Carrying a Marine VHF radio while diving?

[LeadTurn_SD]

Out of curiosity. How is LOS for aircraft when the source is at sea level? I'd imagine it's range to be larger and be power limited instead of being horizon limited, would this be correct?

Also, yeah, I forgot about ELPBs

Depends on altitude of the search aircraft.... but yes, the detection range would increase a lot.

Somewhere buried among my old navigation stuff is a table for computing distance to the horizon based on "height of eye". The visible horizon is much closer than you think it is due to the curvature of the earth, and bobbing in that water the horizon is not far at all. Searching from the air, the limitation would more likely be the power of the transmitter, and position of the aircraft relative to the person in the water (swells could still block line of sight between aircraft and the diver if the aircraft were too distant).

EPIRB or PLB's transmit to overhead satellites, so line of sight is not an issue. Most (All of them these days? Sorry, I'm not at all current...) also transmit your GPS position, which drastically narrows down the search area.

A hand held VHF could be useful to talk to an overhead aircraft, or to your dive boat if you were still basically in visual range or just slightly beyond.... but I'd carry the PLB, not a VHF.

Best wishes.

 

[galvanni]

I have always carried one on me when sea kayaking far off the beach - a submersible Standard Horizon. Awesome piece of kit but although I've never had problems with its water integrity in a few feet of water - I would highly doubt they could go to any kind of depth. I used it mostly to call the harbor master and report a-holes trying to run me down with their boat in the inlet or just out front. I once got slammed into the hull of a sailboat by a guide flipping me the bird and yelling at me while his clients were watching in disbelief. By the time I got back to the boat ramp - the coast guard was ripping him a new one.

 

[David Griffith]

I can't imagine the situation that would warrant a VHS hand-held being carried on a diver. I feel good with a whistle and safety sausage. A mirror and a beacon or strobe are great if the conditions require it. If I'm worried about contacting passing Coast Guard aircraft, I'm going to reconsider the dive plan.

 

[Amphiprion]

I would think that you would have to get a special case for it to prevent crushing. You would also have to have a GPS unit to notify people of where you are located. This too would have to be in a case to withstand pressure.

An alternatite solution would be to get a case with an EPIRB.

Still another alternative might be the Breitling Emergency watch.