diver in distress below signal?

[Web Monkey]

Is anyone aware of a system that could be deployed from depth which would indicate diver(s) in distress below the surface? Preferably not something as expensive as underwater voice communication? Perhaps a modified SMB?

No need to modify it. You can send up an SMB with a slate attached and jerk the line like crazy to let the people on the surface know you need help. Some people send up a different color to indicate distress.

OTOH, unless there's extra gear and a diver on the boat, there may not be a lot anybody can do for you.

Terry

 

[Crush]

No need to modify it. You can send up an SMB with a slate attached and jerk the line like crazy to let the people on the surface know you need help.

Thanks Terry. The thought had occurred to me to jerk the SMB violently. I guess that the summary of all the responses is that, unless previously discussed, there is no agreed upon "diver in distress below" signal. This seems like a serious failing to me...

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

It depends on your mindset.

If your dive plan for handling emergencies is calling 911, this it is a very serious failing. This is like relying on the government to assist you in a disaster. Sure, their assistance is good and the may want to help, but you better not rely on it in a time critical situation. They likely will not be able to assist fast enough.

A better plan is to stay out of the problem in the first place. After that, have the necessary skills and gear to get out out of the emergency quickly, on your own.

 

[RJP]

No need to modify it. You can send up an SMB with a slate attached and jerk the line like crazy to let the people on the surface know you need help.

In anything other than a dead-flat sea, the bag will be bobbing up and down in such a fashion that would be indistinguishable from you "jerking the line like crazy" or simply someone having poor buoyancy control and reeling themselves up the line, so not sure that'd work.

 

[fnfalman]

I think that an SMB with "EMERGENCY" printed on it (and a slate so that you can write a quick comment on the problem) coupled with advising the boat crew/dive master would be the best answer. That way the DM wouldn't be swimming/diving for any SMB that pops up.

 

[RJP]

Thanks Terry. The thought had occurred to me to jerk the SMB violently. I guess that the summary of all the responses is that, unless previously discussed, there is no agreed upon "diver in distress below" signal. This seems like a serious failing to me...

On the surface (no pun intended) your "plan-for-every-eventuality" thinking seems sound, however it's just not practical or even desirable.

One of the tenets of tec diving is to evaluate and develop a plan and carry whatever gear necessary to address those problems you might reasonably expect to encounter on a particular dive. Note that is NOT the same as planning and gearing to solve ANY AND EVERY conceivable problem you might face.

I believe that overthinking the idea of "how do I signal for help if I encounter a problem I hadn't planned to encounter" falls into to the latter category, and you'd do better to...

• plan the dive more effectively to understand potential problems
• develop specific strategies to minimize or eliminate the likelihood of encountering those problems in the first place
• maintain effective situational awareness to recognize/avert those problems before you encounter them
• have the appropriate plan and gear to address the problem should you encounter it
• dive within the limits of your training and experience

The fact of the matter is, if you're planning a dive where the approach laid out above does not allow you to give Darwin the slip 100% of the time, you don't need an "underwater flare gun" --- you need to reconsider the dive or revise your plan to include dedicated safety divers and extensive surface support such as surface supplied gas/comms/etc.

 

[Bonairetrip]

I guess that the summary of all the responses is that, unless previously discussed, there is no agreed upon "diver in distress below" signal. This seems like a serious failing to me...

I could very much see how a very thoughtful but newer diver might reach this conclusion. And, in certain very limited circumstances, I would agree.

OTOH, for this approach to be of life saving value, the following would have to be the case:
a) You would presumably need to be boat (versus shore) diving; and
b) You would need to have one or more lookouts watching for a SMB; and
c) You would need to have a standby diver with gear; and
d) You would need to have a way for the boat to quickly retrieve the SMB and read the slate (even when it surface some distance from the boat); and
e) The diver in distress would need to be in a position (and have the skills) to safely deploy a SMB; and
f) It would need to be the type of emergency where another hand would meaningfully increase the odds of a good result; and
g) It would need to be the type of emergency where five minutes before help arrives is OK but waiting for the buddy to surface and seek help would be too long.

The most obvious scenario that comes to my mind is a diver trapped or lost in an overhead environment (such as a wreck) while the buddy makes it out but has a decent deco obligation. And RJP has already laid out some much better alternatives for dealing with that and many other sorts of scenarios...