SMB as a backup depth gauge?

[laguna230diver]

it will work, just bring a level, a protractor, and a waterproof TI-83 to caluclate the sin of your angle from zero - multiplied by the length of rope you have out... sure fire

 

[Belce]

As a recreational diver you are doing no deco required dives. Doing safety stops is recommended and not required. It is why in an emergency you can always go straight to the surface. When it comes to doing stops on your ascent there is nothing wrong with using your buddy's depth gauge and timer. Of course if you are not able to independently determine depth you should not dive until that is corrected, finish the dive, as you feel appropriate, and don't dive until you can.

You say you were at a 60' foot reef and it read 16, maybe it was in metric, 18 metres is 60' and 16m is about 54'

 

[elan]

As it was pointed out for no deco dives you do not have to make the stop and even if you do want to make the stop unless you dive really poor vis you can see how far you are from the surface. It does not really matter much if you stop 15 ft or 18ft or 13ft on the rec dive.
If you decide to ascend you can always refer to the particles in the water and your feeling to see how fast you are going (unless you dive downward or upward currents which most of the time I saw by the walls only and you can always refer to the wall in that case).

 

[Compression]

I have knots in mine. Though the depth of the knots do vary a little depending how full the SMB is and how far the current is pushing the SMB overhead it does give me a good general idea of where I am ...

 

[Diver0001]

if it is reasonable, what kind of waterproof marker or other substance can I use to mark the line? Would knots tangle the line on the spool?

Thanks in advance...

Knots work. I have three knots in my line at 6m. No problems.

R..

 

[miketsp]

Are you implying that there are divers that DON'T have a knot at 5m on their spool line?

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

As a recreational diver you are doing no deco required dives. Doing safety stops is recommended and not required.

OT: I believe you are quoting the gospel according to PADI. As it happens, I am an unbeliever in the expression "no deco dives." While I am under the NDLs suggested by PADI's tables, I typically make some kind of stop starting at half of my average depth and every ten feet thereafter. I try to make a slow ascent from 20' to 10' and the slowest ascent my skills allow from 10' to the surface.

you can always refer to the particles in the water and your feeling to see how fast you are going (unless you dive downward or upward currents which most of the time I saw by the walls only and you can always refer to the wall in that case).

An SMB helps with that a lot. There's a rhythm of winding the spool as you ascend that corresponds with a slow ascent. It also acts as a free brake: I physically can't wind the spool fast enough to keep up with a quick ascent, so the moment the line feels a little slack I know I am ahead of the spool and must have forgotten to dump before rising or some such.

Are you implying that there are divers that DON'T have a knot at 5m on their spool line?

What's so special about 5m? (see above).

 

[Brian Sharpe]

it will work, just bring a level, a protractor, and a waterproof TI-83 to caluclate the sin of your angle from zero - multiplied by the length of rope you have out... sure fire

Just do it old school - use a slide rule

 

[mikemill]

Lets say that there was current/wind/whatever where the line wasn't vertical. In that case it would tell you that you were deeper then you really were. That is ok, better to estimate a deeper depth then a shallower one. Following min deco (which it appears you are) you go up about half way and start doing your 10 ft increment stops. Well you would really be doing less than 10 ft increments which is also ok as you'd be doing more stops and doing a slower ascent. So really doing it that way doesn't hurt you.

 

[diver 85]

To the OP, why so many stops(ie 30,20,& 10) for this dive??.....Also, where was your buddy(or another diver on the dive) ie look @ someone else's gauges??.....

A lot of work for little reason, no??