PLBs Can Save Your Life

[NYCNaiad]

...I think a major lesson to take from this is that people really need to reevaluate their own attitudes toward their personal safety, and take steps to mitigate risks they wouldn't usually consider. If that means someone puts off buying a Teric for one paycheck so that they can spend $250 on a PLB and $200 on a canister and some safety items, they're safer for it, and some good has come of it.

I absolutely agree with you! I was left at sea by a dive boat for an hour & a half as waves got bigger & bigger when a hurricane started to come in early. We saw the dive boat far in the distance looking for us at one point. We had big safety sausages & whistles, but the boat didn't see us & left. After we were found, the first thing I did was buy a Nautilus cause that whole situation was scary as h*ll. Since then, I've added to my safety gear & will add even more that I was unaware of like the safety sausage with radar reflective material in it that I found out about in one of these threads this week.

So to answer your point that people need to reevaluate their attitudes about purchasing safety equipment & that we need to be vocal in telling others to do this just as often as we do re: the purchase of DAN insurance...as I noted in the SAR network - an idea thread, I'm going to write an article about SAR & what divers need to know to help themselves be found even if there are few resources in the area to conduct a search. I knew that some locations I've been diving have little money & few resources (like the tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific), but I was shocked that someplace like Cozumel ran into problems. While all these pieces of safety equipment won't mean that divers will always be found, it certainly ups the chances. When you're lost at sea, even a 1% chance is better than none & additional safety equipment ups those chances far more than that.

I write for a major scuba diving magazine on the side & I've shared the need for PLBs/Nautilus already as a bullet point in a couple of articles. But I know Cameron as a fellow mod here & had just started to begin a friendship with him outside of the board so because of that & because of all of these threads, I'm now going to focus an article on the topic.

 

[BRT]

Has anyone tried to make a waterproof case using high pressure PVC pipe and fittings from your local hardware store? I have done that in the past to store other items. You could use a screw off cap on one end for access, just make sure to use silicone grease on the threads so that it is easy to remove the cap.

One problem with this is that the tapered pipe thread fittings require a lot of force to seal and to remove.

 

[BRT]

I was not able to get it to seal. The pipes/threads/end-caps are designed to keep pressure in, not to stop pressure from getting in, was my guess.

It would take two pipe wrenches to make it seal.

 

[CuzzA]

I did it years ago. It required 3" SCH 40 pipe, a cap and a 3" mechanical test plug to fit the ACR Plus model. Cheap and effective, but too bulky for me.

 

[divinh]

I've thought about this scenario, where you do need to describe where you're at verbally over VHF. The Nautilus Lifeline Radio has an LCD display and you can see your GPS coordinates, which I suppose you could relay by writing it down on a slate and reading it off, or off the top of your head if you can keep all the numbers straight. Alternatively, if you're talking to your boat, perhaps agree to relay the last number in longitude and latitude as a quick short-hand, as the boat is probably close enough that the preceding numbers are already known.

I was playing with the Nautilus Lifeline Radio today, to work out this scenario of having to relay the GPS coordinates via VHF radio. I have the latest firmware v1.02 and it seems Nautilus has already thought this through...

On the main LCD display, the top shows the time. Short press on the green/chat button toggles between time, latitude and longitude. The display stays with any of these when the green/chat button is /long/ pressed for chat. So, it's easy enough to turn on the device, wait for GPS acquisition, then short press to display latitude, long press to relay the latitude, short press to display longitude, long press to relay the longitude. (Long press is holding down the green/chat button for as long as it is needed to transmit/talk. A "TX" is displayed to show transmission is in progress.)

 

[DandyDon]

To prevent my family from worry, I do not tell them every time I go off (solo) diving, so the system calling any contact number I give will not be very informative. My registering my dive plan on the site, and then an alert going off during that dive plan should go a long way to resolving any ambiguity on whether it is a false alarm or not. Equal at least to calling a contact that I kept abreast of my dive plan. Calling my cell with a caller id of 'SAR response' and getting no answer, should add to that assurance. (My diving is from shore, moderately benign, with no current, so PLB has not been a high priority.)

Ok, well - no one is going to check your info there unless a PLB you own and registered goes off. If you get one and have to use it, info there could help. I have never added to that box on mine, but will for trips now.

 

[Dan]

One problem with this is that the tapered pipe thread fittings require a lot of force to seal and to remove.

That's what I said earlier.

It won't work. The thread is NPT type (tapered fitting). You need machine thread & o-ring that would press against 2 smooth flat surfaces to waterproof seal the cap against the pipe. Besides, the NPT thread requires wrench to tight seal the thread. You will need to carry 2 pipe wrenches to

 

[Dan]

It would take two pipe wrenches to make it seal.

See my comment earlier

 

[CuzzA]

Yes, I should clarify, updating your Beacon data on the registration site is not a substitute or the same as recording a float/travel plan, but the fact you can is an excellent feature.

Here is the USCG Aux. float plan website. I attached the fillable PDF below.

Float Plan Central – Official site of the Float Plan

Rescue is faster when you use the USCG Float Plan.
Whether you are a power boater or kayaker, the USCG Float Plan works for you. Set up a basic plan ahead of time and save it on you computer. Update it when you decide where and when you're going to go. Then, e-mail your completed plan to whoever you choose to follow up should you not return or check-in as planned.

Features and capabilities you’ll find in this version of the float plan:

• Save and send using any device with Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
• Can be used with any size or type of recreational vessel.
• Accomodates up to 13 canoers/kayakers/paddle boarders that want to paddle together as a group.
• User defined fields provide increased flexibility.
• The ability to enter the unique identification numbers for the vessel's EPIRB and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) attached to individual PFDs.
• Drop down lists that let you easily see all of your choices.
• Accommodates up to 12 passengers.
• Identify up to 21 waypoints.
• Exclusive Boating Emergency Guide™ assists the person holding your plan with starting the Search And Rescue process.
• 100% digital means it's easy on the environment.
• The float plan and the data you enter is stored on your computer or mobile device under your control.
• It's FREE. From the experts in boating safety, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Saving lives is what the float plan is all about. Create a float plan before your next voyage.

​

 

[Compressor]

This thread has opened my eyes to many things that I did not pay super attention before. I will get the PLBD but am also thinking of getting one that has a strobe on it or get a small waterproof strobe.

Need to figure out the container portion to keep the stuff in. @Akimbo hinted at something earlier and in other posts which I will look into. So did @CuzzA above. Also need to find radar reflecting tape for my current SMB.Ultimately though the light monkey one being proposed maybe the way to go.