Dive alert on rented gear?

[divinh]

Needs to be done before breaking down the gear. Harder with rental if they are doing it for you, but just ask them to attach to an LP hose and blow it out.

Got it. Blow it out with LP hose on breakdown and just rinse the outside gently to avoid reintroducing water into it.

 

[RyanT]

Just get a good DSMB instead and learn to be proficient at shooting it from depth.

 

[divinh]

Just get a good DSMB instead and learn to be proficient at shooting it from depth.

In the liveaboard situation I was in, the guide already shot up the DSMB and we were on the surface. The problem was that we were in the wrong place and surfaced sooner than planned. The dive plan called for rounding a corner, into a bay, before surfacing. We encountered strong current at the corner, which quickly used up air, thus the earlier than planned surfacing. The guide waved the DSMB at the tenders, which we could see, but they obviously weren't looking for us yet. We tried whistles and DiveAlert. No luck. We tried my Nautilus Lifeline, which I hadn't charged fully, so the Chat function was disabled. In the end, we just had to wait until the tenders finally got off their break and start looking for us. We were the first dive group and pretty quickly, the other two dive groups surfaced around us. They encountered the same strong current, even some down current.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Hi folks-

I can't quite swing the price of a new regulator or bc yet, but I'd love to get a DiveAlert.

Is this just foolish newbie talk? The db1 says it fits "all standard inflators" but is it kosher to put it on rental gear?

I think thats a safety item and something you should buy after a mirror and after a regular whistle and after a DSMB or SMB.

If you are really worried about floating off to sea get a PLB and A nautilus MRG

 

[Fastmarc]

It should work on most inflators.

I've had one for years and it's still working and looking great. I just simply rinse it with the rest of my gear when I get home. I've never purposefully blown it out with tank air when rinsing, so in my opinion I do not think that is necessary to keep it in good working order.
It has come in useful a few times.

 

[Snoweman]

We tried my Nautilus Lifeline, which I hadn't charged fully, so the Chat function was disabled.

I hadn't charged my Nautilus in a while, and didn't think about it because the thing has held a charge forever. It wasn't until I was done diving that I realized it was completely dead. Now, that's part of my pre-pre-dive checklist.

 

[noj3333]

In the liveaboard situation I was in, the guide already shot up the DSMB and we were on the surface. The problem was that we were in the wrong place and surfaced sooner than planned. The dive plan called for rounding a corner, into a bay, before surfacing. We encountered strong current at the corner, which quickly used up air, thus the earlier than planned surfacing. The guide waved the DSMB at the tenders, which we could see, but they obviously weren't looking for us yet. We tried whistles and DiveAlert. No luck. We tried my Nautilus Lifeline, which I hadn't charged fully, so the Chat function was disabled. In the end, we just had to wait until the tenders finally got off their break and start looking for us. We were the first dive group and pretty quickly, the other two dive groups surfaced around us. They encountered the same strong current, even some down current.

Good thing there wasn't an emergency in the water...

 

[Colliam7]

I can't quite swing the price of a new regulator or bc yet, but I'd love to get a DiveAlert. Is this just foolish newbie talk?

Not at all. The excitement of being a new diver understandably manifests itself in an absolute fascination with the gear. .

But, your post naturally does raise the question - why would a DiveAlert be so high on your list of dive items to purchase? If you want a surface signaling device for boat dives, a safety sausage would probably be a better investment, than the $80+ you would spend on a DiveAlert. FWIW, I bought a DiveAlert early in my diving 'career'. It was used maybe two times, and since then it has been sitting in a box of 'no longer used' dive equipment that I really wish I had not purchased. In fact, I only pull it out when I teach an Equipment class, and tell the students that very thing - it is a piece of gear that I wish I had not wasted money on.

On the other hand, if you are thinking of a DiveAlert as a personal defense weapon against marine life (i.e. the question in your other thread - HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION: Horn vs Shark), you won't find it to be a particularly useful purchase.

The db1 says it fits "all standard inflators" but is it kosher to put it on rental gear?

It will fit all 'standard' low pressure inflator nipples and hoses. It is fine to put it on rental gear. If you are concerned about failing to remember to take it off after a dive, write that down on a checklist. Usually, when you turn rental gear back in, you have already disassembled it, so when you disconnect the LP inflator hose, that should be a good 'signal', to remove the DiveAlert.

What's a DiveAlert?

DiveAlert by Ideations

 

[Akcharger]

Huh!! What will they think of next!! Thanks guys

 

[M DeM]

I think thats a safety item and something you should buy after a mirror and after a regular whistle and after a DSMB or SMB.

If you are really worried about floating off to sea get a PLB and A nautilus MRG

I've got all those things but... hey, why not tack on a horn too?