Have you ever had to wait for some time to be picked up by the dive boat because nobody on the boat has spotted you yet?
Have you had problems trying to get the attention of the boat crew due to rough weather and choppy conditions?
Have you had boat traffic pass directly above you when you have been ascending from your safety stop?
If the answer is yes to just one of these three questions then you need to start using a surface marker buoy (SMB), and even if you have not yet had any of these experiences, you never know when you will, where you should be carrying one in an event of any emergency situation.
Other options for attracting attention such as whistles are almost useless to a boat crew with engines running and busy picking up other divers, so a bright visual marker makes sense.
Of course there is no point in carrying one if you are not trained in using it properly especially when deploying it underwater for the safety stop.
Use of the SMB from depth is also something that should be taught and practiced, as it can be easy for an inexperienced diver to ascend suddenly if they do not let it go quick enough when “shooting” it to the surface. Care must also be taken to avoid the line getting caught on the diver or the equipment, which could also potentially cause the diver to ascend. The finger spool helps to avoid this.
Easy Steps to Deploy an SMB underwater
1. Remove the SMB from it holder or BC pocket and unwrap.
2. If not already connected to a line, do so now.
3. Ensure that the line will unravel freely and will not get caught on equipment.
4. Dump a small amount of air from the BC to become temporarily negatively buoyant.
5. Prepare the SMB for filling by ensuring that the air filling point is open.
6. Using the Octopus second stage, inflate the SMB.
7. As soon as you feel the SMB pulling upwards, release the SMB
8. Adjust your buoyancy accordingly in order to maintain the safety stop depth.
9. Whilst ascending, wind in the line using the finger spool to avoid entanglement.
On the surface it can be deployed fairly easy for boat pickup by simply unraveling it and using any second stage to inflate it.
So if you do not already have one, go out and buy one, and then practice using it. Inform the boat crew before you dive that you will be using the SMB. If you do not come up the anchor line, the crew will be aware as there could be other dive groups in the area especially on popular dive sites. If you miss the anchor line and surface some distance from the boat this may save you a long surface swim too.
Hopefully you may never need to use your SMB in a real emergency, however it is better if carried on the dive rather than left in your dive bag.
