What does it take to get you to carry (& use) an SMB & spool on every ocean dive?

[Quero]

I have an SMB and a finger spool on every ocean dive, and I deploy it on almost all of the dives as well. Here in Thailand, most of our dives are drifts, but even when I'm diving in a bay and am expected to return to the anchor line, I deploy the sausage. This serves both to mark our position for passing boat traffic as well as to alert our boat that we will be ready for a pickup shortly. For drift dives, our boats know more or less where to expect us to come up, and when the dive time is about up, they move in to the area for pickups, scanning the water for the markers. If a diver/group isn't on board as expected, then the crew will continue to scan the water until we/our sausage is located, and then go pick us up. We deploy a sausage when we begin the safety stop, but we do not tow a marker during the dive. We very rarely have a case of a lost divers/groups here in Thailand--certainly not as often as seems to happen in other parts of the world--so I guess our system is working well.

 

[Druid]

I take a DSMB and a reel on all my UK sea dives, along with a backup DSMB and a spool. My buddy takes a DSMB & reel too, and one or the other of us will deploy one as we leave the bottom. Unless we come back up the shotline.

On warm water/tropical dives I take a DSMB and spool if we are diving from a boat. If it's shore dives I don't usually bother.

 

[RJP]

Lowviz it would be great to see you diving off the coast again. Of course it its on Gypsy I probably wont see you ;-)

You might see him... Dan's got a pair of binoculars on board, no?

:d

 

[lmorin]

Other category. Boat dives or if there is the chance of a serious current.

 

[moody s]

I carry one on all open water dives, it's small and out of the way and I can use it as a back up for buoyancy should the need arise. If your BC fails while you are diving wet you can just wrap it around your body as an alternative.

 

[Rich Keller]

It's probably discontinued or might have been a special run. It's definitely more than 7 1/2' and it's marked "75" on the edge.

flots.

On their web site the 75LB SMB was listed as 90" long not 9' but you could have seen an earlier model of the current item.

 

[Chuckitall]

I carry a Manta reel and Carter lift Bag(one of the best in the market). I usually deploy mine at 60 ft or so and slowly cranked myself up to a safety stop. This whole procedure might give the boat driver 5 to 10 minutes to locate you and be right there when you hit the surface. Also it;s nice when you are on a safety stop to have an SMB above your head. Can't live without one where I dive.

 

[lowviz]

...//... it would be great to see you diving off the coast again. ...//...

All my inshore trips were blown out this year, two with Dan, one with Rich. You guys moved offshore by the time things quieted down a bit. So I gave up and turned into a pool and quarry rat for this season. My trim almost doesn't suck anymore. I figure I'll do a couple late season dives with Al on the sea scooter then get real next season.

Don't worry, if I showed up on the GB, they would heave me overboard.



---------- Post added August 17th, 2013 at 02:41 PM ----------

mselenaous, thanks for your patience with my temporary hijack...

 

[highdesert]

A 6' SMB and finger spool are sorta like part of my BC ... every dive. Deployed only if/when necessary.

 

[Kharon]

I always have a SMB, reel, and small lift bag/marker with me salt or fresh. Weigh nothing and who knows? Didn't see any poll though.

One thing I also carry that I forgot - if there is any chance of getting "lost" and at night I carry a flare gun and 3-4 flares in my BC pocket. Light & small and no question - they WILL see me.