Does Dive Alert Sub-Surface signal work well?

[Noboundaries]

My wife and I are trying to find a sub-surface signaling device that doesn't hang loose or clutter up our hands. To date we have not been happy with everything from shakers to knockers to metal rods to big bolts. Now we're looking at the Dive Alert Plus, a device with both surface and sub-surface signals.

There's no question the surface signal is effective. We've not read anything though about the sub-surface signal effectiveness. Please share your experience if you have some.

Thanks,

Ray

 

[ONESPEED]

My wife and I are trying to find a sub-surface signaling device that doesn't hang loose or clutter up our hands. To date we have not been happy with everything from shakers to knockers to metal rods to big bolts. Now we're looking at the Dive Alert Plus, a device with both surface and sub-surface signals.

There's no question the surface signal is effective. We've not read anything though about the sub-surface signal effectiveness. Please share your experience if you have some.

Thanks,

Ray

Oh it's effective alright. It will annoy the hell out of divers hundreds of feet away from you underwater.

 

[NitroxAZ]

Oh it's effective alright. It will annoy the hell out of divers hundreds of feet away from you underwater.

Mission accomplished!!!

 

[shellim123]

I love my shaker! It works best for annoying ONESPEED

 

[ONESPEED]

I love my shaker! It works best for annoying ONESPEED

Considering who your dive "mentor" was, it's not surprising you carry one.

 

[treasurehunter]

Hey Ray

Don't be surprised if you get bombarded on this question.

I have a sub-alert and i find that the quacking noise it makes is what helps the most to get your buddies attention because the noise is not a natural sound underwater so it gets your attention much quicker . Especialy when you start experiencing some narcosis it takes a while before you realize the shaker noise or tank bangers.

Although it is to be used sparingly because it can and probably will annoy other divers if you get quack happy.I know i had a dive guide continously quacking at the group of newbies and i wanted to shove it up his wassou.

But on the other hand i dive with my wife and if i need to get her attention or she mine for safety resons the quacker is what i would want to have. Kind of like a knife "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Yeah i'm sure they will say with good buddy skills you don't need any noise makers,but even the best of them some times end up six feet under.

 

[Noboundaries]

Thanks TH. You and everyone else answered my question. I'm going to get my wife and I each one of the annoying devices.

She and I were diving a pinnacle this weekend shrouded in a kelp forest. Water temp was a balmy 58*. Visibility varied between 15 and 25 feet when you could see past the kelp. Single file is best when picking a path through the stalks with a quick buddy check by lead about every minute or so. I was lead and she was swimming about three feet above and behind me to avoid getting kicked and stay clear of my bubbles. At one point immediately after one of my buddy checks she swam right into a big furball of fishing line that I never saw. She was banging on her tank with a carabiner we were trying out as a tank banger. I just kept on swimming, not realizing the problem or hearing her trying to get my attention. She freed herself and was just swimming back into view when I did my next buddy check. She flashed me an okay and I learned about her problem when we were back on the surface.

It wasn't serious this time, but you never know. We really haven't had a problem in warm, clear water. In the kelp though, in a 7mm wetsuit/hood, seems you need something louder due to the buddy positioning, increased focus by lead, and possible sound absorption by the kelp and hood. Needless to say we won't be using the carabiner again. And unfortunately that big fishing line furball is still out there. If she had been able to get my attention it might have been possible to get it back to the boat.

 

[Kern]

Some time ago I was on a charter where a couple used these things incessantly. During the surface interval my buddy & I started a discussion about what should be done with people who do this. Everyone but the couple joined in. By the end of the SI we had decided that we'd all move in & kill them & use justifiable homicide due to mass psychosis as our defence. We'd call everyone they had ever dived with to give evidence & go for a jury that was full of divers.

 

[bleeb]

Some time ago I was on a charter where a couple used these things incessantly.

Must... resist... temptation... to throw in a lot of extra quacks just to confuse the s**t out of any couple that abuses the thing like this.

(BTW, yes I'm with those of you in the "keep it quiet unless you REALLY need attention" school of thought.)

 

[BKP]

Noboundaries, it's not as loud as you'd think (the sub component). However, that weird quack is what gets your buddy's (and sometimes everyone else's) attention.

I have the DiveAlert+. Works great. Only had occasion to quack once...

Use it sparingly. But, if you get any nasty glares when you do, just keep quacking at 'em til they go away (or point their spearguns at you)...