Suggestions for a small SMB

[aquaregia]

Having come to the conclusion that my 40# safety tube isn't reasonable to shoot from 30', I'm looking for something in the 5-10# range for Fundies. Unfortunately, it seems that all the options (seen Halcyon & DSS so far) are quite pricey. Are there any other options out there?

 

[rongoodman]

The Halcyon 3' SMB is nice, and easy to inflate by mouth. I used their 85# lift bag in my recent Deco Proc class and it worked well too, much quicker to deploy and easier to inflate more or less fully than the bags the other students were using. (If you're worried about the price of an SMB, wait until you start looking at lights!)

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Realistically, to get a full bag shot from approx 30' it needs to be half full when you release it, so what limits the practical size of the bag you can shoot is the amount of gas you can put in it while holding your depth. In short, a larger bag or SMB will require greater skill to fully inflate from a given depth.

But just as realistically in the real world I shoot a bag or SMB from a lot deeper than 30'. At 150-180 ft a 100 pound bag will *only* require 18-20 pounds of gas to be fully inflated when it hits the surface and an 85 pound SMB will *only* require 15-18 pounds to fully inflate from the same depths.

Also in the real world, doing drifting deco in 6 ft seas you want and need an SMB wide enough and tall enough to see. A skinny little 3 or 4 ft SMB just won't cut it.

If you put it all together a couple things should be obvious:

1) if you are really going to do deep offshore diving, a large SMB is probably in your future.
2) if you need a large and fully inflated SMB, you better be able to launch one with 20 pounds of gas in it - even at 150-180'.

So, my thoughts are that it is worth the time to develop the skills and technique to learn to get 18-20 pounds of gas in a 40 pound SMB from 30' (as it does a good job of approximating what is needed to fill a 85-100 pound SMB from a deeper depth) rather than to cheat yourself by getting a full SMB through the less than optimum process of using a less challenging small SMB that requires less than the required level of skill to launch. When it counts, what counts is not the "pass" but rather the ability to really perform the skill in the real world.

I'd recommend staying with the 40 pound SMB you have as it is a good training/learning tool.

 

[Scott L]

Having come to the conclusion that my 40# safety tube isn't reasonable to shoot from 30', I'm looking for something in the 5-10# range for Fundies. Unfortunately, it seems that all the options (seen Halcyon & DSS so far) are quite pricey. Are there any other options out there?

If the instructor does not have one to loan and if no other DIR divers in CA offer, I will mail and loan you mine (Halcyon 3.3ft, oral inflate)...

 

[aquaregia]

Appreciate the offer Scott. One of my buddies is going to lend me hers if I don't get one by Fundies time, so I think I'll take that and my 40#er (and DA's notes) and ask what my instructor has to say on the matter.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Here is an inexpensive smaller DiveRite Safety Tube option:

Dive Rite Seeme Float - Orange AC2756ORANGE *Buy Dive Rite at DIVESEEKERS.com 888-SCUBA-47
http://www.diveseekers.com/v/vspfiles/photos/AC2756ORANGE-2T.jpg

IMHO - I know they are more money but the Halcyon 3.3 Closed Circuit 14.030.006 is a better design!

1. 1.5" SS D-Ring on bottom vs. plastic clip (comes into play with Fundies Technique)
2. Bungee (opposed to Velcro) wrap to keep closed (comes into play with Fundies Technique)
3. SS Nipple for Oral inflation (no plastic to push in with lips or teeth) or w/LP Hose (anti-lock)

Halcyon Surface Marker Buoy's 14.002 *Buy Halcyon at DIVESEEKERS.com 888-SCUBA-47

 

[iztok]

Check HOG SMBs

Surface Marker Buoy's "SMB's" Piranha Dive Manufacturing

 

[Akimbo]

Having come to the conclusion that my 40# safety tube isn't reasonable to shoot from 30'...

Like you, I recently got an SMB. I have not bothered to read anything about them preferring to experiment. There are no doubt better tricks, but here are my observations that may be useful.

In my case it was to replace my bulkier lift bag. I found holding a finger spool and getting a good fill with my second stage was awkward. I noticed some SMBs have a very restricted flow into the bag, which I would guess compounds the problem. I found filling it deeper and winding up the stop was not a bad option. I noticed that a partially filled SMB still functions for decompression stops, though it compromises visibility until you make it to the surface and fill it full.

I ended up with DiveAlert's 65"/40 Kb SMB and found that I can get a lot more air in it if I attach to a hand reel rather than a finger spool, dump all the air in the BC, and exhale to the max when filling. I had an old speargun crank reel to experiment with. What sold me on switching was how much I dislike winding the string back on the finger spool, in a swell, in kelp, and in bad visibility. I shot it from the bottom the last few times and found that I can easily wind a reel faster than 30'/minute. It is probably better because it slows me down from the 60'/minute I have been programmed for most of my life.

One thing for sure, I have very little confidence in this thing to save my butt from drifting out to sea. I am considering backing it up with a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) for dives too far offshore to swim after dumping gear. They are down to $250 and fit inside a $40 OMS housing.

MCMURDO FastFind 210 GPS Personal Location Beacon at West Marine

Conventional lift bags are easier since the bottom opening is not restricted and usually attached to something you want to recover. Just getting enough air in it to break free of the bottom is all it takes.

Side note:
I discovered I can get the SMB rolled 10-20% smaller if I hook it up to a vacuum. What can I say, my shop vac was just sitting there and a reducer was in the kit. This led me to try stuffing a piece of vinyl tubing in the fill channel and orally suck the air out, which worked almost as well but way more awkward.

 

[TSandM]

This is one of the places where I think the price premium on the Halcyon is WELL worth it. I really like the inflator they use, which can be hooked up to an LP hose if you like, but has a large flange around the nipple that makes it easy to seal around it with cold, numb lips. I like the pull dump that you can unscrew to rinse the inside of the bag.

We have owned, I believe, six different models of bag, and no longer buy anything but the Halcyon ones.

 

[iztok]

I really like the inflator they use, which can be hooked up to an LP hose if you like, but has a large flange around the nipple that makes it easy to seal around it with cold, numb lips. I like the pull dump that you can unscrew to rinse the inside of the bag.

sounds like HOG one