Contacting your buddy under water

[SkimFisher]

I have seen a unit that flashes a color coded series of lights based on buddy distress, just need attention, or "hey look at that." I am pretty sure that it has a short range, but sounds like what you are talking about.
I am sorry that I do not know what it was called. I thought that I saw it in a Dive Training Magazine.



I usually do that (minus the head smack) and grab his/her fin.

If you want god communication underwater, you could always pick up this book.

Yes, I am an advocate of the "fin-tug" as well.

 

[Hatul]

I think this is a big problem in diving. Many of the disasters I read about involve loss of contact with buddy and inability to locate the buddy. It's also a problem that should be fixable with technology. And no matter how good the buddy team there will always be times when one person is distracted by something and the other diver by something else or just continues.

Adam

 

[porbeagle]

First, Thanks to Cavediver for his responses,always well thought out and helpful.
OK, Go to "PETSMART" ,a national chain of pet stores and buy their dog training
clicker for $1.49. It is plastic,and stainless steel. It measures 2"X1"X5/8" and is
white plastic with a stainless keychain. It is LOUD and under water where sound travels
5 (?) times faster than on land it is easily heard,even with a hood on. Work out a series
of signals with your buddy and stay away from tank bangers,etc. etc. Cheap, Simple
and every diver around will marvel at your idea.
PORBEAGLE

 

[Crush]

I think this is a big problem in diving. Many of the disasters I read about involve loss of contact with buddy and inability to locate the buddy. It's also a problem that should be fixable with technology. And no matter how good the buddy team there will always be times when one person is distracted by something and the other diver by something else or just continues.

Adam

Wow - you are a brave man. I am curious to see how long it is until you get buried under platitudes. Please - let me begin: "There is no such thing as an accident;" "Always plan your dive and dive your plan;" "You need a new buddy..."

 

[lmorin]

First, Thanks to Cavediver for his responses,always well thought out and helpful.
OK, Go to "PETSMART" ,a national chain of pet stores and buy their dog training
clicker for $1.49. It is plastic,and stainless steel. It measures 2"X1"X5/8" and is
white plastic with a stainless keychain. It is LOUD and under water where sound travels
5 (?) times faster than on land it is easily heard,even with a hood on. Work out a series
of signals with your buddy and stay away from tank bangers,etc. etc. Cheap, Simple
and every diver around will marvel at your idea.
PORBEAGLE

I've tried similar "clickers" and they were inaudible under water, for some reason. Worked in the bathtub. My wife got a chuckle seeing me with my butt in the air and head submerged testing a clicker.

 

[StreetDoctor]

You know, honestly, even if you have a good team and good lights, in sunstruck, clear tropical water, it's HARD to get someone's attention. Team awareness is good for keeping team members from getting too far apart, but if you really want to get someone to look at something or change the navigation or something of the sort, it can be hard to distract everyone from what they are doing. You can simply wait until you are the focus of their scan, or you can try shining your light on their hands or the edge of their mask. But it is enough of a problem that I have contemplated those buddy-signalling things you attach to the mask, and in fact, I was going to try them on our recent trip to Maui, and just didn't get around to ordering them.

People who habitually dive in low viz and low light may not actually realize how useless even high wattage HID lights are in the tropics.

I disagree. In our recent class we were able to communicate with 21W HID's in 20'-30' of water in Key Largo in the middle of day with the sun shining. Might not be possible with LED's but it worked out with HID's. We said the samething you are on the first couple days of class. If your situational awareness is high enough you can find and follow the hot spot.

 

[lmorin]

Here is a relatively new product that is hard to find on the web BUDDY-LINK.It's too expensive to find its way into the general consumer's dive market (at least, IMHO), but I'd consider them if they were $50 each. Do a ScubaBoard search on Buddy-Link for more info.

 

[Peter Guy]

StreetDoctor -- While you may have had success with a 21W HID, my experience is to the contrary. I use my 21W HID all the time in our dark water but I find it pretty much useless in highly lit tropical waters. Is it better than nothing? Yes. But is it very useful? No.

 

[StreetDoctor]

StreetDoctor -- While you may have had success with a 21W HID, my experience is to the contrary. I use my 21W HID all the time in our dark water but I find it pretty much useless in highly lit tropical waters. Is it better than nothing? Yes. But is it very useful? No.

I agree it's much easier in darker water but it still works. I think being shoulder to shoulder with your buddy (say 3'-5' apart) works out much better in shallower clear water where you can see your buddy in the corner of your eye. The lights do work though. Especially if you do both and you can catch the corner of your buddies mask with the light.

 

[a22shady]

Some buddies of Mine Got a horn called "Dive Alert" They said it works great you can hear it underwater and get everyone's attention and on The surface hold your head underwater cause it's loud. It attached to the BC inflator hose pretty cool design.

Dive Alert Plus

Other then that you could go out and Buy some Full Face masks and add the comms to it so you can straight talk to each other.