SMB What kind & Where to Stow

[johnsona1503]

I bought an inexpensive ($24) SMB 6' open bottom. My initial reaction is to return it its huge when rolled and I'm not sure sure about the open bottom. I assume you flow your reg or oct to air it up but will practice in the pool to check it out. The few times I have seen one deployed it was smaller and had a blow up valve. Some post on the board suggested a 6' but where do stow something half the size of a football.

a22shady has picture of a similar SMB in the thread "what to do with flashlight" wonder where he carries it?

 

[H2O 70]

I stow my SMB or lift bag, which ever I'm carrying, clipped to my D-ring on my butt. My reel is also clipped to my D-ring on my butt. I also dive a BP/W that has a crotch strap.

The smaller ones that you blow up are not SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) but Safety Sausages. These cannot be practically deployed at depth. Your SMB can. Simply hold your reg under the opening and hit the purge on the reg.

$24 sounds too cheap. I think your initial reaction to return it is a good one, but I'd return it to get a better one. I personally like Carter Lift Bags. My SMB is their Personal Float, I think it is called.

http://www.carterbag.com/personalfloat.html

Others will chime in on where they stow it on conventional BC's.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I carry a Dan 6ft'r.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/store/new.htm

I also use a Back D ring on my BCD. It works I actually used in on our last trip to St. Croix.

 

[porbeagle]

6' SMB/ 100' finger reel on left hip D ring along with SPG.
PORBEAGLE

 

[Tortuga68]

I think you'd be better with a duckbill seal rather than open bottom

6' is good if you dive in seas with bigger waves, if not something smaller will do

I like the Buddy SMBs myself, and stow them in the pocket on my backplate where they fit well

I also have a small Halcyon oral inflate that clips onto a d-ring

 

[Peter_C]

My thoughts are, the SMB needs to have an OPV aka over pressure valve, if it is a fill from bottom type it needs to be sealed so it must have a duck bill or it can fold over and deflate if tension is lost, along with the ability to oral inflate or use a low pressure inflator hose. I have a DAN sausage and it is just too big to carry in my pocket. Plus it takes too much air to fill it up. The unit I commonly carry is a Halcyon 3.3 ft SMB that can be launched from depth. Even though it shorter than some of the larger units, it is also more likely to stand upright at the surface. I fill it by just using one breath and send it to the surface attached to my spool. Both are kept in my pocket pre-rigged and ready to go.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/lift-bags-smbs-reels/177976-generic-halcyon-smb-pay-triple.html

 

[Scubagolf]

The smaller ones that you blow up are not SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) but Safety Sausages. These cannot be practically deployed at depth. Your SMB can.

I have this "safety sausage" attached to a 25' cord and a small double-ender. At the safety stop I remove my primary, blow a little air into the sausage, replace the primary and send the sausage up. Do you think this method is a problem?

 

[diver 85]

One that has a value so you can blow it uo, IMO & where??---see this thread from a few days ago.....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...5873-safety-sausage-question.html#post5088430

 

[Tortuga68]

The smaller ones that you blow up are not SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) but Safety Sausages. These cannot be practically deployed at depth. Your SMB can

Safety Sausage and SMB are the same thing. One you deploy from depth is a D(elayed)SMB. Anything with an Over Pressure Valve or open bottom (as per the OP) can be deployed from depth

 

[Puffer Fish]

I bought an inexpensive ($24) SMB 6' open bottom. My initial reaction is to return it its huge when rolled and I'm not sure sure about the open bottom. I assume you flow your reg or oct to air it up but will practice in the pool to check it out. The few times I have seen one deployed it was smaller and had a blow up valve. Some post on the board suggested a 6' but where do stow something half the size of a football.

a22shady has picture of a similar SMB in the thread "what to do with flashlight" wonder where he carries it?

I would strongly suggest against using an open bottom one. The basic design should have:

1. A duck bill valve at the bottom.

2. An overpressure valve.

After that, a manual inflate valve is nice, and so is some sort of built in strapping to keep it compressed and be able to attach it to you easily.

I have... let me think.. well, a lot of them. The smallest is around 4 ft, the biggest over 7 ft. I use whatever size is appropriate for the conditions.

Smaller ones I hold in a mesh pouch that fits at the bottom/back of my BP/W. Larger ones are attached to the left side waist d-ring.

The bigger one is, the more skill one needs to deploy one, and knowing how to safely deploy one becomes more important.

I carry a spool on the other side if I don't plan to deploy it, but if diving where every dive it is deployed, then use a reel.

If you are only going to have one, then would suggest that it be around 5 ft long, with strapping and a clip built into it.

Whatever size you use, please make sure to practice using it.