Red Sea Drifting and Surface Signaling Device

Even if you are diving on the clearest of days and the calmest of sea it is possible to rise to the surface and discover that you can not see your boat. Even though this would be a situation that could have been avoided it happens and actually a lot more often than people think that it happens. During these situations it is advisable to have an dive flag with you or you may not be in a good position to be seen.

Whilst working as a diving instructor in the Egyptian Red Sea I would often take groups of divers in a RIB to gain easy access to some spectacular dive sites. Since surface currents could be a bit of a problem at times our usual, well practiced, technique was to load a RIB with fully kitted divers, get an experienced crew member from the hard-boat to drive us to a pre-arranged spot and, on my signal, we would all roll backwards off the RIB like a well trained military unit. I always took my dive flag with me as I knew what to expect.

As with all divers once below the surface in that tranquil environment it is very simple to just forget about the world above the waves. Everyone is always more interested in the life under the waves and taking note of the rays and sharks that would swim effortlessly along the stunning coral as we were just suspended watching in amazement. Another common factor was that time always got away from us and that it would seem like minutes before we would have to start our rise to the surface to meet the RIB which in turn would take us back to the dive boat. (What was that old saying about a second with a hot stone feels like hours but an hour with a beautiful woman feels like seconds? Same thing)

One particular time I remember we broke the surface a little way behind the RIB and the pilot was concentrating on the opposite direction meaning we were out of his line of vision. The current and the wind meant that we were not as visible as we would have expected to be and these two combines was starting to whip up a little bit of a swell meaning when he eventually turned in our direction briefly we were not to be seen. Later he told me he had looked in the direction he had expected to see us and was just as surprised he couldn’t see us as we were that he couldn’t.

By now I realized that we could soon be in serious trouble. I had three French and two Swedish divers and was responsible for their safety. Fortunately I had got into the habit of carrying a surface signaling device with me for just such situations. Once it was hoisted well above our heads, the yellow flag fluttering loudly in the wind, it was just a matter of waiting. The boat grew smaller and smaller as we drifted further and further away. I began to wonder if we would lose sight of the RIB but then I heard the engine revving and it turned towards us at speed. It turns out that Ahmo couldn’t see our heads above the choppy surface but my dive flag was immediately noticeable. Actually even if you lose sight of an inflatable, if you have something like a telescopic flag (preferably a yellow flag) you can be seen up to 3 kilometers away. So they can see you even if you cant see them.

This event occurred many years ago when the dive flag I had with me was a self constructed device that was a hash up of plastic tubing and bungee elastic which was always getting lost because the only place I could put it was strapped to my tank.

Having the appropriate safety equipment can be crucial when things start to go wrong. As a result of the repeated instances of divers going missing, some never to be found, a dive flag is now a compulsory bit of kit for every scuba diver using the Red Sea Maine Reserve.

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