Lost at Sea...........

[SCUBAMedicBill]

Tom, you went through a lot, learned a lot, and passed it on. Seems like your desteny was to save other through this info.

I myself always seem to bring a lot of safety item, which conpared to your list, is only a few things. But I always took heat for it. Well, you experience shows me that I not of the mark, but I will actually kick it up a few notches.

Your brother and friend were also quite smart in their actions. Their calculations and method of search were excelent.

For a signal mirror, you can use a CD. It works well.

Thanks again for sharing your experience. It has opened a lot of eyes, and will not only help those who need to employ it, but also make us more confident if such a situation should arise.

Bill

 

[Tom Winters]

The problem with a cd is that if it breaks, those pieces are pretty pointed. Stuffed out of the way in a pocket, they could do some real damage in a bc. The little stainless steel camping mirrors are only a few bucks, and I have been rescued using one.

 

[H2Andy]

also, CD's don't reflect nearly as well (nowhere near as well) as mirrors...

 

[fpsndiver]

For a signal mirror, you can use a CD. It works well.

Thanks again for sharing your experience. It has opened a lot of eyes, and will not only help those who need to employ it, but also make us more confident if such a situation should arise.

Bill

I have a signal mirror w/whistle (3rd whistle including my dive alert), on a string around my neck under my suit. Additionally, I carry another signal mirror, small one in my thigh pocket. Both have the red dot center sight for aiming the flash. I have also practiced painting the flash on targets a long distance away........that is a skill you don't want to try and master floating in the ocean!

I sure hope this post helps people to carry more safety equipment. All in all, I don't even think it weighs more than 1 pound....and most of the time, I don't even know it is all there.

Tom

 

[Mike Nelson]

I haven't started diving yet (going for my OW C-card next month) but I've been reading up on potential risks and doing some research so I can be prepared.

When mountaineering and paragliding, I've always brought my handheld 2m ham radio for emergency communication. How viable is it to stick a small, waterproof Marine VHF in your BCD pocket, in one of those uwa-marine housings? It strikes me that it might not always be an emergency if you surface and want to talk to your boat, so that deploying an EPIRB might not always be in order. But if you did have a small handi-talkie, you could hail your boat (or the Coast Guard or nearby boats) in case of emergency, too. You'd even be able to communicate with a rescue helo, I assume, to vector them in to you. Would one of these hold up under repeated trips to recreational depths, if you sealed it in a housing?

Thanks for the great advice and discussion on this forum - really helps a beginner think through possible scenarios.

 

[cdiver2]

I haven't started diving yet (going for my OW C-card next month) but I've been reading up on potential risks and doing some research so I can be prepared.

When mountaineering and paragliding, I've always brought my handheld 2m ham radio for emergency communication. How viable is it to stick a small, waterproof Marine VHF in your BCD pocket, in one of those uwa-marine housings? It strikes me that it might not always be an emergency if you surface and want to talk to your boat, so that deploying an EPIRB might not always be in order. But if you did have a small handi-talkie, you could hail your boat (or the Coast Guard or nearby boats) in case of emergency, too. You'd even be able to communicate with a rescue helo, I assume, to vector them in to you. Would one of these hold up under repeated trips to recreational depths, if you sealed it in a housing?

Thanks for the great advice and discussion on this forum - really helps a beginner think through possible scenarios.

The first time you took your 2m radio out of its container the slightest splash would fry the electronics. Cameras are bad enough near salt water but a ham radio?

 

[fpsndiver]

The first time you took your 2m radio out of its container the slightest splash would fry the electronics. Cameras are bad enough near salt water but a ham radio?

Actually it appeared he was talking about a marine VHF radio.....they do make marine VHF radios that are submersible to 15 fsw.....so if you could keep the pressure off of it in a housing, it would be fine to remove it on the surface. Problem is with small handheld marine VHF is range......they don't have much range, especially if you are low in the water....which you would be. I want to carry as little equipment as possible, and for an all out emergency situation, I think that an epirb unit with GPS would be more critical than a VHF......I dunno.

Tom

 

[cdiver2]

Actually it appeared he was talking about a marine VHF radio.....they do make marine VHF radios that are submersible to 15 fsw.....so if you could keep the pressure off of it in a housing, it would be fine to remove it on the surface. Problem is with small handheld marine VHF is range......they don't have much range, especially if you are low in the water....which you would be. I want to carry as little equipment as possible, and for an all out emergency situation, I think that an epirb unit with GPS would be more critical than a VHF......I dunno.

Tom

My mind stuck on the first part 2 meter ham. Have to agree also on the epirb rather than the VHF, but there is a bid price difference