Canadian diver and buddy rescued near Apo Island, Philippines

[Stoo]

... just don’t take the chance & go elsewhere less remote & better SAR support.

But where's the fun in that?

"Getting found" is never going to be a better solution than "Don't get lost". Finding a bobbing head and a whimpy little SMB is not easy in rough water with a setting sun... I'll go further... it's damn near impossible. If there's wind, whistles and so on are helpful, but not once you are hundreds of yards away.

I always carry a reel or spool with to use with my SMB, but I always figured that if the current is carrying me away, I'd be inclined to pop back down to the nearest coral head, tie off, and surface again, using the line as as anchor. All this assumes you have enough line, but most dives tend to end in fairly shallow water.

The PLBs are great, but I think that nobody figures they are going to be that lost that they need to use the thing. Nobody is going to fire this thing up after 15 minutes. Odds are, you are in pretty serious doo-doo before you activate it.

Someone mentioned the Nautilus Lifeline. Those things always sounded great, but my understanding it that in real life, they didin't work too well. The VHF signal is line of sight. If you are talking on the thing, you are broadcasting from 6" above the water surface. Even a small chop is going to seriously degrade that signal, especially if you are trying to call a small boat, which has an antenna that's only 6' above water. I don't recall the specs, but it was likely that the Nautilus was only a 3 watt transceiver... as opposed to 25 watts on a ship-based radio. Better then nothing though, and the big advantage is that using it held no stigma...

 

[Dan]

But where's the fun in that?

"Getting found" is never going to be a better solution than "Don't get lost". Finding a bobbing head and a whimpy little SMB is not easy in rough water with a setting sun... I'll go further... it's damn near impossible. If there's wind, whistles and so on are helpful, but not once you are hundreds of yards away.

I always carry a reel or spool with to use with my SMB, but I always figured that if the current is carrying me away, I'd be inclined to pop back down to the nearest coral head, tie off, and surface again, using the line as as anchor. All this assumes you have enough line, but most dives tend to end in fairly shallow water.

The PLBs are great, but I think that nobody figures they are going to be that lost that they need to use the thing. Nobody is going to fire this thing up after 15 minutes. Odds are, you are in pretty serious doo-doo before you activate it.

Someone mentioned the Nautilus Lifeline. Those things always sounded great, but my understanding it that in real life, they didin't work too well. The VHF signal is line of sight. If you are talking on the thing, you are broadcasting from 6" above the water surface. Even a small chop is going to seriously degrade that signal, especially if you are trying to call a small boat, which has an antenna that's only 6' above water. I don't recall the specs, but it was likely that the Nautilus was only a 3 watt transceiver... as opposed to 25 watts on a ship-based radio. Better then nothing though, and the big advantage is that using it held no stigma...

I’m referring to generation 2 Nautilus Lifeline, Marine Rescue GPS where I can load the liveaboard MMSI into it. So, the minute the dingy losing me and looking for me, I launch the distress signal to the liveaboard which then can relay my GPS location to the dingy driver to locate & find me (at least that was I was told by Palau Aggressor captain in last December). It’s completely seal. No VHF radio & USB plug charger that is prone for getting flooded / weak battery life when you need it the most.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I’m referring to generation 2 Nautilus Lifeline, Marine Rescue GPS where I can load the liveaboard MMSI into it. So, the minute the dingy losing me and looking for me, I launch the distress signal to the liveaboard which then can relay my GPS location to the dingy driver to locate & find me (at least that was I was told by Palau Aggressor captain in last December). It’s completely seal. No VHF radio & USB plug charger that is prone for getting flooded / weak battery life when you need it the most.

@Dan_T , the generation 2 Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) is a VHF carrier/GPS transponder, with a similar range limitation as a standard voice-only simplex VHF portable handheld marine radio, which is basically 5km to the horizon (or at most 20km range to a 30m tall land based antenna). You will defintely need your PLB1 as back-up if you surface and your MMSI skiff or liveaboard is nowhere in sight & apparently not responding.

From the Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS user's manual last page:
This radio device is designed to only provide an effective alerting and locating capability in close proximity to a vessel. This radio beacon is NOT an EPIRB.

 

[Dan]

Since we are talking about Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS, I want to provide info related to the Belize Aggressors. The Belize Aggressors have Nautilus Lifeline Radios (NLL) (original discontinued version) for rent to passengers at $25/week. The yachts are equipped with DSC only as it was the technology compatible with the original NLL. They do not have AIS.

With respect to entering your boat’s MMSI into your 2nd generation Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS, they advised not to do so on the Belize Aggressors. If you enter your boat’s MMSI into your unit, your boat gets called first when you activate your unit, then only after 30 minutes, all boats in the area will get called. Since the 2 Aggressor boats in Belize work and travel pretty much “together”, not entering your own boat’s MMSI would ensure that BOTH Aggressor boats would be called as soon as possible. Either would effect the rescue ASAP without wasting the initial 30 minutes. I think this makes a lot of sense in this situation.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I think I want to enter my boat’s MMSI. I don’t think I want to delay a universal distress call for 30 minutes.

If you are travelling on an LOB, I advise you contact the LOB to discuss how best to use your first or second generation Nautilus. Every boat is run differently and have different technologies available.

Thanks for tips!

Palau Aggressor II rent MRG for free

I’ll be in Maldives Aggressor II in December. I’m going to ask them about it.

I’ll be with Argo in Cocos in September, I’m going to ask them the same.

Blue Manta doesn’t rent MRG, but I got her MMSI number to load it into my MRG.

 

[Dan]

@Dan_T , the generation 2 Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) is a VHF carrier/GPS transponder, with a similar range limitation as a standard voice-only simplex VHF portable handheld marine radio, which is basically 5km to the horizon (or at most 20km range to a 30m tall land based antenna). You will defintely need your PLB1 as back-up if you surface and your MMSI skiff or liveaboard is nowhere in sight & apparently not responding.

From the Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS user's manual last page:
This radio device is designed to only provide an effective alerting and locating capability in close proximity to a vessel. This radio beacon is NOT an EPIRB.

Thanks for the note. I’ll carry both. They are small enough to fit in my BCD pockets with my other safety gears (DSMB with 100’ spool, mirror, dive light, DiveAlert in waterproof bag). It’s better to be more prepared than less. I’ve done it in Palau a couple months ago. No biggie. I’m rather to be Searched And Rescued than to be Seen And Recovered.

If I come up to the surface (with DSMB already floating on the surface prior to ascending) and see no dingy, nor liveaboard in the horizon, that will be my unlucky day (hopefully it’ll never happen, knock on wood). Then I’ll launch the MRG (with MMSI preloaded into the MRG) any way for the first couple of hours before I launch the PLB1.

The boat captain would have been aware that I have loaded the boat’s MMSI prior to boarding on the boat. So the minute I’m unaccounted for, the crew will alert the captain to monitor their AIS & GPS integrated marine radio.

One more device that I need to have is a tiny with piercing strobe that I can mount on top of the 6’ DSMB.

 

[Kevrumbo]

@Dan_T for reference, this is the USCG land based tall antenna coverage range for VHF reception in the Hawaiian Islands and Territory of Guam :

(We take these assets for granted and it's a huge ocean out there. . .)

Stay tight with your MMSI mothership; in comparison to the above it may range at best only 2.5 nautical miles which is the horizon. Another illustration of why it's good you have a PLB as back-up. . .

 

[Dan]

@Dan_T for reference, this is the USCG land based tall antenna coverage range for VHF reception in the Hawaiian Islands and Territory of Guam :
View attachment 445467

View attachment 445468

(We take these assets for granted and it's a huge ocean out there. . .)

Stay tight with your MMSI mothership; in comparison to the above it may range at best only 2.5 nautical miles which is the horizon. Another illustration of why it's good you have a PLB as back-up. . .

Thanks for the tips & cautions.

Blue Manta has a ratio of 4 divers to 1 DM/guide. I will follow the DM like a puppy dog on a leash

Max Hand, Operations Manager of White Manta Diving, was nice enough to provide me a link to retrieve MMSI of KM. Blue Manta & track boat traffic in the area, https://www.marinetraffic.com

In fact there is iPhone app for it. Below image shows current boat traffic in the area where I would be going with KM. Blue Manta (Maumere- Banda Sea - Ambon). As you can see, there are quite a few traceable boats out there, not as if we are going to be in the middle of no where.

 

[Dogbowl]

@Dan_T , looks like you are well-prepared, both in terms of a full liveaboard schedule and in terms of being rescued as opposed to being recovered.

As you find out about the various technologies on the different liveaboards that you go on, would it be possible to start a new thread providing others with what you’ve learned? Kind of like a tips and pointers page relating to the useage of PLBs and Nautilus 1 and/or 2 on different yachts? That would be very helpful.

Of course, I will also do the same, once I come back from the Belize Aggressor in April.

Looking at the map above, I’m pleasantly surprised that there are that many traceable boats in that area. It’s definitely better than no boats. I was told by the Belize Aggressor that other than the 2 Aggressor boats, there were basically no other boats (or very, very few) where we will be travelling. I was also told, however, that unlike other places around the world, there is not a major concern with current there. And they do have a Coast Guard, just not sure how well prepared they are for search and rescue.

White Manta Diving’s operations manager seems very helpful. I’m looking at their website right now.

 

[Dan]

@Dan_T , looks like you are well-prepared, both in terms of a full liveaboard schedule and in terms of being rescued as opposed to being recovered.

As you find out about the various technologies on the different liveaboards that you go on, would it be possible to start a new thread providing others with what you’ve learned? Kind of like a tips and pointers page relating to the useage of PLBs and Nautilus 1 and/or 2 on different yachts? That would be very helpful.

Of course, I will also do the same, once I come back from the Belize Aggressor in April.

Looking at the map above, I’m pleasantly surprised that there are that many traceable boats in that area. It’s definitely better than no boats. I was told by the Belize Aggressor that other than the 2 Aggressor boats, there were basically no other boats (or very, very few) where we will be travelling. I was also told, however, that unlike other places around the world, there is not a major concern with current there. And they do have a Coast Guard, just not sure how well prepared they are for search and rescue.

White Manta Diving’s operations manager seems very helpful. I’m looking at their website right now.

Good idea. Let me think about how to do that without repeating what have already been posted previously.

FYI, here is the traceable boats around Belize currently. As you were told, not too many.

 

[KeithG]

@Dan_T , looks like you are well-prepared, both in terms of a full liveaboard schedule and in terms of being rescued as opposed to being recovered.

As you find out about the various technologies on the different liveaboards that you go on, would it be possible to start a new thread providing others with what you’ve learned? Kind of like a tips and pointers page relating to the useage of PLBs and Nautilus 1 and/or 2 on different yachts? That would be very helpful.

Of course, I will also do the same, once I come back from the Belize Aggressor in April.

Looking at the map above, I’m pleasantly surprised that there are that many traceable boats in that area. It’s definitely better than no boats. I was told by the Belize Aggressor that other than the 2 Aggressor boats, there were basically no other boats (or very, very few) where we will be travelling. I was also told, however, that unlike other places around the world, there is not a major concern with current there. And they do have a Coast Guard, just not sure how well prepared they are for search and rescue.

White Manta Diving’s operations manager seems very helpful. I’m looking at their website right now.

In belieze you will see a constant stream of day boats showing up since there is always someone wanting to do the blue hole. The day boats then putter down to half moon caye for a couple of afternoon dives. There is also a small lodge on long caye so you will see their boat every day if they have any guests. On your way back to belize city you will see the tourneffe resort boats.