Rescue aids

[Magnolia3]

The article provided by cvchief in Post #271 was an eye-opener on the range of the Nautilus Lifeline. Until I read that range limit, I felt that the lifeline may have been very effective in this case. Now I think that a PLB would have been better.

I would like to know if the SAR system would work normally for a PLB activated in this case. Since monitoring of these signals is essentially global, you would expect that rescue coordination would also be close to global.

The ACR series of PLBs look very good. I already have a McMurdo Fastfind Plus plus a dive canister. The dive canister has a McMurdo label on it. Tested to 150 meters. It has provisions for passing a weight belt through it plus a hole through the lid "corner" that currently has a wrist strap thingie through it.

I saw one article that suggested that ACR may be working on a dive canister which would probably be smaller and lighter than the one I have.

Here is the link to Amazon for both Spot and the PLB we have been discussing..
plb and spot

First for those who are non boaters a vhf is line of site communications. It is not HF radio.. aka Ham radio.. one has to HOPE that someone is listening when you call a Mayday.. and that is what you call on channel 16. <---in the US that is.. its great for finding your buddy or communicating on a preset channel back to the dive boat.. IF they have the vhf turned on. Does the nautilus have the ability to go to channel 1 or 2? then you have the NOAA weather forecast for the area you are in. Listen to it, be aware but also be aware that NOAA won't tell you much.. I mean they will tell you that a front is coming thru, but not what local knowledge will tell you.. In any case..

There there is the SPOT.. its been the rage with cruising boats for a few yrs now. I is a gps system that tells others where you are.. oh joy, prolly going to get shot for this one.. Basically you can set it to post to the Spot homepage at specified interavals once and hour, every six hours, once a day.. and so on.. the cost of the spot via amazon is about $135, price has come way down since it first came on the market.. numerous friends have one. I have followed them across the atlantic, on the Carribean 500, and the Regatta del Sol al Sol last yr..
SPOT info page]

I still like the idea of the nautilus though, two things combined into one and aimed at divers sounds like a great idea.

 

[Magnolia3]

I would surely be interested, provided there is enough of a market. This business is pretty new, and I am adding items and inventory as demand and funding is appropriate. If there is enough of a market for canisters or Nautalis rentals I would love to add them to our selection.

look at the SPOT as well.. link in my previous post..

 

[oerentals]

look at the SPOT as well.. link in my previous post..

You know, the SPOT was another thing we have thought about before. My issue with it is, in many outdoor environments (heavy tree cover, canyons, etc) they are just not reliable. So while a missed "Im ok" message or breadcrumb tracking is not a big deal, a missed emergecy signal is, and a PLB is 99% reliable in those situations, so I kind of had a moral issue with offering them up to people...I'm weird http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/More Smiles/icosm14.gif Now, out on the water, with no obstructions the SPOT would probably be great. We'll keep thinking about it though, so thanks for the note.

 

[cvchief]

Thanks Ron!. I find the discussion fascinating. I am both all about the gadgets and all about not being lost at sea.

 

[Ron Lee]

I did not read the Spot info provided but the tracking function may require a yearly subscription. Some people use it while flying. As we saw with the range limitation on the Nautilus Lifeline, all of the items discussed offer something. How and where they are best used depends upon the scenario.

Example, a Lifeline is probably useless out in many areas of the west where there may not be people within 3 miles, much less a person with a VHF radio.

It may be great for that night dive where the boat is a mile away when you surface.

 

[azscubadude]

Magnolia 3:

How does it compare to a personal 406 Epirb?

personal locator beacon

All boats on the water are required to monitor channel 16... do they all turn on their vhf's... nope... even though the rules say they are required to... :depressed: let me rephrase that, most monitor channel 16. I run across power boats in a regular basis that don't even bother to turn on their radio.. it is frustrating.


Ron Lee:

Magnolia, I have a 406 MHz PLB which transmits my position and unique transmitter ID to search and rescue assets. There is no voice capability but should be useful in far more applications. The Nautilus Lifeline may have worked very well in the event discussed here. On the east side of Cozumel...maybe not.

My PLB is registered with NOAA and the unique ID in the signal ties it to me. My contact info, etc.

I've had a ACR MicroFix (406) for years, before the Spot and others evem came out. NOAA sends me an update for a new sticker every year on the dot.

I got my unit for back country hiking and for when I went looking for extreme wildlife photo ops (big bad stuff) since I always go out on my own. I didn't want to rely on a cell phone not getting a signal if I was injured or worse.

After this discussion I just got it out and did the Self Test and checked the battery date.. all is good until 6/2013.

Thanks for the reminder !!

 

[Dave Dillehay]

The Nautilus Lifeline is a great device. We have our DMs carry them, at least for all dives in the north such as Baracuda, and when we dive the East Side.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Ron Lee]

The Nautilus Lifeline is a great device. We have our DMs carry them, at least for all dives in the north such as Barracuda, and when we dive the East Side.

That blows my prediction alluded to in another post. I did not state it but it was that Aldora would incorporate something like the Nautilus Lifeline and/or a PLB by the end of 2012. Turns out you did before I had even heard of the Lifeline.

 

[Peter_C]

There are a few reasons I choose a Nautilus Lifeline, and money had nothing to do with it. Already have a handheld VHF for in the boat. First of all we dive off an unsinkable, unattended boat in the Pacific Ocean. The water is coldish, plus the currents can come up quickly and be strong. Typically though the days we boat dive are fairly calm, which means other fishing boats and such are out on the water. In Monterey it is common to see the Coast Guard, as in daily, but on the North Coast I can tell you exactly how many times I have seen them...three times. Counting on a resource that isn't there doesn't work very well. At a point where we are either adrift in the ocean, or dead in the water with the boat, the most logical thing to do is call a boat close by and ask for help. No need to have the CG fly a chopper in, have you ditch your expensive gear, and then fly you to an airport, unless we are talking a shark attack victim in need. Otherwise I just want a tow into the closest harbor, or a ride back to the boat. Of course if we do leave someone onboard, then hailing them to come pick us up would be nice.

There comes a point when hopefully someone would miss us for dinner and call for help. This comes back to pre-planning and letting someone know your intentions for the day. Here in the US the Coast Guard will fly overhead, so even if they are more than 3 miles out the distress signal can be acquired from a pretty good distance.

If someone is going to use a VHF radio then you really need to learn the rules. Channel 16 is an emergency channel, but also a hailing channel. Boats are supposed to monitor it, and many radios have the capability of being on two channels at a time. A sinking boat is a Mayday call, but most everything else is not. Pan, Pan is also a distress call. Read, learn, and use it correctly.

PLB's have their place, especially for boats (Life rafts) and aircraft, but for me it is not necessarily the correct tool. By the time they are put into a canister they are pretty BIG too. The Lifeline is pretty small, and fits nicely into my suit pockets. I use a BP/W so no pockets on my kit, and the best place is on my person.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

In Cozumel it is virtually unimaginable for divers to be lost without some sort of search going on, be it the main channel or east side. Our first purpose in using the Nautilus is to communicate with our boats if for some chance they can't see us. That will always be within the range of the Nautilus. Then if anyone is searching for us they are sure to come within range. That is why our DMs carry the things, and they don't cost that much. At least in Cozumel I see no need for diver carried Epirbs as long as the Nautilus is available.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers