Some questions on SMB usage

[Quero]

I prefer a reel to a spool, so I can let go of it on acscent and it won't disappear back down beneath me again.

I've never lost a spool like that. It's fairly simple to clip it off with a double ender so that the line doesn't unwind when you let go of it. I think spools are great for things like shooting a bag while reels are better for other things, like running line.

 

[ivobj]

Hi all, I'm hoping some of the more experienced divers can give me some SMB advice and answer some of my questions. There was a good thread on this not long ago but for the life of me I can't find it now (searching for TLA's doesn't work). Sorry for starting a new thread.

At any rate, I remember there was a nice youtube vid showing a diver deploy his SMB. I've managed to find the video again:


This weekend I shot my first SMB and it was quite fun actually. Everything went nice and smooth but watching the video again now I think I may have skipped some parts (like looking up before shooting the SMB) and I did one or two things differently also (like using my octo as opposed to my primary or my mouth).

So, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask these questions:
1. Is there a preference for which air source (primary, octo, mouth) to use for inflating the SMB?

2. What is the typical depth from where divers shoot SMB's? Safety stop? From what depth should I practice doing it?

3. The video is great for pointing out the steps but how long should it really take a diver to shoot an SMB? If you find yourself in a semi emergency for instance. Let's say you have an OOA diver sharing your air and now you want to shoot a SMB before you surface. Surely you'd want to do it as quick as possible. How quick is that?

4. If you're not wearing gloves I can imagine that running the reel between your fingers as in the video clip can hurt if it runs particularly fast. Any ideas?

5. Any tips on maintaining good buoyancy while inflating the SMB and before sending it to the surface?

6. Is there a good/efficient way to wind the line back on to the spool as you make your ascent? I bought a Mares compact reel (image below), thinking it would make it easier but it doesn't. It's not such a great design and now I'm thinking of removing the handle and everything so I'm left with only the reel. My question then is, how do you conveniently reel in the line again?

Ok... my point of view:

1 - It depends...

i) open SMB, if you use long hose and backup on a bungee, backup is not a good option, in my case I switch to the backup for breathing and use the long hose to purge inside the SMB, holding it away from my body. If you use regular recrational primary and octo, I believe either one is ok.

ii) closed SMB diving dry, I thing best option is the suit hose. Disconecting the wing/BC inflator is not a good option IMO as it is your main buoyancy device, if for some reason you have problems reconnecting better to have your suit disconnected (given that as you deply the SMB your intention should be to ascend, so no need to inflate the suit) than your wing/BC.

iii) closed SMB diving wet, in this case I blow with my mouth, same reason as above, I don't like the idea of disconnecting the inflator hose, specially when it is the only buoyancy device, as when diving wet.

2 - Any depth, you deploy SMB when you have an emergency, so it depends in which depth this happens, I use to practice deploying from the botton, but very important, while holding your buoyancy, don't touch the botton. Ocasionally you can also do it during safety stop, as this can be tricky (from shallower depth, there is less air expansion, so you will need to inject more air in the SMB for it to hold nicely out of the water)

3 - I use to time from the moment I start moving to reach the SMB and spool to the moment the SMB reach the surface and I can lock the spool, if it takes more than 30 seconds, unless I am very deep (than the time to reach surface can be more relevant) I consider a bad performance and start all over again. ATTENTION, if you have an OOA buddy sharing gas from your tank, he must be behind or under you when you deploy the SMB, to avoid getting the hose connecting him to your tank entangled in the spool cable and draged with the SMB to the surface. If not sharing gas your buddy can be in front of you, in a safe distance from the spool (or regular rell, if that is the case) cable.

4 - It doesn't hurt and can even be easier, as you have a better feel, but practice both ways to be sure.

5 - Being slightly negative helps (controling with your lungs not to go down), this make it easier not to let you being towed up when you release the SMB

6 - Use just the spool and the double sided bolt clip to lock the cable, IMO this kind of accessory is not helpfull, with all respect to those that like using it, for me it only add unecessary complications. I just wind it back to the spool rolling the spool in my hands.

 

[D_B]

Thanks, some good advice there folks. D_B, I'm not sure I quite understand your "stirring the pot" technique. Do you clip the double ender around the line and then twirl the double ender around the circumference of the reel? if so, I guess you'd have to twist your grip on the double ender once for every "stir" so as not to have the line twist around the double ender. Or am I misunderstanding you?

That's correct
You would think that you would have to twist your grip to keep the line from twisting up on the end of the clip .. you don't though ( in my mind, I cant see how it would not wrap up, so I tried it in my living room just to make sure I was remembering correctly ... it works fine)

 

[MMM]

Much good advice. I'd add that how you inflate depends on what type of SMB you have. I blow mine up manually (with my own breathe). Therefore I prefer to do at around 50 feet or so to prevent (as much as possible) the brewers droop referred to in an earlier post. Get a bit negative first. I havea spool and it's no problen to roll up manually. When I hit 15 feet I use my double-ender to wrap the line around one end and clip the other to the reel. Then just hang out. After safety stop is done, use a slow roll-up to ensure my ascent rate is good. Hope this helps.

PS Really like the tip about some identifier to the top of mt SMB so that captain can ID mine from all the rest out there.

 

[Mambo Dave]

I use my main reel, and will deploy the SMB at about 55 feet so the people in the boat have some time to find me. Meanwhile, I'm coming up slowly to decompress and do my safety stop.

With either a spool or a reel it really isn't too difficult to get the hang of reeling or spooling the line back up as we're coming back up - after all, I think most experienced divers ascend very slowly, thus it's not like I've got something better to do than to reel line in a little bit at a time.

I agree with Quero in staying a little negative (very little) to help the SMB stand up. I believe that this also helps newer divers stay closer to a preferred depth (not as much bouncing) during a stop or a safety stop.

The deeper it is deployed, the less air it needs to be fully inflated at the top. This makes it easier to deploy, IMHO, than deploying it at the safety stop where it needs more air and, thus, has the tendency to try to pull you up in the water column if you don't let go of it at exactly the right moment.

 

[Deefstes]

Again, thanks everyone for the good tips and advice. I'm looking forward to getting back in the water now to try this out again.

I prefer a reel to a spool

I'm not English speaking so this might be an obvious one but what is the difference between a reel and a spool?

Imagine holding the spool flat in your hand, palm up, griping one side of the spool. Take a double ender and clip one end around the line. Start to draw circles around the spool winding the line back on the spool. The motion is more like rubbing the lip of a pot with the spoon (double ender) flat.

Aha, that makes perfect sense, thanks. If I imagine the whole setup horizontally I can see it working perfectly.

if it takes more than 30 seconds I consider a bad performance and start all over again.

How do you start all over? I mean once the SMB is at the surface you're going to have a hard time pulling it back down so you can deploy it again or is there a way that I just can't think of?


OK, and one last question. A number of peeps mentioned that they like to be a little negatively buoyant when they deploy. Would it not be an option to fill the SMB with air from your BC, thereby maintaining constant buoyancy up until the point you let go of the SMB at which point you can just add air to your BC again? This of course assumes that you have air in your BC and I typically don't. I try to weight myself such that I don't need any air in my BC but I'm just hypothesizing here.

 

[Ben_ca]

How do you start all over? I mean once the SMB is at the surface you're going to have a hard time pulling it back down so you can deploy it again or is there a way that I just can't think of?

The SMB/DSMB that I use is the small 3 ft Halcyon. It doesn't take much to pull it down specially when you are shooting it from around 20-30 ft. Remember you aren't fully inflating the thing.

Remember Boyles Law from your OW course.. You do not need to put a lot of air in... it's just a marker that you want on the surface for now. Later once you are on the surface you can full inflate or bring out a bigger one if you need it to stand up higher.

 

[D_B]

I'm not English speaking so this might be an obvious one but what is the difference between a reel and a spool?

A spool has nothing attached to it, it's just a "thread" spool to wind line around ... A reel has handles to hold and turn it, the one in your illistration is a reel (even if it's pretty bad example of one)
Here are both ... http://tdl.divebiz.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=102128

 

[Deefstes]

Aha, thanks again.

 

[RJP]

I'm not English speaking so this might be an obvious one but what is the difference between a reel and a spool?

2 pictures = 2,000 words...

Reel:

Spool: