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Lift Bags / Reels / SMBs
Quality delayed surface marker buoys (DSMBs), surface marker buoys (SMBs), dive/cave/wreck reels, dive finger/jump spools and lift bags from The Scuba Doctor Dive Shop are essential safety equipment for scuba diving.
If you need help deciding which dive reel, wreck reel, cave reel, or finger/jump spool is right for you, or want some top tips for using reels underwater, please read our Dive Reel Buying Guide.
Most divers refer to DSMBs as SMBs, which is why the category here is called Surface Marker Buoys (SMBs). But technically they're different devices and the items in this category are actually DSMBs. See Surface Markers for our range of SMBs.
A Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) is deployed whilst the diver is submerged and generally only towards the end of the dive. A reel or finger spool and line connect the buoy on the surface to the diver beneath the surface.
DSMBs are not intended to be used to lift heavy weights. That's what a Lift Bag is for.
Tech Tip: Basic Care and Maintenance for Your Reels and Spools
Most overhead cavern and cave divers require three reels: one large "primary" reel with at least 120 metres (400 ft) of line, plus two smaller "safety" reels with about 45 metres (140 ft) of line. Many divers also carry one or more 15 metre (50 ft) or longer compact finger spools for gap jumps. Depending on the mission and instructor, sometimes a finger spool can be substituted for one of the required safety reels.
Open water technical classes require a 45 metre (140 ft) or larger reel and large surface marking bag. Depending on local conditions many instructors also require a backup bag and reel. Sometimes a finger spool is substituted for the reel.
As with most dive equipment, you should rinse your reel with fresh water following each dive. You should also periodically disassemble the reel, and remove any build-up of salt or sediment on its internal parts. We recommend pulling some or all of the line off the spool before each dive, then rewinding it neatly but not too tightly, so as to prevent the possibility of jamming during line deployment. If the line on your reel is new or very dry, we recommend pulling the line off into a bucket of water. This will moisten the line, precluding it from swelling on the reel and further preventing the possibility of jamming or damaging the spool.
Overloaded reels and spools are common and too much line can cause jams during initial deployment. If you are having a problem with jams, check the length of the line and try removing some excess if your reel or finger spool has been overloaded. Many finger spools come loaded with too much line, often so bad that they can't be used properly until some line is removed.
Horn Point
Reef Dive | 
Boat access
Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 25 m (82 ft)
Level: Open Water and beyond.
Horn Point, on the eastern side of Wilsons Promontory, is a safe site suitable for scuba diving from a boat and snorkelling from the shore. Horn Pointe lies in the Wilsons Promontory Marine Park facing east into Bass Strait.
Diving and Snorkelling at Horn Point
At Horn Point a rocky wall drops down to a rocky and sandy bottom at 20 metres. The bottom is covered in large sponges, nudibranchs, sea spiders and basket stars. The fish life includes Morwong, Leatherjackets, Boxfish, Old Wives and Boarfish. Weedy Seadragons, Southern Coral Fish and many other novel species are occasionally encountered.
Ideal Conditions: Horn Point is best dived with calm seas, no swell and no wind. Light offshore north-westterly to south-westerly winds may be acceptable. Avoid strong onshore north-easterly to southerly winds. See WillyWeather (Horn Point) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.
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Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.
Horn Point Location Map
Latitude: 39° 1.577′ S (39.026283° S / 39° 1′ 34.62″ S)
Longitude: 146° 28.605′ E (146.476755° E / 146° 28′ 36.32″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
Added: 2022-04-22 14:22:36 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-22 14:24:02 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Refuge Cove, North Wall, 1,308 m, bearing 208°, SSW
Wilsons Promontory Marine Park.
Depth: 2 to 20 m.
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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.
The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.
![Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]](/diveshop/images/halcyon/Halcyon-Evolve-Wing.jpg "Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]")
