If I were to go shore diving (most likely snorkeling) just my buddy and I. Should I carry a radio. I was thinking of putting a radio in a waterproof bag on my person. And if I needed it I could take it out. I guess I may as well put my cell phone in the same bag. Does this sound reasonable?
Do you dive with a radio? Should I?
- Thread starter hwttdz
- Start date
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RELAX!!! Scuba is to be fun, not a stressor. Learn some key navigational skills and don't get yourself lost. Again, relax and have a good time!
Joe
Joe
Have fun, but learn the area where you're going. I dive a fresh water lake with steep cliffs and hills all around. Cell phones, rarely get a signal, land phones are scarce and usually far from the water's edge. . . in our area there are marinas with marine band radios monitoring chanel 16. They won't close up their businesses to come to the rescue, but all of them will call the lake patrol or ambulance, or answer weather questions. We're in Tornado alley.
I knew a couple of dive instructors that were teaching students to use their cell phones to call 911, there was no 911 in this rural area at the time, and no cell phone signal. . . In those conditions it was better to keep a list of emergency phone numbers, and the nearest land phone number, or a marine radio.
Consider the requirements for the area you are going to, and prepare for that area. The radio, or cell phone can stay in a plastic bag if you are in a boat, or your car if you are diving from shore. In any emergency. . . first help them breath, then get them out of the water. . .
From past experience, if someone is blue and making "funny noises" they are not dead, they need help opening their airway. A vote among bystanders does not make some one dead. . .
I knew a couple of dive instructors that were teaching students to use their cell phones to call 911, there was no 911 in this rural area at the time, and no cell phone signal. . . In those conditions it was better to keep a list of emergency phone numbers, and the nearest land phone number, or a marine radio.
Consider the requirements for the area you are going to, and prepare for that area. The radio, or cell phone can stay in a plastic bag if you are in a boat, or your car if you are diving from shore. In any emergency. . . first help them breath, then get them out of the water. . .
From past experience, if someone is blue and making "funny noises" they are not dead, they need help opening their airway. A vote among bystanders does not make some one dead. . .
NudeDiver
Contributor
It would have never occurred to me to dive with a radio. In any case - I don't do it. As for whether you should, well, that's up to you 
LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
I guess to answer your question regarding carrying a radio or cell phone (in the water with you if I understand you correctly), a little more detail is needed:
1. How remote is the shore area you'll be diving from (I'm assuming ocean diving)? The reason I'm asking, is to determine if a VHF radio the best way to get help, or a cell phone? Is there cell phone reception in the area you want to dive? If you are fairly near a city or town, calling 911 will probably get help to you fastest, but in other more remote areas (of the US) contacting the Coast Guard might be faster or the only option.
2. In what diving scenarios/emergencies do you anticipate needing to call for assistance? Being swept offshore, lost buddy, DCS, drowning or near-drowning, injury? I'm not trying to be morbid, I'm asking this to determine whether a radio or cell phone might be better.
90% of all of my dives have been shore dives. I keep a cell phone in the car. In the time before cell phones (yep, I'm that old), I just knew where the nearest payphone or house was.
My feeling is that if you feel you really need to carry a radio or phone into the water with you for safety, you should reevaluate the overall safety of the dive site. The reason is that any help you could potentially summon by radio or phone to help you in the water will probably take too long to get there. The only exception I could think of for carrying a radio or cell phone on a dive would be if you'd been swept offshore... and in that case I would have goofed badly in my evaluation of the conditions at that site.
Don't do a shore dive if you are not 100% comfortable with the water conditions, and confident that you could swim all the way back on the surface if you had a gear failure at your furthest point from shore. In fact, the criteria I use personally is I need to be confident I could tow my buddy back on the surface from the furthest point.... so these days I dive in more "tame" conditions that when I was in my 20's.
Safe Diving!
NudeDiver
Contributor
Well, that's a nice answer, but not real practical. The conditions could be PERFECT, but the bad crap can still go down. Suppose your buddy surfaces and is unconscious at the surface - and you're 200 yards from shore. Having a cell phone on you so you could call 911 and get help on the way, while you're towing him to shore could be very helpful. Hell, in many cases, they may be at the shore and waiting for you before you even get there. If you have to wait until you get to shore to call from your cell phone, you've lost a lot of valuable time.
For the reason above - I've thought about using a spare cell phone, with 911 service only, and putting it in a waterproof case and stapping it on to my BC, as a "just in case" factor. Along with putting my pocket mask in my BC's pocket - just seems like a reasonable safety precaution. Doesn't mean the diving conditions are at all unsafe.
For the reason above - I've thought about using a spare cell phone, with 911 service only, and putting it in a waterproof case and stapping it on to my BC, as a "just in case" factor. Along with putting my pocket mask in my BC's pocket - just seems like a reasonable safety precaution. Doesn't mean the diving conditions are at all unsafe.
Without a boubt there are scenaios where communications could be helpful. However the perils of taking electronics into the underwater realm make it impractical. Possession of good diving skills make it almost universally unnescessary.
NudeDiver
Contributor
LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
@ NudeDiver: I actually see your point, and agree. Especially with the scenario you give, if a cell phone can be kept dry and still function after taking it down to recreational depths, I agree. I've actually thought about this too, but just don't see how the cell phone would stay dry long enough to make the call in the water..... and in your scenario try keeping it dry while your trying to keep an unconscious diver face up... That is the main reason I've abandoned that idea so far (and even though I'm an old fart and set in my ways, I'm open to reconsidering it if I find a phone that is waterproof to recreational depths
). Anyway, you are 100% right, really bad things can happen on ANY dive, and in years past I've had to tow other divers (with leg cramps, fatigue, nausea, etc.) in to shore on near-perfect days.... but the point I was trying to make is to not stack the odds in Murphy's favor by trying to dive in conditions that are too challenging from the outset. The vast majority of problems are preventable, and with common sense shore diving is pretty darned safe.
I guess I'm speaking of my experience over the years with shore diving in my area of the world (Big Island), where currently:
1. There is often poor cell phone reception at shore dive sites. With a cell phone (or hand held VHF radio), you often need to get to "higher ground" to get reception...
2. Even with good reception, many good shore dive sites on the Big Island are far from the nearest fire station, so responce times my take from 10 minutes to nearly (or over) an hour.
To the OP: Carry a cell phone or radio if it makes you feel safer. For sure keep one in your car. Just understand the limitations of the current technology, and have a plan for emergencies.
Stay Safe!
