Why not attach spool to DSMB before the dive?

[Jcp2]

I am most definitely not detaching my DS inflation hose. Just as I'm not detaching my BCD inflation hose.

Inflating the sausage is (usually) optional. Being able to maintain buoyancy is never optional. I'd rather have my buoyancy bubble in my suit or in my wing than having it in a detachable piece of gear like a sausage, because I'd rather not have to ditch my weights at depth if SHTF. I'd rather struggle to orally inflate my sausage in 4C water that detaching my DS inflation hose.

I’ve used an extra LP hose with an inflation nozzle just for DSMB inflation before. Clipped off to the right side.

 

[Storker]

You're inflating a DSMB. You still have two sources of buoyancy (wing and DSMB)

My wing and my DS are firmly attached to my body. My sausage isn't. I've lost hold of my sausage before and have had to let it go, but I've never lost my hold of my wing or my DS.

 

[Storker]

I’ve used an extra LP hose with an inflation nozzle just for DSMB inflation before. Clipped off to the right side.

That works if you have a free LP port on your 1st stage. And an extra LP hose.

 

[Jcp2]

My wing and my DS are firmly attached to my body. My sausage isn't. I've lost hold of my sausage before and have had to let it go, but I've never lost my hold of my wing or my DS.

I’m sorry about your lost sausage.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

That works if you have a free LP port on your 1st stage. And an extra LP hose.

A modification of this is what I use these days. I've always got a pony bottle when offshore and I have a short 9" LP inflator hose attached to it. Works like a charm for shooting a DSMB.

 

[Dan]

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.

I have a big DSMB (6’ H x 3” D). I have to take a deep breath to fill it up from 30’ depth. So, when I take a deep breath, I deflate the BCD to keep me in neutral position. The last time I inflated it with a normal breath, I had to fill it twice. On the second fill I almost went up with the DSMB and my dive buddy had to grab on my fin to hold me from going up further.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

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.

I dive tidal waters, using an inflator is not a good practice here due to currents and tides and it is the least preferred option. Mouth inflate, Otto and Boyle's Law are the preferred in my area.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

Can't remember ever having dived with bare hands. Except on the occasional vacation to warmer waters, but that's less than 10% of my dives.

If you dive locally and live far enough north to encounter snow in the winter, you should be able to do every skill with standard local exposure protection. Including drygloves or thick wetgloves. When I took my OW, we were required to buy the mask, the fins, the snorkel and a set of gloves. All my OW training was in full relevant exposure protection. As it should be.

Not sure what you're saying/ implying; I have about 10 dives out of 125 without 5 mil or dry gloves lol. I agree you should be able to deploy a DSMB or do any skill with the gear you normally dive in the conditions you normally dive. I've done bare hand drills in a pool, pretty easy compared to what I do in open water with a dry suit, 5mil or dry gloves so you're preaching to the choir here.

 

[beester]

I dive tidal waters, using an inflator is not a good practice here due to currents and tides and it is the least preferred option. Mouth inflate, Otto and Boyle's Law are the preferred in my area.

I don't get why tidal waters, slack tide, current have any impact on using an inflator or your lungs to inflate? The local tidal waters were I did a lot of my diving had currents up to 10 knots, meaning you definately had to dive at slack tide.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

I don't get why tidal waters, slack tide, current have any impact on using an inflator or your lungs to inflate? The local tidal waters were I did a lot of my diving had currents up to 10 knots, meaning you definately had to dive at slack tide.

No problem with lungs but our local conditions and the risk of an inflator getting stuck on a DSMB makes it the least attractive option. Locally the first choices oral inflate, 2nd is octo and last is inflator hose. We have some of the largest tide changes here over 20 feet in the Bay of Fundy and depending on the site strong currents so we try to dive at slack as well.