Do you have rhythm with that shake?

[Doc]

Why would you need a noise maker? What would be the benefit?

It is a perceived benefit, thereby it becomes a perceived need to have this new gear.

Our eyes open wide when we first see a Squirrel Fish or a Sea Cucumber. We tremble when we are first shown a Banded Coal Shrimp (one of those candy cane critters).

We associate this eye candy with our DiveMaster's noisemaker. At this point, Pavlov kicks in.

In our own feeble minds, we associate a couple of things with this audio stimuli:

a) If I shake the rattle, that means I will find cool stuff.
b) If I see cool stuff, I get to shake the rattle.
c) Whatever I find, everyone will want to see, because it must be cool stuff.
d) Chicks dig divemasters.
e) DiveMasters have rattles.
f) If I have a rattle, chicks will dig me.

If you really want to annoy people...

1) Shake the rattle but do not point at what you are gawking at.
2) Rattle when you find any Lobster.
3) If your DM uses a "quacker", eat bean burritos for lunch

Most of the folks I dive with will turn if I tap my face plate with my flashlight. Most DM's use the tap-tap on the tank of their reef skewers. My SO will not turn around even if I did pull the pin on a grenade. Everybody is different.

 

[johnnyseko]

:lol: :lol::lol:

Noisemakers are annoying and useless. If you get seperated from your buddy and start using a noisemaker, he/she will never be able to tell where the noise is coming from anyway. Which is another reason they are so annoying.....I've got to turn 360degrees to try and figure where that noise came from, by that time joe-vacation-diver has already stowed it away....VERY annoying.

 

[MSilvia]

As Johnnyseko said, it's nearly impossible for a person to tell what direction most sounds are coming from underwater. Given that, I fail to see how a noisemaker would do any good in low vis. I can imagine the following thought process:

Oh crap, I lost my buddy. Oh, I can hear his shaker. Too bad I don't have a clue where he is, or I'd see what he wanted. I guess I'll take a quick look for him and then meet him at the surface.

It seems cheaper and easier to me to avoid the extra step.

Oh crap, I lost my buddy. I guess I'll take a quick look for him and then meet him at the surface.

In any case, if the vis is that bad, touch contact is a good idea. If it isn't that bad, a good light and situational awareness will maintain contact much more easily than a rattle.

I just reach over and punch my buddy in the thigh - That gets his attention:whack:

It's not exactly what I meant by touch contact, but I sometimes do that too, or grab a fin tip if they're starting to swim off.