Click here for Online Shop

Navigation

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.



Mad For Marine Life Photo Contest

2020 Mad For Marine Life Photo Contest

Winners!

1st Prize:

Leafy Seadragon taken on a night dive | © Lukasz Halbryt

  • Title: Leafy Seadragon taken on a night dive.
  • Caption: This Leafy was particularly friendly and find of my camera, striking some wonderful poses. Perfectly situated above a sandy bottom allowed me get get some very clear shots of it.
  • Location: Port Noarlunga in Adelaide, SA in November 2020.
  • Photographer: Lukasz Halbryt.
  • Prize: CineBags CB70 Square Grouper Bag for Underwater Camera System.

2nd Prize:

Wrapped to Death | © Gaetano D. Gargiulo

  • Title: Wrapped to Death.
  • Caption: Fish caught in net struggled to death.
  • Location: Italy.
  • Photographer: Gaetano D. Gargiulo.
  • Prize: CineBags CB76 Tool Kit Bag

3rd Prize:

Cuttlefish Over Reef | © David Haintz

  • Title: Cuttlefish Over Reef
  • Location: South Channel Fort, Port Phillip, Victoria.
  • Photographer: David Haintz.
  • Prize: CineBags CB75 Neoprene Work Mat for Underwater Housings

The official rules of The Scuba Doctor's 2020 Mad For Marine Life Photo Contest

Questions about contest rules can be emailed to diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

ELIGIBILITY

The Scuba Doctor's 2020 Mad For Marine Life Photo Contest ("Photo Contest") is open to all professional and amateur photographers resident in Australia, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. Owners and Staff of The Scuba Doctor, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of those employees, are not eligible to enter.

By submitting an entry to the Photo Contest, entrants certify that their participation in this Photo Contest is not illegal or in violation of any law, regulation, treaty or administrative act, and that the laws of their governing jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry do not prohibit or restrict the receipt of any Prize under this Photo Contest.

These terms and conditions govern the Photo Contest and are intended to be a legally binding agreement. Entry into this Photo Contest is deemed acceptance of these conditions of entry. For the purposes of Australian law, this Photo Contest is a 'game of skill' and chance plays no part in determining the finalists or winners.

Chaordent Pty Ltd (ABN 88 116 755 170), trading as The Scuba Doctor Australia ("The Scuba Doctor") reserves the right to reject any entry if, in The Scuba Doctor's sole discretion, the laws of an applicable jurisdiction, including but not limited to the entrant's jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, would prohibit or limit The Scuba Doctor from proceeding with the Photo Contest as intended or the consideration or awarding of any Prize would impose additional administrative, tax, operational, or legal burdens on The Scuba Doctor.

SPONSOR

The Scuba Doctor's 2020 Photo Contest is sponsored by The Scuba Doctor, 1/49 Peninsula Avenue, Rye VIC 3941.

ENTRY PERIOD

The Photo Contest begins at 6 am on Wednesday, 28th October 2020, and ends at 11:59 pm on Monday, 30th Nov 2020 (the "Entry Period"). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. The Scuba Doctor's computer in Rye, Victoria is the official time-keeping device for the Photo Contest.

WHAT TO ENTER

Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. While the name of the competition is "Mad For Marine Life", we will accept photos of underwater seascapes, artificial reefs and shipwrecks.

To ensure functionality on our submission platform, please submit files no smaller than 1024 x 1024 pixels and no larger than 4096 x 4096 pixels and no more than 4 MB at the time of entry. High resolution-original files will be requested should an entry make it into the final round of editing to be considered for an award or prize of merit.

Image files must be submitted as an attached file to your email entry, not embedded in the body of the email. One image file per email entry.

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimisation (cropping, spotting for dust, reasonable adjustments to exposure, colour and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified.

Entries may originate in any format — including but not limited to digital files, digital prints, colour transparencies, colour prints, or black and white prints — so long as they are submitted electronically in a .JPEG .jpg, or .png format.

Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered as long as you maintain the right to grant us a license (see "Your Rights" below). You must be able to disclose when and where the photo appeared previously to The Scuba Doctor upon request.

If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to The Scuba Doctor upon request.

Submitted images may be watermarked if desired, but the watermark should be inconspicuous enough to not interfere with the judging of the photo. A watermarked photo might not be honored by the competition (at the judges' sole discretion) if the photographer is unable or unavailable to provide a pristine, watermark-free version of the image when asked.

The following submissions are ineligible:

  • Images of captive animals photographed in zoos, aquariums and commercial fish farms.
  • Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including but not limited to copyright and photographs of persons without the necessary consent required by law in your jurisdiction. The Scuba Doctor reserves the right to require entrants to submit evidence of the subject's legal consent to be photographed for the submitted photograph, which may include a signed waiver from the subject.
    NOTE: Waiver requirements vary by jurisdiction, and the entrant is responsible for obtaining a legally enforceable waiver from any photographed subject.
  • Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content.
  • Images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife, or damage to the environment by the photographer.
  • Images that involve putting any individual or animal in danger.

The Scuba Doctor shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion.

HOW TO ENTER

All Photo Contest image files must be submitted as an attached file to an email to diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au with the subject "Mad For Marine Life". If possible, please embed the photographer's name and caption information in the photo's metadata.

Image files must be submitted as an attached file to your email entry, not embedded in the body of the email. One image file per email entry.

Entrants are asked to provide the following information in the contest entry process:

  • Title of the photo
  • Caption: Describe what we see and where it was taken
  • Country where photo was taken
  • State or province where photo was taken
  • Name of the photographer
  • Address of the phopgrapher

You may enter an unlimited number of photos, but you may not use an agency or automated system to enter. One image file per email entry.

The Scuba Doctor reserves the right to reject any additional entries or entries that do not comply with these Official Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules and The Scuba Doctor's decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Official Rules.

Entrants may be asked to supplement their submission with more explanation about the photo or to provide a higher resolution version of the photo anytime during the contest period.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Winning submissions from entrants will be selected for the following award categories:

  • One (1) Grand Prize winner
  • One (1) Runner Up winner
  • One (1) Highly Commended winner

JUDGING

Judging will be conducted by a panel of photo editors to be selected by the The Scuba Doctor at its sole discretion (the "Panel"). Photos will be judged by the Panel on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit and subject matter relevance to humans and nature.

The Panel will evaluate all valid entries and make daily selections into a group of Judges' Favourite images, ("Judges' Favorites"). All winners will be selected from the Judges' Favorites. Judges' Favorites will be notified of their status and appear on https://www.facebook.com/scubadoctor and on this web page on Friday, 11th December 2020.

All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

PRIZES

All award winners will receive mention on The Scuba Doctor's digital presences. In addition, The Scuba Doctor will award the following prizes:

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

One (1) Runner Up winner will receive:

One (1) Highly Commended winner will receive:

Prize values estimated and subject to applicable currency exchange rates, in The Scuba Doctor's sole discretion.

To the maximum extent permissible by law, all winners are responsible for paying any taxes and any and all other costs and expenses associated with claiming the awards, including but not limited to customs fees, taxes, and any other administrative costs, if applicable. Prior to the award of any prize the winner will need to complete any applicable tax forms for awarding the prize in the winner's jurisdiction. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by The Scuba Doctor, in its sole discretion. A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded. A winner may not request cash or a substitute prize; however, The Scuba Doctor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason, as determined by The Scuba Doctor, in its sole discretion.

POTENTIAL WINNER REQUIREMENTS

Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility, including proof of age, and liability/publicity release within 14 calendar days. If a potential winner fails to return these documents on time, an alternate potential winner may be selected in his/her place.

YOUR RIGHTS

Your photographs help The Scuba Doctor protect Earth's amazing diversity of wildlife, people, plants and habitats. Thank you for helping to further our mission through your photography.

You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit — including ownership if applicable.

If you submit a photograph to the Photo Contest, you grant The Scuba Doctor and its related entities such as affiliates and subsidiaries a royalty-free, non-exclusive right in perpetuity to:

  • Display the photograph on The Scuba Doctor and related entities websites and social media pages.
  • Allow third-parties to share the photograph on social media.
  • Use the photograph on the Internet and in Social Media in support of our mission.
  • Use the photograph in The Scuba Doctor's and related entities' internal and external communications materials including but not limited to web sites and web publications, fact sheets, email campaigns, advertising, multimedia, presentations, newsletters, etc.
  • Provide your photograph to other individuals, organisations and related entities — related use in news stories, social media, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, videos, membership premiums, and the like.
  • Use, in connection with the Photo Contest, your name, city, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications.
  • Retain a digital copy of your photograph that will be archived in The Scuba Doctor's photo library and accessible to The Scuba Doctor and related entities' staff via The Scuba Doctor's internal online photo archive.

The Scuba Doctor will endeavour to credit all photographs with the credit "Person's Name" when the full name is available.

PRIVACY

The Scuba Doctor respects an individual's right to privacy and that individual's right to control how information held on their behalf is used. Personal information collected by The Scuba Doctor, from you, will be used to keep you up to date with our work by disseminating information via email, mail, SMS or telephone. This may include newsletters, appeals or other information. Please contact us should you wish to alter or delete any of these methods of contact. Please see our Privacy Policy for full details on how we handle your personal information.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Photo Contest is impaired in any way, The Scuba Doctor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Photo Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Photo Contest; or (b) award the prize(s) from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Scuba Doctor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Photo Contest, violates these Official Rules, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. The Scuba Doctor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to The Scuba Doctor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by The Scuba Doctor. In the event of a dispute as to the owner of an online entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the owner. The Photo Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

By entering, you agree to release and hold harmless The Scuba Doctor, their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the "Released Parties") from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Photo Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorised human intervention in the Photo Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Photo Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorneys' fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

PRIVACY AND PUBLICITY

Any information you submit as part of the Photo Contest will be used in accordance with The Scuba Doctor's Privacy Policy. The information you provide when you enter is provided to The Scuba Doctor. Except where prohibited, you consent to The Scuba Doctor's use of your name in any list of winners (if applicable) and/or for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.

DISPUTES

You agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Photo Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in Victoria, Australia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of The Scuba Doctor in connection with the Photo Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Victoria, Australia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of Victoria, Australia, or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Victoria, Australia.

QUESTIONS

Questions and inquiries about the photo contest rules can be emailed to diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au.

SALE and CLEARANCE [more]

New Products [more]

Brands [more]

500 PSI Adrenalin Air Dive Equipment Alpha Diving Products Analox AOI Limited AP Diving Apeks Apollo Scuba Aqualung AquaSketch Atomic Aquatics Atorch Lighting Australia Post AVATAR Backscatter Bare Barfell Best Divers Catahoula Manufacturing Inc Catalina Cylinders CDAA CineBags Cressi Cressi Swim Custom Divers DAN DiCAPac Dive Alert Dive Perfect Dive Rite Divesoft Dolphin Tech E-Shark Force Eezycut Faber Cylinders Fourth Element Fred & Friends Garmin Gear Aid Gear Keeper Glo-Toob H2Odyssey Halcyon Hi-Max Hollis Hyperion i-Dive (i-Torch, i-Das, i-Pix) Intova Isotta IST Proline IST Sports Kraken Sports Land and Sea Light & Motion Mac Coltellerie Mares Medical Developments Metalsub Miflex Hoses Nautilus LifeLine Neptune Sports New Holland Publishers NiteCore Northern Diver Ocean Design Ocean Hunter Ocean Pro Oceans Enterprises Omer OMS OrcaTorch PADI Performance Diver PowerDive Predator Probe Wetsuits Reef Line Salvimar Sammy Glenn Dives San-o-Sub Scuba Capsule Scuba Ninja Sea & Sea Seac Sub Seaka Shark Shield Sharkskin Shearwater Research Si Tech Sonar SteriGENE Sterling Leisure Surf Lock Suunto Tektite Termo Industria The Dive Spot The Scuba Doctor Tovatec Tribolube Trident Diving Equipment Tusa Tusa Sport Underwater Kinetics Unoflow Victorian Fisheries Authority View Swimming Gear Waterproof X-Adventurer XS Scuba

Copyright © 2005-2022 by The Scuba Doctor Australia, ABN 88 116 755 170. All rights reserved.
tel. +61 3 5985 1700 :: email. diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au :: Web site by it'sTechnical 2022