Signaling with helmet lights

[JamesK]

I agree the dive is over, I agree you are very very likely to be in front (if your buddy is OOA and you are on a backup light, you are still gonna be the one in the back).

anyway, the dive is over but during my potentially stressful exit, I still want to be able to signal and look at my buddy without blinding him. Bungees seem like a smart solution for team divers who would take the lights off the helmet and hold them in their hand. Zip ties seem a better solution for solo divers who are more likely to keep the lights on the helmet and need a solid anchor point that holds the light in the right direction.

In an OOA situation, you will be in touch contact.

Anyway, I am not trying to be argumentative, just putting out thoughts.

Using PVC works great for me. I cut it length, then cut about 1/4 of the PVC away length wise. I heat it in the oven and wrap it around the light. This gives me a nice clip in, clip out option. I have made sweeping motions with my head before to get a buddies attention. It works.


Good luck with your project!

 

[DevonDiver]

Zip ties seem a better solution for solo divers who are more likely to keep the lights on the helmet and need a solid anchor point that holds the light in the right direction.

Zip-tie + Eezycut is probably a quicker back-up light deployment than bungee. It's easy to replace zip-tie. I use bungee because I'm always swapping different lights in and out, depending on the dive (esp video).

Either way, bungee or zip-tie, I'd expect most divers to remove the back-up from the helmet in the instance of primary light failure.

 

[looka]

Thanks everybody, very useful.

 

[rjack321]

I've done dives with only my helmet lights (was a small cave and forgot my primary). No need to remove them in use. The dry cavers don't remove their headlamps in use - the concept that you remove helmet lights in use seems to be diver specific. Don't look directly at your buddy obviously, but in an actual sidemount cave why are you face to face anyway? No you can't signal "ok" worth crap. But again in actual sidemount cave you probably can't see such circle movements either. And there are various spurious light signals from the way you are contorting your hands and body to enter/exit. If you're OOA with a buddy then move your hand back to your hip and give them an OK sign, you're in front anyway and connected to them quite close with a 7ft hose. Your hand "ok-ing" them is only a foot or two in from of their face. If they can't see it they won't be seeing light signals either.

If the cave is large "diving" passage, then I don't use a helmet or helmet mounted lights.