Carrying a cell phone while diving

[scjoe]

A handheld marine radio is an interesting idea - but unless the boat has a direction finder, all it will do is let them know you are OK - also, I don't know how small they make these things.

Hey guys - let's keep to the original intent - emergency communication.

The OP was NOT talking about making a call from underwater.

For an emergency, a SPOT, PLB, or, if you are close enough to shore, a cell in a waterproof case will do the trick.

One thing a marine radio will do is enable you to communicate with a boat you can see which can't see you or your surface marker. Size may be an issue, but some handheld units are small although not as small as a cellphone.

All in all, I think the idea of using cell phones or radios in the water as a means of rescue is a bit fanciful. I'd be interest to know what the Coast Guard thinks about people calling for help from their boats and asking to be "triangulated" because they don't know where they are.

 

[emoreira]

I've heard a lot of stories about people being left while diving and the boat leaving the dive place. There are also several movies related.
My last 3 days dive in open sea, though we were diving 50 mts or so from the rocky coast, it was a ritual of the DM to take list of all the people on board before starting the boat's engine and weight anchoring to return to the harbour at the end of the day. Every one in the boat should say "Here !", so the DM was sure the guy was on board.
Besides, there was a two guy guard hourly taking note of every dive activity, who were in the water, when they go down, when they go up and tank preasure.
There was a lot of divers in the boat, it was a big boat.

One of the days we (a separate group of divers, those with greater experience) went to a separate dive location with a smaller boat, so we were something like 10 people on board considering the crew, buy again, the DM was taking note of everyone on board before starting the engine to go back to shore.

This Dive operator is known here for the great care they take and how security in the dive operation has a preponderant place.

 

[sohnje]

I guess the biggest issue we found when taking the cells phones on a dive with us was that it was tough taking breathes off the regulator between sentences...lol
Hey...Can you here me now?????

 

[Zieg]

If you really need a phone and worried about coverage, just start carrying a Sat Phone. Then you can call anyone anywhere. You can then call you analyst and discuss why your significent other talked the boat captain into leaving you because they're tired of you talking on the damn sat phone all the time.

 

[letterboy]

As another aside, as far as 9-1-1 service goes here in the United States (and perhaps elsewhere), a cell phone does not have to be actively subscribed to any carrier service to reach 9-1-1. Ergo, if you have a nice cell phone that you don't want to risk ruining while diving, you can buy an old cell phone from a thrift store, usually for a couple of bucks, and so long as the battery is in decent shape, it will work to call for emergency services if it is range of any cellular carrier.

Cellphone 911 calls

just make sure it isn't so old that it isn't, I believe it is called GPS 911 enabled. someone more in the know probably has correct term, but essentially will allow the 911 operators to locate you, well thats the theory anyway . . .

 

[Hoomi]

just make sure it isn't so old that it isn't, I believe it is called GPS 911 enabled. someone more in the know probably has correct term, but essentially will allow the 911 operators to locate you, well thats the theory anyway . . .

Even if it's not a GPS tracked phone, so long as it's new enough to be a digital rather than an analog phone, it's better than floating along with nothing. If you can get through to a 911 operator, who could then connect you to the Coast Guard, you can give them a good idea of where to search just from the charter you were with and the dive destination.

It might take them just a bit longer to find you than if they had GPS coordinates to where you were when you called, but if they have a helicopter circling the approximate area you started from, and you have your SMB inflated, it shouldn't take them too long to track you down.

The worst thing, from what I've gathered from past incidents of forgotten divers, is that no one knows to look for them until family members start wondering why Dad hasn't come home from his dive trip yet.

 

[Bullswan]

just make sure it isn't so old that it isn't, I believe it is called GPS 911 enabled. someone more in the know probably has correct term, but essentially will allow the 911 operators to locate you, well thats the theory anyway . . .

Okay, so let me get this straight.... If I have a Blackberry Storm and mistakenly leave it in my drysuit pocket and go to say 60 feet, when I get out of the water and back in the boat (assuming I have cell phone coverage at that spot) I will be able to still use it?

I had thought of leaving a cell phone tied to the dive flag and inner tube I drag around on the surface but if I can keep it in my drysuit without damaging it all the better.

Thanks!

 

[Hoomi]

As long as it doesn't get wet, Bullswan, the phone should be fine.

Electronics and water don't get along well. Even a quick dunk of a typical cell phone can result in irreparable damage, as the electrical current jumping the circuit board through the water will cause rapid corrosion (been there, done that). In any electrical device, it operates because the electrical potential wants to flow from source (in a cell phone, the positive side of the battery) to the return (the negative side of the battery). Proper function of the phone is accomplished by controlling the flow of the electricity. When water contacts the circuit, it provides an alternate path that allows the electricity to flow haphazardly. Not only can this cause corrosion, but could potentially corrupt the ROM programming of the phone, if the wrong pins end up making electrical contact via water or corrosion.

Even in a dry suit, were I carrying an expensive phone, I think I would invest in a waterproof case as a back-up to the dry suit for protecting the device.

Personally, I also would not want to risk a shorting phone trapped against my skin. While the odds may be slim, a short circuit of that type can also result in overheating of the phone, and possible battery bursting.

 

[jridg]

One problem you may not have thought about with your dry suit - as soon as you need the phone, you have to - at least partially - get out of the dry suit - thus losing most of your thermal protection - if you are in for a long wait, that could pose serious problems.......

 

[Santa]

so you bring your phone and get swept away, and there you are, and you make the call and after an erroneus and quickly aborted call to an ex-girlfriend miraculously patches through to some kind of rescue service and you go

"I got swept away into the south china sea"

and they go "dont move" and "stay on the line" and "if there is no fixed adress can you describe your surroundings"

and you go "well ... theres like ... sea"

And theres this awkard pause

and then to save you both from further embarassment you just hang up.