Craziness continues

[DandyDon]

Ha! I took my camera north and snagged a few shots, but drifted away from the group & deeper once. Opps! At the end of one dive, a bud sent up his sausage on his reel and then held it gently as it sounded like a boat was going to run over it. It came close! There are other risks to going north, mostly in not having many other boats around for backup.

 

[Ron Lee]

Don, just buy a PLB. Some are cheap enough now that not having one is foolish for folks who take more chances that just getting out of bed.

One brand among several is here

ACR and Artex Products - Your Best Last Chance / Cobham - Beacon Solutions

Get one with integrated GPS.

The only dive canister I know of is one to fit the larger McMurdo Fastfind PLB. The Canister appears to be by McMurdo as well.

If you find a dive canister that is smaller for the smaller ACR PLBs, please report back.

 

[jd950]

The manufacturers of these products are likely to tell you that in order to work, they need to be held up and clear of any water, including splashes and waves. FWIW, the dive container itself costs in the range of $300.00, bringing the cost of a Fastfind w GPs and a container to about $900.00. The ACR is less costly and if it fits in the McMurdo container you can get them for about $600.00.

I think having a PLB when diving is a great idea for those with the cash and willingness to deal with carrying them but I also think for most recreational divers, a signal mirror, dive alert and surface marker are sufficient. The real value of the PLB would be to alert people that you have gotten lost when there would otherwise be no one looking for you and no one around to assist. Most of us are not often in that situation and really just need something that makes us easier to find by by those already looking, or present in the area.

I like to think more practical epirb solutions for divers will be available shortly, but I have thought that for a few years now.

 

[ggunn]

And at most dive locations around Cozumel, you are diving within sight of land and with a lot of boat traffic around you.

 

[Pelagicsal]

Maybe this is too much of a junior newdiver question, but do other people feel they had to get used to current diving to appreciate it? Or do you think it is just something you either dig, or not?

Like many other aspects of diving, diving in current gets more fun as you get more experienced and more comfortable. There is definitely a learning curve.

I LOVE playing in the current! That crazy feeling where my body is hidden behind a barrier of some sort, but the top of my head is exposed, and the current is spinning my ponytail and loose hair round-and-round makes me laugh every single time.

And like scuba, drift diving is not for everyone, no matter how much experience one may have. To each his own, but my own is rock and roll!

 

[jd950]

Maybe this is too much of a junior newdiver question, but do other people feel they had to get used to current diving to appreciate it? Or do you think it is just something you either dig, or not?

I really enjoy a good ride on a strong current. I don't always like it when for some reason I am trying to accomplish something or see some particular feature or critter, but if I can just go for a ride I find it great fun and always have. On the other hand strong currents can also stir up a lot of sand and dramatically reduce visibility.

 

[oerentals]

The manufacturers of these products are likely to tell you that in order to work, they need to be held up and clear of any water, including splashes and waves. FWIW, the dive container itself costs in the range of $300.00, bringing the cost of a Fastfind w GPs and a container to about $900.00. The ACR is less costly and if it fits in the McMurdo container you can get them for about $600.00.

I think having a PLB when diving is a great idea for those with the cash and willingness to deal with carrying them but I also think for most recreational divers, a signal mirror, dive alert and surface marker are sufficient. The real value of the PLB would be to alert people that you have gotten lost when there would otherwise be no one looking for you and no one around to assist. Most of us are not often in that situation and really just need something that makes us easier to find by by those already looking, or present in the area.

I like to think more practical epirb solutions for divers will be available shortly, but I have thought that for a few years now.

The McMurdo canister is actually much bigger than I thought. An ACR ResQlink and ACR Aqualink fit inside with plenty of room to spare.

As far as how clear a view to the sky they need - waves, etc won't affect it. They are sending a satellite and radio signal and a PLB is also intended for use backpacking, canoeing, etc. and they work almost 99.9999% of the time with tree cover, mountains, etc. Therefore, I don't think many on water situations would be a problem, unless they were activated actually under water a few feet.

I think something like a ResQlink in a pouch or an Aqualink is pretty close to a EPIRB for a diver - they will float and the antennae will point straight up when activated.

 

[Mossman]

And at most dive locations around Cozumel, you are diving within sight of land and with a lot of boat traffic around you.

Which is why it's always a mystery how someone can go missing if he/she makes it to the surface (excepting the obvious case of the propeller "haircut"). Open ocean dives can truly be freaky, but dives in sight of land seem to have lesser risks. Are there any sorts of currents that would tend to push one out to sea, or could a truly abandoned diver with semi-decent swimming skills make it to shore? Personally, I've never dove a site in Cozumel where I didn't think I could make the swim back, but then I've yet to go beyond Punta Sur or dive any of the north sites.

 

[Ron Lee]

Brad, check this option

Looks like there may be a smaller canister than the gold one that I have

http://www.customdivers.com/custom-divers-200210-fast-find-plb-dive-canister-337-p.asp


Custom Divers US contact is: customdivers@hotmail.com

 

[DandyDon]

The McMurdo canister is actually much bigger than I thought. An ACR ResQlink and ACR Aqualink fit inside with plenty of room to spare.

As far as how clear a view to the sky they need - waves, etc won't affect it. They are sending a satellite and radio signal and a PLB is also intended for use backpacking, canoeing, etc. and they work almost 99.9999% of the time with tree cover, mountains, etc. Therefore, I don't think many on water situations would be a problem, unless they were activated actually under water a few feet.

I think something like a ResQlink in a pouch or an Aqualink is pretty close to a EPIRB for a diver - they will float and the antennae will point straight up when activated.

I'm certainly renting one for my next trip down to Coz...!