Hi SD fans, and welcome back.
No one will have missed the tragic case of the four divers who went adrift in Malaysia recently,
and the teenager who sadly didn’t make it. I am not going to comment on that particular incident,
but it seemed timely to focus on what we as divers can do to make ourselves
easier to locate if we do find ourselves floating on the surface with no surface support in sight.
This month’s videos are sponsored by Seiko, who have been producing quality dive watches
since 1965, and many of their innovations can still be seen today in other brands.
No diver wants to find themselves alone, or even with their buddy or a group of divers, drifting
out on the ocean with no dive boat in sight. Thankfully, it is an occurrence which doesn’t
happen too often, but as the Malaysia incident illustrated, it is something which can occur,
and have tragic consequences. Now we as divers can do our bit to try and ensure
this doesn’t happen to us. First and foremost, we need to do all we can to not lose contact
with our dive boat and its crew so that we don’t end up adrift in the first place. Obviously we are
underwater and they are on the surface, but if we find ourselves away from where the dive plan said,
there are ways to alert your dive boat crew to your predicament.
That is where a DSMB comes in handy. I have talked about DSMBs several times in the past,
and I always have one with me whenever I go diving in the sea. The only time I
don’t dive with one is if I am going into a local quarry. DSMBs, or delayed surface marker buoys,
to give them their full name, are a tube of varying length that can be inflated at depth
from your octopus or by blowing into it (either manually or using an attached compressed air
cylinder), and then sent to the surface to mark your position for your boat crew. Often you fire
them up from your safety stop, and many people only have six metres or so of line on their spool,
or even just a six metre length of webbing for this very purpose. However, if the proverbial hits
the fan when you are at depth – say you are on a wall at 40m, go into the blue to get that epic
shark shot, and then lose the wall, or get caught in a current that sweeps you away into the blue?
Well, by the time you get to your safety stop depth and can launch your DSMB, you could be
hundreds of metres away from your boat. I have a compact spool that has 45m of line on it. This
means I can fire up my DSMB from my max dive depth if necessary, and then at least I am giving my
boat crew a fighting chance of seeing it as I am heading away over the horizon. I know of countless
times when a diver’s DSMB was the difference between them being found, and not being located,
so always take a DSMB and spool with you on a sea dive. One thing – make sure you know how to launch
one. There is no point having a DSMB if you cannot safely and efficiently launch it to the surface.
This is something that can be practiced in your local inland site, or in the shallows in the sea,
and it is not a difficult skill to master. But it is better to have nailed the technique before you
have to fire one up in anger. I remember being on a liveaboard where they asked everyone to
send up a DSMB at the end of the check-dive, and when they asked if everyone knew how to do it,
all nodded their heads. It became blatantly obvious at the end of the dive that many had never
even handled a DSMB before, and there were plenty of rapid ascents as they completely messed up
the deployment. So don’t be like them – practice, practice, practice.
So a DSMB can highlight where you are while you are still
underwater by putting a visual reference on the surface, but what about if the boat crew
don’t spot the DSMB and you find yourself on the surface with no dive boat in sight?
Now you need to make yourself as visible as possible for your searching dive boat, or any
other vessel, aircraft, etc, that is looking for you. Keep your DSMB inflated and aloft, as even
a relatively small one of five or six feet long is still far more visible from a distance than
your bobbing head. This is where a sealed DSMB, rather than a basic open tube, is far superior,
as it will retain its shape for far longer. Along with a DSMB and spool, another essential
I carry with me is a small torch. If it is getting towards dusk, you can use the torch to mark your
position. If your DSMB has an opening at the bottom, you can even insert your torch and light
up the entire tube. You can also get emergency strobes that emit a very bright flashing light.
These can be attached to the top of your DSMB as well, to make them even more visible.
Other handy devices to carry with you are a signalling mirror,
or as these can be a bit fragile, many people – including myself – now opt for an old CD or DVD.
The shiny underside of these is perfect for catching the light and flashing your position
towards any searching vessel or aircraft. Obviously, you need sunshine for this to work,
but it takes nothing to pop a disc into your pocket and it may just be what you need.
Many BCDs come with a whistle attached, but if not, then it is worth adding one to your
arsenal. They are only small, but if you get the right type, they can be extremely loud – far
louder and easier to hear than your voice. If you want to go one step further,
you can get a noise-making device that sits between the power inflator and the
low-pressure hose. These can make an incredibly loud noise that will travel a great distance.
You can also invest in waterproof flares, which can either emit clouds of dense smoke to mark
your position during the day, or bright red or white handheld flames for at night.
Flares are banned by airlines, so these aren’t an option for travelling divers,
but if you are diving in your own country, then they are an option.
Remember that a group of people are easier to spot than individuals,
so if you do find yourself adrift in a group, don’t assume you will all float along together.
It is all too easy to become separated. Use the line from your spool to fasten everyone together.
You can also get emergency bracelets made from braided paracord,
which when opened give you some 25ft of cord to use to keep your group together.
All of the above options are relatively inexpensive and could either result in you
not being lost from your dive boat crew in the first place,
or located soon after, but if you really want to play safe, then break out your wallet and invest
in an EPIRB, or emergency position indication radio beacon. EPIRBs when activated transmit
a distress signal that ships and planes in the vicinity can pick up, and they can guide search
crews to within a few metres of your location. Now I am not suggesting that you necessarily take
all of the above on every single ocean dive you do, but I’d recommend that you have a DSMB and
spool, a small torch and a whistle as the absolute bare minimum. I always say it is
better to have emergency locating equipment with you and not need it, than be in a dicey situation
and wish you had that gear with you. It is always better to air on the side of caution. As we sadly
know from recent events, it can literally mean the difference between life and death.
What are your go-to safety essentials? What do you take on every ocean dive? Leave your comments
below, and if you have query, fire away – if we can’t answer, someone in our growing community
might be able to help you out. Remember, if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel,
ring that notification bell so you know when we put up a new video,
and don’t forget you can grab a free digital magazine subscription in the description below.
As always, stay safe – and if you are going diving, enjoy!