How to Prepare Safety Equipments for Scuba Diving

Carrying a knife

Divers use knives as tools for getting out of trouble. In the days when divers wore brass helmets and lead boots, a large brass-handled knife strapped to the chest was essential. The knife was there in case the lifeline got snagged and the diver had to cut the line.

Today, diving in low visibility water on wrecks that are popular fishing sites is dangerous for a diver, as he or she may become snagged in the lines. This is particularly a risk with monofilament lines that are almost invisible underwater. In this case, a knife can save a life.

Small, sharp knives equipped with line cutters are the most useful. In fact, a simple line cutter can be better than a knife. Many divers now choose to include several smaller knives in various areas of their diving gear so that, if they need a knife, they can always reach for one.

Divers’ knives are not weapons and should never be used as such. In some countries, there are laws regarding the carrying of knives. Be sure to keep your knife with your diving kit and never carry it separately to avoid potential misunderstanding of its purpose.

Knives often have other functions provided by screwdriver ends, shackle keys and so on. For dealing with an entanglement in a fishing line, you may even be better off using scissors.

Strobes

Another item of safety equipment is a flashing underwater strobe. It runs for many hours on a small version of a deep cycle marine battery, yet emits a water-piercing white flash. It can mark your position to another diver in low visibility conditions or even to those on the surface during night-time diving. When you surface at night, a flashing strobe will allow the crew of the pick-up boat to find you easily. Of course, if you have been using a light underwater you can always use that instead.

Other ways of attracting attention

One of the biggest hazards for divers is getting lost on the surface after a dive is finished. The ocean is a very big place and waves can easily obscure the head of a diver, so you need to be able to mark where you are in the water clearly. One way to attract attention is to use a very loud whistle Powered by high-pressure air from your tank. Some sensible divers carry a flag on an extending pole. It easily rolls up and fits under an elastic strap alongside the tank. When the time comes to deploy it, the large flag can be clearly seen from even several miles over the wave tops.

Various colours are available and everyone has their own ideas, but students at Heriott-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, made a study of the subject and found that bright yellow proved to be the most visible colour for use at sea.