Valued Customers
George “Sir Floats-a-Lot” Labahn
Of all the safety equipment we as divers use, the DiveAlert showed itself to be one of the most important August 22nd and 23rd 1997.
Surfacing at 2:00 PM from a dive that started in 10-15 knot winds and 3-5 foot seas, I found myself in 30-35 knot winds and rapidly building 8-foot seas. It took about 30 seconds to see the boat that had, just moments before circling above me. I continued to beep the DiveAlert in the position I had seen the boat. I inflated my BC and put my lift bag on the end of a six foot pole spear to use as a signal flag. After about 30 minutes of this I dropped my weight belt and turned off my tank to conserve the 200 pounds of air I had left until I could use it to signal a passing boat. 24 hours later the passing boat I used to signal was the USS Eisenhower! Underway at 25 knots, sailor Airman Williams on the flight deck heard me, turned and saw me just 50 feet off the port side blasting my DiveAlert and waving my makeshift flag.
I was rescued by the US Coast Guard, the US navy and the US Air Force who had been searching for m since my dive buddy Pete had called the Coast Guard. He told them of the wind speed and surface current and that he was sure I was on the surface because he had heard the blasts from the DiveAlert.
I have had a DiveAlert attached to my BC since first hearing one in the Dive shop in 1991. Anybody that dives with me uses one too.
It moves diving safety forward by making the diver “audibly visible” even when conditions prevent you from actually seeing them. The DiveAlert is one piece of gear NO-ONE should get into the water without.
Northwest Dive News - March 1998
I started in 1992 and in September of 1997 attended a NAUI - ITC and became a NAUI instructor. I carry a scuba sausage and a whistle on my BCD and have never given surface signal much thought beyond that.
In May of 1997 my wife and I got on board of a West Coast live-a-board and one of the safety features offered was a DiveAlert. My wife and I almost did not take one, however, there were enough for everyone and we decided, what the heck, it’s there, let’s try it. So we took one.
We were at a site called Race Rocks off of the south tip of Vancouver Island. An advanced site, I have dived there three or four time before and know it as one of the premiere sites on the West Coast. The wind was blowing at thirty plus knots and there were six foot seas. The surface conditions were not ideal but they were well within both my wife’s and my experience and abilities, so we eagerly entered the water.
I had just started my descent when I felt the most powerful kick I had ever experienced by a diver hitting my left arm. In an instant I realized it was no kick but instead the boat prop. I kicked my way to the surface and started to wave my right arm and shout at the boat. They were upwind and with the wind, waves and boat motor, no one heard or saw me.
Inflating my scuba sausage was impractical and the whistle got no response. I have never used a DiveAlert before and in the pain and urgency of the moment I forgot that I had one. However, after fifteen or thirty seconds I realized I was not going to get anyone’s attention on the boat and reached to inflate my BCD. As I did so, I found the DiveAlert sitting there just waiting on my power inflator and started to blast away.
Instantly I had everyone’s attention. The boat came by and I got on board and first aid was started. I ended up making a trip to the hospital emergency for stitches and my dry suit went to the manufacturer for stitches as well.
I want to thank DiveAlert for their product. In a situation where seconds could have made all the difference in the world it would have given me those seconds.
Dive Coordinator
DiveAlert is the most effective and convenient surface signaling device available. In 2004 a scuba diver in Southern California floated, lost at sea, for five hours because he was unsuccessful in getting the attention of his dive boat with his whistle. This is the exact scenario for why the DiveAlert was invented.
Divers must always make calculated decisions on whether to dive based on topside conditions. On placid seas, the choice is easy, but things can go wrong even in ideal conditions. Down below, the dive may become physically and mentally challenging. Divers can loose track of the up-line or be swept away from a site by currents not evident above. Should this occur in less than ideal seas, a diver could easily face a dilemma in returning safely to the boat. DiveAlert was invented for such an incident.
The Southern California diver was spotted and safely rescued by an alert Boy Scout aboard the sailing ship Argus. The story is a buzz throughout California. Scuba Divers, for awhile, will have a heightened awareness regarding surface signaling when adrift at sea. This is an especially good time to consider the DiveAlert as an enhancement to a diver’s safety.
The Seattle Follow Up Article
Terry
On Saturday July 11 I was diving Barracuda reef in Cozumel. The only other diver with me was the dive master from a local dive operation. The current that morning was in excess of 3 knots. Our depth averaged around 90 feet. After surfacing from the 55 min dive we found that the boat was not there. As we continued to be swept further to the north I realized we would be here for awhile. I inflated my sausage and used it for water wings. I put the snorkel I carry in my bc in my mouth to save my remaining air. After the second hour of floating I began to notice the mast of a sail boat far off in the northern direction. It was difficult to see because the swell was picking up and the waves from the chop prevented me from looking in that direction for very long.
About 45 minutes later I realized the boat was definitely traveling in our direction. As it approached within 400 feet of us I realized they did not see us. The dive master was whistling and waving his arms frantically but the crew still did not see us. I raised my DiveAlert, plugged my ear and gave a blast. I watched their heads turn and look in our direction and the front sail being retracted. After a few minutes we were on the boat. If it weren’t for the DiveAlert we would have had to spend even more time being swept away. The dive shop said he was 15 minutes from alerting the harbor and they would have had to launch the helicopter.
FYI: I was certified in 1976 and have carried the DiveAlert with me on hundreds of dives. I saw it advertised in the DAN magazine and purchased it immediately. Thanks for having such a great product.
Don’t go diving without it!
Terry
Deanna - Marion IL
Recently we purchased the Dive Alert Plus signaling devices to take on a 1 week dive excursion on the Kona Aggressor Yacht (live aboard) in Kona Hawaii – 14 of our buddies from our local dive shop set out for a day of diving at the Amphitheatre Lava Tube cave sight…during the dive, I was sucked up through a skylight in the lava tube and sent soaring through 30 feet of surging ocean water where the force of the suction caused me to lose my mask and fin, and pulled my regulator out of my mouth…once reaching the surface, I quickly inflated my BC, found my regulator and went straight for my new Diver Alert Plus – The Kona Aggressor was approximately 200 yards away from me.
I was near the cliffs where the surf was loud and strong and I was signaling my device non-stop so that hopefully someone on the boat would hear me. The captain and crew of the boat heard me from inside the wheel house and located me because of the Dive Alert Plus! My dive buddy and another diver friend surfaced about the same time and saw me nearby. The crew quickly lowered the dingy and rescued me. We have been diving for several years and had never had such a device – now I am recommending to everyone I know who dives not to go into the water without one!
Thanks so much,
Deanna Galloway – Marion IL
Dive Professionals
