'Must have' safety items?

[divad]

.

Anyway what's the point of carrying an SMB without a reel?

Making yourself more obvious on the surface, without becoming entangled in your own string because you've never used a reel.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

A checklist and a good dive briefing. DAN studies support written checklists reduce problems over dives conducted without a checklist or using a memorized checklist. A good dive briefing should include DSMB/SMB etiquette of exactly how the crew prefers you mark your position and how to signal that you are having an emergency. An elderly couple surfaced far from the boat on a drift dive a buddy of mine was on. The husband was having a heart attack. The wife continuously waved the marker buoy signaling for "Help!" The crew ignored it. My friend, Chris, suggested they might be in trouble and the crew should go pick them up. The crew said that most tourists just wave their markers because they are afraid of not being seen. The boat picked up all other divers before finally motoring over to the couple. Chris, who was a member of a volunteer public safety dive team, performed CPR the entire way to the dock where they were met by EMS. The man didn't survive. Had the crew specifically reminded divers about how to act once they deployed markers during every briefing, they would not have become accustomed to divers waving false distress signals and they would have taken the woman's frantic waving seriously. They should have anyway. Always ask questions if you aren't clear about any procedure that might impact safety. Being proactive about your safety might wake up the inner lifeguards in your divemasters and boat crew.

 

[caruso]

Making yourself more obvious on the surface, without becoming entangled in your own string because you've never used a reel.

Then why not just get an inflatable safety sausage rather than an SMB?

 

[divad]

Then why not just get an inflatable safety sausage rather than an SMB?

Then why don't catfish have kittens?

 

[Dan]

I posted here the safety devices I bring on every dives: Best signaling devices from the searcher’s point of view - update

 

[BalekFekete]

Thanks for all those who took the time to reply - very informative and helpful! So far I've ordered up a set of whistles and EEZYCUT Trilobytes for the two of us.

Quick (and albeit largely rhetorical) question with regards to the DSMB - it's wise for us each to carry one eh? To get one of quality they're a bit pricey so I'm toying with holding off on those for this upcoming trip given that I'm pretty confident we'll be well supervised (both as a cruise trip sponsored dive as well due to the fact I'll make our captain/DM very aware that we're new divers). Or...am I making a mistake...?

Let me know - I won't take offense.

 

[seeker242]

Thanks for all those who took the time to reply - very informative and helpful! So far I've ordered up a set of whistles and EEZYCUT Trilobytes for the two of us.

Quick (and albeit largely rhetorical) question with regards to the DSMB - it's wise for us each to carry one eh? To get one of quality they're a bit pricey so I'm toying with holding off on those for this upcoming trip given that I'm pretty confident we'll be well supervised (both as a cruise trip sponsored dive as well due to the fact I'll make our captain/DM very aware that we're new divers). Or...am I making a mistake...?

Let me know - I won't take offense.

It's always wise to have one but as far as "must have", I would say it depends on the dive sites. If it's a place known for current, I would have some kind of surface marker, even if it's just a cheap $20 sausage. St Martin is not known to be such a place but I don't know about Bermuda.

 

[divad]

Ideally you would each have the same stuff, for redundancy, and because some married people have a tendency to drift apart eventually. I mean, not that you guys would, but you never know.....

 

[divad]

I would have some kind of surface marker, even if it's just a cheap $20 sausage..

Those are easier and less painful to replace.

 

[PfcAJ]

SMB, knife, light, whistle.