Best surface signalling sound devices

[Dan]

@Dogbowl below is a good video of how to connect/ disconnect the DiveAlert. You just need to grip the end of the low pressure hose with your thumb & index finger & slide it upward to unlock & pop off the BCD power inflator from the hose. Once the hose is disconnected, then push in the male fitting of the DiveAlert to the hose. You may need to slide the locking cylinder up & push the DiveAlert male fitting into the hose quick-connect fitting since the hose is under 150 psig pressure.

 

[EireDiver606]

Whistle

 

[Dan]

Whistle

If a DiveAlert horn fails to alert the boat at 1/2 miles away according to @RayfromTX how the hey a whitstle be better than the DiveAlert? Believe me this DiveAlert is very loud. My dive buddy almost killed me when I accidentally pressed the red button by accident when I was setting up my gear next to him, 2’ away with the horn pointing to him. That is another reason for me not to install it unless it is an emergency.

 

[Dogbowl]

If a DiveAlert horn fails to alert the boat at 1/2 miles away according to @RayfromTX how the hey a whitstle be better than the DiveAlert? Believe me this DiveAlert is very loud. My dive buddy almost killed me when I accidentally pressed the red button by accident when I was setting up my gear next to him, 2’ away with the horn pointing to him. That is another reason for me not to install it unless it is an emergency.

Hey @Dan_T , thanks for the video. I thought that the new Dive Alert has a sliding mechanism whereby if you slide it to one side, it activates the underwater quack and if you slide it to the other, it activates the above water super loud horn. Is that correct?

If so, then that might prevent accidentally setting it off.

 

[EireDiver606]

If a DiveAlert horn fails to alert the boat at 1/2 miles away according to @RayfromTX how the hey a whitstle be better than the DiveAlert? Believe me this DiveAlert is very loud. My dive buddy almost killed me when I accidentally pressed the red button by accident when I was setting up my gear next to him, 2’ away with the horn pointing to him. That is another reason for me not to install it unless it is an emergency.

I never said it was better. Just a suggestion.

You can buy stormproof whistles which can be used even if partially filled with water. They are quite loud unlike normal ones, obviously not as loud as a dive alert.

 

[Dan]

Hey @Dan_T , thanks for the video. I thought that the new Dive Alert has a sliding mechanism whereby if you slide it to one side, it activates the underwater quack and if you slide it to the other, it activates the above water super loud horn. Is that correct?

If so, then that might prevent accidentally setting it off.

True.

Another reason I don’t want to install it for the whole dive trip is the maintenance that you need to do (i.e., flushing it with freshwater after diving) is just a pain in the a*s for a device that I would hardly use (hopefully never, knock on wood). It’s nice to keep it in top shape in a waterproof bag in my BCD pocket.

If I want to call the boat or my buddy that is not that far, I have a whistle for that. For underwater, I have a pointer that I can use to bang on my tank and I don’t to get shot by @gbf for quacking him for attention.

 

[Dogbowl]

True.

Another reason I don’t want to install it for the whole dive trip is the maintenance that you need to do (i.e., flushing it with freshwater after diving) is just a pain in the a*s for a device that I would hardly use (hopefully never, knock on wood). It’s nice to keep it in top shape in a waterproof bag in my BCD pocket.

If I want to call the boat or my buddy that is not that far, I have a whistle for that. For underwater, I have a pointer that I can use to bang on my tank and I don’t to get shot by @gbf for quacking him for attention.

Ok, good point about the rinsing. So what kind of waterproof bag do you use? The ones for iPhone or vacuum sealing? It seems like you have everything thought out. Saves me time, thanks!

 

[Dan]

Ok, good point about the rinsing. So what kind of waterproof bag do you use? The ones for iPhone or vacuum sealing? It seems like you have everything thought out. Saves me time, thanks!

The iPhone softbag from Kona is good for 100’ & I have tested it down to 104’

 

[RayfromTX]

It wasn’t overly windy. The boat was about 1/2 mile away. We used the dive alert several times. We had to duck our heads underwater and we could still hear it. The boat captain could not hear it. We were disappointed. Your results may vary. Try it at home. Any background noise will mask it at that distance. It is loud. High frequencies do not carry well.

 

[Diving Dubai]

From a practical perspective:

I'm on my second dive alert. The first lasted 3 years. That said, I dive in the Middle East that has high ambient temps and really high UV which is brutal on plastics, also our sea water has a high salinity, again harsh on gear. Thus I consider 350 dives a decent lifetime. I clear mine after each dive by holding my palm over the horn and gentle pressing the trigger. Cleaning , well it goes in the wash bin with my BCD and that's it.

Mine sit on my LP inflator hose full time. I have one on each of my wings/bcd's I route the LP hose around the SPG hose to take up any slack.

My experiences differ from Ray TX. I've needed to use my horn a few times where the boat can't see us, The high frequency give them some directional indication and they know someone is on the surface.

I've also used it where we are a way off from the boat. The horn gets their attention but it still requires holding a large (6') dsmb in the air so they can see where you actually are. To be most effective, both should be used together.

Speaking from experience as being the look out on the chase boat, its hard to spot divers at the surface even with the dsmb (if it's just protruding out of the water at head height) It's even harder to see divers if they are floating close to rocks as they are dark with a dark back drop.

My general rule of thumb is that you (the diver) are solely responsible for others to see and hear you at the surface. I've so far been successfully picked up on every dive, even on those where the current has places all the divers all over the ocean.

If, on a guided dive, I still carry my dsmb and horn, I've seen too many guides more interested in looking good (inflating their dsmb from their exhaust of their reg at the stop) than using the gear effectively, and a couple of times had to deploy mine, because the guide wasn't able to get the attention of the boat.

But that's just my experience and opinion