Gear Advice for diving in remote areas...and keeping it light!

[jlevenson]

Hi all,
It's been a long time since I've posted on here but I have an interesting conundrum I and thought the many divers here could share some expertise. I have a terrific chance to dive in some pretty remote areas of the world. Last year, while in East Africa, I dove only to discover that the boat the divemaster and I left an hour earlier was no where to be found. As the sun was setting during my two mile kick back to a near-by village I had plenty of time to think how I would do things differently. Of course I followed all the usual responsible guidelines, had a good buddy (granted, his english wasn't so hot) went with a reputable shop, et cetera, but sometimes things just happen. And in many of the countries I visit, no such thing as a Coast Guard even exists. I want to be prepared for the kinds of things that can't always be solved with a safety sausage.

So I was reading up on Halycyon's diver life raft, diver radios, strobes, and was curious if anyone any any advice (or better pictures) of what they do to be prepared for it all.

oh, and my travel also involves small planes, so keeping it as light as possible is key.

So that's my query- thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[diversteve]

These seem to be popular judging by the number of people who've posted about getting one recently. Nautilus Lifeline Marine Radio and GPS
Seems to require something on your boat or a nearby boat with a VHF Channel 16 radio. They have a forum here also: Nautilus Lifeline

Maybe a PLB/EPIRB also? ACR Electronics Inc - ACR and ARTEX BeaconsAquaLink View Personal Locator Beacon / ACR and ARTEX Beacons

 

[jlevenson]

Thanks, I'll look into the PLB option.

Thank!

 

[TSandM]

Halcyon used to make a diver's life raft. I believe they no longer make it, but it may be available from some retailers. It fit in a storage pack that attached to a backplate. Here is a link, although I know nothing about this website: Halcyon Diver's Life Raft | Scuba Diving Gear & Equipment | MonsterMarketplace.com

 

[GrimSleeper]

On the subject of EPIRBs, bear in mind that if you're going somewhere that remote (say, the western Solomon Islands, for example, since that's where I am), there is no coastguard. We do carry an EPIRB on my big boat, purely because it came with one, but the process if we triggered it would be something a bit like this:

Trigger EPIRB in western Solomon Sea.
Cairns Coastguard in Australia pick up EPIRB signal.
Cairns CG contact Canberra (capital of Australia).
Canberra contact Royal Australian Navy marine advisory contingent in Honiara (capital of Solomons).
RAN marine contingent contact Solomon Islands Marine Dept to find out if either patrol boat (a) is working and (b) has fuel and (c) has a crew available.
RAN contact Canberra to advise on patrol boat status.
Canberra make a decision, contact RAN in Honiara.
RAN in Honiara advise Solomon Islands Marine whether or not to send boat.
Boat departs Honiara.
Boat breaks down (as likely as not) and returns to Honiara.
Boat departs again, arrives at location of EPIRB 2-3 days after EPIRB triggered.
Boat discovers that we have been picked up by one of our other boats (we have a system of ETAs and checkpoints, precisely because we are in such a remote location) and are at home with a nice cup of tea.

The only honest advice I can give is to quiz the operator on what they plan to do if the dive boat doesn't come back or divers are missing, and get a feel for how clued up they are. In the five years I've been in the Solomons, I've only heard of one case of a diver going lost at sea, and it wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been the day he looked at his DSMB and decided he couldn't be bothered to untangle the line and re-roll it before going diving. Even then, he was found after four hours in the water. Possibly pack a hat and a bottle of water in a pocket, and maybe a dye marker and/or smoke pot in a watertight housing in case someone sends a plane to look for you...

The beauty of remote locations is that they're relatively pristine and the marine life can be astonishing. The price is that, if it all goes wrong, you're a long, long way from home.

 

[Mike]

Hi all,
It's been a long time since I've posted on here but I have an interesting conundrum I and thought the many divers here could share some expertise. I have a terrific chance to dive in some pretty remote areas of the world. Last year, while in East Africa, I dove only to discover that the boat the divemaster and I left an hour earlier was no where to be found. As the sun was setting during my two mile kick back to a near-by village I had plenty of time to think how I would do things differently. Of course I followed all the usual responsible guidelines, had a good buddy (granted, his english wasn't so hot) went with a reputable shop, et cetera, but sometimes things just happen. And in many of the countries I visit, no such thing as a Coast Guard even exists. I want to be prepared for the kinds of things that can't always be solved with a safety sausage.

So I was reading up on Halycyon's diver life raft, diver radios, strobes, and was curious if anyone any any advice (or better pictures) of what they do to be prepared for it all.

oh, and my travel also involves small planes, so keeping it as light as possible is key.

So that's my query- thanks in advance for the advice!

Might want to read this http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...rsonal-locator-beacon-how-never-lost-sea.html

Personally I think the Nautilus Life line is basically worthless as life saving device. With so many VHF radios not DCS ready, and with relying on a dive boat monitoring channel 16 which rarely happens, and the issues of being able to set it to stations the dive boat is using, and it's tiny range, it's a, if you got it and it happens to work out, that's great device, but don't stake your life on it.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks, I'll look into the PLB option.

Thank!

For diving, you'll need the case - but you can rent both for as long as needed at GoPro Rental| EPIRB Rental | PLB Rental