SMB What kind & Where to Stow

[D_B]

Here is what I came up with ... it's easy for me to deploy, stays tucked next to my wing .. I got the idea after looking at a similar arrangement on my friends BP&W
the SMB is a rather substantial one from TDL that can double as a lift bag

 

[johnsona1503]

I think you'd be better with a duckbill seal rather than open bottom

6' is good if you dive in seas with bigger waves, if not something smaller will do

I like the Buddy SMBs myself, and stow them in the pocket on my backplate where they fit well

I also have a small Halcyon oral inflate that clips onto a d-ring

I wanted an SMB to take on a first trip to Cozumel in May. My wife and I have a dozen dives in the Akamul MX area with a small dive op where its been flat seas and only the 2 of us and the DM. After reading about the large groups and maybe needing to surface on our own with boats running all over the reef, I wanted to be prepared. The 6 footer doesn't bother me but I want to have the right gear for the environment. What are most divers using in Cozumel?

 

[Tortuga68]

Puffer Fish gave some really good advice - the bigger the SMB, the harder to deploy. Even a 5' SMB is going to have 30+ pounds of lift, so if you're deploying underwater you need to have your skills down

So my suggestion would be to get the smallest volume that will be suitable for the conditions. I have no idea what they are in Cozumel, no doubt someone will chime in

 

[diver 85]

Puffer Fish gave some really good advice - the bigger the SMB, the harder to deploy. Even a 5' SMB is going to have 30+ pounds of lift, so if you're deploying underwater you need to have your skills down

So my suggestion would be to get the smallest volume that will be suitable for the conditions. I have no idea what they are in Cozumel, no doubt someone will chime in

Along the lines of skills----in Cozumel, the aldora DMs will let you do the SMB thingy------works good for both, less 'work' for the DM & practice skills for you, the diver.........Just ask them, they all probably allow it.....

 

[EvaL]

Hmm, my view is if you ever need to deploy your SMB (to be seen by your dive boat), the bigger it is the better. I have 3 SMBs:
1. An 9 ft SMB (comes with sleeve, and a reel with 100ft line, too big - spur of the moment purchase, never used),
2. A 6ft SMB (which I put in a pouch with finger spool, signal mirror and whistle - this is the one I use most), and
3. A 4.5ft SMB (can only be deployed on the surface, it rolls up and clips to D-ring, which I bring to the dive as a back up, in case I lose my 6 footer).
I agree with other posters, one definitely needs to practice deploying it underwater, especially if using a reel or spool. I'd recommend at least a 6ft SMB for Cozumel and every diver should have one when diving in Cozumel currents.
Good luck and have fun practicing using it.