boats heading your way. Use your ears too. You can hear a boat motor way before you can see it. Be sure to spin continually as you ascend from your safety stop, continually looking for boats and their dreaded props.​

 

[Edward3c]

Hey all,

Question about where to deploy a SMB...

yesterday on my ascend, I got my smb ready and by the time I'm at safety stop around 20 feet, I started to fill it up and deploy it. Well I concentrated so much on trying to inflate the SMB and get the rope and all, I went through my safety stop (I guess the rope got tight and when I attempted to stand the SMB, it pulled me up) so I didn't do a full 3 min stop.

moral of the story is, for me perhaps deploying an SMB is not the best idea at safety stop (at least for me), and should do it at bottom and just let it go up so I can be at my 15 ft and not fiddling with stuff.

How do you guys deploy the SMB? at the bottom, and go up? at safety stop?

Just looking for a better technique on where to deploy it.

Thanks

My suggestion is, find an instructor who is proficient and get them to teach you. It is one of the core skills taught in the UK. I have a mini training DSMB so it can be pulled back down to try again.

Once you can do it from the bottom (hovering) then practice mid-water holding +/- .5m, the standard required by BSAC for Sprots Divers.

 

[NaCl H2O]

Being vertical allows you to spin around easily so you can look for boats heading your way

This prevented me being struck by the keel of a sailboat. It ran right over my dive flag!
Always look up on the ascent.

 

[razorseal]

This prevented me being struck by the keel of a sailboat. It ran right over my dive flag!
Always look up on the ascent.

Jeez!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

This prevented me being struck by the keel of a sailboat. It ran right over my dive flag!
Always look up on the ascent.

Good reminder about the sailboats. You can't always rely just on your hearing. Even though a sailboat does not have a prop, getting hit by a fast-moving keel could easily be fatal.

 

[fred32176]

Great info! As a new OW diver with a shearwater peregrine, I have not been suggested a 5 minute safety stop, but it is good to know it has this feature.