How To... Set Up an SMB and Spool

Welcome to our How To series. In this series we will be adding new videos show casing "How To..." with regards to a wide range of dive related topics.

In this weeks How To video we're going to show you how to set up a DSMB. We'll first show you how to set up your brand new spool to make it easy to use, then we'll show you how to attach it to your SMB making it easy to deploy from depth.

We hope you enjoy it and remember to like, comment and subscribe!

[michellemcminn]

EXCELLENT instruction!!! I am a new diver and had my first experience with poor assembly of my SMB. As soon as I took my giant stride into the water the spool came unraveled and went reeling to the ocean floor, but not without starting to drift underneath the boat in a moderate current. I attempted a rapid descent to gather the mess up....a huge learning experience. Having the spool properly secured became my number one fixation. THANK YOU for clearly explaining this process.

[hpeterson]

Thank you! I’ve been diving a year and it’s been as long since I’ve sent up someone else’s smb. Decided I needed to get my own as I venture out into more saltwater dives. I got my dsmb in the mail and was like ooook… now what! Thanks you I’ve set my kit up exactly how you set yours up. Thank you.

[sbmillward]

That's really informative. Thank you! 😊

[yesthisisdog]

Im trying to find a secure way to store my reel and dsmb already set up but im having a hard time around "accidental unclip proof scenario" myself. You mentioned at 3:46 the simple clipping will unclip, and then proceed to show my preferred way by looping it out one of the holes. Then you showed storing it Preassembled and then at 6:05 you clip it the same way as the problem clipping earlier!? You went back to the original problem were it will unclip itself. Because of course this will move around, in my drysuitpocket, pulling in and out etc. Is there any way that is just as secure as stored separate when pre assembled?

[ASPAseethrough]

Nice video thanks for sharing! I curious to learn are there reels that work on the same principle as the tech for ski cards with a retractable line? So I am not getting tangled in the line.

[bloodymarvelous]

A good rule of thumb is to have about 1.5x as much line as the depth you're deploying from.
Keep in mind that that 30m spool that you bought is only a 15-20m spool after you've cut off enough line to clear the holes.

In addition to the preparations shown here, you can use a small piece of heat-shrink tubing for the end of the leader to make it easier to pass the line through the holes in the spool.

Keep the double-ended bolt snap with you when you deploy the dSMB. You can use it to wind the line back onto the spool, and clip it off at your stop so you don't risk dropping the spool.

If you do drop the spool, you can use the double-ended bolt snap to retrieve it. Clip the double-ended bolt snap to the line, hold the line loosely in your hand below the bolt snap, and then drop the bolt snap. The spool will come back up while the bolt snap sinks. You can then wind the line back on, and eventually the bolt snap will be back in your hand again as well. This time, do clip it off so you won't have to do that again.