Has anyone purchased a Nautilus Lifeline lately?

[Dan]

I have Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) for > 5 years & 1000 dives with no problem. For direct talk to Search & Rescue GPS I also carry PLB1.

Both MRG & PLB1 are tethered together and put away in my BCD waist pocket for quick access & preventing from fumbling them and falling to the abyss.

 

[rjack321]

Hello, wife and I are looking at getting some sort of PLB type device, and specifically looking at the Nautilus Lifeline. The price is right, no subscription, no separate case, etc

Our pause is the reviews, which make it sound like there is a real issue with quality control. Lots of complaints about them flooding, not working, etc, and they are really not inexpensive if they flood after 6 dives. Could be that they may have had an issue for a period of time though, and got their act together, so I thought I would ask..

Has anyone bought one of these recently and had a good or bad experience they would be willing to share?

Thanks!

Where are you diving?

Depending on the country actual PLBs have various rules. These don't apply to AIS communications, but the range is also severely limited so that might do you any good either. National Beacon Regulations for the Use of PLBs - International COSPAS-SARSAT

 

[MtnDiverColorado]

Where are you diving?

Depending on the country actual PLBs have various rules. These don't apply to AIS communications, but the range is also severely limited so that might do you any good either. National Beacon Regulations for the Use of PLBs - International COSPAS-SARSAT

Mostly motivated by an upcoming Soccoro trip...

 

[Dan]

I have the older Lifeline that does all of the above...... plus it has the integrated Marine VHF radio that allows actual voice communication to my own boat and other boats within range, Coast Guard, etc....that are monitoring channel 16. For diving here in the PAC NW and mostly off of my own boat, the older Nautilus with VHF is a great option.

The older model Nautilus Lifeline doesn’t broadcast AIS, only DSC. However having the built in Marine VHF radio (which the new Marine Rescue GPS doesn’t have) is definitely a big plus!

 

[rjack321]

Mostly motivated by an upcoming Soccoro trip...

If you're going with Nautilus they have rented devices in the past.

 

[Dan]

Mostly motivated by an upcoming Soccoro trip...

If you go to Socorro with Nautilus Liveaboards, they’ll loan one for free. I’ve done this trip 3 times. I left my MRG at home whenever I go diving with Nautilus Liveaboards.

There are other liveaboards that loan you free PAB (Personal AIS Beacon) such as:
- Undersea Hunter in Cocos
- Argo in Cocos
- Ferox in Malpelo
- Galapagos Master in Galapagos
- Amira in Indonesia
- Palau Aggressor in Palau
- Rock Island Aggressor in Palau

 

[O-ring]

LIke @Dan said, Nautilus will let you use one for free (kind of required if memory serves) during your trip. Also, unless this has changed since I was there in 2021, Nautilus will credit you the marine park fee as an onboard credit that you can use on booze, shirts, stuffed mantas and other swag and, you guessed it, a Nautilus Lifeline of your own. I ended my trip at zero after copious amounts of scotch (ask about the "divemaster pours"), a couple shirts and one lifeline. I have carried it on every LOB I have been on since then. Interestingly, when I was on Cocos Aggressor last month they gave us all loaner (free) Nautilus Lifelines rigged up and ready to go with the boat's MMSI preprogrammed. A bunch of us had our own, but used theirs since it was more convenient. Never had a problem with mine, but @Dan has had his a lot longer than me and beaten it up a lot worse so his anecdotal experience is worth way more than mine.

 

[SurteesDiver]

I have one and have used it in earnest. Was diving between a couple of islands and when spat out was a long way from the boat. Had an observant boatman so would most likely have been found, but it was nice (for both of us) to set it off to tell him that I was already on the surface and exactly where I was. Thoroughly recommend.

On the flooding issue, I have a friend that had one flood. His was replaced free of charge despite the fact he had purchased it secondhand. The newer ones have a clearer area in the case so you could easily see if there is water inside - easy check and pretty foolproof. I'm confident that I would know if there was water in mine.

In New Zealand few boats have DSC radios and we have large areas where there are few commercial boats with AIS, so when I purchased the Nautilus I also purchased a new DSC VHF radio for my boat.

Finally, on the difference between these and a PLB... both have their place but a likely situation is that you are lost a few hundred metres or a few kilometres from the boat that you dived off... in this situation you will have a reasonable wait in the water while the authorities mount a search in response to your activated PLB, versus rapid recovery to your own boat with a Nautilus.

 

[Knockneed Man]

I’ve had one in my “cart” at scuba.com for months, and today I got an email that said:
“The "Nautilus Life-Line Marine Rescue GPS " that you have in your wish list has been discontinued. In order to maintain and offer to our customers an accurate and current product list, we have removed it from your wish list.”

They aren’t to be found on their website anymore now, nor on divers direct. Anyone know what’s happening?

 

[tursiops]

I’ve had one in my “cart” at scuba.com for months, and today I got an email that said:
“The "Nautilus Life-Line Marine Rescue GPS " that you have in your wish list has been discontinued. In order to maintain and offer to our customers an accurate and current product list, we have removed it from your wish list.”

They aren’t to be found on their website anymore now, nor on divers direct. Anyone know what’s happening?

Dive Gear Rxpress has them.