Diver invents underwater communicator

Former Sarnia resident Trevor Theriault has managed to take a near tragedy and parlay it into a nifty new invention for divers.

In 2003, while scuba diving in Cuba, Theriault was partnered with a diver who had a panic attack when the pair descended together as part of a larger group.

The diving partner took off for the surface and Trevor followed to offer assistance. The rest of the group continued with the dive. By the time they got straightened around, the rest of the group was gone, as well as the boat from which they dove.

Without any way to tell the other divers they were in trouble, all they could do was wait. The others eventually noticed and the boat did a turnaround to search for the missing pair. After some time, they were found and rescued.

The mishap prompted Theriault to think about a better way to communicate with fellow divers under water. Normally, divers communicate by tapping on their air tanks with a knife or something else, but Theriault thought there must be a better way.

One morning, he woke from a dream with a vision in his head of a device that would allow better communication with fellow divers. He drew it on paper and started asking around, doing research and surfing the net to find out if such a thing existed.

Theriault decided to enlist the help of others to get the ball rolling on his idea in February 2004. He filed for a patent in December 2005 and received U.S. patent approval in May 2009.

Manufacturing began in September 2009 and the product, the Diver's Communication Torch (DCT), was launched in May of last year by his company, Moray Dive Gear, and has since been featured in a number of magazine articles.

The DCT is consists of a high powered 150 lumen LED flashlight and a patented noisemaker that can be heard 100 feet away underwater. The noisemaker isn't reliant on batteries.

Theriault's company is called Moray Dive Gear and he is happy with the response so far to his invention.

"Divers and divemasters alike love the concept. It's easy to integrate into a diver's gear," said Theriault, who is now an insurance broker in Leamington.

Originally from Bright's Grove, Theriault learned to dive in the St. Clair River as a 12-year-old. He is a member of the Southshore Scuba Club and sits on the board of directors for ErieQuest.

"I hope that the DCT gets some great exposure within the diving industry, and becomes the new required piece of safety equipment for scuba divers globally," he said.

To find out more about the DCT and Moray Dive Gear, visit moraydivegear.com,