I finally got some practice deploying my SMB from safety stops on my most recent trip to FL. We did 6 boat dives so I attempted, 6 times, to deploy this thing. I found that I need a lot of practice, and perhaps some tutelage because not once did it go as planned. The 5th dimension videos on u-tube make this look very easy, and I didn't have any tangling, but it isn't as simple as it looks, that's for sure.
Primarily my issue is that from safety stop depth, I can't seem to get enough air in the 6 foot marker to get it to stand up on the surface unless I allow it to carry me to the surface also. At best I was getting the marker half full so it just lay on the surface when we arrived.
My brother bought one on this trip and his has some weights, maybe a 1/4 or 1/2 pound sewn into the duck bill flap, which I thought was an excellent idea. I'll probably add a heavy fishing weight or something to my marker, but do you experienced folks have any other suggestions?
Primarily my issue is that from safety stop depth, I can't seem to get enough air in the 6 foot marker to get it to stand up on the surface unless I allow it to carry me to the surface also. At best I was getting the marker half full so it just lay on the surface when we arrived.
My brother bought one on this trip and his has some weights, maybe a 1/4 or 1/2 pound sewn into the duck bill flap, which I thought was an excellent idea. I'll probably add a heavy fishing weight or something to my marker, but do you experienced folks have any other suggestions?