SMB Question

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

That's what I figured (having never operated either), though you would have to allow the double-ender to twist in your hand. I suppose that's probably not a problem if you're ascending at a safe rate.

You just clip one end with the line flowing through it (don't wrap the line, just let it go through one end of the boltsnap) then grab the shaft and use it as a handle to wind up the line. You don't put the bolt snap through the hole (the axle on deployment is your finger).

---------- Post added October 4th, 2013 at 03:51 AM ----------

SCUBA: SMB Deployment - YouTube
 
ahhh! Now I understand. You're not using it to turn the spool, you're using it to move the line around the spool. That makes sense now.
 
What ever you choose, try the options your self and see if your experiences with the choice is echoed by others. You will soon learn that shooting a small bouy has one set of rules and a bouy the size of a semi truck is another thing. Also cavers are a different breed and thier reel choice is determined by thier environment and dive plan. Ie.... a caver may be carrying 6 reels. one for one purpose and others for others. Hence your choice will not what a caver would opt for. if you are not doing overhead and deplloying 60 ft or less in calm water your thumb spool will probably be just fine. Remember a reel does not just fit in your posket. Also the choices that some make may not be possible for you if you may be using a jacket and not a bp/w. You will find that larger the smb the deeper you have to deploy it so you dont get elevatored to the surface trying to fill it. hence you cant just say a spool with 50 ft of line is the right thing. Using a finger spool with gloves and without glooves is another matter. A finger spool may useless with gloves and a reel being the best choice. And the spool it self fiber material or stainless. so mny options so many results. I use a stailless with 100 ft of line and a medium sized smb for open water use.

Good luck and question everything before spending everything.


did a dive recently where two guys didn't really approve of my spool...

on guy said that i should use a reel because spools are for cave/wreck diving and laying line...

the other said that you don't have anything to hold onto with a spool so if you deployed into a strong surface current you could loose it...

the first guy i didn't really pay attention to... the second guy i deployed my spool into a 4knt (about 1.5knts at depth) surface current on the next dive with no issues except that the current took all of my line :)
 
Last edited:
What ever you choose, try the options your self and see if your experiences with the choice is echoed by others. You will soon learn that shooting a small bouy has one set of rules and a bouy the size of a semi truck is another thing. Also cavers are a different breed and thier reel choice is determined by thier environment and dive plan. Ie.... a caver may be carrying 6 reels. one for one purpose and others for others. Hence your choice will not what a caver would opt for. if you are not doing overhead and deplloying 60 ft or less in calm water your thumb spool will probably be just fine. Remember a reel does not just fit in your posket. Also the choices that some make may not be possible for you if you may be using a jacket and not a bp/w. You will find that larger the smb the deeper you have to deploy it so you dont get elevatored to the surface trying to fill it. hence you cant just say a spool with 50 ft of line is the right thing. Using a finger spool with gloves and without glooves is another matter. A finger spool may useless with gloves and a reel being the best choice. And the spool it self fiber materisal of stainless. so mny options so many results. I use a stailless with 100 ft of line and a medium sized smb for open water use.

Good luck and question everything before spending everything.

Honestly, gloves or no gloves, 100 feet deep or 300 feet deep, in a cave or not. Big bag or small. The only circumstance I'd shoot a bag with a reel is in high current if I were blown off the wreck and needed to get a signal up quickly. We don't have that condition here, but I know they do in Florida or NC. Reels are too much of a PITA for this purpose (one guy's opinion).
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom