Nautilus Lifeline Work In Coz?

[Dan]

I am extremely jealous of your liveaboard experiences. Several of the ones you have been on are on my list for the future. Don't want to derail this thread but would love to hear more about each one. Maybe a couple of your favs, and those you wouldn't do again. PMs are open!

Check your direct message.

 

[Divemaster Deady]

I'm diving with Aldora next month. I asked today over WhatsApp and was told Aldora boats are NOT capable of receiving a signal from a Nautilus / DSC.

Not that they are obligated to but it seems odd they don't have radios that are capable of it. That or Nautilus is full of **** about it being standard on all radios after 1999.

Is the coast guard present in the area? Surely they have them.

I'd rather buy more dives than a $450 Garmin InReach.

can you tell me what the proper channels are for my old style Lifeline ? 68 to chat, and 16 for emergency ?

 

[Prop Joe]

I Know Aldora boats monitor Channel 63. It is part of the pre-dive along with the name of the boat you are riding. I'm assuming all the other boats use 63 as well, but since I've never used another shop, that is an assumption.

 

[tursiops]

It's likely that each shop monitors a different working channel.

 

[JFS]

I Know Aldora boats monitor Channel 63. It is part of the pre-dive along with the name of the boat you are riding. I'm assuming all the other boats use 63 as well, but since I've never used another shop, that is an assumption.

You will have to check with whatever shop you are using as to what channel their boats are on. Lots are on channel 6.

 

[RoKu]

I have been on several liveaboards that provide (free loan) Nautilus Lifeline or similar Personal AIS Beacon (PAB, not PLB) to the divers or DMs to make sure they could launch MOB if they were lost at sea:
Amira (Raja Ampat & Forgotten Islands)
Argo / Undersea Hunter (Cocos)
Ferox (Malpelo)
Galapagos Master
Infiniti (Visayas & Tubbataha)
Maldives Aggresor II
Mermaid I & II (Raja Ampat & Komodo)
Nautilus Undersea (Socorro)
Nautilus Belle Amie (Socorro)
Palau Aggressor
Red Sea Aggressor I
Rock Island Aggressor (Palau)
Spoilsport (Great Barrier Reefs)

I carry one to the liveaboards that don’t issue PAB to divers (Blue Manta & White Manta for example) and test it before cruising to see if MOB signal pops up on their AIS monitors and sounds the alarms when the red button is pressed.

I just got my Gen2/nexGen Nautilus and will test it on my livaboard trip next week. Vessel is called Seascape and was built in 2023, so their radio should be up to date.

Are you really pulling the red trigger for testing? I guess, the yellow test button should also be an option for test without sending a MOB, right?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[Dan]

I just got my Gen2/nexGen Nautilus and will test it on my livaboard trip with EcoProDivers next week. Vessel is called Seascape and was built in 2023.

Are you really pulling the red trigger for testing? I guess, the yellow test button should also be an option for test without sending a MOB, right?

Thanks,
Robert

No need to press the red button for testing. You press the yellow button per instruction, stated on page 9 of the manual. A non emergency message (single position report message) will be sent out to all surrounding ships equipped with AIS receiver, when you press the yellow button.

You can check on Seascape’s AIS receiver monitor and see if it shows your non emergency single position report message.

https://www.nautiluslifeline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ManualEN-Nautilus-Marine-Rescue-GPS.pdf

 

[bradStyle]

I Know Aldora boats monitor Channel 63. It is part of the pre-dive along with the name of the boat you are riding. I'm assuming all the other boats use 63 as well, but since I've never used another shop, that is an assumption.

Most of the other operators I know use channel 06. I believe 63 is exclusively an Aldora channel.

 

[bradStyle]

I don't know if Aldora DIVERS still use the NAUTILUS for adventure dives (far north, other side) as I instituted several years back, but then we gave a Nautilus to each buddy pair, and our radios all would receive them.

I don't think they are using them anymore. I did a couple adventure dives with them this winter out to Tiburcio and Ledges, and they only handed out big SMBs, but my wife and I each have our own Nautilus on every dive with us.

 

[bradStyle]

Even if your boat does not get your signal if your group gets lost up north, presumably the boat captain will call the dive shop and the dive shop will call the coast guard. I was in the Aldora shop a couple years ago and Memo had my wife and I test our Nautilus units. We activated them, and he called the coast guard to let them know we were running a test, and they could see/hear the signal.

Hoping it never comes down to that, of course, but I sure do love diving up there.