Self help kit for diver ??

[slingshot]

Forgot to mention: rate limiting survival rations would argue for fresh water in your kit rather than granola bars. I would use an aerial flare in my kit, but you can't travel by air with these.

 

[vladimir]

The PLB I have, the Pains Wessex that slingshot mentioned and that I linked to above, combines a 406 Mhz transmitter and a 121.5 Mhz signal. An aluminum canister that attaches to my tank using a separate cam strap is sold separately.

Catherine I have heard of the Breitling with the distress beacon, but I don't know much about it.

 

[String]

EPIRB and other surfacing aids such as SMBs, strobes, a flag and torch are better ideas than a radio which as others have said will have an incredibly low range a few inches above the water.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Here's a link that's come up several times in the past.

If you search on 'survival' you will get some good thread's to read, as well.

One thing that I remember reading on one of the thread's is that if you put your dive light in the end of an inflated SMB, it turns it into a huge glow stick. Not sure I would have thought of that on my own.

 

[dpbishop]

SeaMarshall makes a emergency beacon for divers rated to 300m.

http://www.seamarshall-us.com/scuba-diver-locator-beacon.html

A receiver on the boat can get direction and distance to guide rescue operations.

range is 0.5 - 3 miles, depending on the mounting height of the receiver. The beacon transmitts on 121.5 MHz, which is the international emegrgency frequency, and can be picked up by rescue helicopters our airplanes from much greater distances.

 

[JMdiver]

There is an article the this months Dive Training mag. about carrying a ICOM underwater handheld VHF radio IC-m32 for $150 & a waterproof box. The radio is only good to 5ft that's the reason for the box.

 

[ItsBruce]

I second what BA_Hiker said. My 5 watt handheld VHF has very limited range even on my boat. I'd go with a safety sausage, miror and noisemaker. And, if I go on a boat with more than 6 people, I'd only go on one that does a roll call. Beyond this, I'm more worried about being killed in a car crash on the way to the dive site than about being left behind in the water.

 

[MikeM878]

I would put my money into training, a good (maintained) safety sausage, whistle, and mirror. I believe they will be more effective than trying to retrieve and operate a radio and/or gps while adrift in dive gear. Two things need to happen to get rescued. 1.) Someone needs to know your missing, and 2.) You need to be located. Unless all three of you get lost at the same time (and the buddy system doesn't break down), and the boat crew doesn't miss you, Number 1 is probably taken care of. Make yourself visible to help with Number 2. It's going to take awhile for the Coast Guard to validate an EPIRB signal and muster resources.

 

[diversteve]

Very true, Whats an Otter box ?

http://www.otterbox.com/

 

[426Scuba]

Using direction finding equipment against your VHF transmission is difficult; most people do not have VHF DF gear, only the Coast Guard does. This requires that the coasties get there. In Florida some of the state patroles may have this also, but the still need to be on site to use it.

Most if not almost all aircraft have VHF DF Its how we navigate under IFR conditions (at least before GPS).

FWIW: I would NOT buy a 121.5 or 243 ELT the FAA is only going to monitor 406 in a couple of years, but the military still may monitor 243.