I've never even seen a DSMB...is that weird?

[SoccerJeni]

I see threads about the DSMB things from time to time (one right now). I've never been with anyone who's deployed one, and in fact I've never even seen one. I am sitting here wondering, was that something taught in OW classes? Is it weird I've never seen it? Yes, I only have 15 dives, but I don't know if I'm behind and don't know something I should.

Thanks!

[Bubbletrubble]

It's not weird at all. With most instructional agencies, shooting a DSMB is not something that's taught in basic OW class. It really isn't that big of a deal. Learn about it...when you need to.

On a side note, with only 15 dives, I'm sure there's a lot you haven't seen yet (with respect to diving). Have fun exploring... :D

[k ellis]

Yes it was briefly touched upon though not in any detail. If you recall when you surface away from the boat, in high seas, or need to signal the boat out of normal viewing range inflate your DSMB and wait for the boat to come to you. Chances are if you have dove in a group you have seen it undeployed as it usually is rolled up into a roll and suspended somewhere off the BCD or BPW for emergencies.

[k ellis]

On a side note, with only 15 dives, I'm sure there's a lot you haven't seen yet (with respect to diving). Have fun exploring... :D

Wow I have tons of dives and still to this day I continue to learn new things. :) It is true though to keep an open mind and keep learning :)

[Cave Diver]

I can help. Repeat after me...

"Show me your sausage" :eyebrow:

[Cave Diver]

I can help. Repeat after me...

"Show me your sausage" :eyebrow:

[TSandM]

I had never heard of a DSMB until I took Fundamentals, at about 60 dives. It's a very useful thing to have for boat diving, but if you primarily shore dive, I can see why you haven't run into one.

[SoccerJeni]

Yes, Bubbletrubble, I have TONS more to learn! :) And I can't wait to take it all in!!!

CD... :cakefight: :)

TSandM...that's weird, I've only done 1 shore dive. Hum...several of the boat dives were in areas that were in areas where there were several other dive boats though. Weird...

[scubafanatic]

...well, as you gain experience you WILL see them! ...especially if you graduate to more advanced diving, liveaboards are pretty big on them and for many dive ops they are REQUIRED safety gear...as in, no SMB = NO DIVING !!! Probably they are not really mentioned in OW class because it's not politically-correct to point out to brand new divers the risks/dangers of diving, the industry needs to have you spend $ on gear, not potentially scare you off !

When you start to run with the big dogs (doing remote, middle-of-nowhere liveaboards...my fav!) you will become much more aware of safety/self-reliance/redundancy.

Here's my standard 'kit' with respect to safety gear, on ALL dives :

2 handheld lights
1 shoulder mounted (military grade-NATO approved) emergency signal strobe from JOTRON
1 signal mirror
1 knife
1 line cutting tool
2 6' Halcyon SMBs
1 spare Atomic Aquatics mask (in BC pocket)
1 air-horn (powered off BCD hose)
1 Nautilus Lifeline emergency radio/GPS unit (on order for delivery April 2011)

(also all dives with at least 2 computers, sometimes 3...plus SPG......stainless steel fin spring straps which can't break......Oxycheq EXTREME 'wing', the strongest/toughest wing material in the world!)

[k ellis]

The PADI open water DVD does show them using one and explains to use it under a handful of circumstances. The problem is its about 1 line. Its a deploy it when ........ and its never mentioned again. This is something that could use a little fine tuning as TsandM mentioned its a critical piece of gear in some ops mind and require it upfront.

There really is nothing to using them though all you do on the surface is inflate and hold it upright to signal a boat. If you are shore diving its less critical sense obviously the shore can not come to you. I would still strongly suggest though even on shore dives you carry one with you as in the unlikely event you hit a current taking you away from shore. Your shore support can call for help and when the help arrives you can inflate it to signal the boat or the helicopter.

I will admit I skimp on some of my gear sometimes but I try never to skimp out on gear that can keep me from being the next statistic.

[BKP]

If you're in Missouri, you'll probably get around to a road trip to the Gulf... (there's always Lake Michigan, but... brrrrrrrr...). Many of the Panama City Beach dive charters absolutely require SMB's. Or if you visit Coz... mostly drift dives and SMB's are a very good idea on any drift... Or, if you dive where there's lots of recreational boating, usually a good idea to send up an SMB while you're doing your safety stop, even if you have a dive flag already floating... too many propeller accidents lately...

Practice with a finger spool and an SMB where you do your local diving -- lake or quarry...

Good luck, and dive safe...

P.S. Scubafanatic... *three* computers?? I always have a backup computer with me, but I don't understand the purpose of going down with three...

[vladimir]

If you are in the habit of diving in a group that is shepherded by a divemaster, you will probably not see them routinely deployed, and, if they are deployed, it will be by the divemaster.

[knowone]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aaQ4TRTvrq4/Sv-OT8GT-dI/AAAAAAAAANA/jo0nwIrV8rs/s1600/motm.jpg

[koozemani]

...well, as you gain experience you WILL see them! ...especially if you graduate to more advanced diving, liveaboards are pretty big on them and for many dive ops they are REQUIRED safety gear...as in, no SMB = NO DIVING !!! Probably they are not really mentioned in OW class because it's not politically-correct to point out to brand new divers the risks/dangers of diving, the industry needs to have you spend $ on gear, not potentially scare you off !

When you start to run with the big dogs (doing remote, middle-of-nowhere liveaboards...my fav!) you will become much more aware of safety/self-reliance/redundancy.

Here's my standard 'kit' with respect to safety gear, on ALL dives :

2 handheld lights
1 shoulder mounted (military grade-NATO approved) emergency signal strobe from JOTRON
1 signal mirror
1 knife
1 line cutting tool
2 6' Halcyon SMBs
1 spare Atomic Aquatics mask (in BC pocket)
1 air-horn (powered off BCD hose)
1 Nautilus Lifeline emergency radio/GPS unit (on order for delivery April 2011)

(also all dives with at least 2 computers, sometimes 3...plus SPG......stainless steel fin spring straps which can't break......Oxycheq EXTREME 'wing', the strongest/toughest wing material in the world!)

Where do you put it all?
I'm all for safety, but triple redundancy seems a bit much. Now, if there were diving sherpas...

[vladimir]

Where do you put it all?
I'm all for safety, but triple redundancy seems a bit much. Now, if there were diving sherpas...Scubafanatic loves scuba gear more than scuba diving. If you aren't convinced, ask him about his save-a-dive kit. Not that there's anything wrong with that.;)

[NWGratefulDiver]

I see threads about the DSMB things from time to time (one right now). I've never been with anyone who's deployed one, and in fact I've never even seen one. I am sitting here wondering, was that something taught in OW classes? Is it weird I've never seen it? Yes, I only have 15 dives, but I don't know if I'm behind and don't know something I should.

Thanks!

It's not something that's typically taught in OW class. I introduce DSMB deployment in AOW class ... primarily because local conditions make it a good skill for divers to have once they start getting out of the basic shore dive spots and start diving some of the more challenging conditions.

Deploying a DSMB (aka "shooting a bag") is a great skill to have if you're diving in current, or in places where you may have to surface in boating traffic. For diving in most inland or tropical locations, they're not needed ... places like Cozumel or Komodo, where currents are typical, being some exceptions.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[rhwestfall]

These were (if I remember correctly) just appearing about 8 years ago as I began my absence. No idea they caught such popularity, or in some cases, are mandatory...

Ah, more gear to buy (x2 or x3 as we have added a third diver to the family)

[RJP]

I've never even seen a DSMB...



I want to see a DSMB explode.

:cool2:

[idive2]

I had never heard of a DSMB until I took Fundamentals, at about 60 dives. It's a very useful thing to have for boat diving, but if you primarily shore dive, I can see why you haven't run into one.

Things can go awry on a shore dive as well making an smb just as necessary on
a shore dive as a charter boat dive.

[knfmn]

They're part of the PADI AOW crewpack now, along with a whistle. The one that comes in the pack seems to be fairly well made...it'll do the job. Beats the heck out of hoping that the people on the boat *might* notice you waving at them.

Kristopher

[D_B]

DSMB ... AOW is where your more likely to learn about and maybe actually use one

... If you stow it well, you will more likely to take it with you every time you dive ... It's useful for signaling (shore or boat) marking your position, and as another flotation device

I always have one strapped to the backplate of my BC (along with a few other safety items)

[TSandM]

Well, I did not actually say that an SMB isn't ever useful on a shore dive! But I think they are far more commonly deployed when doing direct ascents to boats. They were required equipment on the dive boats we used on the trip to Florida that we just did.

[SoccerJeni]

Ahha...yes, I definitely see how useful it could be! Well, I hope to learn more about it when I take AOW in May :D

It's kind of strange though that it's not really taught in OW. I have no idea how many times I've read on this board that once you take your OW class you should be fully sufficient to plan and do a dive with your buddy and never need a divemaster (or whatever is always said), but this seems like a safety piece that could be important depending on the circumstances. Just my thoughts on the subject...

[diver 85]

Don't worry, it looks very similar to a SMB being deployed---:)


BTW, get one on your own & try it----you might like it(I'm thinking that's what most do---)

[TSandM]

SoccerJeni, I'm not at all surprised that SMB deployment isn't taught in OW. For most purposes of an OW diver, a sausage you can inflate on the surface is sufficient. Deploying an SMB at depth, although not a terribly difficult skill, requires solid buoyancy control, and has some definite risks (getting entangled in the line can result in an unintended and uncontrolled ascent). Most OW divers don't have enough tolerance of task loading to perform such a skill safely, at least here in Puget Sound.

[DevonDiver]

I've found that the use of DSMBs is very location/region specific.

In Thailand and Malaysia, most of the divemasters carry 'safety sausages' (deployed on a line (no reel) from their safety stops)...for those occasions when there was too much boat traffic at a dive sites, too many divers/dive groups already on the shot/ascent line..or if their nav fails..

I think Thailand and Malaysia represent most typical' holiday diving destinations, where the majority of recreational divers don't own a full set of kit and/or are content to rely on the divemaster/guide to 'shepherd' them safely on the dives.

In the UK, most divers carry at least one DSMB and use them on nearly every dive. High seas and strong current, plus intense boat traffic, make them virtually mandatory. So much so that PADI International introduced a standardized distinctive speciality ('SMB Diver') to provide training with them. Many instructors in the UK teach DSMB within OW & AOW courses anyway though....

That said.. most experienced divers do opt to include a DSMB and reel in their standard diving kit, regardless of where or when they dive. They acknowledge that it provides them with a variety of contingencies and can add a very real safety factor to their dives.

[James R]

I see threads about the DSMB things from time to time (one right now). I've never been with anyone who's deployed one, and in fact I've never even seen one. I am sitting here wondering, was that something taught in OW classes? Is it weird I've never seen it? Yes, I only have 15 dives, but I don't know if I'm behind and don't know something I should.

Thanks!

I had my SMB with us when we dove together off Robert's boat, but I kept it rolled up. We (I) would have deployed it if we would have had to make a direct ascent to the surface in the middle of the lake. I take it & a reel (or spool) on every dive I do out there.

Are you heading back down this way in 2011?

[SoccerJeni]

I had my SMB with us when we dove together off Robert's boat, but I kept it rolled up. We (I) would have deployed it if we would have had to make a direct ascent to the surface in the middle of the lake. I take it & a reel (or spool) on every dive I do out there.

Are you heading back down this way in 2011?

You did? You hid it from me!!! Lol! :)

I hope to come back down there sometime this year, yes. I have my Texas Swamp Divers card now too! I'm going to take AOW in May. And I'm hoping to move on to rescue sometime before the summer is over. If I get back down there after that you might not even recognize me underwater. Haha!

OH! And I guess in my AOW package I'll get one of them and be taught how to use it too. :)

[Cave Diver]

You did? You hid it from me!!! Lol! :)


If you'd only taken my advice... :shakehead:

[halemanō]

That said.. most experienced divers do opt to include a DSMB and reel in their standard diving kit, regardless of where or when they dive.

Do most experienced divers YOU KNOW really "include a DSMB and reel in their standard diving kit" ????

How many experienced divers do you know?

How many experienced divers are there in the world?

How would any of us know if even 5% of experienced divers own one, much less take it on every dive?

What is your definition of an experienced diver?

Do cave divers carry one while cave diving?

:dontknow:

[NWGratefulDiver]

... is it groundhog day already ???

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[davetowz]

The DSMB, I prefer SMB is not taught in most OW classes because there is already enough material there to fill up the new divers mind. These can be useful tools for many purposes besides just marking. Most make decent small liftbags (if used correctly) and practiced. Get more dives in and dive with folk who can mentor and develop you. I see references to someone you have dove with that carried one, look at what others you are diving with have on them and with them and ask about it. and the sig line.... u need to get an ice c card and a chainsaw!

[Cave Diver]

... is it groundhog day already ???

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Damn Bob. I've lost track of how many keyboards you've almost cost me this week.

[NWGratefulDiver]

The DSMB, I prefer SMB is not taught in most OW classes because there is already enough material there to fill up the new divers mind. These can be useful tools for many purposes besides just marking. Most make decent small liftbags (if used correctly) and practiced. Get more dives in and dive with folk who can mentor and develop you. I see references to someone you have dove with that carried one, look at what others you are diving with have on them and with them and ask about it. and the sig line.... u need to get an ice c card and a chainsaw!

Just to expand on the "if used correctly" comment ... one must be careful when using an SMB as a lift bag ... they are built differently.

Lift bags have a dump valve at the top of the bag ... because as one is ascending, the air inside the bag is expanding, and depending on what you're lifting (and how) you may need to dump air from the bag.

Most SMB's have the dump valve at the bottom of the bag ... which makes it more difficult to dump air as you ascend ... because they're really not built for that function.

For some applications using an SMB as a lift bag will work ... I've used my SMB, for example, to retrieve weight belts ... but in that case I'm not actually "lifting" the object so much as just making it light enough to be practical to carry.

BTW - it's never a good idea to just grab ahold of something and use extra air in your BCD to "lift" it ... because if you drop it, the ride to the surface can be ... exciting ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[DennisS]

What's the difference between DMSB, SMB and Safety Sausage?

[SoccerJeni]

What's the difference between DMSB, SMB and Safety Sausage?

Yeah, I have no idea either....

[TSandM]

DSMB is "deployable surface marker buoy" and refers to a bag which is designed to be able to be shot from underwater. Safety Sausage is more often used to refer to a simple device which can only be inflated on the surface (having no valve or inflation stem to use underwater). "SMB" is most often used to refer to the former, but is sometimes used to refer to ANY inflatable marker buoy.

[DevonDiver]

You can check these on Wikipedia (which is where I went for these definitions)...

DSMB
A delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB), decompression buoy or deco buoy is similar to a surface marker buoy but is launched whilst the diver is submerged and generally only at towards the end of the dive. The buoy marks the diver's position underwater so the boat safety cover can locate the diver even though the diver may have drifted some distance from the dive site. A reel and line connect the buoy on the surface to the diver beneath the surface.
http://62.0.5.134/www.mad-divers.co.uk/product_images/c/898/41ie18urlwL._SS400___09066_thumb.jpghttp://62.0.5.133/farm2.static.flickr.com/1129/1324253417_b25b8965be.jpg?v=0



Safety Sausage

A safety sausage is a buoy used at the end of a dive, when the diver is at the surface, to indicate the diver's position to the dive boat, reducing the risk of losing contact when air, light or sea conditions decrease the visibility of the divers from the boat.The sausage is a plastic tube that is normally inflated by putting one end under water and purging the second stage underneath to inflate it. Inflated tubes are normally about 6 feet (2 m) tall. Uninflated sausages roll up and fit in a buoyancy compensator pocket.
http://62.0.5.135/www.houseofscuba.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/acc185_lg.jpg


Surface Marker Buoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_marker_buoy)

A surface marker buoy, SMB or simply a blob is an inflatable buoy used by scuba divers, with a line, to indicate the diver's position to their surface safety boat while the diver is underwater. SMBs are inflated on the surface before diving to mark the diver's position during drift dives, night dives or during poor surface conditions. The buoy lets the dive boat follow the divers and highlights their position to other boat traffic.
http://62.0.5.133/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Bouee_plongee.png

[DennisS]

So if I deploy my safety sausage at 15 ft, it becomes a DMSB:D. Not trying to be a smartass, I just always considered it a safety sausage

[DevonDiver]

It is possible to deploy a safety sausage from depth. But they are often open-ended. Also, if they are sealed/semi-closed they are often of less robust construction, which means they won't handle much air expansion beyond their volume on ascent.

[philmayer]

So if I deploy my safety sausage at 15 ft, it becomes a DMSB:D. Not trying to be a smartass, I just always considered it a safety sausage


Yes, but when you surface, your DSMB gets un-d-ed and becomes a simple SMB.



Yes. I am a smartass. :D