How to deploy SMB w/ spool at depth?

[CaribbeanDiver]

Originally Posted by Puffer Fish

Depends a bit on the place, but take the dry tortugas, the dives are in the open ocean...22 people jump in the water... swim any direction they want... and each person is required to send up a SMB at the end of their dive. The ship then comes and finds you.

You could inflate on the surface....but those are some very big props, and them not knowing where you are when surfacing is not good.

You could use a smaller SMB, but you have no way of knowing how far away they are, and we did most of the dives in around 5 ft seas...and the farthest away they got (that I know of) was over a mile....

While I believe that you can never have too big of an smb (in that situation), but I did not take my really, really big one (as I have no place to hold it on my BP/W). It, by the way is the giant oceanic one with 110 lbs of lift (but I did use it in PG).

There were a lot of major storms in the area, so being really visible is kind of important, also, getting it up early is nice, because they go to the first one they see and wait..

If they don't see you... I think Florida is the closest major land... but it would be a very nasty long 70 or so mile swim.

umm,, ever thought of using a compass to get back to the boat at the end of your dive? Seems like a better idea then just surfacing someplace and hoping the boat sees you and picks you up in a reasonable amount of time. I would think that sucks BIGTIME, surfacing someplace and bobbing in 5 foot swells waiting for a boat that might be headed in the opposite direction to pick up other divers.
That is a disaster waiting to happen and no way I would dive with that operation or that system.
Just my humble opinion.

[in_cavediver]

Originally Posted by CaribbeanDiver

liked the video but this is an advertisement for surfacemarker.com and their product.
there is slightly different methods used for deploying a SMB using a spool. First, it is doubtful you would be vertical or kneeling on the bottom as the above video diver seems to be doing.
Second, you must be sure the SMB doesnt pull you upward as you inflate and third, you do attach the line AFTER the SMB is deployed and you reach the surface.

I hope the 'after' part was a misprint. If you attach the line after you send up the bag, you'll never see the bag or have a viable ascent line.

You attach the line before inflating the bag and sending it to the surface. Its personal preference as to whether its clipped before or after its pulled from its storage pouch.

[b1draper]

I've done drift dives here in Florida where we carried (towed) surface dive flags (it's the law in Florida). I've also been on drift dives elsewhere with a DM and a group and the DM didn't tow anything he just launched a SMB when we were ending our dives and had made it to 15feet for a deco stop.

When drift diving, a diver needs to be able to maintain their safety stop depth without any assistance from a line (anchor or deco) or anything else. Doing an unassisted deco stop is a good thing to practice doing when you do have the things available to assist you. For instance when you’re coming up the anchor line for your safety stop try maintaining your depth and location while not holding onto the line.

Here's another video I found of a diver demonstrating various skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkEmfkHMFXw&feature=related

[DarinMartell]

I'm thinking about upgrading my smb. Right now I have a 4ft with an open bottom (magnets keep it together). I don't like this because I could not lift it out of the water to get a boats attention. However, can you "shoot" a smb that has an oral inflate?