SMB etiquette

[mcpowell]

If there were SMB's in the 1990's, when I was diving at least yearly, I was unaware. However, they appeal to my sense of safety and I plan to dive with one when my son and I go to the Keys next month. I called the dive operation we will be using and while SMB's are not required, they are recommended.
Admittedly, I need a lesson in SMB etiquette. Please advise.
Do you only use it when you know you can't make it back to the boat via mooring line?
Should you use it for any safety stop?
Let's assume I deploy it, should I stow it before boarding the boat, or do you hand it to the crew? (that seems like a recipe for a tangled mess).
I'm sure there's more I don't know, any help is appreciated.

 

[guruboy]

Ask the boat.

 

[northernone]

As just posted, it's up to the boat crew mainly.

Seen them shot by every dive group and then rolled back up before getting in the boat. Or only shot in extraordinary situations like being drifted away. Sometimes gathered up by boat crew in pile and sorted after. Little chance of tangled because the line is rolled up in the spool and clipped off with a double ender bolt snap so they are just soggy bags.

I'd guess (perhaps wrongly) since they are optional it's meant to be treated as emergency equipment in case you loose the group and boat and need spotted on the surface. Otherwise you'll be using the down line or ascending as a group even.


Well that's my rambling reply.

....ask the boat. ; )

Cameron

P.s. Glad you're diving with your son! Have a fantastic trip.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Personally, I deploy an SMB when I'm going to surface anywhere that I'm away from the radius of safety that should be afforded by the dive boat or flag.

I deploy it at my safety stop or last deco stop with about 2 minutes of time remaining so the boat can begin to get to less experienced divers or those who aren't comfortable waiting to get picked up.

Whenever possible, I roll it up and stow it before boarding the dive boat. I keep it deployed until we are in that imaginary safe radius of the boat then I put it away. For example, if I'm in a team of 2 or 3, I normally have time to stow it while others board first. If the boat gets to me before I have time to put it away, I hand it up. That happens from time to time when I'm alone and often the last to be recovered. Lingering in the water while the crew or other divers are waiting just wastes their time.

You wind the line up as you ascend. That way, once you reach the surface you just have to lock the line to the spool with the double-ended bolt snap or the lockdown screw of a reel. The line won't be a tangled mess. You don't want that. Try carefully not to trail line around the boat because the prop can eat it and disable the boat.

I keep the SMB and the finger spool I prefer to use pre-rigged to deploy. I also prefer using orange SMB's for general purpose and yellow for emergencies.

 

[charlier]

Goods points from Trace. In open water diving in SE Asia, I deploy an SMB whenever I am going to surface. As soon as I give the signal for deploying my SMB to the team, this gives everyone a heads up for our safety stop as we ascend. Since all of my diving is in the open ocean, I deploy the SBM at the beginning of the safety sop or last deco, about 5 mins before we ascend to the surface. This gives the boat/dingy some time to locate each group. I will not shoot an SMB if we are ascending via a mooring or buoy line.

As I ascend, I slowly wind up the line. At this point, my body is horizontal – my trim has not changed at any point. The visual reference of slowly winding up the line provides a nice and slow ascent rate from 5 m or shallower to the surface.

Since we are getting picked up in open water, I make sure there is not loose line and snuggly clip the spool to the SMB and hand it to the dingy driver or boat crew. I rarely, if ever roll up the SMB before climbing boat ladder. There is never tangled line or mess, only a tightly spooled line snapped to the SMB. Similar to Trace, I always pre-rig my SMB and finger spool, so I can easily deploy the SMB.

 

[Patoux01]

I use one when I feel I need to be seen before I ascend. I don't assume shooting one up means I've been seen however.

I never handed it to the crew, but then again, I mainly dive from shore so there's no crew involved. I guess you can give it to them or just clip it to a d-ring making sure it doesn't come undone, I did that and felt pretty stupid with 20m of line rolling out when I had my hands full of tanks...

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Speaking as boat crew, we are happy to help with almost anything. Just tip.

 

[rivers]

As others have said, ask the boat for their policy/local procedure.
Here in the UK, you pop your dsmb as soon as you leave the wreck (for anything up to about 30m, anything deeper it's your first deco stop). If you're using a spool, make sure your double ender is clipped off to the line and spool before you hand it up to the crew. If it's a reel, make sure it's locked off.

 

[mcpowell]

thank you for all the very helpful replies. I'll practice deploying and stowing in the pool before we leave.

I had already read a few threads about tipping. So I'll have that covered.

 

[Lorenzoid]

In some places, such as Cozumel, a divemaster leads the group, and the divemaster deploys an SMB when the group approaches its safety stop. Although the dive ops encourage every diver to carry a stowed SMB, they prefer that divers do not deploy their SMB every dive. Rather, they prefer a diver reserve use of his SMB for an instance in which he inadvertently gets separated from the group. I have had to do that only once. (Well, twice if you count a night dive where the group had split in two by the end.) By the time I surfaced, the boat was alongside, so I didn't have time to roll the SMB back up and just handed it up to someone on the boat. By the time I had my gear off, one of my fellow divers had kindly rolled it up for me. I thanked him but didn't tip him.