How often do divers use underwater writing slate

[animian2002]

Hi

Just curious to noe how often do diver use underwater writing Slate??

U/S tt this is one of the thing one must have when taking AOW.
But to some , it is not necessary to buy ,just borrow from buddies who completed AOW cos don think will use tt often, to others it is better to "invest" on one cos who noe if sign signal underwater don work for ur newly found "buddy" at least there's a slate to help

so wat do u pple think leh ??

 

[SPEEDSTER]

Just curious to noe how often do diver use underwater writing Slate??

I always wear mine on dives, comes in handy more often than I thought, especially if you're with a new 'buddy'. But I mostly use it for personal notes, not just communication.

-Mike

 

[Spectre]

I tend to use my slate constantly. I record my starting and ending PSI [for my air consumption calculations]. I often have a picture of the wreck drawn on it, with a mark for where the anchor is, so that it's easy to point to our current location. [e.g. yesterday when my buddy called for us to turn, I pointed to the picture and signaled that we should continue around instead of heading back the way we came. On deeper dives, I record my planned times before I head down, "19 @ 110, 23 @ 100, 30 @ 90, 37 @ 80", so that if I end up spending most of my time on the deck of a wreck rather than down by the sand, I can adjust the plan accordingly [and tell by buddy by circling it].

 

[Dee]

Like funky, I record start and ending PSI, a quick sketch of the dive site and I can note the position of things as I find them as well as messaging my buddy.

 

[Dryglove]

I generally use mine for navigation purposes when i cant memorize my route or want to sketch out a diving location with directions.

If im just doing a simple dive with simple navigation needs i leave it on shore.

 

[TexasMike]

Personal notes about the dive (including start/end PSI and time), navigation notes, sketches, and questions/answers to buddy.

I'd encourage all divers to get a good slate and start recording different things about your dive. You never know when that habit will come in real useful.

 

[MSilvia]

I dive with (a buddy from the board) quite a bit though, and definately prefer him writing messages on the slate to him pulling out his second stage at 30fsw and trying to talk to me. It's easier that way. :shaking:

That I was somehow able to understand him is beside the point!

 

[Ontario Diver]

I bought one for AOW, but stopped carrying it because it was such a hassle. (in the way, didn't fit into the pocket nicely, etc)

Since then I bought the one that straps to your arm (DiveRite) and has 2 plates bungied to it (five writting surfaces) and it acts as a nice backup to hold my Computer as well (In case the strap breaks). The thing is curved so it fits nicely to my arm.

It is great! I write pressure in and turn pressure on the top, there is room for deco and bail out tables, two or three small sketches. Love the thing! And I can still write notes to buddy.

 

[SunshineFish]

I like to record what kind of fish and other marine life as well as non-life that I see. If I see a fish I don't know, I'll draw a sketch and then look it up during the surface interval. (Or point at my "WHAT'S THAT" written permanently on my slate to my buddy). I tried doing all this without a slate but since I seem to have a faulty short-term memory, I quickly forgot what I saw as soon as a new fishie swims by me.

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by Ontario Diver
I bought one for AOW, but stopped carrying it because it was such a hassle. (in the way, didn't fit into the pocket nicely, etc)

Since then I bought the one that straps to your arm (DiveRite) and has 2 plates bungied to it (five writting surfaces) and it acts as a nice backup to hold my Computer as well (In case the strap breaks). The thing is curved so it fits nicely to my arm.

It is great! I write pressure in and turn pressure on the top, there is room for deco and bail out tables, two or three small sketches. Love the thing! And I can still write notes to buddy.

OD...I have the same arm slate. I didn't like the way those bungee cords felt so I took a Dremel tool and made a slot between the holes for the bungee, then replaced all the bungee cords with a 3" wide strap of elastic with velcro. Perfect fit now! and it doesn't move at all.

I also keep one of Dive Rite's Executive slates in my pocket. It's small, has 5 pages, and one of the best mechanical pencils I've ever used underwater!