How many of you dive with a PLB and/or a flint and magnesium?

[rongoodman]

I expect the helicopter guys will be able to see my 21W HID, night vision goggles or not! (Those goggles are great--it scares the heck out of me now thinking about the night medivacs we used to go on before the pilots had them.)

 

[ScubaVideo]

It's the same with my video lights, very bright and it's always with me on dives. But they only last so long and with those night vision goggles, they only need a low power light. The kind with a beacon would stand out.

Even though they can see you at night with those goggles, first they need to know your missing and in what area - that's where the PLB comes in. It's so small I can't even tell it's there.

 

[drydiver]

So just curious if anyone out there dives regularly with a plb and possible flint/magnesium?

not regularly with any of the above, but there is no way I would dive in a remote/high current location again without a PLB, probably rent vs. buy though.

 

[ScubaVideo]

not regularly with any of the above, but there is no way I would dive in a remote/high current location again without a PLB, probably rent vs. buy though.

You can rent those - with canister? Hmm, mine required registration with NOAA. I suppose it could be registered to a boat/shop and then rented out. They just would have to contact the shop to find out who or what it's on.

 

[drydiver]

You can rent those - with canister? Hmm, mine required registration with NOAA. I suppose it could be registered to a boat/shop and then rented out. They just would have to contact the shop to find out who or what it's on.

yep, some liveaboards / dive ops rent them in remote areas, if I recall correctly friends of mine mentioned the option on their Mona Islands liveaboard trip.

 

[ScubaVideo]

yep, some liveaboards / dive ops rent them in remote areas, if I recall correctly friends of mine mentioned the option on their Mona Islands liveaboard trip.

So if you set one off in the Mona Islands, who gets the call? I would guess that either the USN or USAF would have jurisdiction for international areas when a US registered beacon is set off, but then when located in Siberia who comes? Do they send your family a bill first and if its paid go looking?

I'm sure the rented ones are locally registered or they could be of a different type like the SPOT's or other radio signaling device.

Edit: More searching and I discovered there are Mona Is. in Puerto Rico too -hmm guessing US Coast Guard for that area. I've never heard of Mona Islands before this.:shocked2:

 

[drydiver]

So if you set one off in the Mona Islands, who gets the call? I would guess that either the USN or USAF would have jurisdiction for international areas when a US registered beacon is set off, but then when located in Siberia who comes? Do they send your family a bill first and if its paid go looking?

I'm sure the rented ones are locally registered or they could be of a different type like the SPOT's or other radio signaling device.

Edit: More searching and I discovered there are Mona Is. in Puerto Rico too -hmm guessing US Coast Guard for that area. I've never heard of Mona Islands before this.:shocked2:

interesting questions, I have no clue about all that. Looked around, could not find a lot of liveaboards advertising it, found this one example or epirbs/plb's for drift dives