How can my buddy identify me?

[spectrum]

: colored tape on the snorkle is a great idea. As for the glow sticks, just regular glow sticks? They'll handle the pressure?

Good question. Yes I'm referring to the regular snap sticks for camping and other such fun.

They are cylindrical and nearly fluid filled. They are compliant enough to allow for the activation snapping so that would probably allow for the bubble compression deflection.

They are SOP for night dives, unless you have a tank light. They are prohibited in some resort regions for the ovbious litter / chemical risk. I've never heard of them failing at depth.

As others mentioned buddy recognition is an acquired skill. With a little more experience you may be diving in less than a mob and the confusion will lessen.

Pete

 

[devolution365]

Cool, thanks.

I don't know if it's that big of a problem, but if he thinks it'd help we might do that.
...and if we do, I'll call it a "newbie light". :frown3:

 

[Steele]

They are SOP for night dives, unless you have a tank light. They are prohibited in some resort regions for the ovbious litter / chemical risk. I've never heard of them failing at depth.

Someone told me they did a night dive with 2-3 different colored sticks and cut them open in a cavern with huge flow. They said it looked like Star Wars.
Dunno the environmental effects this would have, but aren't they non-toxic?

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I have multi colored hose wraps (right now they aren't on though). If you look at my avatar picture closely you can tell my hoses are not black, the one by my head is my inflator hose (pink) and there is a white hose and a blue hose behind me (drysuit inflator and pressure gauge). They aren't expensive, they would be easy to carry and if you just wrap a short section of hose (6") near your first stage and/or second stage they don't take long to install.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[roakey]

Use the paint pen to write...

'If you can read this', 'you're solo.'

This is an awsome idea! People uncomfortable or poorly trained in the water tend to follow others; it's reassuring to have someone in the center of your field of view (behind and above is most common).

What they don't realize is that they're in absolutely no position for their buddy to see if thay have a problem, or for the buddy to respond to a problem!

In other words, though they may be physchologically comforable, but thay are at the most risk in that position!

Roak

 

[RonFrank]

Mine are Bright Yellow, and that was for a reason. My 3mm is black as are my fins.

My Cuz says even if it's just a small thing, it's distinctive, and she was able to tell me from the other *all black* divers with just those.

If they made my fins in a neon yellow at the time I purchased them, I would have bought those...

 

[Doc]

Czyalume sticks are non-toxic (contrary to the complaints at AbuGrabbe Prison) just ask one of the dancers at your local "gentleman's club". Heck, we used to call them "strip bars" since the gals coming into the Black Magic Dive Shop to buy them for their acts were strippers from the place next to Great lakes Naval Training Center.

Suffice to say, the goo inside does not belong in the ocean. As a matter of fact, they will almost instantly corrode a stainless steel knife. (And the airlines get all nutty about the corrosive characteristics of Lithium Batteries- sheeesh- if they only knew!)

Post Haloween discount sales... GO GRAB UP ALL OF THE CZYALUME sticks.... or not. They are really of little value for diving unless you get the USGI 10 Minute units. Now with them, you can see something.

Best way to determine which frogman is your buddy? A 2' length of reinforced flagging tape... they make it with fiberglass strands. Put one on your fin strap, one on your... well use your imagination.

One of the gals was spotted the other day at Home Despot buying flagging tape.

Yowzah.

Really though, it does work.

 

[tedtim]

When I dive with my wife it is easy. My wife now has bright yellow on her fin straps and a set of lime green gloves. Somehow she has no trouble recognizing me.

 

[MSilvia]

If you invest in bright underwater lights, you can also use the light spot as a buddy indicator. If the diver in back keeps their light where the diver in front can see it, the lead diver knows the buddy is there and okay enough to maintain a steady light.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

While my fiance was doing his OW cert dives, I was his dive buddy (doing my "refresher"). We ended up swimming with me in the lead, and him following. Not long after leaving the platform, however, I looked back and he was gone. Long story short, the lesson learned was: We'll stick side-by-side whenever possible from now on. But one problem he said he had was identifying me underwater. My mask, snorkle, and fins are all black with no markings on them at all. I don't own any other equipment, so I have to rent it all. Is there anything I can do on future dives so he can see me in the water better? I've thought about marking my fins with paint (I think putting my name on them would be a good idea), but figure the paint would come right off after the first shore-entry dive/snorkle we do.

Any suggestions?

Here's how I do it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)