Tips and Tricks – the SMB
3:59 pm in Articles by Simon Goodchild
You are looking to end the dive, your buddy decides to deploy an SMB, suddenly you realize your buddy is gone, panic sets in; where has he gone? Ahhh… there he is dangling from 5 inches of string, just below the surface!
As a key piece of dive kit the SMB is an extremely useful tool when used effectively, however improper use can make it dangerous and cause rapid ascents. This month’s hints and tips look at simple things to help make your SMB deployments safer and more effective.
1. Take care of your equipment
When preparing your equipment be sure that your reel is spooled neatly, a tangled reel can cause snagging which could result in a reel jam.
2. Everything clear above you
When ready to deploy the reel ensure that you are not attached in any way to the reel or SMB. Also look above to make sure there are no boats overhead, you will not be popular with the skipper when his propeller is tangled in your line!
3. Watch out for your buoyancy
Make yourself either neutrally buoyant or slightly negative as you inflate the SMB, whilst adding air exhale simultaneously. This will make sure that the slight pull from the ascending buoy will not affect your buoyancy.
4. Don’t attach your self to the reel
Do not attach the reel to yourself for any reason, should a boat travel overhead and catch your line, you will find yourself dragged at speed behind the boat…fine when waterskiing but not when diving. At any time you should be able to release the reel and SMB to keep yourself safe.
5. Choose the right SMB
Bigger is not always better, a large SMB will be harder to fill and even with the air expansion on ascent you may find a large SMB insufficiently full on the surface making it floppy.
It is worth taking the time to practice in shallow water. Go in a local pool or dabble in the shallows off the beach until you feel confident. The PADI SMB Distinctive Specialty Course is becoming increasingly popular as you will have the time to practice and learn many more effective tips for safe SMB use.
Submitted by Red Sea Diving College.
I have always been put off using SMBs simply because I really don’t know how to use them properly. I had no idea there was actually a Padi course in its use. I will have to check this out. Thank you for the article.
every member in our club is taught how to use the dsmb/reel package and wont be allowed on a boat unless they are proficient in their use.if you have ever dived off a boat where there are seals in the water you would know why,as from distance a seals head and a divers black hood against a dark sea are difficult to tell apart,i have never seen a seal with a dsmb however.