Safety Equipment
The movie "Open Water" briefly sparked concerns within the diving industry about mislaid divers and, somewhat selfishly, the negative effect the film might have on profits! See our article on lost divers.

In truth getting separated from your boat is a real risk, just as having a light failure on a night dive or an air failure inside a wreck is. Careful planning and equipping yourself properly for boat diving is your best defence---just as carrying a back up torch and redundant air supply protects you at night and in wrecks.

Mavericks carries a wide range of surface location aids to help make you visible and audible to your boat crew. These break down into buoys you tow during your dive, devices that are deployed once you return to the surface and equipment designed to be sent up from the bottom before you begin your ascent to give an early warning that you are on your way up. Strobes, chemical lights, flags, air horns, whistles and mirrors can all be used once on the surface to attract attention.

When considering the type of aids you'll use, think about the dives you make and the conditions you dive in. If your dives take place in current or involve decompression stops a delayed surface marker buoy is likely to be your best investment. This will alert your crew you are surfacing and give them something to track while you are drifting.

If you make no stop dives in little or no current, drifting isn't likely to be a major issue. A safety aid is more likely to be used because you strayed a little farther from the boat than intended. Carrying a safety tube or flag will help make sure you are seen and picked up promptly.

Visual Location Aids
Technisub Round Surface Marker Buoy
Technisub surface marker buoys are designed to be towed by a diver or snorkeller throughout the dive and provide a continous indication of their position to their own shore or boat cover and to other water users.

This is the classic round design that supports a dive flag to warn other craft operators to keep a safe distance.

Aqua Lung Torpedo Surface Marker Buoy
 Aqua Lung surface marker buoys are designed to be towed by a diver or snorkeller throughout the dive and provide a continous indication of their position to their own shore or boat cover and to other water users.

This is a streamlined marker buoy complete with divers down flag. Equipped with eyelets for attaching equipment such as spearfishing accessories or cameras.

Trident Safety Float
 Large float that features a central area for storing diving accessories or game. Rope grab handles included. Complete with international diver down flag: flag Alpha.
Bowstone Safety Flag
Dive flags are designed to be used at the surface. They are considered to be more visible to many dive pros than rescue tubes. Bowstone flags have scored highest in visibility tests carried out for the H.S.E. The flag measures a half metre by a half metre with the staff extending to 1.8 metres to provide plenty of height which is the key to being seen. The flag pole collapses into three sections and folds into the flag. This reduces its length to just under 70 centimetres. It then stows beside your tank until needed. The flag is lightweight making it easy to travel abroad with.

The Bowstone Safety Flag is available in fluorescent orange or fluorescent yellow.

Bowstone Fluorescent Overhood
The fluorescent overhood is a great way to ensure you are easily seen at the surface and, being DayGlo, also makes you highly visible under the water.

Made by Bowstone. One size fits all.

Aqua Lung Deco Stop Delayed Surface Marker Buoy
 The Aqua Lung deco stop surface marker buoy is designed to be sent up from depth. Measuring 120 cm in length, when fully inflated it sits high in the water and provides around 10 kg of lift.

The buoy is open ended and slightly weighted to help prevent it capsizing when it reaches the surface. A storage pouch is included. Aqua Lung also provide 12 m of line. This can easily be replaced with a reel with a longer line if your prefer.

Bowstone Self-Sealing Delayed Surface Marker Buoy
 Bowstone's self-sealing delayed surface marker buoy is designed to be sent up from depth. The risk of the safety tube reaching the surface and capsizing, which would dump the air (as can happen with open ended designs) is eliminated. The self-sealing design means that as the air inside the tube expands on its run to the surface, the opening at the base closes. It's an extremely dependable design and reassuring for the diver below to know he or she can rely upon it.

To ensure the air inside the tube cannot overexpand and damage the marker buoy, Bowstone have fitted an automatic dump valve. This is also used to deflate the tube after use.

Measuring 135x25 cm, the Bowstone self-sealing marker buoy is available in DayGlo yellow or orange. An eyelet at the top accepts a safety light. The tube conveniently rolls up for storage and is secured by an easy to open poppet.

Aquatec Signal Mark (Auto) Powered DSMB
The Aquatec Signal Mark (Auto) is instantly inflated using a disposable 16 g carbon dioxide cylinder. The benefits of a powered DSMB are that you don't have to unfurl it underwater and either remove your mouthpiece or use your safe second to inflate it. Simply pulling the ripcord detonates the cartridge and the Aquatec Signal Mark (Auto) heads for the surface.

The Aquatec Signal Mark (Auto) is an superb all around DSMB, but expensive to run if you use it a lot as the cartridge must be replaced for each dive. However it is an excellent choice as a back up, because of the ease and speed of deployment. Problems with DSMBs are suprisingly common. Typical examples include reels that jam under inflation or capsizing of open bottomed DSMBs. These scenarios can leave a diver decompressing and drifitng without a tube to mark his position. As a two knot current will send a diver drifitng one nautical mile in just half an hour, a back up DSMB is something many divers should consider essential.

The Aquatec Signal Mark (Auto) is 140 cm long by 75 mm diameter. It rolls up into a very compact bundle and is easily stowed in a BCD pocket. It is supplied in DayGlo yellow.

Bowstone Mini Lift Bag
 Lift bags are a popular alternative to delayed surface marker buoys. Bowstones Mini Lift Bag provides 12 kg of lift. Available in DayGlo orange and yellow.
Aqua Lung Surface Observation Signal
The Aqua Lung Surface Observation Signal is a very practical idea from top American underwater photographer Stephen Frink that has been further developed by Aqua Lung.

Frink faced the problem of reaching the surface while encumbered by multiple cameras. He then needed to deploy a safety flag or tube to gain the attention of the boat. The Surface Observation Signal he invented takes out the hassle of unclipping a stowed safety tube, unfurling it, taking your second stage and inflating it and then holding the tube aloft until the boat sees it.

The Aqua Lung Surface Observation Signal mounts to the rear dump valve of current Sea Quest BCDs. It stores in a valise until you hit the surface and pull the rip cord. Fully inflating your BCD, as you normally would on reaching the surface, causes excess air to fill the Surface Observation Signal, automatically unfurling it from the valise. At 130 cm in length, the flame orange tube is easy to see. A snap hook lets you quickly clip the SOS to a D-ring and ensure the tube remains upright. After that, it's entirely hands free. You can now float comfortably while you await your pick up.

The Aqua Lung Surface Observation Signal does not interfere with your rear dump valve---you can use it as normal.

The Aqua Lung Surface Observation Signal is an elegant solution to marking your position at the surface and is extremely swift and easy to use. It also solves the perennial problem of where to stow your tube so that it remains out of the way until needed, yet is still easy to deploy.

Bowstone Orally Inflated Marker Buoy
 Bowstone's orally inflated marker buoy provides 15 kg of lift and stands 150 cm tall. Easily blown up my mouth, the tube can be held out of the water and overhead for increased visibility unlike open ended models. If you inflate this underwater you need to take care not to put too much air in as it will expand on the way up and this buoy does not have a pressure relief valve.

Available in DayGlo orange or yellow.

Bowstone Open-Ended Marker Buoy
 The Bowstone Open-Ended Marker Buoy is the simplest and least expensive type of marker buoy. Being open-ended, excess air simply vents away harmlessly without the need for a pressure relief valve. However you must keep the open end submerged to keep the buoy inflated and so it cannot be held overhead or used as a buoyancy aid.

135 cm tall and sold in DayGlo orange or yellow.

Bowstone Mini Self-Sealing Marker Buoy
 A more compact, slightly stripped down version of the ever popular and dependable Bowstone Self-Sealing Marker Buoy. 135 cm tall and 15 cm wide. Built in dump valve provides automatic venting of excess air during ascent. Self-sealing opening prevents air spillage at the surface and allows you to hold the Bowstone Mini Self-Sealing Marker Buoy overhead for better visibility or use as a buoyancy aid.

New easy deployment bungy keeps buoy rolled up until needed. Sold in DayGlo orange or yellow.

Delayed SMB Storage
One thing you don't want is your safety tube releasing itself and unfurling during your dive. You'll end up looking like you are towing a fluorescent oar fish. The tube and any line will probably end up catching itself on the local reef, shipwreck or wrap itself usefully around other divers. To avoid this happening to you, you need to properly stow your safety tube.

There are lots of ways to do this. But to be effective whichever solution you choose must ensure the tube can be easily reached, detached from its mooring and then deployed. In high current areas, such as the Maldives, you don't want to spend time drifiting while trying to get your DSMB heading for the surface. The further you are from the boat, the harder your safety tube is to see.

On dives that take you close to the no decompression limits, time spent sorting out your safety tube can easily push you into stage decompression stops for which you may not have prepared. Equally, a planned stage decompression dive can be made much longer by spending an extra couple of minutes on the seabed trying to get your DSMB aloft.

Some popular methods of storing DSMBs are in BCD pockets, clipped to D-rings or tucked under your backpack and secured with bungy. You can also buy pouches designed especially for carrying DSMBs and lifting bags.

We'll be happy to talk through options with you at the Mavericks showroom.

Bowstone Safety Tube/Mini Lift Bag Pouch
 Bowstone's Safety Tube and Mini Lift Bag Pouch lets you keep your safety tube or lift bag neatly stored until needed. It slots vertically onto most straps, so you can place it on your tank band or harness for example. The velcro closure makes it fumble-free to open and it's self-draining.
Bowstone Safety Tube/Mini Lift Bag Pouch---Mavericks Model
 This version of the Bowstone Safety Tube/Mini Lift Bag Pouch is designed to sit horizontally underneath a Sea Quest BCD back pack. This places your DSMB or lift bag out of the way, while keeping it immediately accessible.
Personal Marker Lights And Strobes
Personal marker lights and strobes are used for indicating a divers position in low visibility and at night or in overhead environments. They usually provide either a soft glow or a low power flash. Personal markers are really designed to help your buddy keep track of you, not as emergency indicators. Emergency indicators are much brighter and many divers find them annoying and distracting (not to mention blinding) if they are left on routinley during dives.
Technisub Nanoflash
The Technisub Nanoflash provides a low level pulsing light. The cone design ensures the light is visible from almost any angle. Different colours are available, so the Nanoflash can be colour coded to make it easier to identify indivdual divers. It is powered by four AAA batteries.
DLX Combi Light
The DLX Combi Light combines a high power flashing strobe for indicating the diver's position with a small LED back up torch that can be used to get you out of trouble if your main lamp packs up. A reliable magnetic switch lets you select the function you require. Uses 3 AA cells.
Princeton Tec Aqua Strobe
Very compact strobe powered by a single AA cell. Supplied with mounting strap and lanyard.
Chemical Lights
Chemical lights are single-use markers that last up to 12 hours. Two tubes contain chemicals which are mixed when the inner tube is cracked. The chemical reaction gives off a bright glow. Choice of colours allows colour coding of dive teams and ascent lines at night. Sold in green, blue and red.
Safe Signal Mirror
 This very simple safety device, sometimes called a heliograph, is popular with many outdoor enthusiasts including hikers, skiiers and pilots. Professional dive teams who also use Safe Signal Mirrors include the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit.

The Safe Signal Mirror is a low cost and unobtrusive aid to help attract the attention of your cover boat or search teams. Mirrors are very effective as you can use them to aim the reflected light at a target. So they let you be proactive in calling in help.

The mirror is designed for use not just on bright days, but also when it is overcast and at night. One side is a normal mirror surface for use on sunny days. The other is red and should be used with a torch for signalling on cloudy days or in the dark. Mavericks offer a range of compact day diving lights that are not only useful for letting you look under overhangs and into holes, but also work well with the Safe Signal Mirror.

Glo-Toob
This thumb length personal marker, waterproof to 3500 m, is an excellent alternative to a chemical light. The Glo-Toob puts out a soft green light that's visible from virtually any angle. A single alkaline cell can run your Glo-Toob for more than thirty hours, so it is very inexpensive to operate. Because it is a battery light it can be tested before you need it---unlike a chemical light. The Glo-Toob is ruggedly manufactured and has a simple on/off switch that incorporates a split ring for attaching the Glo Toob to a snap hook or lanyard.
Sound Signalling Devices
Dive Alert Air Horn
Many consider the Dive Alert one of the best first line safety aids around. It is basically a miniature fog horn and is powered by air from your direct feed---it mounts unobtusively between your direct feed hose and direct feed control.

Dive Alert puts out a signal that can be heard up to a mile away. The loudness makes it much easier to hear than a whistle, especially over the noise of boat engines. Dive Alerts are an effective method of attracting attention once you have surfaced. By prearranging coded sound signals you can also use simple signals to indicate whether you'd like a routine pick up or that you actually need help.

Aqua Tec Sub Duck
 Sub Duck is a pneumatic underwater attention getter. It fits between your direct feed hose and direct feed handset. Press the button and the Sub Duck squawks. It can be heard over longer distances than tank bangers and scuba rattles. By pre-arranging how you will signal another diver, you can code your squawks to indicate something interesting, a problem or that you need help, you are down to half your gas or are going up. Sub Duck also works in air, but is not as effective for surface signalling as Dive Alert.
Storm Whistle
 A loud whistle that works on the surface and underwater.
SOS Whistle
2 tone whistle for use at the surface.
Tank Banger
Used to attract another diver's attention. Secures around tank using provided bungee. Pull the hard plastic ball and release to make a racket.
Scuba Rattle
Simply shake the tube to set off a rattle and get your buddy's attention. Compact hardwearing alloy tube stows easily in BCD pocket. Supplied with adjustable lanyard.