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3 Types of Underwater Communication for SCUBA Divers

3 Types of Underwater Communication for SCUBA Divers

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on September 25, 2014

When underwater, communication can often mean the difference between a successful dive and serious danger. Divers who find themselves with empty air tanks or malfunctioning equipment need to be able to tell their buddies that they require assistance. Without the ability to speak properly during a dive, alternative means of underwater communication is an absolute must. Fortunately, there are several ways to achieve this, of which three will be addressed here.

Transceiver

underwater communication
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The first is a transceiver. This is a wireless device that allows divers to communicate verbally, though speech won’t always be clear because of the nose plugs and regulators in the way. Some older systems are full face masks, while newer devices are much smaller and attach to the diver’s head via straps. These are a good first line of defense when it comes to underwater communication, but what happens if a device fails or gets lost?

Dive Slate

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That’s where dive slates come in. A typical dive slate is a piece of plastic, akin to a whiteboard, with a wax pencil attached. These can be large enough to write full sentences on, or small enough to clip to a wrist. There are also magnetic variants, and even “dive notebooks” consisting of multiple sheets of thin plastic. Dive slates are important pieces of equipment to have, but what happens if they are lost or unable to be easily read underwater?

Hand Signals

underwater communication
via flickr/quinet

Divers have one last option to “talk” to each other, and in fact, it is the most commonly used form of underwater communication: hand signals. There are an agreed-upon set of diving signs that can be used to quickly and easily communicate information in an emergency, and don’t require anything but the diver’s hands. These are limited by visibility, but even a novice diver should know how to signal to those around them that they require help and should be able to understand what other members of their diving group are signalling to them.

The oceans offer an amazingly varied and beautiful world to explore, but it isn’t without danger. Every SCUBA diver should have some type of underwater communication to fall back on in the event that they or someone else around them may be experiencing trouble.

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro