Why not attach spool to DSMB before the dive?

[Rayk]

Why not carry a separate spool? They’re compact and you could keep several in a drysuit pocket.

If I suspect I’ll need to line out from the shot line I’ll take a large 120m/400ft reel with me as well as the ever-present 60m/200ft pocket spool.

If I think dive requires additional line I am adding 45 meter spool(s) and/or 120m reel, but not always. I like take only what I need, so two spoils with particular DSMBs so far seems working.

 

[Boarderguy]

Another popular failure mode, oh the irony, is getting tangled in your SMB and being dragged to the surface.

I nearly had this happen when I was first learning to use the damn things. They weren't taught in 2001 when I was certified and I thought it works be a decent thing to have with my wife now learning. I bought the wrong one, SMB vs DSMB, and the oral inflate is crap on that one. Twist open/closed instead of the LP inflator valve ones. Needless to say as I was dicking around trying to inflate the stupid thing the spool spun and got all twisted on my reg... Fortunately because of the **** valve it wasn't very full and I could dump all air and keep the thing at 30ft vs being on the surface with it. Lessons learned, new gear purchased and practiced.

 

[Nick_Radov]

Out on the sea a small 1 m / 3ft smb is next to worthless, so you might need to reconsider your strategy when going offshore.

Not necessarily true. We dive offshore, sometimes, in rough seas, and have found that the small 1 m / 3 ft DSMBs work fine. We have tried the larger ones and they're not necessarily any more visible. The problem with the larger ones is they tend to lie down on the surface unless you keep a lot of tension on the spool, whereas the small ones stand up easily. The key is to coordinate your dive plan with the boat crew and launch the DSBM as soon as you start your ascent so that it pops up close to the boat. That way the boat crew can easily track it and won't lose sight of even the smallest DSMB.

 

[Wibble]

Not necessarily true. We dive offshore, sometimes, in rough seas, and have found that the small 1 m / 3 ft DSMBs work fine. We have tried the larger ones and they're not necessarily any more visible. The problem with the larger ones is they tend to lie down on the surface unless you keep a lot of tension on the spool, whereas the small ones stand up easily. The key is to coordinate your dive plan with the boat crew and launch the DSBM as soon as you start your ascent so that it pops up close to the boat. That way the boat crew can easily track it and won't lose sight of even the smallest DSMB.

Big is best. Girth matters as much as length. The skipper needs to see the SMB on the surface in waves and swell from several hundred metres/yards away. A tiny lake training SMB is simply not good enough.

Also, remember the other reason for an SMB is emergency buoyancy. Again, bigger is better. Or as a lift bag for the scallops/gold bar.

 

[beester]

Not necessarily true. We dive offshore, sometimes, in rough seas, and have found that the small 1 m / 3 ft DSMBs work fine. We have tried the larger ones and they're not necessarily any more visible. The problem with the larger ones is they tend to lie down on the surface unless you keep a lot of tension on the spool, whereas the small ones stand up easily. The key is to coordinate your dive plan with the boat crew and launch the DSBM as soon as you start your ascent so that it pops up close to the boat. That way the boat crew can easily track it and won't lose sight of even the smallest DSMB.

I'm sorry but my experience is different and things don't always go to plan. I witnessed the boat crew losing a team (perfect storm of current picking up, crew seeing another team arriving on the surface while on the port side of the boat a small smb pops up on the starboard side while they are occupied with the first team. By the time the first team was on board the other team/smb had drifted away 500m in seastate 3 to 4 and the smb was no longer visible.

This really was a scary situation because we thought the team was still on the wreck and after their min gas time was up there were only 2 scenarios, they ascended but not noticed by us, or died on the wreck. Luckily it was scenario 1 and we found them because they activated a PLB. If not it would have been the coast guard helicopter!

Above is anecdotal but we did tests with longer buoys and in many circumstances they are more visible but for project diving PLBs are now used by every team as well.

Most of my diving was and is off shore. In belgium most North Sea wrecks we dived are 20 to 30 seamiles offshore. In the Adriatic it depends but the last expedition all diving was 30 to 60 seamiles offshore. Bigger is better!

 

[Scuba fryd]

I am dry land practicing with my new finger spool and DSMB while wearing my dry gloves. I have watched multiple videos demonstrating how to do it and in all the videos the first task is to attach the line from the finger spool to the DSMB.
Is there a reason why I can't attach the line before the dive and carry it that way? Just seams like it would be easier.

OMG that ginius i am gonna do that so muche easyer

 

[Ayisha]

How long is it taking some divers to attach an SMB to a spool, to the point that they believe it impacts their safety?

It should only take seconds. If it's taking significant time, then maybe more practice or more proficient techniques are needed.

It's been stated in this thread that the spool and SMB are left detached in a pocket during GUE/DIR training as an exercise, and this is reflected in the videos. During GUE Fundamentals, the instructor observes how task loading with the assembly and deployment of a DSMB while doing an air share and graduated ascent affects buoyancy, trim, situational awareness, navigational awareness, team formation and communication, etc.

If you're not doing training for a particular course that requires assembly of a DSMB, do whatever is comfortable for you.

 

[Wibble]

How long is it taking some divers to attach an SMB to a spool, to the point that they believe it impacts their safety?

It should only take seconds. If it's taking significant time, then maybe more practice or more proficient techniques are needed.

It's been stated in this thread that the spool and SMB are left detached in a pocket during GUE/DIR training as an exercise, and this is reflected in the videos. During GUE Fundamentals, the instructor observes how task loading with the assembly and deployment of a DSMB while doing an air share and graduated ascent affects buoyancy, trim, situational awareness, navigational awareness, team formation and communication, etc.

If you're not doing training for a particular course that requires assembly of a DSMB, do whatever is comfortable for you.

If you’re diving why would you give yourself more hassle when the whole point of putting up the bag is to tell the surface where you are and ascend asap. Isn’t there enough to do without complicating things and possibly risking dropping the bag/spool/whatever?

If you’ve training, shouldn’t you be assembling the bag whilst blindfolded and simultaneously doing a shutdown drill, calculating your decompression obligation, at the same time as your teammates go OOG?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

If you're not doing training for a particular course that requires assembly of a DSMB, do whatever is comfortable for you.

BINGO!

 

[LFMarm]

I have my SMB unattached since cert as tec diver in 1998.

No right or wrong.
Just do what you preferred.

I have always been carrying unattached but reflecting on this topic now I cannot really find a good reason except for training. Anybody has other reasons?