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.