Used my Nautilus in real life

[Diving Dubai]

I cant use a Nautilus in my area as VHF radios need a special licence, and unless you provide them, dive boats don't carry them.

My go to equipment is a 6ft AP DSMB which is crack bottle inflated - thus reaches the surface fully inflated. you can wave it above your head. My secondary is an air horn on my LP inflator. Finally I carry a 12ft DSMB, for when the brown stuff hits the fan. Best inflated at the surface and only used in training - but is easy (apparently) to spot.

Of course I dive in blue water away from the coast, thus take different precautions that others may do in they're divign inshore

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

I dive with a dive alert and I will not go diving without it (unless I am in the pool).

I personally prefer the older version of Nautilus with the communication function as oppose to the new one that is just a beacon. Anyway, this is not a thread to argue about the merits of new vs old so let's not hijack this thread.

But I do think that sans any gps locator or beacon, an air horn is a must have just to get the boat's attention if need be (assuming you are not too far off).

 

[beester]

Just to come back on my post. As I said I've been on a charter where a diving team got lost/separated (a good friend of mine). In the end we had to call the coastguard who came in with a search helicopter and found them in the shipping lane (not good in the very very busy traffic on the north sea).

What had happened is that during their free drifting ascend (usual in our neck of the woods if there is not too much deco), their small smb wasn't noticed. When they surfaced they were only about 100m from the charter but at that time it turned away to pick up another dive team on the other side. They used their dive alert, but were never heard. (at 100M) because a combination of being down wind and the engine of the charter revving up to pick up the other team. By the time the other team had been picked up, they were already 600m away and drifting further in the current (slack tide was over) and the dive alert or small smb were no longer of any use.

Why I carry a flare in a water proof container (fits nicely in an empty backup lamp) is because after they were picked up a couple of weeks later we were invited by the coast guard to come and visit their base. They showed us their equipment. A beacon/radio is of course optimal, but if you don't have that a flare is also a very good tool to have. When you hear the chopper coming nearby pop the flare. Coast guard when searching use infra red equipment (also during daylight hours) and the heat of the flare is a very very bright beacon in infra red.

Only disadvantage is that you can't take the bloody thing on a flight so on scuba holidays I'm less protected. Might need to invest in a nautilus. Going to read up on it.

 

[Peter69_56]

I still want a dye pack.

I use a dye pack, PLB, dive alert, mirror, SMB. Had a Lifeline until United baggage system ate it. I have not replaced it yet.