Scuba Diving Adventures Lost at Sea Help the Searchers!

A basic concept in most rescue diver courses is selfSnorkels
rescue to keep your self from being lost at sea dive,You want to get me worked up try telling me why you
training is important but should it happen having 4are such a pro that you don't need a snorkel! What a
pieces of scuba diving equipment with you will makeload of smelly poop, with the exceptions of night
you chances of being rescued significantly higher andmanta dives, or penetration dives on silt layered
they are useful tools on most adventure scuba divingwrecks or caves, I always have my snorkel attached
trips. Like the Boy Scouts say be prepared!to my mask! I have been in flat seas more than once
Plastic Whistles, Safety Sausages, Snorkels and awith no wind, and came up with a thunderstorm that
Light.was over the horizon at the start of dive, whipping up
The 4 best things to have are a loud plastic whistle, a2.5 meter seas in 45 minutes. If you come up away
long safety sausage, a snorkel and a light. The goodfrom the boat or the boat can't see more than 100
thing is this dive equipment will all fit in a dive pocketmeters, you could be in for an exhausting 20 minutes
quite easily, and are relatively cheap dive gear to buy,or more fighting for breathe while swallowing and
so there is no reason not to have them.puking Neptune tea.
Plastic whistlesA Pocket Light
Plastic whistles don't rust and they don't run out of airA LED pocket light is very handy for looking in holes in
to sound them until it becomes moot. Sound carries athe day time for pipe fish and crabs and nudibrachs. I
real long way on the water, especially at night. Mostam especially drawn to extended battery life that the
modern "BCD's" Buoyancy Control Devices have oneLED's provide, most go almost 8 hours before you
built in, usually attached to the low pressure inflator,need to change the battery, this could be the
right next to where your mouth is. Another option is airdifference that gets you found if you are a drift on the
powered horns also attached to the low pressureopen ocean at night. They can be used in a couple of
inflator mechanism in a variety of ways. Air horns areways, placed inside the safety sausage which will
even better at producing signal, put are not fool proofstand out as a beacon for a long way at night, again
as they are mechanical and can have any number ofelevated, moving and out of place will get it seen. The
things make them non-operational, and you will2nd way is to point it at boats, planes and helicopters
eventually run out of tank pressure to sound them. 50and do the classic SOS, Save Our Souls, 3 long, 3
bar of air will give you a lot of bursts, but as theshort, 3 long. Remember do this by moving your hand
pressure in the tank decreases, so does the volume.over the lens, not by turning the switch on and off
Safety Sausageswhich heightens the possibility of an equipment failure
Safety sausages are mostly orange with some beingwhen you need it least.
yellow. Searchers can spot these on the surface fromMilitary, rescuers and commercial vessels, including high
a long way off for 2 reasons, one they are orangeflying commercial flights will all respond to an SOS if
which instinct makes you pay attention to as it isthey see it, if fact, are required by maritime law and
usually associated with danger in the wild. The 2ndtradition to respond if it does not put them or their ships
reason is that they are out of the water, in the air, andin danger. With the long burn time of a LED you should
can be made to wave which further increases thereget one maybe even two nights or more out of the
visibility; again humans are hard wired in our reptilianbatteries. A light turned on pointing at a boat in the day
brains to see things that move for food and safety.time can be seen for a long way off, and when the
The main draw back is that they can not be seen atbatteries die you can use it as a mirror in the day time
night unless, they are illuminated some how. As theyto flash people a long way off to bring attention to you
have no movable parts or batteries they are Kissincluding planes and helicopters.
simple provided they don't have a leak, and even withAs usual the best defense is a good offence, keep
a leak they will float so can still be seen from the air, orthe software in your head engaged, stay within your
decks on boats that are elevated. It also a good ideadive abilities and training, be aware of strong currents,
as a diver to mark where you are coming up at somonitor local weather forecasts, keep your dive gear
boats doesn't run over you. Many safety sausages willin good order and plan your dive and dive your plan .
also have a plastic whistle attached to sleeve thatThese will always be your best bet from being Lost at
stores them, a good feature to look for when you areSea.
shopping for dive gear.