Safety Gear
Audio Alert
An audio alert device is an important tool both underwater and at the surface. Sound travels roughly four times faster underwater than in air, making a sharp click or bang highly effective at getting your buddy's or dive guide's attention. Options include a BCD-mounted audible alert that connects to the power inflator and emits a loud tone, a simple dive whistle (attach one to your BCD or snorkel vest for surface signalling), and a tank banger — a thick rubber band with a plastic ball attached that slips over your cylinder. Pull the ball and let it snap against the tank to produce a sharp knock that other divers can hear from a significant distance. A dive knife with a metal pommel can also be used to tap against your tank to signal underwater.
Surface Marker Buoys (SMB)
An SMB — also called a safety sausage — is a long, brightly coloured inflatable tube that you deploy at the end of your dive during ascent. It extends above the surface and marks your position for the dive boat, other watercraft, and anyone watching from shore. In areas with significant boat traffic, an SMB is not optional — it is a critical safety item. SMBs are inflated by blowing into the oral inflation valve or by directing a burst of air from your regulator second stage into the open base of the tube.
Dive Flags & Surface Floats
A dive flag attached to a surface float signals to boats and personal watercraft that divers are in the area. In many Canadian and US jurisdictions, flying a dive flag is legally required when scuba diving. The international diver-down flag (red with a white diagonal stripe) is standard in North America; the blue-and-white alpha flag is used internationally. Keep a reasonable distance from your flag during the dive.
Dive Reels
A compact finger reel is used to deploy and control your SMB during ascent, keeping the buoy at the surface while you complete your safety stop below. Reels are also used for wreck and cave penetration, line-laying, and navigation. SMB deployment takes practice — we recommend learning the technique with an instructor in a pool before your first open water dive with one.
Dive Slates
Communicating precisely underwater is difficult with hand signals alone. A dive slate (rigid waterproof writing surface) or wetnotes (a pad of waterproof paper) lets you write a dive plan, note depth and time limits, sketch a dive site map, or record species sightings. Wetnotes are particularly useful when you want to save pages from previous dives as a reference — the waterproof paper holds up indefinitely. Write your dive plan before entering the water so both you and your buddy are aligned on agreed depth, time, and turn pressure.