Which SMB?

[Taipeidiver]

Hi Everybody,

Please can anyone recommend a good brand / model of SMB (Surface Marker Buoy, or 'safety sausage') for technical diving?

It would obviously need to be inflated at depth - necessitating an open base - and I would prefer to have a dump valve fitted as well.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[theskull]

I love my Manta lift bag. Check it out at www.mantaind.com . Available with or without dump valve.

My OMS SMB is good, too, and easier to stow in a pocket than a lift bag.

Many good brands and models around, the main questions are whether your preference is bag or tube? orange or yellow? open or closed? dump valve or no? message area?

Heck, just go into your LDS and order one of each! Owning gear is fun.

theskull

 

[redacted]

I use the OMS BCA-255; 5 ft orange tube, 50 lb lift, no spill fill valve, dump/overpressure valve. It was $20 cheaper than the Carter bag when I got it. Carter bags are yellow (more vis), add an oral inflate for easier surface use, and available in 35, 50, & 75 lb lift. Price about the same now at leisurepro.

 

[melfox26]

Halcyon, nothing better.

http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dam.shtml



Mel

 

[Mandy3206]

In another thread I learned about the Zeagle SMB, it has one side yellow and one orange, the dump valve and won't spill the air at the surface.

http://zeagle.chainreactionweb.com/index.php?submenu=Accessories&src=gendocs&link=Accessories

Dive Rite also makes a good SMB with all the goodies you asked for, same can be said about OMS, which has a monster SMB at 9'-7" long could be helpfull in rough waters.

http://www.omsdive.com/lift-smb.html

http://diverite.com/products/tools/surfmark.htm

There may be others, but to me those seems like the best options.

 

[Taipeidiver]

Thanks for the pointers guys.

I will probably go for the OMS BCC-255 in orange, and another in emergency yellow (as Skull says, owning gear is fun!).

I like the idea of having two different colours so that if I screw up the first deployment (orange, say), I can shoot the yellow tube and - hopefully - the boat will know that the yellow one is the one to stay with. When not in use, they can both be bungeed (sp?) to the backplate to keep them nice and out of the way.

Happy diving folks,

Jason

 

[Tom Winters]

Good on the two colors. In the UK, they have it down that orange is a routine bag and yellow means send out the cavalry. Down here in Florida, everyone uses whatever color they feel like. I use a 6' bag, but that OMS 9+' inflatable telephone pole sure is easy to spot. Alright, so maybe I have a slight SMB-envy issue...

 

[Scubaroo]

I can shoot the yellow tube and - hopefully - the boat will know that the yellow one is the one to stay with

Make sure you tell the boat captain what each SMB means! If everyone stuck to the orange = okay | yellow = help protocol, it would be much easier.

If you haven't already done it, plan on writing your first name or initials on the top of the SMB so people know who is hanging under the bag too!

 

[Taipeidiver]

Alright, so maybe I have a slight SMB-envy issue...

The size of your float is less important than the motion of the ocean, at least that's what my girl says to me.

 

[Taipeidiver]

Make sure you tell the boat captain what each SMB means! If everyone stuck to the orange = okay | yellow = help protocol, it would be much easier.

If you haven't already done it, plan on writing your first name or initials on the top of the SMB so people know who is hanging under the bag too!

All good points there.

As you point out, maybe we could promote some kind of standard SMB colour protocol (if the DIR boys haven't already beaten us to it). Orange could mean "diver okay" and yellow "aaaaaaargh, HELP", prefereably with a slate attached so that you can explain the nature of your emergency.

Cheers,

Jason