Spool SMB Deployment

[gunsentry]

Just returned from St Abbs trip.

Managed to deploy SMB utilising spool from 20 meters in slight drift.

Easy deployment, wound in the line by hand as find the double ender a bit fiddly with 5mm thick gloves on.

However used double ender to clip off at 6m deco stop and then removed and completed ascent.

I found the spool much easier to control than winding in on a handled reel, less to go wrong and the line never gets entangled, as with a reel sometimes gets caught round the handle and end up spending time untangling.

Also less bulky, SMB and spool fits snugly in pocket.

Will be utilising the Spool and SMB combo for all future SMB\DSMB ascents.

Regards,

[Noel Johnson]

True, They're great - I'm a total convert to this whole spool thing. One thing I have found though is that the closer you are to the surface the harder it is to put the double ender through the holes to lock it off due to the line itself... Any ideas anyone?

<added>soory about the thread hijack, I don't mean to step on your toes mate.

[Davey Willo]

Originally Posted by Noel Johnson

True, They're great - I'm a total convert to this whole spool thing. One thing I have found though is that the closer you are to the surface the harder it is to put the double ender through the holes to lock it off due to the line itself... Any ideas anyone?

<added>soory about the thread hijack, I don't mean to step on your toes mate.

Cut a good length off, seriously, its something that we've all been advised to do, they come with more line than you need for deployment anyway so chop some off.

Yeah I know it hurts, how do you think I feel, I'm a Yorkshireman and I paid for that bloody line...

[gunsentry]

Agreed with Dave.

I chopped off about 5 meters from mine; this seemed to do the trick.

Also when winding in I tend to wind in evenly and once nearing surface say 10 meters or so to go wind it to one side.
You then have more of the line on one side then other and such exposes more of the holes and makes clipping bolt easier.

After dive just unwinded and even out line again.

Job done.

Cheers,

[daz]

Originally Posted by Dave Williamson

Cut a good length off, seriously, its something that we've all been advised to do, they come with more line than you need for deployment anyway so chop some off.

Yeah I know it hurts, how do you think I feel, I'm a Yorkshireman and I paid for that bloody line...

Come on Dave, you can always use it to hold your trousers up...

Wouldn't want to see it going to waste now would we

Daz

[Davey Willo]

Originally Posted by daz

Come on Dave, you can always use it to hold your trousers up...

Wouldn't want to see it going to waste now would we

Daz

Daz, being a cider drinking man o'the land, you'll know that I'll being using good ol' charlie band offa them hay bales for keeping me trousers up..

[tom]

Originally Posted by Dave Williamson

Daz, being a cider drinking man o'the land, you'll know that I'll being using good ol' charlie band offa them hay bales for keeping me trousers up..

aye, spare lengths o' "cave line" be for using as leash for t'whippet...

[Special K]

IMHO, make sure your spool has enough line to bag off from your max depth rather than ascend to a depth suitable for the amount of line you have available.
In my experience UK skippers would rather see all bags ascending from the wreck and then drifting off rather than bags popping up in different places after divers have ascended to 20M etc.
Probably not textbook DIR but realistic for UK conditions, I use a reel for main deployment and a 40M spool for backup and for bridging wrecks, line laying penetration etc.
Cheers
SK

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Special K

IMHO, make sure your spool has enough line to bag off from your max depth rather than ascend to a depth suitable for the amount of line you have available.
In my experience UK skippers would rather see all bags ascending from the wreck and then drifting off rather than bags popping up in different places after divers have ascended to 20M etc.
Probably not textbook DIR but realistic for UK conditions, I use a reel for main deployment and a 40M spool for backup and for bridging wrecks, line laying penetration etc.
Cheers
SK

In my experience, none of the skippers on the boats I have dived from have ever complained about shooting a bag from 21m. They also don't mind us shooting one bag per buddy team.

Regards,

Mark.

PS. Keep your excess cave line for tying on bolt-snaps.

[Mozi]

For the holes. Andrew G's dive xtras developed a spool that has two nice features. Larger holes so the problem you guys were describing becomes a non-issue. At the end of the line (near the bag), he has a swivel like mechanism preventing the line from twisting on itself. I would definately look into it, great stuff. It is not on the website, email and ask for it:

info@dive-xtras.com

Mozi