KnCDIVE
Contributor
I have a mix of SMBs, I carry 3 or 4 depending on what i am doing and what the conditions dictate. I do alot of live-boating while spearfishing so if me and my buddy get separated from our flag and buoy ball which one of us handles on a big honkin reel, I always fire a 6 or 7 ft SMB. With the exception of one tube I carry, all can be inflated from an LP hose, I keep one on my regulator. I either have a nozzle attached to it or nothing at all, as all my bags can be inflated with just the LP hose.
I factor in surface conditions and what they average where im diving, and that dictates what I carry or plan to use. I keep a halcyon 25 lb lift bag to send my stringer and fish/gun/ reel up and hang from it, and I can clip my XS scuba 7 ft SMB to the reel line and fire that one up too. if im just goof around diving, I take my 72 inch sausage with me. also have a 6 foot SMB i just got that i love.
alot of the customers that come into my shop gravitate towards buying the 45 inch basic tube. My reasoning with promoting a bigger SMB is wave height and distance. a 45 inch tube in 3-4 foot swells will disappear in the trough. a 6 or 7 foot marker will always clear over larger swells and make it easier to be found.
I factor in surface conditions and what they average where im diving, and that dictates what I carry or plan to use. I keep a halcyon 25 lb lift bag to send my stringer and fish/gun/ reel up and hang from it, and I can clip my XS scuba 7 ft SMB to the reel line and fire that one up too. if im just goof around diving, I take my 72 inch sausage with me. also have a 6 foot SMB i just got that i love.
alot of the customers that come into my shop gravitate towards buying the 45 inch basic tube. My reasoning with promoting a bigger SMB is wave height and distance. a 45 inch tube in 3-4 foot swells will disappear in the trough. a 6 or 7 foot marker will always clear over larger swells and make it easier to be found.
