Underwater slate

[Skittl1321]

Does anyone carry a slate underwater with them? I got really frustrated a number of times on our last trip because I wanted to communicate something to my buddy and wasn't able to with hand signals. But all the reviews I read of amazon is that they are hard to write on, and even harder to erase.

The DM we dove with carried a mini-magna doodle. Is that a better idea?

 

[tstormdiver]

I use underwater notebooks. Pro- you can write easily & packs away nicely in a pocket. Con- You can not reuse it very easily.

 

[iluvtheocean]

depends on if you're wearing gloves and the position you're in how hard it is to write. a magic eraser works fine for cleaning them off. i don't always carry mine but they come in handy sometimes.

 

[Skittl1321]

No gloves- this would be warm water, good visibility diving only.
Guess I will need to pack a magic eraser.

 

[lmorin]

I usually carry a slate, using it about once per trip. My wife and I communicate a lot under water using the American Sign Language alphabet to identify fish, etc. Sometimes, things demand greater explanation, or we are diving with folks who do not know the ASL alphabet. The slate I now use, because of the pencil quality and the way it is attached to the slate (it does not come loose easily), is an Aqua slate/pencil kit. Writing on them is simple and erasing can be done with any pencil eraser (and usually sand, if need be). The kit includes an eraser. I have also used a scouring soap like Bon Ami or Ajax to clean the slate.

 

[Keith.M]

I prefer the magna doodle when I carry one. That seems to be mostly with classes, but I carry it at other times as well. Especially if I am with someone I have not been diving with before.

 

[Skittl1321]

I usually carry a slate, using it about once per trip. My wife and I communicate a lot under water using the American Sign Language alphabet to identify fish, etc. Sometimes, things demand greater explanation, or we are diving with folks who do not know the ASL alphabet.

Thanks for the recommendation. My husband is fairly fluent in ASL, but I am not. I can sometimes finger spell to him, but that is tedious, and he often forgets and replies with actual words, and I don't know them. Plus for me to understand him back, he has to spell REALLY slowly...

Usually the stress over not being able to communicate is beyond fish ID, and more anxiety related.

I've joked about getting full face masks with communication systems, but besides cost - husband says he enjoys diving because I'm required to shut up for an hour Typical...

 

[Colliam7]

Does anyone carry a slate underwater with them? I got really frustrated a number of times on our last trip because I wanted to communicate something to my buddy and wasn't able to with hand signals. But all the reviews I read of amazon is that they are hard to write on, and even harder to erase.

I ALWAYS carry something to write on. Most of the time it is a notebook - WetNotes (RITCHIE NAVIGATION WetNotes | West Marine) or DivewRites (Dive Rite Dive wRites Underwater Notebook discounts on sale Dive Rite), or a Halcyon Diver's Notebook (Diver's Notebook w/ tables window 41.000.001 *Buy Halcyon at DIVESEEKERS.com 888-SCUBA-47). But, I usually carry a wrist slate (SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Wrist Slate) as well, and often during classes will carry a 8" x 10" slate (Trident 8´´ x 10´´ Instructor Slate SL04 with reviews at scuba.com), or possibly a smaller 4" x 6" slate (Trident Underwater Scuba Slate 4"x6" at Diver's Direct). Nothing at all hard to write on about any of these.

The DM we dove with carried a mini-magna doodle. Is that a better idea?

Not for me. But if you want to carry a big, bulky item, feel free to do so. In fairness, this kind of tool probably works for a DM, who may want to write multiple comments during each dive, such as 'See, there is a GREAT, BIG fish (although I don't know what it is).' But, when diving I can write what I need on a wrist slate. I can write what I need in a notebook. And, I can easily write what I need on a slate when I am teaching classes. The slates wipe clean very easily after each dive (Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is great). The notebooks have a lot of pages, and I can discard one when it is full.

 

[t4e]

we have a nice thick pencil and that makes it a lot easier to write on the slate

 

[diversteve]

I have one of these. It has 5 different writing surfaces (front/back) I've never used it so don't know how hard it is to clean. Trident Dlx Contour Multi Slate - Sport Chalet