Dive Alert on BC inflator hose

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rjdiver

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Liberty Township, OH
I was talking to a diver yesterday about using a Dive Alert on my PC. I don't have one, which is why I was asking. He stated that he would NEVER put a Dive Alert on his BC, due to malfunctions (not being able to inflate his BC, the Alert going off, ...).

Any feedback?=-)
 
I tend to use mine whenever I dive off a boat or at a site where currents might be present. Have not had a problem yet. Just be sure to rinse it in fresh water after diving with it, and have it periodically serviced, just like any other piece of mechanical dive gear. DiveAlerts do have o-rings that need to be periodically replaced, if I'm not mistaken.

As for it preventing your BC from working.. I don't have one in front of me to check, but my impression was that the air path is not blocked by the DiveAlert mechanism. It simply splices into the air path from hose to BC. If the device malfunctions and starts freeflowing for some reason, the BC hose can be disconnected fairly quickly to prevent air loss, even underwater.

-Roman.
 
I've never seen one fail. And even if it did, it wouldn't take more than a few seconds to disconnect your inflator hose, remove it, and put the inflator hose back on.

As the previous poster stated, I believe it's designed in such a way that the worst-case failure would be a free-flow ... so in the time it takes to fix the problem you're not going to lose all that much air.

If you do a lot of boat diving, or if you dive in choppy conditions or current a lot where finding a surface diver might be a problem, I think the advantages far outweigh the potential for failure.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
my DM in Belize had one he used to call the boat. He dives two or three times a day five days a week and it seemed to be working fine. It is loud as hell too, every time he was gonna blow it he'd ask everyone to cover their ears, I didn't:wacko: .
 
rjdiver once bubbled...
I was talking to a diver yesterday about using a Dive Alert on my PC. I don't have one, which is why I was asking. He stated that he would NEVER put a Dive Alert on his BC, due to malfunctions (not being able to inflate his BC, the Alert going off, ...).

Any feedback?=-)
1. The Diver Alert quick disconnect is much better than on most LPI hoses. Easy to disconnect, even with heavy gloves. Try it, and you might be out looking to buy a better LPI hose with a decent quick disconnect.

2. If there were a failure of some sort, just disconnect it.
I haven't gutted one and looked inside, but I don't think there is any failure mode that can result in a massive air loss.

3. If you ever NEED the Dive Alert, it may very well save your life. It is much, much easier for you to see the boat than it is for the boat crew to see you, even with lift bags and sausages. A blast on the Dive Alert will get them looking in your direction.

I carry mine inside the BC pocket on about half my dives. On the sloppier, windier days and on dives with lots of current I'll put it on the inflator.

I've only had to use it once. It was in Cozumel, with Scuba Du. After a couple days of ending dives after 45 minutes with 1000+ psi, one of the DMs motioned back towards the wall. We left the other 8 divers with the lead DM and the trail DM and I headed back to the wall for another 15 minutes or so of drift. The boat was a about 1/3 mile away when we came up and waving fins, waving a signal tube, etc couldn't get their attention, even after a couple of minutes. Not a life threatening situation since we were only a couple hundred yards offshore, but irritating to watch the boat go back and forth looking for us 1/3 mile upcurrent. Just a 2 second blast of the Dive Alert(with our heads underwater) immediately got their attention. The other divers told me that even at that distance it was a really penetrating screech that was easily heard over the engine noise.
 
Has anyone tried on "under" the surface? Does it make a sound or just blow lots of bubles? I know there are some that are designed for underwater use like the sub duck, but if the DA will work to get divers attn too, that would be great
 
It sort of works. Underwater it generates a low-level sound that can be heard. It's not very loud, but it can definitely be noticed. It helps if you fire it off in patterned bursts (i.e. 3 quick shots). If you and your buddy agree on the signal in advance, it may be sufficient to get his/her attention. Also, just like on the surface, do not fire it off next to your head, even underwater. While not loud, the vibrations it generates in the water can be definitely be felt in your ears when fired off close to your head.

-Roman.
 
norcaldiver once bubbled...
Has anyone tried on "under" the surface? Does it make a sound or just blow lots of bubles? I know there are some that are designed for underwater use like the sub duck, but if the DA will work to get divers attn too, that would be great
Older version of the Dive Alert would be damaged by use underwater. A few (5?) years ago Ideations added some little tabs to prevent the damage and Dive Alerts made since then can be safely used underwater.

I find that yelling into my reg is more effective.

Another little tip: to blow the water out of your Dive Alert after rinsing, partially block the horn section with your finger, then press the button. If done right, your finger will disrupt the airflow or something, and you can blast out the water without getting that incredibly loud screech.
 
ianr33 once bubbled...
Have had one on my BC for a couple of years. Never used it in anger,never had any problem with it.

Is this the new trend. Some diver kicks up silt and you lay on your horn.ROFL. Whats next swim by spearings?LOL:D
 

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