What if...? Equipment Issues

[MXGratefulDiver]

My bad...when you said finger spool I thought of these guys (Btw, these vids s/b called "How NOT to deploy your SMB"

YouTube - Surface Marker Buoy Instruction

YouTube - Use of the SMB (Dekoboje)

... those are actually examples of underwater macrame ..

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[markmantei]

My SMB has one clip to attach to my BCD. I could keep a finger spool with me in my BCD pocket, but I worry about the spool becoming tangled up before or while trying to deploy the SMB. Scenario: Untangle finger spool and wrap up again, attach SMB to finger spool, unroll SMB, manually inflate SMB (reg out of mouth, partially inflate SMB, purge reg, breath, reg out of mouth again, inflate SMB some more, purge reg, and breath), deploy SMB, then surface.

Jewels, I am somewhat in the same boat as you with the SMB (wish I would have another option other than manual inflation, and an overpressure relief), but have played a little to get it to work (although I still want to do more practice before my next trip).

1st, attach the smb to a finger spool, with a double ended clip to attach the spool to the bcd.

2nd, when deploying, unroll smb, get "slightly negative", take a large breath to become neutral again, make sure you have control of real and smb so you will be able to release quickly and easily.

3rd, remove reg from mouth, exhale (nearly) completely into smb, buoyancy does not change much as you have not taken a second breath, replace reg and purge, take a small breath, and as quickly as possible release smb, then you can return to normal breathing.

Doing this from about 10 or 11 ft gets me a smb that is 1/2 to 2/3 full at the surface of the pool, i figure if I can get it there, it shouldn't be to bad at 17-20 feet where I plan to release.

I think the key is to inflate on one breath, as then your buoyancy will not change much. That may mean inflating slightly deeper, resulting in a fuller smb at the surface on a single breath. In fact, I think the manual inflation may actually be easier from a buoyancy control perspective.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

That video was actually a VERY GOOD training tool. New divers might not realize what a hazard any loose line is. I was hoping the guy didn't inflate it at 45 ft and get drug to the surface... well maybe just a little...

 

[miketsp]

..snip..

I think the key is to inflate on one breath, as then your buoyancy will not change much. That may mean inflating slightly deeper, resulting in a fuller smb at the surface on a single breath. In fact, I think the manual inflation may actually be easier from a buoyancy control perspective.

If I'm releasing the SMB from a depth where I still have air in my BC (at 5m it will be very little) I do the initial fill of the SMB from the bc dump. Then there is no overall buoyancy shift. After releasing the SMB just top off the BC to recover neutral buoyancy.

 

[windapp]

* What would you do if your inflator/dump valve pulled out of your BC?

As I normally dump all of the air from my BC to start an accent, I wouldn't think that this would be a huge problem until I surfaced, and I could drop my weights to regain buoyancy there if needed.

I have a question, and then another scenario.

The question is: Would I be significantly less buoyant than if I just dumped all the air? Would be nice to know in case this ever happened to me.

New Scenario.

What do you do if your inflator valve sticks open at depth, and you can't get the quick-disconnect out?

 

[fjpatrum]

As I normally dump all of the air from my BC to start an accent, I wouldn't think that this would be a huge problem until I surfaced, and I could drop my weights to regain buoyancy there if needed.

I have a question, and then another scenario.

The question is: Would I be significantly less buoyant than if I just dumped all the air? Would be nice to know in case this ever happened to me.

New Scenario.

What do you do if your inflator valve sticks open at depth, and you can't get the quick-disconnect out?

To answer your question, a fully deflated BC is the same buoyancy as one that simply won't hold air, so you should be the same either way, unless I'm misunderstanding your question.

To your new scenario, I'd have to say if you can't disconnect the hose, your only option is to start an ascent and constantly dump air from your dump valve. Or perhaps shut down your tank and share air until your buddy can disconnect your inflator hose for you.

 

[debajo agua]

* What would you do if your buddy kicked your reg out of your mouth?

Do exactly what I was taught in OW class: While blowing bubbles, do the Elvis move to locate my reg. clear it, and next time, make sure I give my buddy enough space.

* What would you do if your mask strap broke and you lost your mask?

Hummm, depends on where it happens and conditions. If I were on the bottom, I'm able to open my eyes and somewhat see. After signaling my buddy (knife butt to tank), If there's no current and I can manage to stay in the same spot, I would devote a minute or two to recovering my mask before abandoning the dive.

* What would you do if a fin strap broke during your dive?

Nothing you can do to fix that underwater. Again, I'd have to signal my buddy and we'd abandon the dive.

* What would you do if your inflator/dump valve pulled out of your BC?

I'm glad this one came up. I've heard of valves sticking and free-flowing air into the BC but I never thought about this scenario before now. I must admit, I cheated a little bit and read your answers. Good info. I would be very tempted to jettison my weights early in this scenario, unless, I felt assured that I could maintain positive bouyance at the surface. My reasoning is that getting to the surface doesn't necessarily mean you're safe, once there, you might have to tread water for a period of time. No point in making it up, only to go back down.

* What would you do if your only light went out on a night dive?

I'm going to have a backup light on a night dive, plus a glow stick. So is my buddy. So to answer the question, if both my lights went out, I'd swim to my buddy and make him aware of the situation, crack my glow stick and secure it to my gear, then signal him for his back-up light.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

As I normally dump all of the air from my BC to start an accent, I wouldn't think that this would be a huge problem until I surfaced, and I could drop my weights to regain buoyancy there if needed.

For all the beginner divers out there...

Please do not dump all of the air from your BCD when initiating an ascent. When deciding to ascend, you should already be neutrally buoyant. Dumping air at that point will only guarantee that you are negatively buoyant. If you are diving with a thick wetsuit (cold water temps), dumping all of the air from your BCD at depth can make you very negatively buoyant. Then you have to kick really hard to ascend. That's going to make ascending difficult -- you'll be kicking very hard to ascend and some people tend to hold their breath when exercising strenuously. That can be dangerous during an ascent.

A safer way to ascend would be, at the very most, to a dump a tiny bit of air from your BCD. This only makes you slightly negatively buoyant at the beginning of the ascent. Then you simply vent in frequent small bursts as gas inside your BCD expands (and neoprene expands) during the ascent.

Alternatively, you can initiate ascent by kicking so that you move upwards in the water column a little (no dumping of air from the BCD is necessary to initiate the ascent).
Experienced divers initiate ascent by simply inhaling a little deeper than normal while still keeping an open airway (open glottis). Of course, if you use these methods, you still need to dump air from the BCD in frequent small bursts as gas inside your BCD expands (and neoprene expands) during the ascent.

Managing your ascent should be effortless. If you're kicking like mad to move up in the water column, you're doing something very wrong.

 

[TK Stone]

* What would you do if your mask strap broke and you lost your mask?

Pre-dive noob question, but how the heck do you put a mask back on underwater. What method do you use to purge the water from it?

 

[miketsp]

Just breathe out through your nose.
Go to YouTube and search on "Scuba mask clearing". You'll see a lot of demonstrations of the technique you'll learn during the basic course.