The Scuba Tuba is a long narrow tube of orange plastic that can be orally inflated.

A pneumatic air horn complete with quick disconnect fittings can be easily secured to one of your low pressure hoses.

Diver Safety Gear

By Robin Battley

Isn't the basic list of required scuba diving equipment exhaustive enough? Think about it. There you are before almost every dive trip, checking and packing close to 100 lbs. of equipment designed to keep you warm underwater, to provide you with life sustaining breathing gases including the delivery system, to provide you with buoyancy control, to provide you with vision, to provide you with illumination, to provide you with motion and propulsion andisn't that enough? Why do divers have an apparent need to add more gear to that basic list? Because it is only a basic list.

Consider this. Would you knowingly take off in an airplane with no safety gear? No seat belts, no oxygen system in the event of depressurization, no emergency doors? Or, for those who don't fly often, would you knowingly charter a dive boat with no liferaft, no radio, no lifejackets? Of course not. Emergency situations nowadays are less common due to improved forecasting, equipment, planning, and communication systems, however, they do still happen. Scuba diving continues to be an adventure activity. It's popularity with many is that sense of exploration, independence and the unknown. Naturally the importance of being well-trained in the skills of scuba diving can never be overstated, but there is more. Experienced divers have taken the task of self-reliance in the underwater world quite literally and most have selected safety equipment as part of their standard diving kit.

What else could you possibly need you ask? Some safety equipment has gradually been integrated into the diver's accepted gear including secondary air sources. Various types are available and the advantages of each can be discussed with any dive retail staff. Power inflator quick-disconnect hoses for dry suits and buoyancy compensators have also become the norm. All weight belts have a quick release or jettison method incorporated into them. Many divers carry a main underwater light along with a smaller backup light. Another good safety idea. Bright colours, reflective tape and whistles have become common place as well. How is your personal equipment comparing so far? Well, I would expect.

One common diver situation faced by fresh water and salt water divers alike is being separated from the dive site or dive boat by wind, current or a combination of these factors. It is always a surprise that individual divers have not made any preparations to cope with this universal occurrence. Fortunately several solutions are available.

The Dive-Alert is a small pneumatic air horn complete with quick disconnect fittings that can be easily secured to one of your low pressure inflator hoses. Above the water and waves, this horn delivers a powerful blast of sound that carries far further than your voice or even a whistle. One small requirement though, there must be some air in your tank to activate the Dive-Alert. If a free-flow has rendered your tank empty, the low profile Scuba Tuba in your BC pocket will make you more visible. A simple idea really, the Scuba Tuba is a long narrow tube of orange plastic that can be orally inflated, held easily in the diver's hand and assist in revealing your position by showing significantly higher than the surrounding waves. Another option is a small battery-operated strobe light affixed to a shoulder strap. Manually activated when needed, strobe lights emit a powerful burst of white light at intervals and are useful in pinpointing your location on low visibility days or at night.

Why did we focus on safety equipment that can only be used at the surface? According to statistics from training agencies and rescue organizations, more than 90% of diving emergencies occur on the surface. A good piece of information to consider as you improve your personal safety gear.