Sound Signaling Devices - Whistle vs Dive Alert

[AbyssalPlains]

Good report, heres the conclusion:
6. CONCLUSIONS

It is not possible to draw statistical significance from the results due to the wide range of variables. The summarised data do however provide an indication of the range of location distances for individual devices and enables direct comparisons between devices. The collated data (section 4.3) clearly demonstrate three main observations:

Relocation distances of devices decrease with increasing wave height.
Relocation distances of devices decrease as light intensity falls whilst those devices which provide a light source are more readily located as light intensity decreases.
Relocation distances of devices are increased at elevated observation heights.
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Additional to this, detailed notes and comments were recorded on daily record sheets. In particular, the names of individual observers were attributed to a significant proportion of each device relocations. The deployment and relocation of devices were plotted for most trial days and correlated with search aspect and wind direction. The following observations were clearly apparent:

Relocation distances of some devices are optimised from particular search aspects.
The ability of individuals to relocate visual devices varies greatly.
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The folding divers flag with a day-glow yellow pennant is considered to be the best all round location device. Devices including flags and paired buoys are more clearly observed when the search aspect is abeam to the direction of wind due to the larger surface area that is presented to the observer. Flags are not located by helicopter as readily as from vessels.

They had to do a STUDY to come to these conclusions????

 

[bleeb]

Finally took the dive alert out of the package today and played with it. OMG is this thing ever freakin loud or what. I think I need to invest in a pair of ear plug.

What is the decibel on this thing again? I am estimating in the 160db range or louder.


Anyone here death because of it? Being death gotta be better than drifting out to sea.

The instructions actually recommend having your ears "slightly below the surface". (For brief tests on the surface, point away from people and cover the horn with a hand.)

 

[Web Monkey]

They recommend submerging your head before setting it off.

It's good advice.

Terry

Finally took the dive alert out of the package today and played with it. OMG is this thing ever freakin loud or what. I think I need to invest in a pair of ear plug.

What is the decibel on this thing again? I am estimating in the 160db range or louder.


Anyone here death because of it? Being death gotta be better than drifting out to sea.

 

[Charlie99]

The instructions actually recommend having your ears "slightly below the surface". (For brief tests on the surface, point away from people and cover the horn with a hand.)

And when cleaning the Dive Alert post-dive, stick your pinky well down into the horn of the whistle before activating it. That will keep the whistle from resonating, and you just get a little hiss of air rather than the normal ear-splitting screech.

People the have used Dive Alerts before can get real nervous when they see you press the button when cleaning gear.

Doing a couple of short blasts post-dive clears excess water out of the external side of the Dive Alert. One of my Dive Alerts lost a lot of its volume after a 5 or 6 years -- I think it was from corrosion from water left in it after every dive.