Scuba diver's Personal Locator Beacon - how never to be lost at sea

[Dan]

I preordered one too. It'll be shipped by November. I hope I get it before my trip to GBR during Thansgiving's week.

New Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS

I plan to put tyrap over the latch so it won't accidentally unlatch & flooded while my fingers searching for things in my BCD pocket at 100' deep. I plan to put several safety gears in my BCD pockets, including small mirror, small flash light, 500ml water bottle, PLB1 and this new tiny Nautilus Lifeline. When I want to use it, I can just simply slide the tyrap down & off the latch.

 

[KathyV]

View attachment 382344
The new nautilus is avalable for $179 preorder at Nautilus LifeLine Official Website: Marine Rescue GPS. 5 year battery, user replaceable, 425 ft depth rated.
Looks smaller that original.
It only is An emergency GPS beacon, not a voice radio. Transmits DSC alerts/ GPS to boats.
Preordered mine today, delivery November.

Al

This Nautilus Unit looks perfect for us, thank you for posting! I would like to get 2 of them but they won't ship until November and we are going to Cayman for 2 weeks in late October.

 

[cvchief]

Al,

That is totally crap, in my mind. If you HAVE to set of the emergency beacon and you DO NOT have a radio for voice, why not just buy a EPIRB like @DandyDon has and stuff in in your jacket?

EPIRB works everywhere all the time to sats.

This doesn't. You have to be in range of boats or land based antennas. You would have to try to let your boat know how to tell it was you. If you come up away from the boat, how long are you going to float before you hit the red button? 20 minute? and hour? what?

I bought the lifeline so I could call MY boat without making a fuss. Once years back we came up on a night dive a little off course. The boat was where we were supposed to be. We waived light for a little while until he saw us and got past thinking we were shore divers and came to check. NO emergency, but if I had a lifeline back then, I could have just called him on chat.

It almost reads like they are not allow to make the 'right' radio anymore, so this is their idea of the next best thing? I just don't know why this is better than or even close to an EPIRB?

 

[Dan]

So, you have the old Nautilus Lifeline (NL) & use it as VHF radio, never push the red button?

I'm wondering if anyone has both (NL & PLB) & activated at the same time & which one would led to rescuing the divers first.

My thought is (it could be wrong) each of these devices (NL & PLB) has 24 hour battery life once the beacon is activated. Having one device activated first & followed by the second device, I would lengthen the beacon signal to 48 hours. In the area, where boats are frequently passing, the NL beacon may get received & a boat will come & rescue me sooner, so I would launch the NL beacon first. If I'm in the middle of no where, floating in open ocean like the recent Malpelo accident, then the NL would be of no use. I won't bother using it & launch the PLB1 right away instead. That's my reason to have both.

4 diveres went missing - Malpelo, Colombia


Again, as some posters here have commented, the ideal thing would be to have a PLB with VHF chat capability and waterproof down to 130' (40m) like some of those underwater camera case.

 

[DandyDon]

That is totally crap, in my mind. If you HAVE to set of the emergency beacon and you DO NOT have a radio for voice, why not just buy a EPIRB like @DandyDon has and stuff in in your jacket?

By "Al," I think he is referencing NDL Diver's post, and by "EIRB," I think he means the PLB I never leave the house without.

View attachment 382344
The new nautilus is avalable for $179 preorder at Nautilus LifeLine Official Website: Marine Rescue GPS. 5 year battery, user replaceable, 425 ft depth rated.
Looks smaller that original.
It only is An emergency GPS beacon, not a voice radio. Transmits DSC alerts/ GPS to boats.
Preordered mine today, delivery November.

Al

Did you notice that thing transmits with only ONE WATT?! No radio, no strobe, no good on land. Can you get your money back?

This Nautilus Unit looks perfect for us, thank you for posting! I would like to get 2 of them but they won't ship until November and we are going to Cayman for 2 weeks in late October.

Get a real PLB that transmits at Five Watts, includes a strobe, and order a $100 dive canister. Bonus: A real PLB can be carried in your car, on hikes, etc. and used in any emergency. Don't trust a weak cell phone to save you.

I preordered one too. It'll be shipped by November. I hope I get it before my trip to GBR during Thansgiving's week.

New Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS

I plan to put tyrap over the latch so it won't accidentally unlatch & flooded while my fingers searching for things in my BCD pocket at 100' deep. I plan to put several safety gears in my BCD pockets, including small mirror, small flash light, 500ml water bottle, PLB1 and this new tiny Nautilus Lifeline. When I want to use it, I can just simply slide the tyrap down & off the latch.

That's a little silly to carry a 5 watt PLB plus a 1 watt toy. If you want more than 24 hours, there are beacons with 36 hours.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Al,

That is totally crap, in my mind. If you HAVE to set of the emergency beacon and you DO NOT have a radio for voice, why not just buy a EPIRB like @DandyDon has and stuff in in your jacket?

EPIRB works everywhere all the time to sats.

This doesn't. You have to be in range of boats or land based antennas. You would have to try to let your boat know how to tell it was you. If you come up away from the boat, how long are you going to float before you hit the red button? 20 minute? and hour? what?

I bought the lifeline so I could call MY boat without making a fuss. Once years back we came up on a night dive a little off course. The boat was where we were supposed to be. We waived light for a little while until he saw us and got past thinking we were shore divers and came to check. NO emergency, but if I had a lifeline back then, I could have just called him on chat.

It almost reads like they are not allow to make the 'right' radio anymore, so this is their idea of the next best thing? I just don't know why this is better than or even close to an EPIRB?

I carry signal lights, SMB, air horn,whistles ...
This is another tool and NOT useless.
I will push the RED button when I feel it is an emergency. if the, PLB was rated for depth I would get one. Having to put in in a camera case to keep it dry is what put me off.

This is for emergency, not to chat. I hope to never have to push the button.

Al

Edit , changed to read PLB

 

[DandyDon]

I carry signal lights, SMB, air horn,whistles ...
This is another tool and NOT useless.
I will push the RED button when I feel it is an emergency. if the EPIRB was rated for depth I would get one. Having to put in in a camera case to keep it dry is what put me off.

This is for emergency, not to chat. I hope to never have to push the button.

Al

ONE WATT?! If you're going to bother, get a real PLB with 5 watts and a strobe.

 

[Dan]

Isn't the 1 watt toy would send a different signal to nearby boats, while the 5 watt gorilla would send directly to the satellite? Why not sending SOS signals as many as you can, when you are in dire situation & time is of the essence?

 

[cvchief]

I carry signal lights, SMB, air horn,whistles ...
This is another tool and NOT useless.
I will push the RED button when I feel it is an emergency. if the EPIRB was rated for depth I would get one. Having to put in in a camera case to keep it dry is what put me off.

This is for emergency, not to chat. I hope to never have to push the button.

Al

Sorry, DD, I guess I meant PLB. Haven't you been easily carrying on in a water proof case? Easy peasy?

And as for put off on having to seal it in a camera case, have you read about flooding in the Lifeline? Mine flooded once. Now, like @Dave Dillehay I don't open it and would only if the boat was out of sight and I was floating, but STILL not ebutton use for a good while. I used to crack it just to tell the boat to look at me for fun and to make sure it was still working. My DM's second is in for repair. First time flooded. This time, still no answer, but I'll assume flooded.


And I know of divers, (Not with my OP!!) that have been left floating for 30-40 minutes. You gonna pop the red button for that? Where is your emergency point at to alert everyone and their brother and launch the Navy? My point is if the boat is out of sight for that period between inconvenience and emergency, you can whistle and wave crap and basically float. Sure probably they boat will see you. I can, on my old radio call the boat. If I can’t do that, why not just get an PLB? Either way now I am waiting till it IS an emergency, right? Which is the BIG dog for emergencies? The PLB?

So, you have the old Nautilus Lifeline (NL) & use it as VHF radio, never push the red button?

I'm wondering if anyone has both (NL & PLB) & activated at the same time & which one would led to rescuing the divers first.

My thought is (it could be wrong) each of these devices (NL & PLB) has 24 hour battery life once the beacon is activated. Having one device activated first & followed by the second device, I would lengthen the beacon signal to 48 hours. In the area, where boats are frequently passing, the NL beacon may get received & a boat will come & rescue me sooner, so I would launch the NL beacon first. If I'm in the middle of no where, floating in open ocean like the recent Malpelo accident, then the NL would be of no use. I won't bother using it & launch the PLB1 right away instead. That's my reason to have both.

4 diveres went missing - Malpelo, Colombia


Again, as some posters here have commented, the ideal thing would be to have a PLB with VHF chat capability and waterproof down to 130' (40m) like some of those underwater camera case.

When you say old lifeline, I have the only one they have sold to date, pending the new one. I have NEVER pushed the red button. The one belonging to me DM I sent back was stuck in red button on when you turned it on.

But you make my point, in that the PLB ALWAYS works and the E button on the VHF sometimes works, both doing the same thing, sending GPS coordinates to report an emergency. So if you want one, which should you pick? Given that NL are prone to flooding, would a good dive canister with a PLB leak less?

Or maybe, with the new lifeline, you boat might know it was you and come for you faster? Or does that mean other boats are less likely to start looking right away as they do not have divers with Lifelines? I dunno?

Isn't the 1 watt toy would send a different signal to nearby boats, while the 5 watt gorilla would send directly to the satellite? Why not sending SOS signals as many as you can, when you are in dire situation & time is of the essence?

Well, sure, if you are going to by both, why not? Or get two of each for redundancy?

I assumed you would probably just carry one? I have enough stuff in my BC, I would like just one electronic communication device, I think. Of course I have been looking for a leg bag to carry more toys.

 

[NDL_Diver]

I think Dave''s boat that goes North can receive the Nautilus gps info, as well as all the commercial vessel's within 30 miles.

Anyway neither can transmit voice, only the older nautilus, and that is being discontinued (I think)

Al