Dive knife, Sea Snips, or both?

[briannapstevens]

The Nautilus Lifeline is different from a PLB--it's based on marine VHF radio, where a PLB uses satellites. They are both tools to help locate a person in distress. Each has its pros and cons.

It says it uses GPS...that means satellites, right?

 

[kelemvor]

It says it uses GPS...that means satellites, right?

PLB transmits TO the satellite and works anywhere in the world. Nautilus Lifeline only transmits over VHF which has much more limited range. It also transmits your coordinates to the USCG. If you are not in US waters, the frequencies used by Nautilus may not be legal to use and so using it out of the country could possibly wind you up in hot water. The old model of Nutilus Lifeline had the advantage that it could be used as a 2-way marine radio. Nautilus has since removed this feature. Now there isn't much reason to choose a lifeline over a PLB that I can think of. The only trouble with a PLB is that you need to come up with a canister for it since none that I know of are rated for diving. I'm surprised that no PLB manufacturers have bothered to create a PLB with an integrated dive case. Maybe nautilus holds some oddly worded patent that's holding up progress or something.

I've got a nautilus lifeline, but given the changes in the new model I would recommend PLB over lifeline.

 

[briannapstevens]

PLB transmits TO the satellite and works anywhere in the world. Nautilus Lifeline only transmits over VHF which has much more limited range. It also transmits your coordinates to the USCG. If you are not in US waters, the frequencies used by Nautilus may not be legal to use and so using it out of the country could possibly wind you up in hot water. The old model of Nutilus Lifeline had the advantage that it could be used as a 2-way marine radio. Nautilus has since removed this feature. Now there isn't much reason to choose a lifeline over a PLB that I can think of. The only trouble with a PLB is that you need to come up with a canister for it since none that I know of are rated for diving. I'm surprised that no PLB manufacturers have bothered to create a PLB with an integrated dive case. Maybe nautilus holds some oddly worded patent that's holding up progress or something.

I've got a nautilus lifeline, but given the changes in the new model I would recommend PLB over lifeline.

I hear you....although it's much more expensive. Some of us are po' folks. Or maybe we are because we just bought a new BCD.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't own either a PLB or a Nautilus Lifeline, either, and I've been reading these threads for years and yet giving other gear acquisitions higher priority. I'm still not sure which would be best and for what dives. Some liveaboards loan or rent divers a Nautilus Lifeline.

But my knife and line cutter come with me on every dive

 

[briannapstevens]

Good to know. I put the Nautilus on my Amazon wish list. The dive knife will continue to go with me!

 

[Dan]

I don't own either a PLB or a Nautilus Lifeline, either, and I've been reading these threads for years and yet giving other gear acquisitions higher priority. I'm still not sure which would be best and for what dives. Some liveaboards loan or rent divers a Nautilus Lifeline.

But my knife and line cutter come with me on every dive

The only one safety gear that I have used it 2 times in 12 years of diving (600 dives in CA, FL, NC, TX, Mexico, Galápagos, GBR, Indonesia, Tanzania) is DSMB. 1st one was during checkout dive in Komodo. The 2nd one was in Jupiter last month, when I had to ascend up by myself during a drift dive.

 

[briannapstevens]

The only one safety gear that I have used it 2 times in 12 years of diving (600 dives in CA, FL, NC, TX, Mexico, Galápagos, GBR, Indonesia, Tanzania) is DSMB. 1st one was during checkout dive in Komodo. The 2nd one was in Jupiter last month, when I had to ascend up by myself during a drift dive.

So, I have one, too. Unfortunately, I don't think I know how to use it. I'm going to practice, though. Have you ever used it as a safety-stop anchor? I really need to learn how to use mine! I've carried it for ages, and never even tried deploying it.

 

[Dan]

So, I have one, too. Unfortunately, I don't think I know how to use it. I'm going to practice, though. Have you ever used it as a safety-stop anchor? I really need to learn how to use mine! I've carried it for ages, and never even tried deploying it.

I practiced it once during safety stop. It has 20' long string. I got tangled with the loose line as I ascend then, so I added a home-made reel out of 1/2" x 6" PVC tubing (as shown on the picture I posted here earlier) to wrap around the loose line as I ascend. It worked well on the 2nd use in Jupiter, FL.

The whole DSMB with the tube reel fit in their original pouch & in my BCD left pocket. The only 2 safety gears that are mounted outside my BCD are the whistle (hanging on my left chest D-ring) & Dive-Alert, which is snapped on between the BCD power inflator and LP hose.

I haven't use the DSMB as safety stop anchor. I rather not use it as safety stop anchor if there is not much current. Whenever I need to stay in the blue water with no current for safety stop, I rather focus on controlling my 15'-18' depth by buoyancy (deflating / inflating the BCD), while watching my dive computer, and not get task loaded by reeling and unreeling the DSMB string in addition to maintaining my depth.

It would be different if I get blown away by swift current. Then I would definitely use it as my safety stop anchor line and marker to the boat above to find and follow it. The swift current would drag me with it, so the line will always be under tension and a lot easier to control my depth with the 20' line. Then I would fill the SMB with air, let it rise to the surface by unreeling the line to the end of the line and hang on to the 1/2" x 6" PVC tubing empty reel. When the 3-min safety stop is up, then I can slowly reel in the line which will pull me back to the surface.

Hopefully the boat will be closed by, when I'm on the surface. If not, I'll blast away the Dive-Alert air horn or flash the boat with the mirror or flashlight, whichever works for them to see me.

If I'm floating for an hour without any boat seen in horizon, then I launch the PLB1 that will beam 5 watt 406 MHz signal directly the sky to NOAA Search and Rescue satellites to let them know that I'm lost at sea.

I haven't considered to get the Nautilus Lifeline (NLL) simply because it uses 1 watt VHF radio frequency signal from it to nearby boat if the boat does listen to the channel 16 (156.8 MHz for marine international calling & distress channel) or whatever channel that your boat and your NLL agree to use for radio communication if you are lost at sea for the older version of NLL. Such surface to surface radio signal from your NLL antenna to the boat radio antenna is probably good to a mile away. Some boats other than your boat may not be even listening to channel 16 and cruising by you without seeing you while you are snoozing & bobbing on the water.

 

[briannapstevens]

I practiced it once during safety stop. It has 20' long string. I got tangled with the loose line as I ascend then, so I added a home-made reel out of 1/2" x 6" PVC tubing (as shown on the picture I posted here earlier) to wrap around the loose line as I ascend. It worked well on the 2nd use in Jupiter, FL.

The whole DSMB with the tube reel fit in their original pouch & in my BCD left pocket. The only 2 safety gears that are mounted outside my BCD are the whistle (hanging on my left chest D-ring) & Dive-Alert, which is snapped on between the BCD power inflator and LP hose.

I haven't use the DSMB as safety stop anchor. I rather not use it as safety stop anchor if there is not much current. Whenever I need to stay in the blue water with no current for safety stop, I rather focus on controlling my 15'-18' depth by buoyancy (deflating / inflating the BCD), while watching my dive computer, and not get task loaded by reeling and unreeling the DSMB string in addition to maintaining my depth.

It would be different if I get blown away by swift current. Then I would definitely use it as my safety stop anchor line and marker to the boat above to find and follow it. The swift current would drag me with it, so the line will always be under tension and a lot easier to control my depth with the 20' line. Then I would fill the SMB with air, let it rise to the surface by unreeling the line to the end of the line and hang on to the 1/2" x 6" PVC tubing empty reel. When the 3-min safety stop is up, then I can slowly reel in the line which will pull me back to the surface.
.

This is an incredibly useful post!! I really appreciate all the detail. I think I'm going to practice this soon. Gonna do a few practices dives with my buddies in about two weeks. Again--thank you for all of the info. Very helpful. I learn so much on Scubaboard. Really.

 

[Snoweman]

Now that this post is migrating to DSMB's...

Do y'all tie knots at 10', 15', and 20' in your DSMB line to let you know where to hang out at about 15' without constantly looking at your computer?