PLBs Can Save Your Life

[blake7]

Having both the canister & cap tethered to you is also important. If you open the canister while floating on the surface, wave hit you and you lose grip of the canister, you don’t have to swim and search for it, just pull the line back to you.

Agreed, but there is no easy solution on how to attach the cap to the Custom Divers canister. The cap is also about 50% the size of the canister. So if after getting the PLB1 out and clipped to me, I lost the canister, the cap is just as good of a cup.

EDIT: Hrm, now that I think about it, I should drill a similar hole on the bottom of the canister like there is on the cap. Then I could just pass the cave line through both holes and it would work perfectly. Just need to get the nerve up to drill the hole...

 

[Dan]

For those who like to dive in Indonesia and carry PLB with you, here is a good thread to read.

Updated 2018 - Emergency Equipment to assist Search & Rescue

 

[Dan]

Agreed, but there is no easy solution on how to attach the cap to the Custom Divers canister. The cap is also about 50% the size of the canister. So if after getting the PLB1 out and clipped to me, I lost the canister, the cap is just as good of a cup.

EDIT: Hrm, now that I think about it, I should drill a similar hole on the bottom of the canister like there is on the cap. Then I could just pass the cave line through both holes and it would work perfectly. Just need to get the nerve up to drill the hole...

I won’t recommend it. You’ll compromise the pressure rating. Instead try to glue a tab with a hole on the bottom of of the canister since it is made out of PVC, similar to my acrylic canister & loop a small leash to the cap.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for posting the rebate info, it got me off the fence and I bought an Ocean Signal PLB1 with a Custom Divers canister. The canister cost was £65 + £18 shipping to the US + £1.58 for the extra o-rings and arrived in 4 days. I am super happy with the canister and it fits the PLB1 in its float case perfectly.

Since I couldn't find any pictures of a PLB1 + float case inside the Custom Divers canister, here is mine:

View attachment 525561

I am also including a picture of how I carry it with my Nautilus LifeLine Radio inside a XS Scuba Mesh Carry Pouch which I quick link to the bottom of my backplate. I add the liveaboard's Marine Rescue GPS or other AIS MOB device they might issue to their passengers to the pouch if necessary.

View attachment 525562

I found a similar set up by @Ken T in post # 146 of Scuba diver's Personal Locator Beacon - how never to be lost at sea .

 

[blake7]

For those who like to dive in Indonesia and carry PLB with you, here is a good thread to read.

Updated 2018 - Emergency Equipment to assist Search & Rescue

Very interesting thread. I strongly agree with his points on the PLB being a last resort and the need to have tools to have your original (or other nearby) boat rescue you fast/first. Especially in regions where SAR may take hours to mobilize and not be able to reach you within the PLB's 24hr transmission window. He carries two PLB1s so that he has 48hrs of transmission capability for Indonesia.

I think I will be adding the AIS Man Overboard Device | Automatic Identification System | SmartFind S10 to my pouch as well.

 

[Dan]

Very interesting thread. I strongly agree with his points on the PLB being a last resort and the need to have tools to have your original (or other nearby) boat rescue you fast/first. Especially in regions where SAR may take hours to mobilize and not be able to reach you within the PLB's 24hr transmission window. He carries two PLB1s so that he has 48hrs of transmission capability for Indonesia.

I think I will be adding the AIS Man Overboard Device | Automatic Identification System | SmartFind S10 to my pouch as well.

Ferox loans S10 to their guest divers. I just carry Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) in addition to PLB1. When I get lost at sea, I would use my MRG first when I still see boats on the horizon. I would launch my PLB1 after few hours floating without seeing any boat on the horizon.

Best signaling devices from the searcher’s point of view - update

 

[Dan]

Just happened to read this thread: Emergency Equipment to Assist Search and Rescue and saw how big HDVSEATEK canister is, relative to PLB1, as posted by @mikeycanuk That's not going to fit in any pocket. You have to hang it on your BCD. With the shock it gets during entry, I'm afraid it's going to eventually leak. I have small enough canister so I can put it in my BCD pocket for protection during entry.

That was 4 years ago. Have they made smaller canister to fit PLB1?

 

[DandyDon]

That was 4 years ago. Have they made smaller canister to fit PLB1?

I have posted these dimensions for the HDVSEATEK canisters before, but here they are again...
Internal Dimensions: Large 70mm x 150mm; Small 70mm x 130mm
That's 2.75" x 5.9" or 2.75" x 5.12"

The dimensions for the cute little PLB1 are 75mm x 51mm x 32.5mm so I can only guess that the photos you found are for the large canister. For the smaller canister, the PLB1 is 75/130 as long, 51/70 as wide one way, 32.5/70 as wide the other way. Plenty of room for a heat blanket, etc.

The smaller canister is more in line with the more common ACR PLB. The dimensions for the new ACR 2921 with infrared strobe and an additional satellite network are 4.52" L x 2.03" W x 1.49" D (11.48 cm L x 5.16 cm W x 3.78 cm D)

With the shock it gets during entry, I'm afraid it's going to eventually leak

I've carried mine clipped to a D-ring for back rolls, so it gets the same shock as my camera, etc.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the info. I guess the big head & ring clamp make it look way bigger than the PLB1. I'm looking for canister with 2.5" OD & 6" tall similar to my DSMB dimension that fits nicely in my BCD pocket for strimline & less entanglement risk.

I ended up to custom made my own PLB1 canister for that size with some shaving off the PLB1 corners to fit into 2” ID. The cost is also more than any commercially available PLB canister, obviously.

 

[blake7]

I think I will be adding the AIS Man Overboard Device | Automatic Identification System | SmartFind S10 to my pouch as well.

Based on the following article, I would only get an AIS MOB that also supports DSC signalling. The Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS is probably the best package for us divers, due to the clam shell design, depth rating and size. Very interesting to see what happens on the boat side in terms of receiving the AIS or DSC signals/alerts: Testing AIS MOB beacons, ACR's DSC feature especially - Panbo

It looks like AIS enabled PLBs are also starting to arrive, but not in easy to store in a dive canister format.
SEAANGEL SA16+ PLB/AIS

And for an update 2019 view of @IyaDiver post on being self-reliant with everything needed for self-rescue, it looks like one could build a battery operated and wireless AIS receiver package for €300. SEAANGEL MOBILE AIS 210 I am guessing most of us would have a spare tablet or smartphone to use for the display device.