Why not attach spool to DSMB before the dive?

[Pressurehead]

Almost everybody else is super relaxed, and some are outright funny (and crazy underwater). It's not a religious sect you know ;-)

Love it !
Such fun.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The next step is practice it during checkout dive. One thing that I see often on newbies is they over inflate the DSMB, too slow to release the DSMB and ending up ascending with the DSMB. So, be sure to release some air out of your BCD before you inhale deeply to maintain neutral buoyancy while inflating the DSMB.

Why not hold your breath until you release so you maintain a constant depth? As soon as you release you become negative, but as you quickly breath in, you become neutral again.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

GUE divers, in my experience, are rock solid. Some of the best if not "the best" taken as a group in their fundamentals. However, one downside of the GUE/DIR philosophy is missing the forest for the trees. There are absolutely times when rock solid skills are called for and immensely helpful if not critical. However, outside of technical diving (cave, wreck penetration, deco) there are many instances where "letting your hair down" is not only warranted but helpful. .

Like this? My day with Jarrod, or how I was right all along . . .

 

[Ayisha]

The next step is practice it during checkout dive. One thing that I see often on newbies is they over inflate the DSMB, too slow to release the DSMB and ending up ascending with the DSMB. So, be sure to release some air out of your BCD before you inhale deeply to maintain neutral buoyancy while inflating the DSMB.

There's no need to adjust your BCD when deploying a DSMB. You're just transferring the gas from your lungs into the SMB. While you're holding the SMB in front of you at the same depth, you remain neutrally buoyant. As you let it go, you take another breath and keep yourself neutral.

If you take more than one breath or inhale deeply, then you will mess with your buoyancy and start rising. We're taught to use one normal breath with a 1 metre/3 foot SMB. Some can do it with half a breath.

 

[beester]

There's no need to adjust your BCD when deploying a DSMB. You're just transferring the gas from your lungs into the SMB. While you're holding the SMB in front of you at the same depth, you remain neutrally buoyant. As you let it go, you take another breath and keep yourself neutral.

If you take more than one breath or inhale deeply, then you will mess with your buoyancy and start rising. We're taught to use one normal breath with a 1 metre/3 foot SMB. Some can do it with half a breath.

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... on the other hand, deploying an SMB is not rocket science.

 

[MaxTorque]

tbh, if the sea state is so bad that the captain is going to struggle to see a dSMB, then i'd be thinking about calling the dive BEFORE i got in the water.....

A bigger float is indeed better, but i'd much rather have any float than none

 

[Ayisha]

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... on the other hand, deploying an SMB is not rocket science.

That's why I mentioned a size.

If you need a larger DSMB than a 1 m/3'3", use an inflator rather than your breath. With a small SMB, no need to adjust the BCD when using your breath, which was in response to the post that I quoted.

No, deploying an SMB is not rocket science, but most of the people asking probably weren't trained in it.

 

[Storker]

I always did it that way. I dive the Great Lakes. Shooting a SMB isn’t something usually done in my diving. If you need to shoot a SMB, it’s an emergency, and you need to do it right effing now! Trying to rig it together in an emergency? Screw that. Dive with them already connected.

If you routinely shoot a sausage, there's no good reason for not assembling the sausage and the spool before splashing. Unless you expect to use the spool in an another context, that is.

I shoot a sausage rather routinely, and I carry it pre-assembled in my DS thigh pocket. In the rather unlikely event that I'm going to use the spool for something else, I can always disassemble the spool/sausage setup.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

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... on the other hand, deploying an SMB is not rocket science.

Let Boyle's law do the work. Orally inflate larger DSMBs deeper.

 

[Storker]

Most divers would not have any pocket to stow anything.

Many divers dive dry, and their DS would have at least one pocket. Your regional prejudice is showing.

Even if you dive wet, your BCD should have storage space. Jacket: front pockets. BP/W: Typically behind the backplate. Worst case, just clip the dSMB assembly to a D-ring.