Technique for Shooting an SMB

[WPBdiver]

Non-sequitor:

Oops! A primary example of a vital Dependency on a Buddy: OOA Contingency with Air-Sharing.

Teamwork, not dependency per se, is actually what is important. . .

My premise does hold if you consider a redundant air source and that you should never get close to OOA.

All I am saying is that you should be able to handle any procedures or problems yourself. What happens when your buddy disappears or wigs out on you when the chips are down? Teamwork on a dive is one thing but, but dependancy is entirely something else.

Oops! non sequitur

 

[Kevrumbo]

My premise does hold if you consider a redundant air source and that you should never get close to OOA.

All I am saying is that you should be able to handle any procedures or problems yourself. What happens when your buddy disappears or wigs out on you when the chips are down? Teamwork on a dive is one thing but, but dependancy is entirely something else.

Oops! non sequitur

Disagree on your premise (Sorry . . .I wasn't trained that way).
Properly Trained Teams don't have buddies who "didi-mao" on you when the chips are down. Redundant air source IS your Buddy: you plan gas contingencies to get you and your Buddy up to Deco Stops and the surface in event of Backgas Loss of any kind.

You should be able to troubleshoot problems yourself and communicate it to your buddy if need be. You should be able to anticipate and help out if needed to minimize task loading (ig. shooting an SMB; Tie-offs and Laying Penetration Line; Captaining the Deco Stops etc.) You should be able to diagnose & rescue yourself and/or your buddy (ig. recognizing Ox-Tox vs. Narcosis vs. CO2 Blackout). These are all examples of the Unified Team Concept: all members proficient, knowing the dive plan & contingencies, but also complementing & helping each other out as well. . .

 

[Orlando Eric]

KevRumbo- Many divers are going to disagree with you on this point of what team work is. It is very rare for people to work with fellow employee's in a relationship that you can ABSOLUTLEY KNOW that the OTHER team is 100% first time, every time. It takes a bit of getting accustom to when you start working like that and are able to actually let yourself trust someone else with your life and not get the jitters because of it.

Some will understand your point though.

 

[Mandy3206]

I'm allways ready to assist another diver, but plan my dive so I don't have to rely on other diver.

 

[Wally1716]

Exactly how do you gracefully shoot an SMB from depth without getting dragged upwards?

..
There are some tricks to it. One is, as mentioned, deploy deeper than you want
and let it drag you several feet upwards. Another is to deploy deeper, like 70'/21m
where only minimal amounts of gas will expand to fill the SMB sufficiently (it doesn't
NEED to be full at the surface. Still another one is to fill it from your BC ORAL inflator
hose. That way there would be NO change of buoyancy because you only tranfer
gas from one bag to another. Upon release, you'd have slight negative buoyancy
which can be offset by letting the spool drag you upwards slightly or by ascending
normally and let the remaining gas in your BC expand to neutrality again.
..
Hope this is of help

 

[PaulChristenson]

Exactly how do you gracefully shoot an SMB from depth without getting dragged upwards? I have tried it about a dozen times and I'm still not happy.

I have a 6-foot Halcyon closed-circuit Dive Alert Marker that I inflate with my LP hose and send up with a finger spool.

The problem is that I start getting dragged upwards before the SMB has really inflated very much. I figure that, at 60 feet, I only have to inflate it about 1/3 full to get max inflation at the surface (66 feet = 3 ata).

However, long before I get even that much inflation I am on the express elevator upwards and I have to let the SMB go prematurely. (Okay, no funny comments here about premature releases....)

I tried exhaling just before so that I am negatively buoyant as the SMB inflates, but this doesn't work either.

The best I can do is to get dragged up only two feet before I release and end up with a half-inflated SMB at the surface. Maybe I just need more practice?

This is the most succinct example I can find...

http://www.divetekadventures.com/Videos/VideoShotBag.htm

Paul in VT

 

[Cacia]

I LOVED THAT!!!!! and I love playing around with mine....I had never seen the let go of the reel trick. Now I have something to work on!!! The trick is definitely in not holding onto the spool, must be ready to let it spin on inflation.

 

[The Kraken]

The only thing that confuses me is . . . how did he get the bag to rise without putting any air in it????

 

[PaulChristenson]

The only thing that confuses me is . . . how did he get the bag to rise without putting any air in it????

Look closely Grasshopper!!


Paul in VT

 

[Cacia]

The only thing that confuses me is . . . how did he get the bag to rise without putting any air in it????

he did, with the inflator hose. Didn't he?? and he did it with gloves...I can barely do it with my nimble little fingers, so that impressed me.