Deploying an SMB would not have kept the OP from drifting away from the boat (in fact, depending on current, it might have made him drift faster). But deploying while he was still near the boat might have allowed them to know a buddy pair was drifting, and where they were.
GrannyScuba, it's not that the item is different (although some divers tow floats, rather than buoys). It's just the application. Some people tow floats or markers during their dive; a deployable SMB is one which CAN be inflated at depth at the end of the dive. But it could also be inflated at the beginning and towed, if the diver chose to do that.
GrannyScuba, it's not that the item is different (although some divers tow floats, rather than buoys). It's just the application. Some people tow floats or markers during their dive; a deployable SMB is one which CAN be inflated at depth at the end of the dive. But it could also be inflated at the beginning and towed, if the diver chose to do that.