You're Lost At Sea!! What Signal Devices Do You Have To Use - and Why Not?

[Puffer Fish]

Neat Idea Don.... need to buy some and try it...bet it would work really well at night.

 

[Wayward Son]

well, if I'm diving with Puff, he has these mambo big tanks so has more nitrox left than I do. I can use that to inflate his suit & float him up high in the water, increasing the odds of being seen.

 

[D_B]

I just saw a post by Phill from DiveSports.com about Techflex sleeving for hoses ( Innovative Scuba TechFlex Hose Cover )
I am familiar with Techflex as it is popular for sleeving cables and wires inside custom computers ... and ...
... they make some with 3M Scotchlite retroreflective monofiliment , might be a thought to cover your reg or octo hose with it Flexo Reflex - Reflective High Visibility Expandable Sleeving

I thought I had seen the reflective sleeve at Performance-PCs, yep ... Techflex Reflex Sleeving : Performance-PCs.com,
( "carbon fiber" is the black .. "stainless steel" is the clear )
Hank Baron is a good guy, tell him DB (with the yellow Raidmax computer) sent you
Tip: use a hot knife to cut sleeve, or melt cut end with match to stop unraveling .. also, can use heatshrink on braid end to secure

 

[Hoomi]

I just saw a post by Phill from DiveSports.com about Techflex sleeving for hoses ( Innovative Scuba TechFlex Hose Cover )
I am familiar with Techflex as it is popular for sleeving cables and wires inside custom computers ... and ...
... they make some with 3M Scotchlite retroreflective monofiliment , might be a thought to cover your reg or octo hose with it Flexo Reflex - Reflective High Visibility Expandable Sleeving

We use similar stuff here at work, though we just call it "snakeskin". It's terrific for making cables, as it protects the wires inside, but is easy enough to pull back out of the way to do repairs.

If you get some, I highly recommend heat-sealing the cut edges (this can be done with a hot soldering iron or even a cigarette lighter), otherwise, the ends will fray terribly.

As well as it expands, you can get large enough that it should slip over the end of the BC hose also. If you wanted to secure it better to whatever hose you slip it over, you can use zip-ties around the ends to snug it down. Our typical practice on cables is to fold the ends back under, and then zip-tie to secure.

 

[spt29970]

I carry a SMB, dive-alert, storm whistle, and lexan mirror. I don't know why people keep recommending using CDs or DVDs as mirrors. I tried that and after a couple of dives, the aluminum corroded completely away leaving me with a blank piece of plastic. The lexan safety mirrors are cheap and they last. My final piece of safety equipment is my camera. Yes I know that sounds strange, but my Inon strobes are WAY brighter than a little LED beacon and using the TEST button, I can fire off at least 200 shots per strobe. I've never had to use them as safety equipment but I am confident that they can be seen a LONG way off at night.

 

[D_B]

A note on my search for a rescue strobe
I picked up one of these ... Ist LS-3 Strobe & LED Torch = because of the 3 battery, lasts 24hrs part , but it's not blindingly bright, sure the strobe is bright while it's a few feet away, but set it down and walk away a few feet and it's not "annoyingly bright" ... I want annoyingly bright on my rescue beacon
I think I'll take it back and get one of these two ...
Tektite Strobe 200 =
Tektite Strobe 300 =
because of the 30x or 150x brighter than others, claim

they are large (7.25" or 9.25") but I think that I can make a bungee mount on my BC for one like I did for my SMB

OH, BTW .. the people at Unrealfind are good folks, I've purchased stuff, been there and talked to the owners, and have seen therir operation

OK, I just got the Tektite Strobe 200 and it is bright! .. annoyingly so
It's way brighter than the LS3 strobe and lasts longer too ... it's also larger so I'll have to come up with a spot to carry it, but I think it's worth it

 

[DandyDon]

OK, I just got the Tektite Strobe 200 and it is bright! .. annoyingly so
It's way brighter than the LS3 strobe and lasts longer too ... it's also larger so I'll have to come up with a spot to carry it, but I think it's worth it

Those are fine for rescue. I hate it when someone runs one on a night dive.

 

[Web Monkey]

It's way brighter than the LS3 strobe and lasts longer too ... it's also larger so I'll have to come up with a spot to carry it, but I think it's worth it

Both the Tektite and the Jotron are very nice, although they could both use a touch of engineering improvement.

I've had a couple of Tektites fail with no leakage (the strobe module just seems to crap out), while the Jotron strobe module never seems to fail, although the screw-on base-seal (flashlight-type of thing) seems a little fragile, and one cracked.

The Jotron has a much nicer switch. It's a magnetic switch that works through the case, so there's no hole between the inside and the outside, while the tektite uses a screw-the-head-down arrangement that pushes a spring against the strobe module. (think cheap flashlight).

The tektite is brighter and lasts longer, while the Jotron is more reliable. It's a tough call. If I had the space, I'd probably bring one of each.

They're both bright, although the 2 and 3 cell tektites are a little brighter than the 1 cell Jorton.

All three are infinitely brighter than any of the other SCUBA-strobes on the market. Everything else I've seen is pretty much invisible unless you're right on top of it.

Terry

 

[D_B]

Good point Don, I dont want someone to use one on dive ether

The Jotron and the ACR Firefly are good ones, but out of my price range