PLBs Can Save Your Life

[rjack321]

I guess it's region- and country-specific. I can pretty much guarantee you that if you're lost at sea here, or need a rescue of any kind, the bill you receive will be exactly 0.00 USD

If the coast guard or national park service or local agencies consider you "negligent" here you will probably get billed. Or if the 911 call was frivolous.
For instance, you set off hiking into the grand canyon in flip flops, couldn't walk out due to blisters, and then called for a rescue. If you break your ankle hiking or skiing in the French alps and need extraction you will get a bill - even if you aren't negligent.

Saying rescue is always free is not accurate.

 

[Dan]

That's a good idear.. I like it better than the "old camera housing" method.

My $10 camera case for putting PLB1 still doing well after 200+ dives & down to as deep as 144’ (44m)

And it’s small, light, compact, see through & fit inside my BCD waist pocket.

 

[Storker]

Saying rescue is always free is not accurate.

Region- and country-specific.

We recently had a major rescue operation at sea. A cruise ship had some issues, to put it mildly. It has been officially stated that the bill will be covered by the public, since SAR operations are covered by the public over here. Even though the ship's owner has emigrated and pays less taxes than one of the nurses tending to his passengers after their rescue. Despite him being one of the wealthiest persons in the world.

 

[dberry]

Region- and country-specific.

We recently had a major rescue operation at sea. A cruise ship had some issues, to put it mildly.

Now THAT'S an understatement!

 

[Storker]

Now THAT'S an understatement!

My favorite rhetorical tool.

 

[tursiops]

Even though the ship's owner has emigrated and pays less taxes than one of the nurses tending to his passengers after their rescue. Despite him being one of the wealthiest persons in the world.

LOL. Tell us what you really think!

 

[Storker]

LOL. Tell us what you really think!

The rescue operation cost us several millions. While I'm fine with contributing to society and am quite fine with defending that system I find it completely immoral that one of the wealthiest persons in the world, while paying less taxes than a hospital nurse due to having emigrated to Switzerland, has benefited from our collective contribution to society. While I'm perfectly willing to defend our system, I thoroughly dislike how this person is, in fact, profiting from our collective efforts. Particularly as he's contributing less to the community than a menial nurse, who probably has a more stressful workday than he has, does.

Does this answer your question?

 

[KevinNM]

True but holding it up with one arm up will get old pretty fast -- to say nothing of interfering with my naps. Besides, my arms aren't long enough to keep it out of the water when green water breaks over me. You can't expect dead calm conditions when you are washed out into open sea.

When one thing goes wrong, all the other adverse events like to join the party.

Wrap a length of double sided velcro around the PLB. Then use that to attach it to your shoulder strap so it stays roughly vertical.

 

[JohnnyC]

Here a PDF from the USCG with fatality statistics from their rescue operations going back to the 1960's.

Interestingly enough, right around the end of the 80's, the number of fatalities Before CG Notification (you die before they know you're missing) and After CG Notification (they know you're gone and are looking for you) starts to dramatically swing into the "Before Notification" column. I don't know that we can assign any causal factors to this, but the conclusion is that since the late 1980's, you are far more likely to survive an incident if the authorities are quickly notified.

In 2017 there were more than double the fatalities before notification than after, leading one to believe that notifying SAR assets has a demonstrably higher probability of getting you out alive.

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/...Sum Stats 64-17.pdf?ver=2017-09-28-140138-700

 

[Dan]

Wrap a length of double sided velcro around the PLB. Then use that to attach it to your shoulder strap so it stays roughly vertical.

PLB1 comes with strapping accessories for that, as shown in this video:


If you are lost at sea, like the guy mentioned in the video (no sure if it was 17 or 70 miles off Miami, Florida, where cellular phone signal is unavailable), you may not be floating for very long (45 minutes for that guy mentioned in the video) before being rescued. I can hold that tiny PLB1 by hand with the antenna straight up to the sky for that long if I need to.