Hello everyone, I have a decline fully closed(can only inflate orally) DSMB. I think this is good for deploying form shallow water before or during my safety stop with a spool. My question is, if I was going on a wreck dive with strong current where I would need to deploy my DSMB at say 30m so the boat can follow me, would the decline DSMB be hard to inflate and the spool might not have enough line. So I would probably have to get a reel and what type of DSMB do you recommend?
Good SMB. Has an over pressure valve and can be filled using a BCD/drysuit hose.
For wreck diving you normally send the SMB up from the wreck at the end of your dive. The boat then knows you're on your way up and you'll join the field of bags floating downstream of the wreck.
The reality is that you would ascend to the top of the wreck, especially in poor visibility, or to the downstream end of the wreck. Before the dive attach the SMB to either a spool or ratchet reel.
If ratchet reel (assuming right handed)...
- Know where your line cutter is (underneath your computer / wherever). Just in case you need to quickly cut the line.
- Firstly check the SMB+reel is still clipped to your waist D-ring/wherever you've clipped the thing -- i.e. Neptune hasn't stolen it from you. Touch the thing.
- Disconnect your drysuit hose from your inflator (hold it in your right hand whilst you do the next few steps)
- Grab the SMB+reel and separate them. The SMB should have a bungee holding it wound up.
- Hold the ratchet reel in your left hand and ensure there's no slack line, e.g. wind it in.
- Undo the SMB and shake it out.
- Keep the reel in your left hand and hold the handle ensuring that the reel is free to rotate (that may mean hold down the ratchet mechanism, reel dependent).
- Shake the SMB out and away from you,
- Hold the SMB inflation spigot and put that into your left hand (so you're now holding both the reel handle and the inflator nipple/spigot firmly).
- Check that there's no string/bungee/SMB/other crap that could entangle you.
- With the drysuit hose disconnected in the second step, pull the ferrule back and GENTLY push it onto the inflation spiggot but DO NOT INFLATE YET.
- Check again for entanglement; check that the reel is free to rotate; check that the SMB's not floating back into you
- LOOK AROUND YOU; ESPECIALLY UP, sideways, downstream. You don't want to see more wreck above you or some other diver that you're going to launch the SMB into!
- Press the drysuit hose firmly into the spigot/nipple to inflate the bag. Keep going until it's starting to drag on you up (actually keep inflating for as long as you can -- nobody will appreciate a flaccid SMB!)
- Launch: release the spigot you're holding in your left hand and HOLD ON to the reel!
- SMB should fly up, reel should rotate freely.
- Danger point is when you let it go the string catches on the handle; you should be able to pull it off the handle.
- It is possible that the reel could jam if it wasn't correctly reeled in or was tangled.
- If there's any issues, e.g. the string or reel tangles/jams FFS LET THE BLOODY THING GO!!! The boat will pick up the dead SMB whilst you get your spare SMB out of your pocket...
- As the SMB flies upward it will accellerate as it expands as the pressure reduces around it. It's worth braking the speed by BRIEFLY applying the rachet.
- Once it hits the surface you'll feel it go slack. Immediately reel in that slack.
- Ready to go... a quick goodbye look at the wreck and start your ascent, reeling in the slack.
- Note that in a current the SMB will go up at an angle, so reeling in will pull you under the SMB like a pendulum, i.e. you reel but you don't ascend.
- DO NOT let any slack line appear; this is a serious entanglement issue. Drop the reel if in doubt as the reel ratchet will stop it from unwinding and the line will tighten up.
- Slow is better than the exact 9m/30ft per minute. Be in control.
- When you get to 5m/15ft of your first stop, it should be slowed down.
- At your stop, leave the reel to bounce up and down just below you. You should be in horizontal trim and totally neutral in the water watching the reel bouncing in the waves
Spools
- Essentially the same as above except you'll be putting the spigot on to the spool's string, e.g. thumb and ring finger through the spool centre, forefinger to hold the SMB spigot on to the spool’s string
- In some way a spool is easier than a reel, except if you drop the spool, in which case that's a serious PITA as it will probably drag along the bottom and catch.
- Big difference is that you must tightly hold the spool at all times as it only wants to jump out of your hand.
- Practice a twisty cave loop with your double ender.
If you need a SMB, then you need two of them; the backup SMB in your pocket which is where a spool's better as it's smaller than a reel. Many people I dive with have two man-sized reels and SMBs.
There's only one SMB size needed. Big. It's got to be seen by the boat from some way off in amongst the waves. Girth matters as much as length.
In the UK, self inflating SMBs are popular. These either use a small “crack bottle” of compressed air or one or two CO2 cartridges. These work very well and reduce the amount of hassle to inflate.
When you get to the boat wave your SMB to anyone on the side of the boat to grab from your hand. If they're miserable b'stards eating all the buscuits then ensure the reel's fully wound in and you keep it in your hand as you step onto the dive lift (all UK dive boats have them
)
Have fun.
