SMB as a backup depth gauge?

[Blackwood]

the team abandoned me

Well there's your problem. Get a better team

Like Lynne, most of my spools are knotted in 10' increments. It isn't exact, but it's well within my acceptable margin of error.

Check on Steve Bogaerts' page for a slick way of knotting a lot of line (Go Side Mount - Steve Bogaerts)

Permanent marker is neither permanent nor useful when you can't see.

 

[paddler3d]

I've got knots every 10ft on my reel. I really did this for survey purposes.

Anyway, aside from the wind current arguement what I found that could change your perception of depth is how inflated your SMB is.

My snap bolt is 10ft from the first knot. If I clip the snap bolt to my SMB and it isn't fully inflated it can be a few feet deeper than it thought!

 

[mikemill]

To the OP, why so many stops(ie 30,20,& 10) for this dive??

Part of min deco. 1 minute stop at 50% max depth and then 10ft/min ascent, which seems to be more like ascend 10 ft and then wait the rest of the minute.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

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??

Reasons I choose to do Minimum Deco (or something approximating it):

• Provided that conditions are pleasant, off-gassing in the water is better than off-gassing on the surface.
• If I overstay my welcome and need to do some actual deco, I already know how to do it, I just need to adjust my schedule.
• A n00b like myself can never have too much practice maintaining level trim at a constant depth without kicking.
• I paid for a full tank of gas, why not use it?
• There's something meditative about hanging stationary and weightless. Why pay a yoga studio for the experience?
• I'm also "trained" for recreational trimix diving, which is much less forgiving of fast ascents and blowing off "safety" stops. Why not use one protocol for all of my dives?
• You can never have too much practice launching an SMB and keeping the line from wrapping around your throat. Especially if your 'home turf' is the swift running St. Lawrence River.
• Anecdotally, reduces sub-clinical DCS instances without the expense and hassle of diving nitrox. Combine with nitrox for ridiculously safe diving.

That being said, on drift dives you really want to stay with the group. If they're following the "standard" protocol, you have to start your deco before they do to surface in the same place at the same time. Also, in certain situations you can drift into trouble while doing minimal deco on an SMB, like a shipping channel. You have to plan accordingly and maybe do your deco on a wall or while swimming gently to navigate appropriately.

On several dives in Cozumel I bailed a little early and did my first couple of stops swimming slowly above the group while observing them poking around the reef from above. They then ascended to 15' while I was at 20' and everything worked out just fine.

Bailing early is also only appropriate if you are comfortable doing this solo. In the St. Lawrence, I am not. In Cozumel, I was.

Update: I've tried creating a new thread on this subject just in case people want to do even more cyberdiving on the subject

 

[TSandM]

Reasons I choose to do Minimum Deco (or something approximating it):

* Provided that conditions are pleasant, off-gassing in the water is better than off-gassing on the surface.
* If I overstay my welcome and need to do some actual deco, I already know how to do it, I just need to adjust my schedule.
* A n00b like myself can never have too much practice maintaining level trim at a constant depth without kicking.
* I paid for a full tank of gas, why not use it?
* There's something meditative about hanging stationary and weightless. Why pay a yoga studio for the experience?
* I'm also "trained" for recreational trimix diving, which is much less forgiving of fast ascents and blowing off "safety" stops. Why not use one protocol for all of my dives?
* You can never have too much practice launching an SMB and keeping the line from wrapping around your throat. Especially if your 'home turf' is the swift running St. Lawrence River.
* Anecdotally, reduces sub-clinical DCS instances without the expense and hassle of diving nitrox. Combine with nitrox for ridiculously safe diving.

Beautifully said. Begin as you mean to go on.

 

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

Great idea ... I gotta find my 100' tape and a wide tip Sharpie and dig my spool out of my gear bag! (I think I'll knot it too)

I can see how it works in waters around Oahu in 15 days, 19 hours & 38 minutes, but who's couting !!

 

[AbyssalPlains]

The currrent will have absolutely zero effect on the amount of line the smb will use or the angle of it (as long as the current is uniform from the surface to your depth).

I'm not so sure about this. As long as you and the line and the buoy just drift along, yes. But as soon as you swim against the current, the line will pay out more as the line will no longer be vertical. Interesting thought, though, thank you for bringing it up and getting me thinking about it!

 

[diver 85]

Part of min deco. 1 minute stop at 50% max depth and then 10ft/min ascent, which seems to be more like ascend 10 ft and then wait the rest of the minute.

I use a half stop on deeper than 100' dives------30,20,10 stops on this dive are, in reality a V-E-R-Y slow ascending rate dive...

 

[paddler3d]

Great idea ... I gotta find my 100' tape and a wide tip Sharpie and dig my spool out of my gear bag! (I think I'll knot it too)

I can see how it works in waters around Oahu in 15 days, 19 hours & 38 minutes, but who's couting !!

I took two nails and nailed them to my fence, 10ft apart. I clipped the bolt the nail and then ran the line to the other nail and tied a knot the rested (as close as you have the patience for) on the nail, then back to the other nail, tie a knot, and back and forth, and back and forth. When I was done I just had to wind up my reel!

 

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

I took two nails and nailed them to my fence, 10ft apart. I clipped the bolt the nail and then ran the line to the other nail and tied a knot the rested (as close as you have the patience for) on the nail, then back to the other nail, tie a knot, and back and forth, and back and forth. When I was done I just had to wind up my reel!

Yeah, I started thinking about it and realized there is lots of snow the only palce I could stretch out my 100' tape...

Your way seems easier!