Canadian diver and buddy rescued near Apo Island, Philippines

[PygmySeahorse]

The worst situation I ever encountered was in Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, in search of Oceanic Mola Mola, when I got hit by down current all of a sudden. However, the guide gave a good dive briefing about such postential situation could occur & for us to stay close to the reef, not wander off too far into the blue chasing the Mola Mola. When I started seeing my own bubbles going down into the abyss, I swam towards the reef & started to “rock climb” underwater

Crystal Bay is a funny one - just like Gili Tepekong, it has this terrifying reputation, but there are routes to dive it which make it much less of an advanced dive, although you do still need to watch for the downs. (I've only ever experienced a mild down breeze there.)

I don't know why more Indonesian liveaboards don't do the Nautilus lifeline thing. Lord knows, we have enough high-current sites in the middle of bloody nowhere.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Actually, diving very, very conservatively, with a local guide and in full awareness of the local realities - which, in many parts of Indonesia means zero SAR ("SAR units"?!), plus fuel limitations on the dive op that's looking for you - is a much better protection than a PLB. As I said in response to the original question (Does that work outside the US?), "I wouldn't rely on it", and it now appears that you wouldn't rely on it either, so it seems we agree.

@PygmySeahorse , "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. . ."

51m deep on the WWII Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes sunk-in-action, off east coast Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean 2010. McMurdo Fastfind Plus PLB in Gold Dive Canister (on Right Hip), Diver's Life Raft attached to lower end of back plate; and a water container source mounted in between the 11L Twinset.

( @Dan_T , your 40m PLB housing O-ring would be compromised and leaking at this depth)

Sidemount in Palau, Gold PLB Dive Canister on Right Hip; Diver's Life Raft in pouch clipped onto Bottom D-ring and attached with shock cord to sidemount harness.

Since 2006 -All overseas trips and very far offshore Southern California home water excursions have always been planned with a PLB and rescue coordination resource contingencies.

 

[cephalopod2]

For the umpteenth time -This is how you "smartly" utilize a PLB as your last best chance of rescue:...

Thank you @Kevrumbo for reposting this - I missed those earlier threads.

Don't worry about specious arguments regarding local dive operations having inaccurate or wrong paper charts -any chart reference that can point to your general location with a position fix by relayed GPS coordinates along with local knowledge of tides & current can only help in a search and rescue.

True. Still it's worth acknowledging that in the overwhelming majority of land-based Indo/Philippines dive ops I have dove with (spanning high end to low midrange) there were

• no charts, no compasses, no radios, no power on the boat
• many dive sites outside cell signal range

I would be surprised if the local boat captains - regardless of how many years experience on the water they had - had any experience reading charts. I am also not convinced the majority of these ops had organized on-site search/emergency procedures for missing divers seriously thought through. And yes, these are longstanding ops recommended on SB all the time.

I still agree contacting the op with GPS coordinates is better than nothing, I'm just not confident of the ability of many local ops to effect a rescue, not just in SEA but in many countries.

 

[cephalopod2]

So, Denise, please suggest a better option other than having all those safety gears (SMB, DiveAlert, mirror, flashlight, PLB) when you are lost at sea in such backward country as Indonesia & Philippine?

Dan you may want to read @IyaDiver's post #181 in the 7 divers lost off Bali thread, regarding SEA boats which don't have their own radios. Not instead of your list - in addition to.

 

[Dogbowl]

Dan you may want to read post #181 in the 7 divers lost off Bali thread, regarding SEA boats which don't have their own radios. Not instead of your list - in addition to.

Wow! He/she seems to be a local expert in Indonesian diving safety.

I’m going to rethink my personal safety kit for diving SEA.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Thank you @Kevrumbo for reposting this - I missed those earlier threads.

True. Still it's worth acknowledging that in the overwhelming majority of land-based Indo/Philippines dive ops I have dove with (spanning high end to low midrange) there were

• no charts, no compasses, no radios, no power on the boat
• many dive sites outside cell signal range

I would be surprised if the local boat captains - regardless of how many years experience on the water they had - had any experience reading charts. I am also not convinced the majority of these ops had organized on-site search/emergency procedures for missing divers seriously thought through. And yes, these are longstanding ops recommended on SB all the time.

I still agree contacting the op with GPS coordinates is better than nothing, I'm just not confident of the ability of many local ops to effect a rescue, not just in SEA but in many countries.

Again, you smartly set up your SAR resources chain beforehand, contingent and coordinated on the "real-world emergency" of you activating your PLB. Your foreign mission embassy/consulate contact (for me, it would be the 24hr emergency phone number of the US Embassy in Manila if I was in the Philippines; or Jakarta if diving in Indonesia etc), should be able try and contact a national SAR Coast Guard District of the region you are diving in to effect a rescue, or at the the very least a provincial government constabulary law enforcement bureau (a state or county municipal police department), as well as the local dive-ops/resort business call number that you're diving with. The goal is to disseminate your PLB GPS location coordinates to as many potential SAR sources as possible. . .

(And if by some unfortunate quirk of fate @PygmySeahorse , @Cowfish Aesthetic -you get "rescued" using limited range VHF marine radio by Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiyah after being adrift at sea, then to everyone's relief, they will know at least you've been found, and where you are to send the ransom money. . .)

 

[PygmySeahorse]

It's worth acknowledging that in the overwhelming majority of land-based Indo/Philippines dive ops I have dove with (spanning high end to low midrange) there were

• no charts, no compasses, no radios, no power on the boat
• many dive sites outside cell signal range.

Just to build on your list, the boat doesn't just need to have cell signal, it needs to have someone on the boat with a phone, a fully-charged battery AND sufficient credit to make a call. That's pretty damn rare in Indonesia - even before you get to the deathtrap budget operators with nary a trained diver among them (and, no, I've not dived with any).

I have a local friend who is an excellent boat captain and can read a paper chart, but I'd agree he's in the minority. Radios are sufficient of a novelty to be remarked on as a selling point.

Can I suggest a mod hives off this interesting (IMO) discussion into a separate thread?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Just to build on your list, the boat doesn't just need to have cell signal, it needs to have someone on the boat with a phone, a fully-charged battery AND sufficient credit to make a call. That's pretty damn rare in Indonesia - even before you get to the deathtrap budget operators with nary a trained diver among them (and, no, I've not dived with any).

I have a local friend who is an excellent boat captain and can read a paper chart, but I'd agree he's in the minority. Radios are sufficient of a novelty to be remarked on as a selling point.

Can I suggest a mod hives off this interesting (IMO) discussion into a separate thread?

At least have someone back at the dockside where the boat captain embarks from with a cellphone and confirmed signal overage, to receive and relay location PLB GPS coordinates from a Rescue Coordination Center. If necessary, the boat captain can always return to dockside to verbally receive the GPS navigation information in person, and then proceed out again on a now defined & fixed search heading. . .

 

[DandyDon]

There is a hole for a D-ring, which you could attach with a bolt-snap, and mine came with a nylon pouch with a belt loop.

I hope you got the smaller of the two. It's good that he offers the larger one for those who need it for something else, and at the same price - but those are much too big for a PLB.

Yes, the bolt snap is a good idea. I wanted a little more flexibility so I used a heavy key ring plus a bolt snap. And I don't want the bolt snap easily removed from the canister.

Do not use the nylon pouch in the water! It's not designed for that and will not hold up. I don't know why he includes those? Maybe his GF sells them and he is supportive; who knows?

Nautilus Lifeline

Those have a high failure rate, and if they do work - they only reach as far as you can see, much less than claimed. Some people like to talk to their boats, if the boats have a radio turned on loud enough.

 

[PygmySeahorse]

At least have someone back at the dockside where the boat captain embarks from with a cellphone and confirmed signal overage, to receive and relay location PLB GPS coordinates from a Rescue Coordination Center. If necessary, the boat captain can always return to dockside to verbally receive the GPS navigation information in person, and then proceed out again on a now defined & fixed search heading. . .

There are a number of Indonesian resorts where you need to go to a specific part of the island to get phone signal, which can be kilometres away from the dock and the resort itself, and some small, remote islands have no phone signal at all: I've dived from one (you take all the food and drink you'll need and they open the resort for you).

However, let's assume this resort/op does have phone coverage, by the time a boat has returned to dock, refuelled, loaded up with more fuel and headed out again (let's also assume the resort/operator/island has ample fuel reserves), you're still looking at guys using often inaccurate paper charts that they may not be very good at reading to aim for a latitude and longitude reading that will be at least an hour out of date by the time they get to the general search area.

Archipelago nations with vast marine areas, thousands upon thousands of islands, myriad languages, corruption issues, low GDP and low tax take are just not good places to be lost at sea.

EDITED FOR GRAMMAR, MY BAD