4ft Red Scuba Diving SMB, Open Bottom Surface Marker Buoy with Safety Sausage with 49ft Alloy Dive Reel and Double-Ended Bolt Clip for Underwater Sports -Blue

Bought two of these before a recent dive trip. Did 20+ dives with the SMBs and shot them about 10-15 times at our safety stopsPros:- Easy to inflate with octo or when exhaling from primary into the open / self-sealing bottom. Did not use the oral inflator except to drain last of the water- Like the reinforced stitching on both sides. Some SMBs fold over and are only reinforced on one side which leads to faster wear and tear- Safety vent ensures that it won't pop if you've mis-judged amount to inflate / expansion from depth- Seems to be a nive weight materialCons:- None on the SMB- Finger reel is on the smaller side - both diameter and size of the outer holes for clipping to. They provide a flat enylon line to fit on the reel, which gets really twisted vs. typical braided line. I'm not sure how well it's going to hold up and will be replacing with larger reelWe'll see how these hold up over time, but overall very satisfied after a week of diving.

First the good-The reel and line that comes with it is great! I like the flat line and how easy to reel and unreel. The bad-I didn't like the sealed bottom of the tube, I thought it would be like others I have had before wher I could just use my octie to add air. You actually have to "blow" into it. And thats a bit of a pain. Plus it hold water and trying to get it to dry is a pain!

I haven't shot the SMB in the water yet, but it appears to be well made. It has double seams along the sides, which is nice. The ones with single seams can sometimes wear along the non-stitched side. It can be orally inflated (or with the LP hose) or via the octo purged into the open bottom. It is self-sealing, which is a nice feature and will keep it from flopping over and deflating on the surface. However, I suspect that exhaust from the primary will not provide enough pressure to inflate it that way; probably have to use the octo. I might be wrong, however, so I'll have to try in the water.The spool is pretty good. It has a nice, large hole so it's suitable for cold water diving with gloves on. I like that it's aluminum. Like pretty much every finger spool, you'll have to strip off some line in order to expose enough of the holes so you cal clip off a bolt snap. I stripped off about 15' and it's fine now. That leaves about 30' of line on the spool, which is good for shooting the SMB from a safety stop in most situations. If you need to shoot it from deeper or while in a strong current, this might not be enough line.The swivel and leader is a nice touch. Unfortunately, the leader is too small to be useful. The diameter of the loop is not large enough to easily slip over the spool when clove-hitching the SMB to it. It can be done, but not easily, which means it will be even more difficult in the water (and probably impossible with gloves on). I removed it and used some of the stripped line to tie a larger loop. Now it's perfect.Overall, if you are looking for a good price on a small SMB and spool, this fits the bill. Perfect for most calm-water situations when you are shooting an SMB from your safety stop. If you dive when the swell is high or when the current is ripping or need to release an SMB from much deeper, then you probably want a larger SMB and a larger spool.

This smb has a few ways to inflat. Quality is very good. It feels more than what I pay for.If you're debating if you need one, the answer is YES. Both you and your buddy needs this. I just got back from a liveaboard. 2 people got carried away by current in between 2 Islands to the other side. We sent boats out to look for them after all the other divers came back. They kept on drifting and was 1.5 miles from from the boat before they got spotted... they didn't have snorkels or smb...... almost impossible to spot them in the open sea. Yes please get smb

A really "fat" sausage. Extremely bulky. Barely 4 foot in length, but over 7" wide. the open bottom designed for inflation with a regulator was sealed with some sort of plastic wrap that I was unable to pry open. I did not see how one could inflate the smb with a free-flowing regulator or octopus. Not for me. Returned it.

This SMB is a great size and made from good quality material. Inside the base of the SMB there is a plastic seal that prevents air from coming out once you have put it inside, however, this means you have to really purge alot of air for it to get inside (if you are using the open bottom to fill it up. This also means it takes a little bit more time to emoyt the air and any water from the release valve after use.The reel and string is sturdy and of good materials. One downside is that the reel is a little bit too small so the wound-up string, blocks the holes that you would put the clip through to attach it to gear. This can be fiddled with to make it work.With all of that said, it is a great purchase and i like the design of everything. It might just take me a bit more practice to get use to it. It is a great price for the quality. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a beginner, but someone who is a good diver and is happy to practise with it to get used to it may like it.

I love that it comes with a two-sided clip; very helpful. I love the colors! SMB is easy to use and clean. Line is thin and soft (but durable) so it’s easy to use with gloves and easy to cut.

The opening in this SMB is vary small and takes some time to muster to fill it with an octopus. If you have an additional inflator it might be easier but you will have less time to disconnected it before it pulls you up. Good unite overall, just tricky before you get the technique right.

Exactement ce que j'avais commandé. Reste plus qu'à l'essayer dans l'eau.

Used this snorkeling. Solo trip. Was great until I dropped it and it unspooled all the way to the bottom and got wedged between rocks. I had to cut it and leave. Wish it attached and could retract. I kept getting it wrapped in my flippers when I surfaced

La boya es buenísima. Funciona perfecto. El carrete es más pequeño de lo que me hubiera gustado y el cordel utilizado no me gusto (por ser plano y se riza con extrema facilidad)