To aid deco stops, tie a small loop at 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 meter points along the line. To identify, get a sharpie marker & colour the line with ‘Morse code dots & dashes’ near each loop. 3 meters = 3 x 5 mm long dots, 5 m = 5 dots, 10 m = a single 10mm long dash, 15 m = dash & 5 dots, 20 m = 2 x dash. After releasing SMB, just double end snap bolt BC onto the appropriate depth loop, be very slightly negatively buoyant & relax for the deco time.
Get at least 1.5x the length you think you're going to need. When deploying a dSMB, currents and winds are going to tug at it, so the line is deployed diagonally. If you need to deploy from 10m, get a 15m, from 20m you need 30m of line, from 30m you need 45m, and from 40m you need 60m. If you're buying a cheap spool, get twice the amount you need. You're going to be cutting about 20-30% away to make the holes accessible, and then you need to consider the diagonally deployed line. If you're buying a cheap 30m spool, 6-9m is going to have to be cut off, leaving you with 21-24m, enough for deploying from 14-18m deep. When deploying a dSMB, keep in mind that the rotational momentum of the spool can unspool additional line when the dSMB hits the surface. Exert a little pressure on the spool to prevent extra line from being fed out and becoming an entanglement hazard. Some agencies demand that you have the dSMB attached to the spool at all times. Feed a little loop of line through the hole and attach it to a boltsnap. This will keep the reel from unspooling in your pocket without clipping the boltsnap directly onto the reel.
I was told by a European SSI instructor that alot of countries in the EU are now stating that attached SMBS /spools are actually required .. Interesting!!
Outside of training, or if keeping them attached makes it too large to store; keeping them attached should be the norm. Having to attach a spool to your DSMB underwater without a good reason is just stupid.
The main reason is that, in order to keep your spool from unspooling, you need to clip off the line. As shown by Mark, you shouldn't do that by clipping your double-ender to the spool. If the dSMB is attached to your spool, you don't really have an alternate option. You can't thread the line through one of the holes of the spool, because you won't be able to pull the dSMB through that hole. It's therefor more practical to NOT have the dSMB permanently attached to the line. And let's be honest, it isn't that much work to attach the spool to the dSMB. - Take out the spool, clip it off to a D-ring. - Take out the dSMB and unfurl it. - Unclip the spool, take off the bolt snap, pull the line out of the hole. - Thread it onto the dSMB, then clip off the line to the spool as you (partially) inflate the dSMB. - Unclip the bolt snap from the spool and let the dSMB shoot up. Keep a little tension on the spool so the line stays taut. When the dSMB is at the surface, start reeling the line back in by using the bolt snap, and keep it under tension so the dSMB stands upright. At your safety stop, clip the line onto the spool again so it won't unspool should you accidentally let go of it. At the surface, after the boat has come to pick you up, you can deflate the dSMB and stow it, or you can hand it off to the boat crew before you climb the ladder or get in the RHIB.
I had a long wait on my Apeks dive gear as well. Took about 7 months to get most of it together. Nowadays I just shop around for the little bits and bobs I still think I need. Usually one shop or another has it in stock.
