Boat Sank, PLB did not send signal, man found by passing boat

[Pressurehead]

Credit : X-Ray Mag
Worth a read: Emergency Transmitters for Divers: What You Know Could Save Your Life

 

[Biotech Diver]

I'm not sure people are saying that, and I carry both. EPIRB on the boat and PLB on the PFD. Because fire, flooding or capsizing don't always give much warning.[/
.

 

[clownfishsydney]

PLBs are perfectly acceptable for smaller boats in the recreational market and are marketed as such. In the commercial market they could be used for personnel, but most who opt for man overboard technology would use a MOB alert and tracker or a combo of both so the ship can find the crew member rather than wait for SAR assets to be deployed.

Marine Products by ACR Electronics, Inc. | ACR ARTEX - ACR ARTEX

Not in Australia. The fact is an EPIRB is cheaper anyway, so no idea why anyone would buy a PLB for their boat rather than an EPIRB.

 

[rjack321]

Not in Australia. The fact is an EPIRB is cheaper anyway, so no idea why anyone would buy a PLB for their boat rather than an EPIRB.

Because some of us are in 5m boats, where am I going to put an EPIRB?

PLBs are legal in Australia.

 

[Schwob]

How common is it for people to have portable PLBs rather than one permanently installed on the boat?

Does it matter how common it is? One‘s safety and redundancy therewith is one‘s decision. If SHTF, „the ocean“ is a whole lot bigger than I can handle (or the Great Lakes for that matter), ergo, I carry a PLB in the all too rare instances I am on t/ in the ocean. I have as little reason not to do that as I would have not to carry various redundancies when solo diving ... in my mind.

 

[Dan]

That same PLB goes in a canister with me for ocean diving.

Me too. Below are my safety signaling devices that I carry all the time in my BCD pockets on every ocean diving adventures

 

[Dan]

I laugh at the Nautilus, because you're right, the average boat probably can transmit 7-10 miles, assuming the radio even works , now imagine a tiny antenna with a person bobbing in the waves. A whole lot of limitations on those units.

It’s useful for liveaboard operation, where the boat can quickly locate the lost-at-sea diver GPS location, within minutes the diver realizes that he gets blown away by the current. All Aggressors fleet, Undersea Hunter fleet, Nautilus fleet, Mike Ball fleet, & Master fleet issue each diver to carry it with him/her.

 

[Dan]

EPIRBS have strobe lights, PLBs do not

Mine does have strobe light. See the green LED on the PLB1 picture, below.

 

[Dan]

In cold water (less than about 23C/75F), a person will have a very limited time during which they can manually hold the PLB above the water with the antenna oriented to the sky.

PLB1 comes with BCD shoulder strap mounting kit, see the picture, below.

 

[Pressurehead]

Because some of us are in 5m boats, where am I going to put an EPIRB?

PLBs are legal in Australia.

My boat is only 5m and this where my EPIRB is placed.