Best signalling equipment from the searchers point of view

[triggerhappy]

I just renewed my EPIRB registration for my boat and noted on the registration that its primary use is scuba diving, all divers carry strobes and orange inflatable sausages. as an earlier post said - if they know what to look for it will make it much easier to find. Every time I see a coast guard uniform in a bar, one beer is on me.

 

[Bullswan]

This thread should be read at some point during each Scuba class given. Good to know people are thinking about it.

Here is my new bright idea for safety equipment. I tried it the other day and I only wish I had pictures to post.

We dove about 2 miles offshore and when we surfaced I pulled out a foldable kite (no battens or anything like that ). It has a long long Orange Tail. I attached it to my reel and up it went. My wife on shore saw it instantly. I couldn't believe how easy it was to fly and how little room it actually took. Only thing better would be to put a strobe or Radar Reflecting material on it. That is what I'll look into next.
Greg

 

[Thalassamania]

Some years back a guy at DEMA was trying to flog a self contained, self inflating, mylar balloon emergency system. We tried one out and it did show up well on the ship's radar.

 

[reefduffer]

I took a look at radar-reflective SMBs a couple of years ago as a result of some suggestions in this very thread, which I wrote up here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/re...3968-radar-reflective-smb-safety-sausage.html

One of the things I found searching around the web was this:
The Rescue Wing: Design of a Marine Distress Signaling Device.
Tomas Melin and Sandi Sefi
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm Sweden 2005
Proceedings of IEEE OCEAN2005, Washington DC, USA, September 2005.
PDF downloaded from OutBox page for Sandy Sefi
Sort of a combination balloon, kite, visual signal, and radar reflector. Sounds like a great concept, and very applicable to scuba diver rescue, but looks to be so far just just an academic exercise, no product. But the discussion has some more useful discussion of requirements, and some useful references.

I wonder if there's any connection to what Thal mentioned.

 

[domeport]

Great thread,
Signalling mirror#1
inflatable weenie #2

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

It has been a long time since I read the whole thread, I have a question about SOLAS REFLECTIVE TAPE. How does that work exactly? I see that there are now a number of surface markers that have it. Does it have to be directly exposed for it to be picked up? What if you had it on your back plate on the back our underside? Something like this for instance SOLAS Retro Reflective Tape would radar pick it up or is it only a visual signal?

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

Strictly a visual signal.

 

[D_B]

SOLAS tape is just a (very good) reflector of light .. if you compare regular tape and SOLAS reflector tape, you can see that it's brighter

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Ok thanks. It would be cool if there was some sort of radar reflective material that you could attack to a backplate.

DB do you know if the Surface Survival Primer that you posted a link to is available somewhere else? The link no longer works, but that was some really great info.

I found one of these hats for a quarter at a thrift store. 18" Foldable SUN Hat, Yellow I think I am going to try it out. The sun bothers me when we are floating on the surface. I figured it was worth 25 cents to see how it worked and it easily stows in my thigh pocket.

 

[ScubaVideo]

I just received a Custom Divers PLB Dive Canister.

It is only $107 plus shipping and $25 for the pouch that holds it which can strap to 2" webbing. I have on order the McMurdo Fast Find 210 with float pouch which will fit right into the canister. This thing is really small at 4.75" tall and 2.75 in diameter. The Fast Find with float and lanyard will fit nicely inside. I also got a good deal on the PLB at Star Marine Depot.

I also got a Radar Reflective SMB from Custom Divers with a pouch. This one is 6ft tall and quite bulky - not more so than the Halcyon ones I saw on display at the LDS. It comes with a bag that can me mounted to 2" webbing. I'm hoping I can fit it in the pocket of the Halcyon BC's back plate pocket. I can't really try that out yet as it is not installed yet. I thought it was already installed on the Infinity, but either I'm wrong and it is an option or it was misplaced by the dealer or Halcyon.

Custom Divers US contact is: customdivers@hotmail.com

I'm not affiliated with them, just like the 3 products I have purchased from them.