Empty boat breaks adrift stranding divers - Florida

[scagrotto]

Although I am a big fan of the Nautilus Lifeline ... a PLB might be a wiser choice

Just looked at the website. It's far better than nothing, but the claim about "within 4000 square miles" strikes me as some serious bull****. I'm inclined to interpret the use of "within" to be deliberately misleading. 4000 square miles is really a modest circle with a radius of just under 36 miles. Granted, if you're more than 35 miles from other boats you're in a fairly remote spot, but advertising it as having a range of 35 miles would give people a much more honest idea of the coverage.

 

[DandyDon]

I sat out a dive once in Key West (Vandenburg) b/c the operator did not leave anyone on the boat and hopped in the water. The dive op was well recommended here on SB and i was shocked that he did not leave anyone topside. I refused to get in the water. It was a six pack just like this boat. This was after the guy chided me for carrying a SMB and whistle.

I hope you reported that on SB, naming names. Inexcusable.

Just looked at the website. It's far better than nothing, but the claim about "within 4000 square miles" strikes me as some serious bull****. I'm inclined to interpret the use of "within" to be deliberately misleading. 4000 square miles is really a modest circle with a radius of just under 36 miles. Granted, if you're more than 35 miles from other boats you're in a fairly remote spot, but advertising it as having a range of 35 miles would give people a much more honest idea of the coverage.

I prefer the safety of the PLB, carry mine in the car any time I leave the house much less out hiking, diving, etc. I like the two-way radio is more for the diver who wants to harass his own captain, but not much range.

 

[Akimbo]

... It's far better than nothing, but the claim about "within 4000 square miles" strikes me as some serious bull****...

A 36 mile radius “might” be true under ideal conditions… and you can climb a tree to get some height above water. It is only 2 watts max.

I have played with it and a 5 mile radius has been pretty reliable in the location I tested it with some white-water occasionally breaking over the antenna. The receiving end was a boat with an antenna about 20' off the water.

This is fine here on the North coast of California. Currents are nothing like the Gulf Stream, other boats are usually within a few miles, and we are rarely more than a half mile offshore since the continental shelf is so narrow.

The downside of a PLB is it is practically a one-use item (return to factory after use or to replace the battery), needs a housing for a diver to carry it, and you better be in deep sh*t to use one because a full-blown SAR response will follow. It is sure nice to open the Lifeline, hail the boat, and say I’m 200 meters off your 10:00. Of course it also has DSC mode that transmits a universal distress signal with your GPS coordinates… universal in industrialized nations anyway.

If you are a lost diver off any commercial boat, they will be looking for you and it isn’t hard for them to get within 3-5 miles, even if they can’t see you in the dark. If they don’t find you quickly they will call the Coast Guard and the chopper can follow your DSC signal. Again, not very helpful if you are in a remote location. Each tool has its place.

 

[DandyDon]

The downside of a PLB is it is practically a one-use item (return to factor after use or to replace the battery)...

It is a one time use, but free battery replacement if you use it within 5 years and submit a good rescue story. The cost is $50/year over 5 years if you don't need it, plus the canister. It's a good idea for any car that leaves town, much less hiking and diving. CNN has stories every day of people who could have been saved if they'd bothered to carry one in their cars.

 

[Wookie]

I hope you reported that on SB, naming names. Inexcusable.

That would have been Peter of Bonsai diving, who was repeatedly turned into the Coast Guard for failure to maintain a proper lookout on his uninspected vessel. We finally got a Investigating Officer who cared enough to open a formal investigation, and make inquiries of the other dive boats in town, specifically asking that if we saw the boat on a mooring unattended, call the investigative branch, file a written report, and take a picture if we could. Bonsai diving disappeared very shortly after that.

 

[Akimbo]

…We finally got a Investigating Officer who cared enough to open a formal investigation, and make inquiries of the other dive boats in town, specifically asking that if we saw the boat on a mooring unattended, call the investigative branch, file a written report, and take a picture if we could. Bonsai diving disappeared very shortly after that.

I’m surprised it took that long. It sounds like he didn’t quite grasp the concept of being the Master of a vessel or the hospitality business. Inviting a group of guys to go diving with you on your boat is one thing, even if they pitch in for fuel. Charging a charter fee is quite another.

 

[Wookie]

I’m surprised it took that long. It sounds like he didn’t quite grasp the concept of being the Master of a vessel or the hospitality business. Inviting a group of guys to go diving with you on your boat is one thing, even if they pitch in for fuel. Charging a charter fee is quite another.

Key West has long been the wild west of inspected vessel regulations. Kind of an eye opener coming out of the oil field. Many of these guys would also have big eyes if they tried to take their vessels to Galveston for inspection.

 

[Malpaso]

Do SAR aircraft monitor the Lifeline frequency? If so, you'll get some distance from it since VHF is line of sight.

 

[Akimbo]

The Coast Guard monitors for DSC (Digital Selective Calling) signals, as do most marine radios in use today. The Coast Guard will dispatch a rescue boat or chopper if they can't raise boats that are closer to your coordinates. DSC does not identify you like a PLB which is registered to your name or vessel. A true SAR (Sea and Air Rescue or Search And Rescue) response isn’t usually necessary since your location is known and other boats are probably around.

The Lifeline is a VHF radio with DSC that happens to be in a pressure proof housing and is reasonably watertight with the lid open. It has dozens of channels for voice communications, but DSC is a digital signal that basically says HELP and here are my GPS coordinates. All new marine radios have been required to receive DSC for more than a decade.

You really want to ask the charter boat captain what channels they monitor so you can set your Lifeline to that frequency and test it before your first dive. It is a PITA to change frequencies floating on the surface. Again, that is just for hailing the boat so you don't have to get the marine world in a twit by pressing the DSC button.

 

[Malpaso]

...

Thanks. So would it make sense to say that the Lifeline would be acceptable in US coastal waters, where the PLB would be the smart choice for more remote/less advanced parts of the world?