Sound ID

[dfx]

I have no idea where else to post this, so here goes...

On one particular dive during our recent trip to the Bahamas, we kept hearing a certain sound in somewhat irregular intervals, around 1-3 times per minute. At first I figured it had to be somebody's dive computer or maybe camera, but we weren't diving in a close group and the people that were in direct vicinity of us kept changing. Yet, we heard the sound pretty much throughout the entire dive.

Some days later, the guy from the dive staff mentioned that this area is used by the US Navy (?) for submarine operations and that sometimes you could hear them, so we figured, aha, it had to be a submarine. But trying to confirm that by looking up "real" submarine sounds online only yielded the familiar sonar "ping" sound, which sounds nothing like what we heard.

So, what is it?

[video=youtube;A0ZBDOr9jps]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ZBDOr9jps[/video]

 

[Doc]

Aliens. Definitely aliens. Near the Bermuda Triangle, right?

Check your butt. Been probed? Sure sign.

Yup.

 

[smellzlikefish]

I agree, aliens. Have you lost any time lately? Maybe woken up in strange places?

 

[herman]

It's most likely a piston reg squealing... the rate is a nice slow breathing rate.....or aliens.

 

[dfx]

Maybe one of these then...

[video=youtube;IPRPnQ-dUSo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPRPnQ-dUSo[/video]

 

[Phil_C]

It could be regulator noise but I think it is too regular for that - the other thought which occurred to me and is more likely is that it sounds like it could be a low battery or similar warning on a dive computer.

A couple of times I have heard similar sounds and when we have tracked it down someone has had a depth alarm or low air alarm set on a integrated dive computer and not realised. Underwater it is often hard to work out where it is coming from, and with some they don't stop until you acknowledge and cancel them - P

 

[miked]

I had the same thing happen last Summer: also in the Bahamas, crew also mentioned the USN sub activities, but the sound was different, more of a "double beep". The sound then did sound like a computer /depth alarm.

 

[Doc]

Or maybe it was a Whale, backing up in reverse maybe.

 

[Phil_C]

I had the same thing happen last Summer: also in the Bahamas, crew also mentioned the USN sub activities, but the sound was different, more of a "double beep". The sound then did sound like a computer /depth alarm.

My Suunto gives a repeated double beep as its alarm - will go off for air if integrated is set and reaches it reserve level, or a depth limit is set, or time, or if it is just generally having a bad day !

P

 

[t4e]

Or maybe it was a Whale, backing up in reverse maybe.

hmmm i think backing up in forward is more likely lol