Tips for… Using an SMB
Ok, so not the most exciting of topics… but an important one nonetheless. Especially as many of us will be getting ready for the UK dive season and heading out to explore our beautiful coastline. Some of you may even be heading into the UK waters for the first time due to the travel restrictions… welcome, you will wish that you had done it sooner!
Surface marker buoys. SMB’s are an invaluable piece of equipment – to demonstrate your position in the water, to fend off boats, to show off your buoyancy to your dive buddy when you can inflate it without moving an inch in the water… or to unintentionally make your buddy laugh when you forget to attach your reel and send it up like a lost rocket! Using an SMB is a must-have skill and piece of equipment for all divers. But, how do you choose which one is right for you, and how do you use it correctly?
Choosing a colour – we all know to look cool as a diver is all about co-ordinating, but not so much with SMB’s I’m afraid. The standard colour is orange and is what you will typically see being used. Yellow due to its higher ability to be seen at night time is just for an emergency… not because it is your favourite colour… sorry, yellow lovers! If you are wanting to personalise it though you could put your name down the SMB, that way the surface cover knows who it is underneath.
Next, inflation. Here we have the option of open bottom or direct inflation. An open bottom means that you will need to use your alternate to inflate the SMB, direct inflation you would use your inflator hose. Either of these are sufficient and it’s generally down to preference. If you are not sure which you prefer, or how to use them, there is a course that you can take to learn all of the skills which offers some helpful tips on how to inflate it and control your buoyancy too. I happen to know an instructor that teaches it… so just drop me a message and I can help!
So, we have the SMB, next we need a line or spool. So many decisions with a basic piece of kit! Most SMB’s will come with a line, which is great as you can use the equipment straight away. The only downside is that with gloves it can become annoying, especially if you are changing depths quite often as is typical on a shore dive here. So, you may wish to look at a spool instead. They also come in more colours, and this time you can choose whichever you want… even yellow, result!
Having got to the point of choosing your SMB and line/spool, where are we now going to keep it? Clipping it onto your BCD; keeping it in your pocket. Anywhere is sufficient as long as it’s easily accessible… like not in your car once you have entered the water! So be sure to add your SMB to your buddy check! Happy diving!
For more visit www.duttonsdivers.com
