Boat lost divers -- recovered

[Landlocked123]

I carry 2 SMB's. One is bungeed to the right of my plate. This is a larger Dan Diver Alert one. I carry a second samller one in a thigh pocket (right side). Left side thigh pocket has whistle and signalling mirror.

 

[OkByMe]

I'm curios, as I was just shopping for a low pressure in-line signaling device: What's the reasoning behind these statements?

What device do you recommend and how does one know whether or not they "quack" underwater?

How do you connect it on the surface without turning off your tank?

It connects between the power inflator on the BC and the supply hose. You just remove the hose with the disconnect and plug it in. The ones that quack under water will have a knob you turn from loud shriek to quack.

 

[Madacub]

Plus, the underwater quacking noise is annoying, because those who own them use them all freakin' time.

This is preposterously not true. I have one and in about 500 dives I've used it very very seldom I've seen this on other divers' BCDs and they have been responsible as well.

LottaBeachNoOcean, since you ask, the one I have (DiveAlert) is one that will work in the water as well as in air. There is a switch for each mode. It is always attached to my LP hose/BCD. I recommend it and recommend you use all noisemakers sparingly. FWIW, I agree with dumpsterDiver's post #20.

ps: They are very loud. Once a boat hand asked "What's this?" and pressed the button on the DiveAlert. Boy, did everyone on the boat jump!

 

[Frosty]

The people who were drifting did carry a whistle and blew it but no one ever heard it.

Say what you will about how it was their own fault but all they did was fail to catch a line after jumping in. Note to self: observe current carefully before jumping in.

Bill

Bill -Im sorry mon I must be misreading somewhere here.The way I read it is that the two divers failed drift dive 101 by not swimming against the current long enough when leaving the boat. From there its their responsibility to take care of each other. The only reason the boat would concider upanchor would be if the divers concerned signalled they were in trouble. Even then Im not sure I would -with other divers in the water.

 

[flots am]

I'm curios, as I was just shopping for a low pressure in-line signaling device: What's the reasoning behind these statements?

What device do you recommend and how does one know whether or not they "quack" underwater?

There are two different air horns.

Once makes a horrifically loud screetch on the surface. The instructions say to stick your head underwater before firing, and they mean it. You'll be deaf in one ear for a while if you don't.

The other makes a "honking" noise underwater and is good only for annoying everybody else in the area. The sound can't really be localized, so everybody just thinks "I wonder which a****** is honking?"

These were previously two seperate units, but now they're also available as a single unit.

You just want the "above water" version - this one

Not this one:

 

[LottaBeachNoOcean]

There are two different air horns.

Once makes a horrifically loud screetch on the surface. The instructions say to stick your head underwater before firing, and they mean it. You'll be deaf in one ear for a while if you don't.

The other makes a "honking" noise underwater and is good only for annoying everybody else in the area. The sound can't really be localized, so everybody just thinks "I wonder which a****** is honking?"

These were previously two seperate units, but now they're also available as a single unit.

You just want the "above water" version - this one View attachment 159523

Not this one:
View attachment 159524

Extremely helpful! so, get the divealert, not the divealertplus.

 

[billt4sf]

Bill -Im sorry mon I must be misreading somewhere here.The way I read it is that the two divers failed drift dive 101 by not swimming against the current long enough when leaving the boat. From there its their responsibility to take care of each other. The only reason the boat would concider upanchor would be if the divers concerned signalled they were in trouble. Even then Im not sure I would -with other divers in the water.

I mis-understood something when I first posted it. They caught the first line, but then to get to the downline they had to swim against the current. The guy was able to, but his wife was not. She thought, as did I, that if she descended the curent would be less -- it was not. Personally I had a very difficult time getting to the second line. The husband stayed with her and they floated downcurrent for the length of the dive, probably about 40 mins. After we returned, the diveop owner reviewed with the instructors / DM how they had arranged the lines and thereafter they arranged to have a continuous set of lines to the downline (sorry, I do not recall the correct terms).

When I came up, they were floating and one of the instructors had eyes on them. I was aghast that they didn't recall all divers to get to them sooner. Apparently this is my misunderstanding. Even they agreed that they were OK and divers should not have been recalled. Now I know that we have to be a) prepared with equipment (which we are / were -- thanks Peter_C) and b) mentally prepared to float for some time if this happens to us.

Their only failure of Dive 101 was that they had one SMB between them -- which they forgot to bring.

- Bill

 

[flots am]

Extremely helpful! so, get the divealert, not the divealertplus.

That would be my choice.

The "plus" vesion won't kill you, but has a decidedly more "cheesy" feel to it and doesn't really offer any extra functionality that you can use without making people angry.

flots.

 

[TSandM]

Strange that the boat didn't have a "granny line" (a line running along the boat, to allow divers to pull themselves to the bow). That's been pretty standard on all the boats I've dived that do anchored dives in current-sensitive areas.

 

[mselenaous]

Nautilus Lifeline...don't be this person: