What to look for when buying DSMB and reel?

[NAM001]

for shooting buoys i like finger spools
buoys ...... the larger it is the deeper you need to be to deploy it,,,, and the faster you need to fill it to stay at depth
reels.... its what ever fits comfortable in your hand. some can use reels with handles on top some need handles on the side. if you wear gloves usually the side held are more difficult. In warm water I like side held reels.
reels. dont over fill them,, morel line is not always better,, 2/3 full is plenty to avoid backlashing and knotting up. before you get wet ,,,tie your reel off to a tree and deploy aout 50-100 ft and reel it back in so you have a fresh wind. Use quality line and not mason line. use braded line and not twisted line.

good luck

 

[KevinNM]

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as a fledgling wreck diver, i've been using a finger spool, 30m of orange wreck line and a 1.5m Dive Rite tube. great device and intended as an emergency 30lb lift bag. however, it takes a lot of air, so practice is needed! too easy to get distracted with reel, snap clip, regulator and watching your buoyancy while tasking. i'm temporarily switching to a smaller safety sausage until i get a bit more proficient.

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Also, if you screw up, a big bag will pull you to the surface faster then you would expect.

 

[Peter69_56]

" Often if there is a strong current and you can't find the up line and want to ascend you can shoot a DSMB and once it's surfaced tie it off to the wreck and go up the DSMB line."

I would do the same except that I would let go and drift away. In your solution, how do you retrieve the line afterwards? Thanks.

When it comes to Opp's question: a lot of good answers but who got an understanding of what she REALLY WANTED?

You do this in an emergency or very bad conditions, thus the line is irrelevant. You retrieve the smb you have cut the reel from the line already and if you are not diving again the line is left behind. As I said you don't just do it because you can, it's when things are going pear shaped for you.

i agree it's easier to deploy and then drift but in bad conditions sometimes you want to stay near the wreck/dive boat so as a last resort after not finding the up line is to deploy, attach and ascend.

same with using lines inside wrecks, it's not essential that you risk your life to recover a run of line. It's nice to do but silly to risk your life over a bit if gear. In Truk 2 weeks ago they didn't clip off my oxygen cylinder properly under the boat and it dropped to the bottom at 60m

i had written it off on the assumption it was in the wreck somewhere or gone in the current (even though the reg set and sling were brand new). The locals however went and recovered it for me and received a handsome tip.

 

[Phil_C]

As a UK diver I would recommend that if possible you look at the spool or reel you buy first rather than just buy it off the internet - if at all possible. Because in the Irish sea you will be using a drysuit and probably thick gloves, and whilst I prefer spools to reels myself, you have to make sure you can use it properly with your gloves on.

So if you have a dive shop available to you, take you gloves and go and have a feel for the difference between spools and reels. For the DSMB for UK waters I would recommend at least a 6'/1.8m DSMB. the smaller ones are just too hard to see in any other than a really flat sea. I would also suggest a self sealing DSMB with an overpressure valve.

Have a look at the BSAC online shop http://www.bsac.com/shop.asp?section=1397&sectionTitle=Safety+Products+&+Accessories there are a couple on there, and these are all recommended for UK waters, but you can get equivalents cheaper elsewhere. If you are a BSAC member then you can use the discount if you buy from them. - Phil

 

[Oldbear]

Reels jam and fall apart.

Finger spools don't.

I prefer to use finger spool for vertical uses, e.g. DSMB and use reels for vertical uses, e.g. penetrations.

+1 for Halcyon DSMB

 

[Freewillow]

@Peter 69. Thanks for the naswer, mate. MAkes a lot of sense. Just wanted to be sure .

When it comes to your 02 bottle. Glad to hear it ended up well. For my part, I always take, any deco with me, even if I may leave it, before the penetration at an easily/secured place outside the wreck. To leave it under the boat would be a NO/NO. You never know where the boat me end up

---------- Post added March 29th, 2015 at 03:05 PM ----------

I prefer to use finger spool for vertical uses, e.g. DSMB and use reels for vertical uses, e.g. penetrations.

+1 for Halcyon DSMB

+1 with you and HACYON. But mine is MUCH BIGGER

 

[rivers]

For UK diving, it needs to be at least 1.4m/4.5ft in length. I have both a Halcyon 1.4m bag and an AP Valves?/Buddy 1.4 m self-sealing DSMB. Both have an overpressure valve on them. My preferred DSMB is the Halcyon and I use my drysuit hose to inflate it. They are pricey though. Frog and Hollis make similar DSMBs that are cheaper, but the inflator valve isn't as nice/user friendly. My buddy DSMB I inflate with a reg. Both have a 45m spool attached and I generally send it up from from anywhere between 21 and 30m.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Hi. Please could i get some help? I need to buy a dSMB and reel. But have no clue what I need to get or what I'm looking for? Thanks. X

We offer both a reel an an SMB. The reel has 150 ft of nylon line and the ratcheting design prevents unwanted backspinning which is the primary source of tangles with a reel. The reel had a comfortable handle and the thumb lever controls the spool and ensures it spins only the direction you want. A comfortable handle on the reel allows line to be wound up and if it is ever dropped, the line will not spill off the spool.

Our SMB is inexpensive, and allows oral inflation. This marker should be inflated only partially and not at great depths, because it does not include an over pressure relief valve. We include a whistle with the bag as well.

The combined price for both items is just over $50. The reel also works well to pull a dive flag/float if that is necessary for your diving.



Utility Reel | MAKO Spearguns

Signal Tube with Storm Whistle | MAKO Spearguns

..

 

[gopbroek]

" Often if there is a strong current and you can't find the up line and want to ascend you can shoot a DSMB and once it's surfaced tie it off to the wreck and go up the DSMB line."

I would do the same except that I would let go and drift away. In your solution, how do you retrieve the line afterwards? Thanks.

When it comes to Opp's question: a lot of good answers but who got an understanding of what she REALLY WANTED?

Well this got me to thinking. How about a length of decent 'industrial' Velcro, double sided tape (hook and loop) with a ring or loop at the end?
Deploy the SMB from depth and then use a double ender cross from the line / reel to the tape ring. Loop the Velcro through the tie off point and the amount of Velcro overlap will determine the release tension. Once on top a sharp pull on the line should pull the Velcro free.
Not sure how practical but just a thought.

 

[AQUAALEX]

So many good replies. Important thing for me is visibility and ease of use. For normal and technical diving I use a open 2m sausage. At depth I do not have to put a lot of air in and as it ascends air will bubble out the bottom. But because it is large and tall it stands up well at the surface and the boat can see my marker easily. Also it is strong and i can make myself slightly negative during deco/safety stops and then hang on the line, allowing me to much easier maintain a stop depth and also keeps the marker buoy standing straight.

As for a real I have a few that I use, but my favorites are finger reels (backup & recreational dives) and a larger reel for technical dives which is easy to operate with gloves or when my fingers may be frozen. (I dive in 6 - 18 degree Celsius waters) You want something that is comfortable to use and with enough line so you can deploy it from deepest part of the dive with some additional line.