Personal Locator beacon

[ssssnake529]

Garmin inReach Mini in the Garmin dive case is waterproof down to 100 meters. The Iridium network it's connected to is global.

I've used the inReach (recently the Mini, but also the previous versions) for years for my non-diving outdoor pursuits. Never had an SOS call, but it's very good for letting my wife know where I am and that I'm safe, especially when I'm solo.

It's small, light, reliable. Not sure why it wouldn't be a good PLB solution for diving.

 

[tursiops]

Not sure why it wouldn't be a good PLB solution for diving.

It is an alternative, but does not work the same way nor provide the same services. The PLB brings in the big boys, via an established Search and Rescue network run by governments. There is no subscription fee.
The InReach is a two-way device that works through a private entity. It is especially useful when it is not a full-blown emergency for which the helicopters ae needed...it gives a way to get some help without getting the cavalry involved, or maybe just tell your wife you'll be home late.
See ACR ResQLink View Review (ACR PLB or Garmin InReach?) - HikingGuy.com for an example comparison.

Neither does anything other than help somebody find you. You probably also need insurance to actually cover the costs of the rescue.

 

[maadJurguer]

Last ski season, an InReach was used by a group I work with due to a medical emergency in the backcountry. The local LEO SAR group was sent in and helped evac the individual after about 6 hours of waiting and us stabilizing the individual.

I've also personally witnessed the activation of a SPOT by mistake by someone in a group I was with on a long bikepack. The local Sheriff's office was able to deploy personnel to the area and made contact with us, where the individual was embarrassed to learn that the SPOT (first gen) had accidently activated the emergency function. This was the model that did not have a cover over the button, rather it just had a raised edge which u fortunately did not stop a small, pokey thing in the guys backpack from pressing the button down for an extended period of time....design flaw right there which has since been fixed in later versions.

It's true that the traffic from SPOT and InReach-type devices that are not true PLBs, and therefore do not use government funded channels, are routed to a private entity first vs a true PLB. However it is not true to state that the "big boys" won't show up.

 

[tursiops]

However it is not true to state that the "big boys" won't show up.

Nobody said this. With a PLB only the big boys show up. With InReach, it depends.

 

[maadJurguer]

Nobody said this. With a PLB only the big boys show up. With InReach, it depends.

You implied it, so I offered two real-world use cases from a SPOT and a Delorme (now Garmin). Both times "the big boys showed up". In fact, your statement is wrong when you state that it depends who shows up when using a Delorme. As I run an avalanche center, we researched this to understand and consider what made sense for us and our clients in the backcountry during certification activities.

Pat Caulfield, the Vice President of the Colorado Search and Rescue Association and Commander and Team Commander of Fremont, Colorado Search and Rescue states that when a signal is initiated from a satellite messanger (Spot or Delorme), they "send SOS calls to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center in Montgomery, Texas, regardless of where they are activated". Furthermore, Emily Thomson, the Operations Research and Development Manager at the GEOS IRRC states, "When someone activates the SOS on their satellite messenger it will come into our monitoring system with their profile information and coordinates. Since it’s a two-way device we’re able to communicate with them about their emergency, and as soon as we receive the alert in our system with the coordinates, we will immediately dispatch emergency services based on their location.”

She goes on to state that, “For the United States, we will coordinate with the county sheriff department, or if they are in a national park, we will coordinate with the national park dispatch,” Thomson explains. “If it’s international, it will be the rescue coordination center for the country that the device activated was in, so we will coordinate the rescue with them.” The bold font is my highlight.

So based on my research on the topic, my dual real-world experiences, along with this info, I'm fairly certain we can state that "the big boys" will always respond. Here's my full source.

Hit ‘SOS’ on Your Sat Messenger or PLB? Here’s What Happens Next

 

[tursiops]

You implied it, so I offered two real-world use cases from a SPOT and a Delorme (now Garmin). Both times "the big boys showed up". In fact, your statement is wrong when you state that it depends who shows up when using a Delorme. As I run an avalanche center, we researched this to understand and consider what made sense for us and our clients in the backcountry during certification activities.

Pat Caulfield, the Vice President of the Colorado Search and Rescue Association and Commander and Team Commander of Fremont, Colorado Search and Rescue states that when a signal is initiated from a satellite messanger (Spot or Delorme), they "send SOS calls to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center in Montgomery, Texas, regardless of where they are activated". Furthermore, Emily Thomson, the Operations Research and Development Manager at the GEOS IRRC states, "When someone activates the SOS on their satellite messenger it will come into our monitoring system with their profile information and coordinates. Since it’s a two-way device we’re able to communicate with them about their emergency, and as soon as we receive the alert in our system with the coordinates, we will immediately dispatch emergency services based on their location.”

She goes on to state that, “For the United States, we will coordinate with the county sheriff department, or if they are in a national park, we will coordinate with the national park dispatch,” Thomson explains. “If it’s international, it will be the rescue coordination center for the country that the device activated was in, so we will coordinate the rescue with them.” The bold font is my highlight.

So based on my research on the topic, my dual real-world experiences, along with this info, I'm fairly certain we can state that "the big boys" will always respond. Here's my full source.

Hit ‘SOS’ on Your Sat Messenger or PLB? Here’s What Happens Next

You insist on trying to make me say something I never said. I said, "With InReach, it depends." It depends on what you say in your transmission...you might say I'm lost, you might be telling your wife you'll be home late, you might say send help I broke my leg. The point is, with PLB, you don't get to have that conservation...the big boys come, no matter what. Also, you need to look at how these devices are used and their value in places like...say...scuba diving in northerner Indonesia. You are right, InReach works well in (say) National Parks in the US....but that is NOT where most scuba divers are worried about a dive boat leaving them behind.

 

[CuzzA]

The subscription is the deal breaker for me vs. a one time purchase PLB. If I'm 100 miles offshore and I need to reach someone on land, it's the big boys. Honey I'm going to be home late for supper just isn't something that I would need to say. I bought it for the rare emergency, hope I don't need it, but it's a big ocean.

 

[ssssnake529]

You insist on trying to make me say something I never said. I said, "With InReach, it depends." It depends on what you say in your transmission...you might say I'm lost, you might be telling your wife you'll be home late, you might say send help I broke my leg. The point is, with PLB, you don't get to have that conservation...the big boys come, no matter what. Also, you need to look at how these devices are used and their value in places like...say...scuba diving in northerner Indonesia. You are right, InReach works well in (say) National Parks in the US....but that is NOT where most scuba divers are worried about a dive boat leaving them behind.

I think that you have a misunderstanding of how the inReach works. Yes, you can use it to text back and forth with your wife or anyone else for that matter.

However, there is also a SOS function that contacts the emergency rescue services of whatever jurisdiction you may happen to be in (Yosemite National Park or Indonesia.) It's an SOS system that mobilizes search and rescue. You don't have to text your wife and ask her to call in the "big boys." Just activating the inReach SOS function automatically does that.

As Maadjurger pointed out, it works internationally.

The subscription fee is $11 per month. It's well worth it for me. Provides my wife with peace of mind, and I can use it for non life threatening situations (i.e. "don't worry, I'm running late") in addition to emergency SOS call-outs.

If you prefer a PLB, that's fine. However, I'm not sure what functionality a PLB provides that isn't mirrored by an inReach, and the inReach provides more communication options in a smaller, lighter package.

 

[maadJurguer]

You insist on trying to make me say something I never said. I said, "With InReach, it depends." It depends on what you say in your transmission...you might say I'm lost, you might be telling your wife you'll be home late, you might say send help I broke my leg. The point is, with PLB, you don't get to have that conservation...the big boys come, no matter what. Also, you need to look at how these devices are used and their value in places like...say...scuba diving in northerner Indonesia. You are right, InReach works well in (say) National Parks in the US....but that is NOT where most scuba divers are worried about a dive boat leaving them behind.

Whatever....

 

[drk5036]

The inReach also has a specially built scuba case:

inReach Mini Dive Case | Garmin

This would help the price differential significantly. Has anyone tried it?