■Emergency Items

If, by chance, you should find yourself adrift, items that help get you noticed include a large, sausage-shaped inflatable float and noise-making horns and whistles. There are also surface marker dyes and signal mirrors.

■Knife

There are knives made from stainless steel and the more rust resistant titanium. In case of becoming caught in netting or ropes, we use knives to free ourselves of obstacles. Also, by striking the side of our tank with the knife, we can signal underwater. Finally, in case of a strong current, we can use the knife to anchor us into the surrounding seascape.

■Light

Even in daylight, at depth the color red diminishes and appears bluish. In this case, by using a light, we can correct to true colors. Indispensable for night diving, it’s a good idea to bring a light with you for daytime dives as well.

■Diver’s Watch

Dive watches are watches reinforced to resist water pressure and made waterproof to various depths. Analog-types, with uni-directional bezels, make viewing elapsed time easy.
Digital-types, with depth meters, log book and other functions, are also widely available.