SMB, DSMB, Lift Bags and Safety Sausages

[doctormike]

doctormike submitted a new resource:

SMB, DSMB, Lift Bags and Safety Sausages - A guide to these commonly confused items

View attachment 685855

There are three terms describing inflatable bags used in scuba diving - safety sauage, SMB (surface marker buoy) and lift bag. Technically, what most people refer to as a "safety sausage" is really an SMB, and what most people refer to as an SMB is really a DSMB (delayed surface marker buoy). But I'm going to use the terms as they are - incorrectly but near universally - used by divers in our area.

A safety sausage is the simplest of the three, and is...

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[Fibonacci]

Surviving Triple Dangers in the Maldives

A diver didn’t heed the divemaster’s warning and was lost at sea. Deploying his large surface marker buoy helped with his rescue.

dan.org

Timely reminder of the dangers of diving in high current remote sites and how a decent sized SMB is essential!

 

[Bob118]

If I am going to practice shooting a bag, I will tell the crew in advance. they're always willing to accomodate

 

[tursiops]

When I have a group on a dive trip, I arrange with the divers and the crew that on the first boat dive we will ALL deploy our sausages....surface or subsurface, depending on what they have and their experience. It usually has some flubs, but that's good; you want to flub now and not later when you need it. And thoe carry cameras learn quickly that they need to think that through...

 

[Sea_Jay]

If I am going to practice shooting a bag, I will tell the crew in advance. they're always willing to accomodate

100% of the time! Great way to send a captain & crew into panic by randomly shooting one.