Reliable device to get attention of buddy?

[HowardE]

For us... the noise things seems to work well... Usually, we are quite conservative with making noise... We usually signal eachother if there is something good to see, and that being the case... other people like to look too... like if we find a seahorse, or flamingo tongue. We don't usually dive in large groups, so I can't say.

When we were in Roatan...We dove with 12 ppl... we were all together. 6 of us had noise makers. Usually, if we heard noise, someone found something cool, and wanted to share.

As I've said in previous posts... I have not done a lot of diving in poor viz, since I dive mostly in Florida... I know that if my wife swims away, following a turtle, or spotted eagle ray, that I can signal her from beyond the visual range with our shaker.

Any noise over-used would be an annoyance, I agree. The question in this thread was regarding signaling devices, and I still feel that if not overused, the shaker is a good way...

 

[PerroneFord]

Please forgive my newbie-ness here. It seems I see a lot of these type of questions pop up from time to time about buddy diving. Is it common practice to just enter the water with someone and then swim independently to where each person wants to go?

I thought the idea of buddy diving was to stay not only in visual range, but "close contact" so that if either person had an issue, the other could assist? I know that underwater on a breath hold, I can swim a pretty short distance. I could not imagine being out of air, in trouble, and having to signal my buddy from some far off place.

I read the account about 3 person dive groups and I guess it amazed me that people wouldn't be able to handle that. Maybe it's because I coach sports teams at a high level, or maybe it's because I see diving as a way to achieve some objective versus just an independent tour. I don't know.

But I wouldn't dive with a person who refused to stay close enough for me to physically contact within a few fin strokes.

 

[HowardE]

But I wouldn't dive with a person who refused to stay close enough for me to physically contact within a few fin strokes.

I am not condoning swimming away from your buddy. I have had my buddy (wife) swim after some sea life...true... She did swim out of visual range on more than 1 occasion... However, I will also say that in these situations...we were in open water, with a max depth of 60' and in familiar surroundings. This depth is easily sufaceable in an emergency ascent, if the situation arrose, although I hope that doesn't happen.

I will say that on deep dives, and lo viz situations, we stay fairly close, within visual and within 2-3 fin kicks away from each other.

 

[Grey_Wulff]

Thanks for the suggestions both practical and humorous! Here is my two cents on the comments made so far:

1) Some form of noisemaker works well in warm waters when wearing no hood or a thin hood. I've used a carabiner tapped on the tank to good effect - a noisemaker as suggested by howarde is great too. The problem here in San Diego is that with a 7mm hood the sound just does not carry through. Perhaps, an air horn might be the solution.

2) Some form of high power light might well be the answer also. We all use the C8/C4 type units and while they’re great for looking in holes they’re not that bright compared to the newer HID units.

3) As for swimming within arms reach of my buddies that something to discuss with them. Unless accidentally separated, we are always within visual sight and typically separated by no more than 15ft. Swimming within physical reaching distance would certainly be a change for us. Do the majority of folks really swim this close because that certainly is not my experience? I guess I see the biggest challenge when exploring small vertical walls (a common feature at some of our local dive sites). Either someone is going to be on the outside and thus not seeing too much, or we are constantly going to bump into each other as we look, then turn along the wall. Usually, in this situation we swim one behind the other – a common practice amongst local divers. Attracting the diver swimming behind is fairly easy, either looking back or shining a light on the bottom works fine. However, this diver behind typically has problems attracting the one leading since the one leading is looking forward and a light does not carry the distance.

Grey_Wulff

 

[PerroneFord]

Why not swim about 3-5 feet apart, but with a depth seperated by 5 ft. That way everyone gets to see everything?

 

[MSilvia]

Do the majority of folks really swim this close because that certainly is not my experience?

The majority of folks I dive with in New England either stay close to buddies, but low vis is the norm here, and a few kicks can easily put someone without a good canister light out of daytime visual range.

As for noisemakers, if you use them to signal a buddy who's out of visual range, how do they know which direction the sound is coming from?

 

[Diver0001]

Do the majority of folks really swim this close because that certainly is not my experience?

Mine do. But we have 3 metre viz a lot of the time too so good buddy contact is a high priority.

I guess I see the biggest challenge when exploring small vertical walls (a common feature at some of our local dive sites). Either someone is going to be on the outside and thus not seeing too much, or we are constantly going to bump into each other as we look, then turn along the wall.

This can be a challenge but the solution is to dive slowly and spend as much time as you can perpendicular to the wall and not parallel to it. It works.

Usually, in this situation we swim one behind the other – a common practice amongst local divers.

This is the best way I know of to get separated. A well oiled buddy team can do this but instabuddies will be separated like this faster than you can say "we otta think 'bout this"

It's good that you're thinking about it now and not during a dive. More power to you!

R..

 

[Ann Marie]

Well, my wife occasionally yanks up her lycra dive shirt. It has never failed to get my complete attention.

That'd work in warm water, but I can't imagine pulling down my wetsuit, up my hooded vest, down my lycra-skin, and up my bathing suit-top. My buddies would either think I was narked or suck up all of their air laughing!

 

[PhotoTJ]

That'd work in warm water, but I can't imagine pulling down my wetsuit, up my hooded vest, down my lycra-skin, and up my bathing suit-top. My buddies would either think I was narked or suck up all of their air laughing!

That would take up a good 15 mins of bottom time!

 

[Sideband]

My first reaction was that your buddy needed to be paying more attention, not that you need a better signaling device.

Joe