"limp" SMB

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Since no one else will say it I will, maybe the limp SMB is a reflection of your manhood.

Seriously, if you deploy from depth and let some pressure build up it will tend to stand erect.

You need enough pressure to keep it standing at attention and the OPV will protect you (at least for up to 4 hours).

I think I said enough.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Also something to consider... If it is windy and rough the SMB will get pushed over hard. The stronger the wind, the more tension you have to put on the line (i.e., negative weight) to keep it close to vertical. You may need considerable negative bouyancy at depth to keep a large SMB in a vertical position when it is rough. The taller the float, the more wind resistance and them more it gets blown over.

There is a point of diminshing return of large and larger markers..

 

[RonFrank]

I have a few SMB's. I carry a smaller one when vacationing maybe 5'. The big ones are nice but I have to attempt to travel light which is a joke for a diver. But generally the seas are mild and I do not have to unroll my SMB.

Having them stand strait up while you are underwater is less important then when your at the surface. That's when you want to be picked up. The seas are generally less than 4'. If they waves are 6' or greater the boat is still going to be looking for you, so a SMB is what you want. If your with your buddy you should have two! The boat is not going to leave divers behind.

If your leading a drift dive you will be dragging a float usually provided by the boat. In that case remember the golden rule. He who has the gold makes.... umm wrong rule. The person towing the float is never lost. IOW they are the leader even if they loose everyone! Stay with the float, that is the rule. You can yell at them later for not being on the reef.

On drift dives the boat can generally do a good job of following divers. In Coz they just look down! In FL they often follow the bubbles. But generally the current is running at a similar speed and direction. Boat Captains are rather used to finding their divers.

Good Diving

 

[Splitlip]

Edit: my reply was meant for DD, not Ron.

I carry a couple extra pounds for this reason. And I am not afraid of hanging in a vertical position if it means keeping the marker upright. A video of me was posted by someone on a couple forums and the comments were essentially "OMG. Who is that person? He is almost vertical in the water!". I'd rather have a good marker above me than to look pretty by someone else's standards.

 

[Dr Dog]

Tie a knot in your line at about 17 to 18 feet also. This will help keep you at your safety stop and not have you staring at your depth gauge for 3 minutes

 

[Quero]

Tie a knot in your line at about 17 to 18 feet also. This will help keep you at your safety stop and not have you staring at your depth gauge for 3 minutes

The knot thing only works if there's no surface current. If there is a current, you can need significantly more linear feet/meters of line for any given depth.

Having them stand strait up while you are underwater is less important then when your at the surface. That's when you want to be picked up.

I prefer to be vertical on the safety stop in order to put negative tension on the line. A visible SMB while I'm still under water has a high priority for me for reasons of boat traffic.

I'd rather have half of a 6ft x 7in marker over me than a full 1 meter by 2.5 in.

That's why I like the 5 ft/5.5 inch one I routinely use. It takes 40% less air to fill it than it would take to fill a 7" wide one, and it's not that much smaller.

 

[redacted]

I like to launch from a 30' stop. If it does not stand proud it should still work fine to keep boats from running over you at your RS and as you surface. Then you can top it off and wave it around to attract more distant boats.

 

[Splitlip]

The knot thing only works if there's no surface current. If there is a current, you can need significantly more linear feet/meters of line for any given depth.

I prefer to be vertical on the safety stop in order to put negative tension on the line. A visible SMB while I'm still under water has a high priority for me.

Further, I scan 360 during my accent. I've been hit by a boat, and I hate that. It is so much easier to to look around at the surface while vertical.

 

[Quero]

Never been hit by a boat, but we did have a death here last year when a girl surfaced into a moving prop. The only time I don't deploy my SMB is when my boat is tied up and I'm doing an out-and-back dive.

 

[Centrals]

I use a Buddy(1.5m) smb with OPV. Always ascend horizontally unitl the last metre. The boatmen never complained of NOT spoting the smb from distance. It takes time and practice to deploy a smb "properly erected" from 6m and I use my primary 2nd stage to inflate it.