Best signaling devices from the searcher’s point of view - update

[divinh]

I've done four GPS lock time trails with the original Nautilus Lifeline (NLL) and it seems like it takes about 3-4 minutes to lock. I was not out in the open, however. I set it on a window sill, facing south-west. The number of satellites seen for lock ranged from 5 to 12.

For the battery, it seems like the drain is about 1-2% per week when off.

 

[Dan]

This guy forgot to take his PLB with him:

 

[Dan]

So which PLB is better? Artex or Ocean Signal? Seems like ResQLink+ has more function? Any thoughts? Tks!

Check out this PLB review:


I still like the PLB1 for being the smallest so I can put it in my old underwater compact camera case & in BCD pocket during diving or as is in my pants pocket during hiking / skiing.

 

[CWK]

This guy forgot to take his PLB with him:

They left his gear in the sea.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Hey, @Dan_T. I remember seeing a glow stick in your kit. I just discovered the Glo Toob - the 7 FX one. There are a few versions - one is the standard 3 FX (high, low, flash) one and it’s waterproof to 200 ft and uses a standard AAA battery. There’s another one that is the 7FX (high, low, pulse, and various flash sequences) that goes much deeper and uses a A23 battery that lasts a lot longer on that battery. They are SUPER bright and would make a great light to “lasso” in a circle on a cord for viz. They are also excellent tank lights. They’re also relatively inexpensive. I love it. I have the red one - fish won’t notice. Check it out!

I think Innovative Scuba and Trident also licensed it from them so they are sold as different brands, including Glo Toob itself but they all still say Glo Toob on the side. It has excellent reviews on Amazon including divers. They’re smaller than you think they are but mighty bright. You can pick the setting.

 

[Dan]

Hey, @Dan_T. I remember seeing a glow stick in your kit. I just discovered the Glo Toob - the 7 FX one. There are a few versions - one is the standard 3 FX (high, low, flash) one and it’s waterproof to 200 ft and uses a standard AAA battery. There’s another one that is the 7FX (high, low, pulse, and various flash sequences) that goes much deeper and uses a A23 battery that lasts a lot longer on that battery. They are SUPER bright and would make a great light to “lasso” in a circle on a cord for viz. They are also excellent tank lights. They’re also relatively inexpensive. I love it. I have the red one - fish won’t notice. Check it out!

I think Innovative Scuba and Trident also licensed it from them so they are sold as different brands, including Glo Toob itself but they all still say Glo Toob on the side. It has excellent reviews on Amazon including divers. They’re smaller than you think they are but mighty bright. You can pick the setting.

Thanks for the tip! Is this what you are referring to (below)?

 

[Dan]

They left his gear in the sea.

The rescue boat could pick up his boat & gears later. I found the original post:
Missing diver found

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Check out this PLB review:


I still like the PLB1 for being the smallest so I can put it in my old underwater compact camera case & in BCD pocket during diving or as is in my pants pocket during hiking / skiing.

Cool! Tks for the video. PLB will be on the list the next purchase.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks for the tip! Is this what you are referring to (below)?

View attachment 455436

Yes! check out YouTube videos on how bright it is and the different settings.

 

[Kevrumbo]

It helps clear up my confusion too as personal locator beacon is loosely used by people for all of these similar devices (PLB, PAB, MOB, etc.). . .

Look everybody -this is the problem when you try to adapt a Man Overboard (MOB) protocol and technology from blue water open ocean yacht racing to the scenario of an isolated drifting Diver Missing/Lost-at-Sea:

Where divers get confused in the application, and assume "instant" local alert and rescue capabilities of an AIS/DSC VHF radio unit (i.g. current Nautilus Products like their Marine Rescue GPS), over a 406 MHz PLB is in the classic MOB (Man Overboard) Scenario:
Tactically this is fine for example, if you're crewing a sailing vessel in the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race from San Pedro Calif to Honolulu Hawaii, and you fall MOB during rough seas at night: Along with your crew, there will be anywhere from twenty to forty or so sailing yachts out there with AIS/DSC within VHF range in the otherwise traceless open Pacific Ocean ready to immediately assist in picking you up.

AIS/DSC VHF MOB devices are not meant to replace but rather augment PLBs. That said, since they alert nearby AIS-equipped vessels, such as the boat from which the person fell overboard, to assist in the search-and-rescue effort, these devices can reduce rescue times substantially. A PLB, on the other hand works worldwide -well beyond VHF range- to summon rescuers. It’s important to keep a PLB around if venturing far out to sea and away from other boaters.

A Lost-at-Sea/Missing Diver can be considered a special case of a "delayed" MOB Scenario: Delayed in the sense that an elapsed normal recreational depth dive time is about 50 minutes to an hour -->if the Diver surfaces after an hour and does not see any sign of the diveboat, then the Diver has to manually call or activate a VHF DSC Distress Beacon such as the Nautilus Lifeline first generation or current Marine Rescue GPS, but the caveat still being the limited range of the VHF signal along with hoping there are other boats or land stations in the vicinity with VHF transceiver capability. Again, if you're at a remote divesite hundreds of kilometers away from the commercial shipping lanes or land VHF receiving stations, then the direct to satellite PLB distress beacon is your last resort.

Again IMO/IME, a tropical squall & thunderstorm in zero visibility is the most common post-dive surfacing condition with a potential lost-at-sea worst case scenario which you should smartly prepare yourself beforehand with at least a PLB:

And finally, the all-in-one solution PLB and dive canister that I've been using for the past 12 years, starting back when they were the only product offered & specifically designed for divers in distress:
McMurdo Dive Canister - Star Marine Depot