DSMB norms in Cozumel?

[across]

I do, I have and I will. If we are to agree they are for signalling my captain as to my whereabouts and that confuses the poor soul so be it. As for not getting run over in the morning rush hour I guess you can roll the dice on that yourselves. I've never heard a capt complain about all the markers he's had to steer around or the ease of seeing any of his clients but I've learned something here today thank you. As for deploying on the surface when in an emergency so I could get noticed that would require an oral inflation if your sausage is even capable of that but by that time wouldn't you have your hands full dealing with the crisis?

 

[Skittl1321]

If they didn't notice the separation, they would be surprised by the SMB, and would likely keep an eye on it.

Why would they be surprised? Most Cozumel dive sites have DSMBs all over the freaking place because there are so many boats at each site.

As for deploying on the surface when in an emergency so I could get noticed that would require an oral inflation if your sausage is even capable of that but by that time wouldn't you have your hands full dealing with the crisis?

If the only "crisis" is that you are no longer with your group, I don't see how that would prevent you from orally inflating. If you were in another type of emergency- would you really have had time to shoot one underwater either? I'm guessing not.


If 90 people want to come on and say their experience in Cozumel is that everyone shoots their own DSMB, then fine- my experience was rare. But it is still what my experience was: it was not necessary to have a DSMB. If you have a line, there is no reason to not stick it in your pocket though.

 

[cvchief]

Not being a captain, I can't speak for captains, but I'll offer an unsolicited opinion anyway.

I think a captain would likely be watching bubbles and see the separation, and subsequently know that the SMB is from their (separated) group. If they didn't notice the separation, they would be surprised by the SMB, and would likely keep an eye on it. Then when the rest of the group ascended, with a few people missing, they would chase down that SMB.

Sure the Captain would eventually get you, but imagine the crowded sites. Your group passed under group at the surface coming up or down. The captain has to give them a wide berth for safety. Normally our captain IS right on the bubbles, but sometimes that is not possible. Many dives, I have observed a large number of dive boats surrounding a number of groups coming to the surface. Our captain doesn't drive down the sidewalk so to speak following but rather waits for us to come up, them pulls to the curb and loads us.

In the case I referred to, it might have taken him 3-4 minutes to catch on that it was from his group. What ticked him off was that he left that diver floating for a couple minutes for no good reason. They just insisted on deploying their own SMB without prior notice.

Then there was the one time, the missus and I stopped because I saw a Jawfish with EGGS!!! At that point in the dive, it was only us and the DM and a seriously good diver who dives all the time in Coz. We got separated. Probably the Captain was loading other divers too, there would be no way he saw the bubbles split. We rode the current for a bit. I went low on air, so I deployed the SMB and brought us up. Again, took the Captain a minute or two to realize it was me. He said that can't be my divers. Why are they over there. That is the drop off.... (Answer: Jefe is a JA and doesn't always stay with the group....) Anyway he came and got me still faster than I could get out the Nautilus and call him on the chat channel. (Dang it...)

 

[Mossman]

I think a captain would likely be watching bubbles and see the separation, and subsequently know that the SMB is from their (separated) group. If they didn't notice the separation, they would be surprised by the SMB, and would likely keep an eye on it. Then when the rest of the group ascended, with a few people missing, they would chase down that SMB.

As cvchief mentioned, this might work if there's only one dive group in the vicinity. With multiple groups, and if divers other than the DMs are deploying SMBs, and if the conditions aren't glassy, it's very easy for the captain to get confused. In that case, he'll have his eyes out for the SMB that he recognizes, i.e. the one carried by the DM.

I do carry a "safety sausage" that I can inflate at the surface if I want/need extra surface marking. If separated from my DM's SMB and if the conditions warranted it, I would use it. By conditions, I mean rain and swells that lower surface visibility. Otherwise, in my experience, all the boat drivers in the marine park are typically keeping an eye out for divers. In good conditions, a diver's head sticking out of the water is very visible and only the drunkest captain could possibly run one over by accident. It's time just before the head pops out of the water that is the most dangerous IMO. Before I actually hit the surface, I make sure to listen and look for any water disturbance around me. The second my head pops up, I do a 360 to ensure no boats are headed my way, keeping my hand on the inflator ready to dump air if I need to quickly descend. Once the coast is clear, I inflate my BC and continue to watch for boats headed my way while scanning for my particular boat. Even in a heavily trafficked area like Cozumel, as long as conditions are benign, there's no danger as long as those simple precautions are taken. The SMB is really just an emergency device to be deployed in emergencies (i.e. poor visibility conditions, or when one gets really really separated from one's group and the boat is a mile away). The DMs in Cozumel deploy them not for safety IMO, but primarily to make it easy for the captain to be ready to pick up divers.

---------- Post added February 18th, 2014 at 07:27 AM ----------

As for deploying on the surface when in an emergency so I could get noticed that would require an oral inflation if your sausage is even capable of that but by that time wouldn't you have your hands full dealing with the crisis?

If there's an emergency, simply deploying an SMB on the surface will probably not help you get noticed much faster because the captains are looking for them as a signal that divers are simply ascending without an emergency. If there's an emergency, when you hit the surface I suggested waving your arms frantically and screaming at the top of your voice. That is the universal signal for "emergency".

 

[cvchief]

I do, I have and I will. If we are to agree they are for signalling my captain as to my whereabouts and that confuses the poor soul so be it. As for not getting run over in the morning rush hour I guess you can roll the dice on that yourselves. I've never heard a capt complain about all the markers he's had to steer around or the ease of seeing any of his clients but I've learned something here today thank you.

Just work it out ahead of time or you will be the guy they talk about after you get off the boat.

As for getting run over, with my op, every diver come up UNDER the DM's SMB. They STAY at the SMB until the DM sees the boat is there. It is NO different than shooting your own, except the captain is looking for it, you don't have to worry about deploying it and it has 15 feet knotted on the string to help new divers hold at 15 feet. It also allows the DM to drag the SS divers to keep them above the group.

As for deploying on the surface when in an emergency so I could get noticed that would require an oral inflation if your sausage is even capable of that but by that time wouldn't you have your hands full dealing with the crisis?

Put down the shovel. So it is easier to deploy an SMB with string from depth in an emergency than to blow it up at the surface?

Oh and another trick, if you can't deploy the SMB for whatever reason and you have the air, dump air from the octo and send up a crap load of bubbles. Can't hurt, might help.

 

[nimoh]

yes, I wasn't considering a very busy dive site.

Still, I think if you are capable of shooting a DSMB, then it is better to do so. If you are not comfortable with it, then it will probably do more harm than good.

 

[Ron Lee]

I did not realize that inflating a SMB on the surface is a sign of an emergency. It seems to me that if you are alone or with a buddy that inflating one improves visibility. Now waving one side to side sounds like a means to get attention....possibly but not definitely an emergency.

This is the first time I have seen the "DSMB" acronym. Is that new or am I out of touch?

 

[cvchief]

I did not realize that inflating a SMB on the surface is a sign of an emergency. It seems to me that if you are alone or with a buddy that inflating one improves visibility. Now waving one side to side sounds like a means to get attention....possibly but not definitely an emergency.

This is the first time I have seen the "DSMB" acronym. Is that new or am I out of touch?

I had to look it up on SB. There is an old post that talks about the difference.

I don't think inflating an SMB of your own is an emergency thing. My point is with my op and others, you will surface next to one. If you need to signal the boat, sure pick it up and wave it. When the boat get there the SMB will take care of itself. Valet diving, my friend, valet diving!

 

[Mossman]

I had to look it up on SB. There is an old post that talks about the difference.

I don't think inflating an SMB of your own is an emergency thing. My point is with my op and others, you will surface next to one. If you need to signal the boat, sure pick it up and wave it. When the boat get there the SMB will take care of itself. Valet diving, my friend, valet diving!

We could have color coded SMBs. Green for OK, ready for pickup. Red for emergencies. Yellow for OK, but take your time, I still have to pee.

 

[robertarak]

I carry two (d)smb on every non-cave dive. One 6' and one 3'. In the many dives I have done in Coz, I have use an smb twice. It is not the norm, but glad I had them when I needed them, and so was my dive group).