PygmySeahorse
Registered
Thanks for the video link @Kevrumbo. Just to clarify: my point was about the ACCURACY of the paper chart. How do you plot a position when the chart is wrong? (Indonesia is still working on counting how many islands it has: it's a massive government project that's been going for a while, but the ballpark was around 18,000 last time I looked.)
Would you try to work from Google Satellite view, or what? Bear in mind, also, that it's not uncommon for an island to have several different names in the various local languages, and fishermen you ask for directions may not know the name that you know, even if there is a name on the chart (there are rarely names on Google Maps).
And, yes, I agree that a PLB will *improve* your chances of being found alive, but people need to be aware that it is *very* far from a failsafe, particularly in remote, underpopulated areas of large, less economically developed countries like Indonesia (and the Philippines). Blanket statements like "Yes, PLBs work" ignore the realities of diving in countries like Indonesia (and the Philippines), and can generate a false sense of security.
Would you try to work from Google Satellite view, or what? Bear in mind, also, that it's not uncommon for an island to have several different names in the various local languages, and fishermen you ask for directions may not know the name that you know, even if there is a name on the chart (there are rarely names on Google Maps).
And, yes, I agree that a PLB will *improve* your chances of being found alive, but people need to be aware that it is *very* far from a failsafe, particularly in remote, underpopulated areas of large, less economically developed countries like Indonesia (and the Philippines). Blanket statements like "Yes, PLBs work" ignore the realities of diving in countries like Indonesia (and the Philippines), and can generate a false sense of security.