Get Attention

Getting Attention while Diving Underwater

Scuba Accessories and underwater gadgets come in all shapes and sizes and many of them are purely for personal comfort and enjoyment.

But you should seriously consider carrying a few scuba gadgets that will increase your safety and get someone's attention in an emergency.

Our list includes a few practical diving accessories that should be on every diver's list of attention seekers and signaling devices.

How to get Attention at the Surface

Inflatable Surface Marker Buoy

The 'Safety Sausage' is probably one of the most popular surface signaling devices used by scuba divers. This scuba safety accessory is light, bright and inexpensive which creates a long inflatable tube to alert surface traffic of your position underwater.

Most commonly used during the safety stop, the inflatable Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) is also useful for drift diving as it can easily be seen from a distance in choppy seas and should be considered a standard piece of your equipment.

Surface Floats and Flags

Often used when shore diving and boat diving, towing a small surface float is an easy way to be seen by surface support and they can also be used to assist a resting diver, supporting a dive flag and carrying accessories.

Many countries require divers to use dive flags to warn boat traffic of your presence in the water, however caution should always be taken when ascending and assume that boaters might not know what your flag means.

Surface Signaling Devices

Safety conscious divers should consider carrying at least one visual surface signaling device and at least one audible signaling device.

Cheap alternatives to Marker Buoys and Flags could include a mirror, a reflective compact disc, signal lights and flashers. A cheap audible warning device can be as simple as a whistle or a high tech version that is powered by the low pressure inflator.

How to get Attention Underwater

Underwater Buzzers

Have you ever heard Donald Duck under water? Submersible buzzers use compressed air to make a 'quack quack' that can attract attention underwater, but the tank banger is the most common noise maker.

Usually stretched around your tank, the banging of the ball against the cylinder makes a loud noise that can be produced similarly by your knife, lead weight or a small rock.

Underwater Writing Slates

White plastic underwater slates, usually with a pencil attached by string, are very useful diving tools for writing messages and being able to communicate with your buddy. They are also a handy way of recording dive information such as time and depth limits and making additional notes for your logbook.

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