tank banger

[diver 85]

Originally Posted by texarkandy

OK - I'm gonna "bump" this old thread.

After reading all the posts from the anti-tank banger crowd, I just don't get it. I've seen the same subject on SB with the same old criticisms of tang bangers.

We have tank bangers - they come in handy - (no, we don't go around being obnoxious & banging our tanks all through the dive.) There are occassions when it's handy just to get your buddy to look over at you so you can give them a hand signal.

(aside from that - there are many ways to be an obnoxious diver - just having a tank banger doesn't make you one)

Some say "just use your knife or some other metal object" - but that means you have to get that object out first from wherever it's attached or pocketed to use it - then put it back after you've rapped on your tank, & of course should you be fumble-fingered & drop it then you have to go get it or it may just be gone forever.

Why bother with all that when you can just have a simple inexpensive tank banger you can reach back & pop.

I'd think a sub-duck would be much more annoying to other divers (not too mention cost) As for an audible emergency surface signaling device, we have storm whistles ($5) clipped up high on our BC's: Storm Whistle, Accessories: Signaling, Trident, Storm Whistle
(very loud!)

If a tank-banger & storm whistle makes me a newbie-dork or cheapskate in the eyes of some, so be it. We like 'em.

After 23 years of diving, my wife will NOT make a dive without hers........This new breed of diver is sometimes a little stupid acting---lol----think they know it all.....(I think DIR had something to do with it????)

[digitalman]

Stay close enough to your buddy to be able to get to them with a fin kick. Touch them to get their attention.

Yes, but why not scare them every once in a while with the mysterious underwater duck fish?

[IndyDiver]

Originally Posted by diver 85

unless you see something----my wife will not dive without hers, a lime green one that's about 15 years old...........

Just bought two tank bangers last week for my wife and myself in order to keep my RMV low.

The 13 and 14 year old members of the family are diving with us this year. I think they are pretty responsible kids and will be safe divers, but previous experience on land has taught me that you need to keep an eye on them and correct their behavior at times. This requires getting their attention first, so tank bangers suddenly seemed like a good investment. I had a training session with them that when you hear the banger, you stop what you are doing and look at me. Overall, I think knowing I have the tank banger will lower my RMV by .2 while diving with the kids.

[Eurodiver]

My friend that owns a dive shop in Spain will not let you go out with him unless you have a "tank banger" dealers choice on what you use but you have to have one.
It is not like $4.50 will make you eat beans and weenies or mac and cheese all month.

[Draq]

When diving with a DM off a boat I get tired of hearing the quacking, banging, or rattling sound every couple of minutes. I usually feel obliged to find the source of the sound in case it is important, only to find the DM wants to show everyone another barracuda or eel, or whatever. One time on such a boat dive, not only did the DM have some sort of banger/shaker, but two divers also used them to communicate. It only took a few minutes before I stopped paying any attention to the noises and wished all three would just "shut up."

On the other hand, I shore dive with a few "buddies" and we typically split into pairs and the two pairs don't necessarily stay real close. I find some sort of noisemaker useful for signaling something interesting or "important" between the pairs. There isn't usually anyone else near enough to us to hear any banging, so I don't see much problem with irritating others. Two of us are photographers and we usually put one photographer with one non-photographer. We can use sound to attract the attention of each other to good photo subjects.

I have been using a stainless clip as a tank banger, but that gets cumbersome sometimes when I am also carrying a camera, so I am thinking of getting some sort of shaker thing.

Like so many things in life, moderation is important.

[diver 85]

Originally Posted by IndyDiver

Just bought two tank bangers last week for my wife and myself in order to keep my RMV low.

The 13 and 14 year old members of the family are diving with us this year. I think they are pretty responsible kids and will be safe divers, but previous experience on land has taught me that you need to keep an eye on them and correct their behavior at times. This requires getting their attention first, so tank bangers suddenly seemed like a good investment. I had a training session with them that when you hear the banger, you stop what you are doing and look at me. Overall, I think knowing I have the tank banger will lower my RMV by .2 while diving with the kids.

agree 100%, when diving with your children, the parents are really responsible for them in a way--@ least until they are no longer JrOW divers......A tank banger or any kind of an attention getter is most helpful in these dives and others along will just have to be a little more patient.....@ one time in my diving life(early 90's), I dove with my 12YO, 14 YO, and seventeen YO(girl) as my dive buddies.....Add to that my wife being along and my head never stopped moving(back and forth...lol)......

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Draq

When diving with a DM off a boat I get tired of hearing the quacking, banging, or rattling sound every couple of minutes. I usually feel obliged to find the source of the sound in case it is important, only to find the DM wants to show everyone another barracuda or eel, or whatever. One time on such a boat dive, not only did the DM have some sort of banger/shaker, but two divers also used them to communicate. It only took a few minutes before I stopped paying any attention to the noises and wished all three would just "shut up."

On the other hand, I shore dive with a few "buddies" and we typically split into pairs and the two pairs don't necessarily stay real close. I find some sort of noisemaker useful for signaling something interesting or "important" between the pairs. There isn't usually anyone else near enough to us to hear any banging, so I don't see much problem with irritating others. Two of us are photographers and we usually put one photographer with one non-photographer. We can use sound to attract the attention of each other to good photo subjects.

I have been using a stainless clip as a tank banger, but that gets cumbersome sometimes when I am also carrying a camera, so I am thinking of getting some sort of shaker thing.

Like so many things in life, moderation is important.

Like many things in life, there is "use" and "abuse".

Using a tank banger for legitimate reasons is just fine. Abusing a tank banger (or any other noise maker) with blatant disregard for others around you, is NOT fine, and warrants a quiet discussion to correct the misbehavior.

[Catt99]

Originally Posted by gibson1525

i for one find the tank banger an essential piece of dive equipment. in fact i carry 2 on every dive if one breaks or if people start to ignore just one banger i can use both to get peoples attention.

they work extremely well as i've noticed that i can get divers to come over that were so far away i couldn't even see them. after they swim 200' to reach me they are always pleased to see the squirrel fish that i have discovered.

one diver was so impressed that he came over and cut one off my tank so that he could have one for himself. i didn't mind that much since i had a few extras on the boat for just such an occasion.

Great post - I carry two on every tank as well, but for me its just a matter of having the banger on each side of the tank so I can reach back with either hand as circumstances warrant. I hadn't considered the need for redundancy, so I guess I'll add two more to each tank so even if one breaks during a dive (or is taken by an impressed or jealous diver), I still have the option of using either hand. Depending on how I space them on the tank, it's possible they'll issue different tones . . . I can see almost coming up with a song or something akin to morse code but cooler . . . I'll have to ask the DM on my next dive to save 5 minutes dive briefing time for me to go over the morse-like signals I'll be using during the dive so my fellow divers are fully up to speed.

In all seriousness, they're cheap and if you want one or it makes you or your buddy more comfortable, there's no reason not to have one assuming you have a few bucks to spare . . . I'd just ask any who decide to have one to remember the previous posters' advice - there is a difference between use and abuse, and many divers find more than the very rare tap pretty annoying.