PLBs Can Save Your Life

[Steelyeyes]

Because it malfunctioned. It was only transmitting for less than 30 minutes. Most likely not due to the battery capacity.

I scanned the NTSB report on that sinking. The EPIRB was in about the same shape as the rest of the ship.

 

[Dan]

Has anyone mentioned PLB rental yet?

PLB Rental - ACR ResQlink and RescueMe PLB1 rentals

Not bad idea. Break even point is if you go vacation diving for 2 weeks / year for 5 years without the waterproof canister cost, which could be costly if you get something like Light Monkey canister.

 

[KevinNM]

I scanned the NTSB report on that sinking. The EPIRB was in about the same shape as the rest of the ship.

Which was in slightly better shape than the coast guards equipment. The found one body, tagged it with a radio beacon that didn't work and never recovered it.

 

[divinh]

I don't know what the DAN "SAR" insurance covers. But in the USA if you call 911 for an ambulance because you are in anaphylactic shock from a bee sting - you will get a bill for the ride to the hospital. I know you think getting billed for a rescue is rare, but I think you would be surprised how often public agencies recoup their expenses by billing the patient/rescuee.

I saw someone take a spill and went over to help. I asked if they wanted me to call 911 and the response was, "Don't call for an ambulance. I don't have insurance." Maybe that's the larger picture of being insured versus not, but that kind of indicated they would be financially ruined had emergency service been employed.

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

Update: I realize this goes against the advice of this thread, but I just purchased a Nautilus Lifeline. I'm kind of a buy-it-now person, and there were just too many things to figure out with the PLB. I guess I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't act on my urge to upgrade my safety equipment now, I'd forget or never get around to it. I'll start with the Nautilus, and perhaps add to it after researching more.

My original post:
I've been reading for well over an hour (I think) and am on page 27. I'll go back and keep reading when I'm done posting.

I still have many pages to go, so maybe this has been done, but it'd be so helpful if there was a chart somewhere of which products have which features (written for civilians who aren't as familiar with all the acronyms). Has anyone stumbled upon that? Or even just lists of pros and cons? In all honesty, I'm not techy and so much here is beyond my understanding that it's pretty intimidating to keep track of things like ...

How often does it need to be charged?
Similarly, how often does it need to be maintenanced?
How far does signal go?
Who can receive signal?
How long does signal last?
Does it need an additional container?
Is container hard to open for small hands?
Do you talk or just push a button?
Are there different levels of alerts?
(And likely many more)

I'm interested in buying SOMETHING, but after reading 27 pages I'm still not sure what that something is, and may be as confused as when I started.

And I know I'll likely get a lecture about how it's my responsibility to understand everything for my own safety - and I'll agree in theory. But I bet I'm not the only one scared off by the complexity of these products.

Okay, back to page 27 for me!

 

[divinh]

Update: I realize this goes against the advice of this thread, but I just purchased a Nautilus Lifeline. I'm kind of a buy-it-now person, and there were just too many things to figure out with the PLB. I guess I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't act on my urge to upgrade my safety equipment now, I'd forget or never get around to it. I'll start with the Nautilus, and perhaps add to it after researching more.

My original post:
I've been reading for well over an hour (I think) and am on page 27. I'll go back and keep reading when I'm done posting.

I still have many pages to go, so maybe this has been done, but it'd be so helpful if there was a chart somewhere of which products have which features (written for civilians who aren't as familiar with all the acronyms). Has anyone stumbled upon that? Or even just lists of pros and cons? In all honesty, I'm not techy and so much here is beyond my understanding that it's pretty intimidating to keep track of things like ...

How often does it need to be charged?
Similarly, how often does it need to be maintenanced?
How far does signal go?
Who can receive signal?
How long does signal last?
Does it need an additional container?
Is container hard to open for small hands?
Do you talk or just push a button?
Are there different levels of alerts?
(And likely many more)

I'm interested in buying SOMETHING, but after reading 27 pages I'm still not sure what that something is, and may be as confused as when I started.

And I know I'll likely get a lecture about how it's my responsibility to understand everything for my own safety - and I'll agree in theory. But I bet I'm not the only one scared off by the complexity of these products.

Okay, back to page 27 for me!

Which Nautilus Lifeline? The newer one or the older one with Radio? That info will be needed to answer your questions.

 

[JohnnyC]

There’s nothing wrong with the Nautilus Lifeline, either model, you just need to be aware of its limitations. It’s not a bad device, and in some circumstances it’s preferable to a PLB.

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

Which Nautilus Lifeline? The newer one or the older one with Radio? That info will be needed to answer your questions.

The newer one, but don't feel like you need to answer all those questions. Those were an example of stuff that would be cool to see in a chart when comparing options. I know the answers for the Nautilus Lifeline (non-radio).

There’s nothing wrong with the Nautilus Lifeline, either model, you just need to be aware of its limitations. It’s not a bad device, and in some circumstances it’s preferable to a PLB.

I think I do understand the limitations, and with the type of diving I do, I think it's a good starting place for me. Similar to much discussion on here, it's weighing potential risks with my style of diving. I frequently dive in areas with lots of boat traffic (the sites in Cozumel where when you surface, you can see 20+ boats around you). Note: I am aware that problems can happen anywhere, and the recent tragic event with the friend of many of you was in Cozumel.

 

[Dan]

Based on your later posts, I see that you purchased Nautilus Marine Reacue GPS. So, I'll try to answer your questions based on that device.

1. How often does it need to be charged?
2. Similarly, how often does it need to be maintenanced?
3. How far does signal go?
4. Who can receive signal?
5. How long does signal last?
6. Does it need an additional container?
7. Is container hard to open for small hands?
8. Do you talk or just push a button?
9. Are there different levels of alerts?
(And likely many more)

My answers:
1. You will need to buy 2 CR123 batteries. They should last for 5 years. However, I carry spare batteries during a week-long liveaboard trip.
2. You need to test it just once before each trip, as it'll use some battery power each time you test it. Make sure you don't lose that antenna cover & winding tool. Apply a thin coat of silicon grease over the o-ring seal after the testing is complete and before you close and latch up the lid. I test mine about twice a year.
3. It transmits 1 watt very high frequency, line-of-sight signals to boats within 3 miles radius that have Digital selective calling - Wikipedia and / or Automatic identification system - Wikipedia
4. Boats, Coast Guard, port authority that have either DSC or AIS or both
5. At least 24 hours
6. No, unless you dive beyond 425' depth.
7. No. It has a latch.
8. Just push button.
9. Just one "man overboard" alert alternating between DSC & AIS signals.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I certainly don’t. I have both PLB1 & Nautilus. Each has its advantages & disadvantages.

PLB response could be delayed due to how the alert is transmitted, received & relayed. It’ll go to first to SAR satellites (some satellites, like LEOSAR may not be immediately above you, but it will orbit over your head every 90 minutes), then to Local user terminal then rebroadcast to Mission Control Center where NOAA would screen for possible false alarm or legitimate before forwarding the data to Rescue Coordination Center, which relay the data to the local SAR (USCG or Navy) to mobilize the rescue efforts.

Especially in 3rd world countries with minimal to non existence SAR services, you may not get help for days or never. However, if there are plenty of boats around to receive the VHF distress message, the Nautilus would get an immediate response.

I have been liveaboard diving all over the world. 6 out of 12 liveaboards I have been in (Spoilsport in GBR, Argo in Cocos, Nautilus Undersea in Socorro, Galápagos Master, Palau Aggressor, Maldives Aggressor) provide Nautilus for divers at free of charge. If it’s a gimmick, why would they do that?

There are 2 other liveaboards that carry similar Personal AIS Beacon that I plan to go on diving trip with them:
1. Amira to Raja Ampat, Indonesia, in January 2020. They issue ENOS for every divers on the boat.
2. Ferox to Malpelo, Colombia, date TBD
They issue McMurdo SmartFind S10, I think.

Again for the gazillionth time @Dan_T, @JohnnyC . . .the Lost-at-Sea/Adrift/Missing Diver Scenario is a special case of the classic Man Overboard contingency. Using MOB devices in the VHF radio frequency range designed for immediate recovery of blue water sailors and open ocean racing yacht crews like a Personal AIS Beacon (e.g. Nautlius Marine Rescue GPS, or any of their products) may not apply and might not be the best solution to the "delayed" problem of the ascending diver after an hour or more of bottom time and submerged drifting decompression as needed, then surfacing into a low visibility weather condition and/or sea state (i.g. Rain Squall; Fog Bank; Swells; Strong Surface Current; Low Angle Blinding Background Setting Sun etc), and losing sight of the Diveboat Vessel & Crew.

The best overall SAR utility, and last resort when there are no vessels left to be seen within line-of-sight for VHF beacon reception & visual signaling (Strobe Light, SMB deployment etc), is activation of a direct to COSPAS-SARSAT satellite 406 MHz PLB, and a designated Emergency Contact that can confirm you as owner of the PLB distress beacon as well as provide information to where in the world you were diving at, and emergency contact cellphone numbers for the Dive Operation or Liveaboard that you are using in order to relay your exact GPS location coordinates to effect a timely rescue.

This is the problem when you try to adapt a Man Overboard (MOB) protocol and technology from blue water open ocean yacht racing to the unique scenario of an isolated drifting Diver Missing/Lost-at-Sea:

Where divers get confused in the application, and assume "instant" local alert and rescue capabilities of an AIS/DSC VHF radio unit (i.g. current Nautilus Products like their Marine Rescue GPS), over a 406 MHz PLB is in the classic MOB (Man Overboard) Scenario:

Tactically this is fine for example, if you're crewing a sailing vessel in the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race from San Pedro Calif to Honolulu Hawaii, and you fall MOB during rough seas at night: Along with your crew, there will be anywhere from twenty to forty or so sailing yachts out there with AIS/DSC within VHF range in the otherwise traceless open Pacific Ocean ready to immediately assist in picking you up.

AIS/DSC VHF MOB devices are not meant to replace but rather augment PLBs. That said, since they alert nearby AIS-equipped vessels, such as the boat from which the person fell overboard, to assist in the search-and-rescue effort, these devices can reduce rescue times substantially. A PLB, on the other hand works worldwide -well beyond VHF range- to summon rescuers. It’s important to keep a PLB around if venturing far out to sea and away from other boaters.

A Lost-at-Sea/Missing Diver can be considered a special case of a "delayed" MOB Scenario: Delayed in the sense that an elapsed normal recreational depth dive time is about 50 minutes to an hour -->if the Diver surfaces after an hour and does not see any sign of the diveboat, then the Diver has to manually call or activate a VHF DSC Distress Beacon such as the Nautilus Lifeline first generation or current Marine Rescue GPS, but the caveat still being the limited range of the VHF signal along with hoping there are other boats or land stations in the vicinity with VHF transceiver reception capability. Again, if you're at a remote divesite hundreds of kilometers away from the commercial shipping lanes or land VHF receiving stations, then the direct to satellite PLB distress beacon is your last resort.

Again IMO/IME, a tropical squall & thunderstorm in zero visibility is the most common post-dive surfacing condition with a potential adrift lost-at-sea worst case scenario which you should smartly prepare yourself beforehand with at least a PLB:


A Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS/VHF Radio Transceiver Beacon may not save you in this instance due to "rain fade" signal attenuation, and the chances that any boats with marine VHF Radio DSC/AIS capability may be out of reception range of your distress signal by the time the squall clears and the weather & sea state moderates again. . .