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Hi guys,
New to diving, just wanted to know if anyone uses a "scuba rattle" if so, are they worth spending a new crisp £20.00 note on? Do you anyone/anywhere to get one. What do you guys use? I know a couple people using them just wanted to know if they are worth money, or is their an alternative?

P.S I will be posting this on a few different forums, just to see if there is a variation from club to club.

Thanks for your time!
 
A lot of people use them and "over use" them. They are good if you NEED to get someones attention. Some people have tank bangers, others just use a clip and reach around and bang their tank. I have a dive alert that I use only if absolutely needed. They can be very annoying in the wrong hands.
 
I have have before but just found it wasn't worth the bother, if you'd like a "noise maker" you can drill a hole in a golf ball and put some bungee through it and it's an instant tank banger. Certainly less than 20 quid.
 
Hi guys,
New to diving, just wanted to know if anyone uses a "scuba rattle" if so, are they worth spending a new crisp £20.00 note on? Do you anyone/anywhere to get one. What do you guys use? I know a couple people using them just wanted to know if they are worth money, or is their an alternative?

P.S I will be posting this on a few different forums, just to see if there is a variation from club to club.

Thanks for your time!

A more important question might be why do you think you need one?

Personally I find them extremely annoying, in my experience many people tend to use them in place of good buddy awareness. I've been on diving trips, usually tropics, and the number of divers including DMs using them is very high, the noise is of all these tank bangers/rattles/underwater noise makers is enough to make me want to get out of the water, talk about noise pollution.

Ill give you 20 not to buy one:wink:
 
A more important question might be why do you think you need one?

Personally I find them extremely annoying, in my experience many people tend to use them in place of good buddy awareness. I've been on diving trips, usually tropics, and the number of divers including DMs using them is very high, the noise is of all these tank bangers/rattles/underwater noise makers is enough to make me want to get out of the water, talk about noise pollution.

Ill give you 20 not to buy one:wink:
Ok I won't buy one. I'll pm the address to send the 20 lol
 
I hate them too. I think they should be only used for something serious (an emergency) or completely unique (e.g., an extremely rare animal). They're very annoying, and people use them too much. I remember a couple of tropical dives where the DM would rattle it every few minutes.

It's mostly annoying because at first, you can't even tell from where the sound is coming.
 
I disagree completely with the negative perspective by several posters. Over-use is a real issue, sure, but these signalling devices are often very useful. To say they shouldn't be used is nuts. My wife and I each have an H2YO noisemaker from ReefNet. We are excellent buddies, but do not swim shoulder to shoulder, both of us always looking at the same items at the same time. Many times we are looking in opposite directions when one of us spots something of major interest and wants the other person's attention. The rattle is a good choice for that purpose. If you are annoyed by one of the underwater rattles when used by someone who is not your buddy, I would ask why you are swimming so close to that person? The rattle noise does not carry very far. I will say that there is one noise maker that I personally find exceedingly annoying, especially when over-used. That is the Dive Alert signalling device which generates an obnoxious sound that carries much further than the rattle noises.
 
Having something to make noise is not a bad idea but homemade ones can work as well or better than anything you'd buy. It's a good DIY project. The different types have their pros and cons. And, noisemakers should be used VERY sparingly if it's more than you and your buddy diving, or you will just tick everyone off (while probably not getting the attention of the person you actually wanted to.) Best reserved for a true emergency, or maybe when the manta swims by and everyone is looking the other direction - not for every fish that catches your eye.

Having something like a Dive Alert can be a good idea, save your money and put it towards something like that and other safety gear like a sausage.
 
I will say that there is one noise maker that I personally find exceedingly annoying, especially when over-used. That is the Dive Alert signalling device which generates an obnoxious sound that carries much further than the rattle noises.

The dive master that led our group in Cozumel last March quacked with his Dive Alert incessantly. Every video I took has his quacks in the background.

I use the old fashioned technique: make an almost fist with your left hand (like you're going to milk a cow) and whack the opening with your right hand. That smack sound travels pretty far and will get the attention of anyone near you.
 

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