SMBs. How many, what colors, and why?

[koozemani]

A recent thread concerning safety equipment got me thinking about this, how many SMBs or lift bags do you carry on a regular basis?

What colors are they, and does the color have any significance to you and those you dive with?

How do you stow them (reel on or off)?

Where do you stow them?

 

[buddhasummer]

I always dive with an orange 3' smb and regularly use it just to let people top side Im coming up. I also carry a 6' Yellow SMB solus tape in my emergency pocket, along with strobe, mirror, dye, shears and LP horn, in case I need to be seen on drift/night/heavy seas and when the boat cannot see me. I use a finger spool with both. My small smb sits in a small clipper pocket with spool clipped of to butt D ring (I dive a BP/W).

Some area assign different meaning to different colors so if you use orange and yellow probably good to find out which is which. Yellow is often for an emergency and orange standard. When diving from a boat I check and/or tell the boat what I will be using and for what reason. Yellow is supposed to be more visible in cloudy/low light conditions.

There is a good thread "Best signalling equipment from the searchers point of view" in the "General Scuba Equipment" forum thats worth a read.

 

[scubajo007]

The only safety equipment I have is a storm whistle and a torch. My dives are from dive boats to which I stay close, so I do not see a need for an SBM at the moment, however should I begin diving in open water without any surface support then I will have to bring an SBM. I do however consider a safety sausage just in case I drift away from the boat.

 

[HowardE]

A recent thread concerning safety equipment got me thinking about this, how many SMBs or lift bags do you carry on a regular basis?

In general, for regular pedestrian type diving... I carry one. For more technical or working dives, sometimes 2 or more. It depends on the mission, and the requirements. Am I locating multiple objects, do I need to mark positions? Do I need to lift something? Etc.

What colors are they, and does the color have any significance to you and those you dive with?

Unless discussed in advance, the colors have no significance to me or my team.

How do you stow them (reel on or off)?

Reel Off. You should be able to attach your reel in less than a minute. If you need the reel for something else, and your SMB is attached... then what?

Where do you stow them?

Clipped off to a D-Ring. Usually on my rear side.

 

[D_B]

one yellow SMB with OPV, inflate by 2nd stage, marked with a big DB with magic marker pen, secured by bungee to the side of my BC under the wing without spool, spool is clipped off to a D ring .. purely OW dives
out here, if your diving with tech crews, orange is normal, and yellow is trouble ... you should always tell your boat crew what you have beforehand

the Best equipment from a searchers POV thread is a good read and here is some good info too ...
.

Originally Posted by D_B
... you need to save this, a very good, if long, read on rescue trials in real world conditions, conducted in the Scapa Flow ... How far can you see me? ... http://www.jeanelaine.co.uk/diveraids/intro.htm

And this .. Equipped to Survive ... http://www.equipped.com/signal.htm
... and the rest of the website is a treasure trove of info ... http://www.equipped.com/toc.htm

 

[koozemani]

Reel Off. You should be able to attach your reel in less than a minute. If you need the reel for something else, and your SMB is attached... then what?

Clipped off to a D-Ring. Usually on my rear side.

My concern about "reel off" is that under stress attaching a reel involves extra steps of fine motor skills. Whether that stress is an emergency or simply being narced I would think that minimizing steps would be a plus.

 

[fdarden]

I frequently do drift diving and nighttime drift diving. Last night was a prime example. Waves were rolling at 5-6 feet, and it was dark. Current was ripping at 5-6kt below the surface. Sure was nice knowing that i had that 7' SMB strapped to my side, along with a finger reel. Safety in my book is all about reducing risk. Any risk reduction however incrementally small = better safety. I started diving with a 3' SMB, saw how well those work in rough conditions, switched to a 5' but it was manually inflated, and impossible to inflate below the surface. I ended up with a 7' Yellow SMB with finger reel and it inflates using a low pressure hose, orally, or via second stage. youtube has several videos that describe how to put it all together into a manageable clip on "kit" I will warn you that a 7' SMB is fairly large, and mine is extra wide but if you rig it right you wont notice it in the water, until you need it. Then you will be so happy you have it. Along the same lines, I carry a tube of surface dye marker that NEVER leaves my BC's pocket. In the possible event that I get carried up to Boynton Beach, I figure the Coasties will spot me and my water stain, and 7' SMB easily.

 

[HowardE]

My concern about "reel off" is that under stress attaching a reel involves extra steps of fine motor skills. Whether that stress is an emergency or simply being narced I would think that minimizing steps would be a plus.

For a beginner. What you're saying has weight to it. Minimizing stressors is a concern, and should be addressed...

At the same time... it should be easy enough to attach your reel, and if you're not comfortable doing that... Practice it both above and below the water. Another important item is how you keep your reel set up. Do you have it easy to rig to something? That's also key for beginners. Rigging.

Personally, I think it's easier to attach your reel than disconnect your reel in a hurried state.

 

[koozemani]

Fdarden, that raises another question, SMBs that inflate via 2nd stage, oral, or lp hose. I've personally tended to the 2nd stage/oral inflate ones, however, the majority or the SMBs out there are oral inflate only.

 

[D_B]

many are designed only for use at the surface to mark your position after you surface , ones with a Over Pressure Valve are designed to be able to be inflated while submeged