Technique for Shooting an SMB

[The Kraken]

OK, I caught where he inflated it.
But I think he cheated and used an extra L/P hose with one of those little finger valves on it . . . but that's OK.

 

[Rick Inman]

OK, I caught where he inflated it.
But I think he cheated and used an extra L/P hose with one of those little finger valves on it . . . but that's OK.

Nope. He uses his drysuit inflater hose. The Halcyon bag has a nipple the you just push the hose end against and it accepts air. Look closely and you'll see him disconnect and then reconnect the hose.

 

[The Kraken]

God forbid that I start a war, but wouldn't a "Spare-Air" be a good tool for inflating a bag?

Keep it stored away in a pocket. No need to disconnect hoses. Keeps the body and gear separated from the lift bag, etc. . .

the K

 

[Mambo Dave]

Newb question here: Just how 'bad' is it to disconnect a wing's L/P inflator hose to get my DR sausage/lift bag inflated? Am I risking anything, save for not being able to get the quick-connect back on the inflator, if I pull it at depth in open water? When I was completely new to SS's I was advised not to by the friend helping me get up to speed with refresher dives, but if I'm comfortable with it, is it an option? Note: while I have a Hog rig, I have yet to spend the $50 on a shorter (DIR complient) L/P hose and wing inflator hose, so at the moment I have plenty of hose to play with and can easily see it to re-attach it.

 

[Diver0001]

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.

I can't play that video on the computer I'm using right now but if it's the one I think it is, it's the demo film Andrew G. made for GUE, right? I think they should have redone that demo because it certainly wasn't his finest moment. His buoyancy control is incredible but the way he launched that blob looked really sloppy to me. Taking it in the chest was the point where I groaned and said to myself....."man I hope people don't try to learn anything from this...."

R..

 

[Cacia]

Newb question here: Just how 'bad' is it to disconnect a wing's L/P inflater hose to get my DR sausage/lift bag inflated? Am I risking anything, save for not being able to get the quick-connect back on the inflater, if I pull it at depth in open water? When I was completely new to SS's I was advised not to by the friend helping me get up to speed with refresher dives, but if I'm comfortable with it, is it an option? Note: while I have a Hog rig, I have yet to spend the $50 on a shorter (DIR compliant) L/P hose and wing inflater hose, so at the moment I have plenty of hose to play with and can easily see it to re-attach it.

My own opinion is that you should be very comfortable. I think diving with mine disconnected and orally inflating has done more for me than anything.This forces you to properly utilize your lungs and only "compensate" with the device. The BC, in my way of thinking is to augment something you already can do . I think it is better to learn buoyancy without a button and a burst of air.
Taking the reg in and out, taking hoses on and off, manipulating your gear and multitasking underwater will make you a better diver.
The "dangerous part" is to not have your buoyancy down before trying to inflate lift bags. Practice with a buddy, extra set of hands at first, and somewhere where you can drop the spool if you need to. Sometimes, it is better to start with an oral inflatable sausage because it demands that you have certain skills in place before going auto and is less likely to drag you to the surface. Use your safety stop as a safe place to practice all sorts of things....my goal is to be able to do it with a big camera and strobe one handed. I am not there yet!

Remember also, a high quality surface marker can double as an emergency flotation source in the event you are adrift at sea, etc.
The ones with over-flow valves so they don't rupture are best.

(take whatever I say with a grain of salt, I have very little formal training and pretty much just work things out on my own.)

 

[ba_hiker]

I would (and do) inflate the bag "orally" instead of using the l.p.inflator, which makes for a slower and more controlled "bag shoot". You can also let go of the spool (delrin) while it is spinning and it will spin right in front of your face, however (this is a BIG however) as soon as the smb hits the surface and the spool will unroll to the bottom. If you MUST use the inflator hose to shoot the smb, do so with SHORT bursts. You don't have to fill it up, you just need enough air to get it to the surface. Good luck .

This is a great trick as there is no buoyancy change during inflation -- the air loss from your lungs exactly matches the air added to the SMB. If you are neutral and take one fullish breath and blow into the bag, then release it, you will rise slightly as you inhale the breath, then sink slightly as you release the bag. With reasonable timing the depth change can be limited to a couple of feet or even less.

You can do this easily with the Halcyon bags. The inflator also allows you to blow into the bag. And there is no hassel disconnecting and reconnecting the BC inflator hose.

Your tidal volume (for a largish male) is 5 to 8 liters (about 10 to 16 lbs) and will provide nearly 1/3 fill on many tubular SMBs. At 60 or 80 ft this is adequate to fill a 30 to 45 lb lift SMB at the surface. Bigger SMBs are harder.

 

[jagfish]

God forbid that I start a war, but wouldn't a "Spare-Air" be a good tool for inflating a bag?

Keep it stored away in a pocket. No need to disconnect hoses. Keeps the body and gear separated from the lift bag, etc. . .

the K

Actually,
There is already a system out there that has it's own little tank for inflation. I've used it. A pretty good rig, especially for those who don't have all the finer skills in place yet.
http://www.apvalves.com/smbci.html

I see they also have self-inflating lift bags now, which just seems like a bad idea for a lift bag.
http://www.apvalves.com/liftbag.html