Where do I put my (D)SMB?

[Dan]

That does not seem like much line on that spool? How would you do a 25m deep drift dive with that?

Yep. It’s only 20 ft long. I don’t do drift dive with DSMB launched at 25m deep. I launch my DSMB when I’m done with the drift dive and ready to surface & use it to tell boater that there is a diver down there that is about ready to surface.

 

[DanielRJones]

Yep. It’s only 20 ft long. I don’t do drift dive with DSMB launched at 25m deep. I launch my DSMB when I’m done with the drift dive and ready to surface & use it to tell boater that there is a diver down there that is about ready to surface.

Ah I drift dive with an smb up so the boat can see where we are to track us.

 

[Dan]

Ah I drift dive with an smb up so the boat can see where we are to track us.

The way we drift dive in Indonesia is the skiff follow bubbles & meeting plan of end point agreed upon by DM & skiff crew. DM would check the current speed by free diving into the water and estimate the current speed before letting us all back rolling into the water. If the current speed is more than 2-3 knots, he’ll say let’s find another site around the island for milder current. I haven’t get lost at sea in 12 years of diving this way (knock on wood).

 

[DanielRJones]

The way we drift dive in Indonesia is the skiff follow bubbles & meeting plan of end point agreed upon by DM & skiff crew. DM would check the current speed by free diving into the water and estimate the current speed before letting us all back rolling into the water. If the current speed is more than 2-3 knot, he’ll say let’s find another site around the island for milder current. I haven’t get lost at sea in 12 years of diving this way (knock on wood).

Can't follow bubbles as easy in the UK when you could be in 4 or 5ft swells or at the least choppy seas.
UK boats are more like taxi compared to other countries

 

[DanielRJones]

The way we drift dive in Indonesia is the skiff follow bubbles & meeting plan of end point agreed upon by DM & skiff crew. DM would check the current speed by free diving into the water and estimate the current speed before letting us all back rolling into the water. If the current speed is more than 2-3 knots, he’ll say let’s find another site around the island for milder current. I haven’t get lost at sea in 12 years of diving this way (knock on wood).

Standard boat policy in UK.
All divers responsible for they own kit
Divers are responsible for having the right certs
Provision of sufficient instructors/ competent person to supervise is down to the people on the boat
Skipper not responsible for any injury accident
Skipper not responsible for wrecks dive site market buys or floats
Skipper on responsible for you when you are on the boat.

 

[Dan]

Can't follow bubbles as easy in the UK when you could be in 4 or 5ft swells or at the least choppy seas.
UK boats are more like taxi compared to other countries

That’s not my kind of diving, even here in Texas. If the waves are greater than 4 ft, we cancel the trip. We don’t do drift dive in Flower Garden too. The boat will be moored & we descend on anchor / buoy line to the bottom.

 

[Dan]

Standard boat policy in UK.
All divers responsible for they own kit
Divers are responsible for having the right certs
Provision of sufficient instructors/ competent person to supervise is down to the people on the boat
Skipper not responsible for any injury accident
Skipper not responsible for wrecks dive site market buys or floats
Skipper on responsible for you when you are on the boat.

That’s pretty much true in US & even in Indonesia too.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

What is your dive configuration? As if you dive in the tropics, the fact that I put mine typically in my dry suit pocket, isn't of much use to you.

 

[Chavodel8en]

OMG thank you very much @Chavodel8en for sharing! I’m feeling so much better knowing I’m not the only one who hasn’t mastered deploying a dsmb!

With practice, we should both get it mastered! - and you're starting much earlier than me.

I mentioned thick gloves (locally) as a problem. When practicing locally, my shore dives sometimes end in surgy conditions -- surge makes it difficult as well.

In Cancun, I asked the DM if I could try to deploy. He gave me some tips and I deployed successfully -- and the group used my DSMB to mark our location for the boat -- I have to admit I was a little proud of that. The DM seemed happy it was one less thing he had to do.

So I recommend keep on practicing locally and when you're down there, you can ask the DM if you can try deploying, maybe on an easier dive.

 

[Dogbowl]

What is your dive configuration? As if you dive in the tropics, the fact that I put mine typically in my dry suit pocket, isn't of much use to you.

I'm currently a warm water vacation diver and don't own a drysuit (yet), although I regularly wear a 5mm wetsuit. Likely getting some kind of bp/w setup, just not sure which one yet. So I suspect clipping onto a d-ring somewhere makes the most sense unless I buy a really big pocket to put it in, seeing how the dsmb plus spool is not small.