SMBs. How many, what colors, and why?

[Brewone0to]

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.

Howard is dead on here.

As well if you will have problems connecting SMB to reel.
You could likely become entangled in line from a pre-connected reel.

One should also practice from blowing the bag from depth.
If you can safely do this, connecting the reel shouldn't be an issue.
There are potential entanglement issues that could really end badly.

I once blew a liftbag from 100' and the line got caught on my wrist computer.
By the time I had untangled it (About 5 seconds) I was at 50'.
This was followed by a fast drop back down to 140' chasing my computer.

I learned 2 things on this dive.
1.) Carry a backup computer/become more familiarized with dive tables.
2.) With ANY new task/gear, to practice, practice, practice until comfortable doing it with eyes closed.
I was once told that it take 9 times to gain "muscle memory", so that is a minimum when learning new tasks.

Hope this helps

 

[koozemani]

So you are saying after 4 OW dives you trim was perfect, your buoyancy was spot on, your finning was perfect and you never silted the bottom, your weight was dialed in, and you knew All the material in the books (not just what they tested on which was minimal)? Not to mention you were comfortable with you Kit, could dive without your mask, could Navigate without issue, and could sip a tank never needing to use even 1500lbs? Then we get to the buddy skills which you had perfected?

You would be doing great if you had perfected all the skills mentioned this far into your diving. Thats what OW is about. Not the flimsy skeleton they teach. These skills are for you.

I take your self appraisal with a grain of salt.

If this is a response to my last post, then no, just the opposite. I breezed through the required skills and came away thinking that this is a piece of cake.

I very quickly realized that I didn't know sh!t! There are many things that in hindsight I would have liked to have learned during my OW. Im continuing to learn and dive as often as possible, however, how many people go through a basic cert thinking as I did (past tense) and won't realize how little they know until the worst possible moment.

 

[Brewone0to]

If only a could talk her into a BP/W.

Time how long it takes for your present gear to dry before storing.
My wife says our house looks like a dive shop for days after a dive.
BPW's are nearly dry in hours.And a lot less folds of crap to rinse.

 

[Druid]

I take two orange DSMBs on every open water dive. One AP "crack bottle" one attached to a reel and clipped off to my arse D ring, and a 2m one bungeed to my backplate, the spool I use with this is in my drysuit pocket. A big loop on the end of the line makes it easy to assemble even with gloved hands. We mostly dive from live boats so either my buddy or I will deploy a DSMB on every dive.

Although I did almost all my training in the UK where DSMB use is pretty much compulsory, I was never taught to deploy an SMB on any of the PADI courses up to DM. I am now in an SAA club and we teach SMB deployment at OW level, and also teach orange=normal, yellow=help.

 

[DevonDiver]

how many SMBs or lift bags do you carry on a regular basis?

For recreational diving, a single DSMB.

For technical diving, two DSMBs.

For wreck diving, add a lift bag.

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

One is orange (primary). One is yellow (emergency).

That's the system used primarily in the UK, especially within the tech community there. It's not used in other locations I've visited - which is why a single DSMB is sufficient and it doesn't matter which colour.

Either way, if I wanted to use a DSMB for emergency signalling to the surface, it'd be something I discussed and agreed with the surface support in advance.

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

Reel off. It only takes a second to connect them... and I prefer the flexibility of having my reels/options immediately available for alternative contingencies.

I normally carry at least 2 finger reels on every dive.

For tech diving, I'll have a large capacity reel also...and an additional (third) finger reel.

Where do you stow them?

Primary DSMB - bungeed at the base of my backplate.
Secondary DSMB - right-side thigh pocket
Lift Bag - bungeed on left side of backplate.

Primary finger reel - left side hip d-ring
Secondary finger reel - right side thigh pocket
Tertiary finger reel - left side thigh pocket

Primary large capacity reel - right side backplate (on a small bungee loop)

 

[RTee]

Between me and my GF, we have four SMBs. I have a 3 ft and a 6 ft (yellow orally inflated through a valve with purge button) plus two 4 footers (orange colored filled from the bottom type). I also have a 50 lbs lift bag. When diving in calm conditions I carry my 3 footer on my right hip D-ring already hooked to a 100 ft spool. If diving in windy and waves condition, I will carry a six footer instead rigged and positioned in a similar fashion. If diving doubles, I carry my 50 lbs lift back in a front technical pouch mounted centrally on my belt (straddling my crotch stap) with spool hooked on right hip D-ring. That pouch has two compartments...large one is from my lift bag and small one for my diving knife. When I carry my 400 ft reel, I hook it on the rear O ring of my crotch strap.

 

[cloudflint]

Ive used an orange SMB, once or twice, though it really is a SMB not a DSMB, its basically a standard orange bouy connected to a Reel, if im worried about the boat being able to follow my bubbles in a rough sea ill tow it along just to make sure i don't come up to find myself lost at sea. Ive only ever had to use this once or twice however, for most of my diving I don't carry one since noone I dive with does stops and we all train to do free ascents without a line so we have no need of them. We get some funny looks sometimes but it works so we are happy

 

[String]

Free ascents are not the reason for an SMB. In lots of places, especially those with rough surface conditions and currents they're designed so the boat can find you once you surface. As well as being uncomfortable for large periods of time permanent towed SMBs are not practical on wrecks, anywhere with kelp or a lot of overhangs or when the surface wind is going in a different direction to the current.
Lots of boats will brief "bag up when you leave the wreck or start ascending" or "bag up after 45 minutes".

 

[scjoe]

Actually, if shot from depth, the SMB tells the boat where you are before you surface. In that sense it is an aid to free ascents. If you are coming up the line, the boat will know where you are once you surface. A folding flag like those used in the Galagapos is probably better at being spotted once on the surface at a distance than a narrow SMB.

 

[DevonDiver]

Differentiation between SMB and DSMB.

One is a surface marker buoy. The other is delayed (i.e. deployed during the dive, not at the outset).