Hi Alec, 1st heard Kevin laugh, hi Kevin. What a cool emergency locator. I can see desert racers and hikers use this device. It's the ultimate I've fallen & can't get up gizmo. Don't Leave Home With It. This is a worthwhile product for any person who's into the great outdoors. Enjoyed Episode & Kevin's Laugh ! 👍
About 30 years I organised a UK sea diving trip for our inland bsac club. We used our Avon inflatable as usual but this trip turned out very different. Whilst on our way to the wreck site we spotted something in the water that looked out of place, so we made our way over to check it out. Upon getting closer we realised that it was two divers just drifting on the surface with no boat in sight anywhere. To say they were ecstatic when they spotted us is an understatement ! We dragged them into the inflatable and took them back ashore. What had happened was that they had gone out on a paid dive vessel but the skipper had failed to count them back in the boat and gone back to harbour without them ! When we happened by chance upon them they had been on the surface for almost 2hrs and were starting to show the early signs of hypothermia. They were very very lucky that day and I image they look back on it now and alike it to winning the lottery. Obviously PLBs weren't around back then, but this experience highlights that people make simple silly mistakes that can very easily lead to serious life threatening situations. On an extra side note, we never ending up even getting a dive that weekend. After we'd sorted out and made sure the two divers were ok we had lost to much time that day, and the weather cut up to rough for the Avon the following day.
@@KevinSmith-hc4pc yeah, video editing is a lot of work... thanks for doing all this too! I still owe you guys a kayak diving video. Wish you guys had done more on drysuits, thought personally I'm all set, those are are $$$ and harder to pick.
Based upon this video I just bought this from Amazon, about 200 US. It hasn't arrived yet. Maybe the manual will explain it, but the closest I read anywhere as to how it works from the rescuer perspective - the person/boat who hears the signal - is from another poster below: "My understanding is that it transmits a Man Overboard signal with GPS position in the digital message on VHF channel 70. All modern VHF marine radios are configured to receive the signal. It DOES NOT transmit a signal to the global satellite systems that search and rescue agencies monitor." I really want to get to understand exactly how it works from "the other end" so I can ask future dive boat operators, especially outside of the US, if they've experienced responding to the device and exactly how they are alerted. Overall, I get the whole pros and cons thing and that it's not for everybody, but for divers who travel a lot (let's say, in the Caribbean) and who do a lot of drift diving, this device may come in handy some day. There is a dive shop on Cozumel who assign these to their customers when doing certain "North" island dives (i.e. Barracuda Reef) where the current is ripping. I just wish I really knew the other side of the equation when a diver "presses the button" on this thing. Again, maybe the explanation is coming in the manual with the device. Final comment: I just got back from another trip to Cozumel and was in Belize earlier this year (just prior to the "virus problem". I am still amazed at two things: the number of divers who dive open water ocean without a DSMB/SMB and the fact that dive operators, many of them, don't make them mandatory. We lost a diver for over an hour in Belize and another boat found him. No DSMB, of course no GPS. Yes I get the whole personal responsibility slant to this discussion. Thank you Alex, your channel is my number one go to for all things scuba related.
Friend of mine lost contact with the boat in a swell in coastal waters. The boat contacted rescue and a helicopter and lifeboat were deployed and my friend was picked up safe and well but it must have cost several thousand bucks to locate someone less than a mile or two away from the boat... I imagine/hope this device would have saved a lot of time and money
Thanks for this video, Alec. I've often thought about getting one of these, but the cost and the fact that I already look like a walking dive shop with all my gadgets has kept me from purchasing one. But, at the same time, I've discussed before how I only really have a chance to dive NC, and the dives there, while great, are also rather challenging (deep, currents, often moderate visibility). Having one of these, along with my SMB and Redundant Air System, might help alleviate some of my anxiety when diving. That actually brings up a good question: when do you think a nervous diver is someone who just shouldn't be diving? I guess what I'm asking is where is the line drawn between a cautious, prudent diver, and someone who just isn't cut out for diving? (I don't think I'm in that latter category, but I can only afford to do about four dives a year so I always feel like a novice when I go back out into open water. And, I try to be conscientious of other divers, so I don't want to anger my insta-buddy when I'm nearing the end of my dive and getting antsy because I can't find the anchor line on the wreck to ascend back to the boat).
I've not seen flares for many years. I know there is one in the UK but it's expensive and not 100% reliable. I think a strobe light would be a better choice. Alec
My understanding is that it transmits a Man Overboard signal with GPS position in the digital message on VHF channel 70. All modern VHF marine radios are configured to receive the signal. It DOES NOT transmit a signal to the global satellite systems that search and rescue agencies monitor.
I dont think I need a GPS Alarm button on me, because I dive in coastal area with a team. Anyways its nice to be available for divers that make offshore dives on remote dive sites.
when we connect the first stage to the tank and we open the tank valve do we have to keep open the bcd valve or the second stage valve to decrease the pressure shock to the first stage or we dont want that; maybe this could be an idea for a video. Thank you !
It is always a good idea to open the tank valve slowly. If there is a leak in the valve to reg connection, the air loss will be minimal and with no damage to either part or to the O-Ring. Also, while "shock" to either stage is not an issue, it certainly can't hurt to let the pressure build slowly in the 1st and then in the 2nd. Take care. Alec
Can you imagine a highly dense diving area, let's say Cozumel MX although there are places even more crowded, with every DM radioing a distress signal good for a 34 miles radius? That would be a nightmare of interference and GPS locations calling for pick-up. Many dive boats rushing to their beacons with no significant visual sign other than an insignificant led blink and a GPS (1,5m accuracy) signal... That would be dangerous even with the SMBs deployed as well. Being an emergency channel/usage device, you do want such channel free for actual emergencies... While you are right, it tells the dive boat where you are, it is also good for 34 miles reception and hence other boats as well. It is true that being a programmable device you could (in theory, and I am just let my imagination create) pair a given device with a specific dive boat filtering the signal, coding, protocol, etc... sounds possible, but complicated. I guess SMBs are far better for eye line of sight distance. The lifeline is to be used when you are really lost and drifting. It could be used in remote locations with the dive boat in stand by inside the 34miles radius, I would still deploy my SMB for visual localization. Or perhaps for night dives and pre-planned extraction points. The distress signal should be changed to something more appropriate to avoid other ships in the area to rush toward the emitter. Just my thoughts on this, maybe wrong.
@@guillermopelaez5859 100% agree. SMBs are still super useful. And i feel like the device are for emergency situations. SMBs are just for every dive use. The chance that all emergencies happens at on spot is very slim.
@@guillermopelaez5859 This is not a phone to call for a taxi. This is an emergency device. That’s explained in the directions when you buy it. It’s not a replacement for an SMB which in high traffic area as you described would get you recognized sooner. There are surprisingly high number of Divers lost adrift in the Cozumel area. This might actually save someone who’s on the surface and out of sight. That’s its only purpose.
Hi Alec, 1st heard Kevin laugh, hi Kevin. What a cool emergency locator. I can see desert racers and hikers use this device. It's the ultimate I've fallen & can't get up gizmo. Don't Leave Home With It. This is a worthwhile product for any person who's into the great outdoors. Enjoyed Episode & Kevin's Laugh ! 👍
Hi Mark. Oh I laugh a lot around Alec once he gets wound up.
Thanks for the comment and watching.
Kevin
About 30 years I organised a UK sea diving trip for our inland bsac club. We used our Avon inflatable as usual but this trip turned out very different. Whilst on our way to the wreck site we spotted something in the water that looked out of place, so we made our way over to check it out. Upon getting closer we realised that it was two divers just drifting on the surface with no boat in sight anywhere. To say they were ecstatic when they spotted us is an understatement ! We dragged them into the inflatable and took them back ashore. What had happened was that they had gone out on a paid dive vessel but the skipper had failed to count them back in the boat and gone back to harbour without them ! When we happened by chance upon them they had been on the surface for almost 2hrs and were starting to show the early signs of hypothermia. They were very very lucky that day and I image they look back on it now and alike it to winning the lottery. Obviously PLBs weren't around back then, but this experience highlights that people make simple silly mistakes that can very easily lead to serious life threatening situations.
On an extra side note, we never ending up even getting a dive that weekend. After we'd sorted out and made sure the two divers were ok we had lost to much time that day, and the weather cut up to rough for the Avon the following day.
That is a great story, thanks for sharing Auto. Sadly even today divers are 'missed' when returning.
now you and Kevin sounds like an old couple :) always bringing a smile, keep it coming Alec!
Hey, I'm the young kid at only 60. Glad you like it, Alec has lots more coming including backplates.
Kevin
@@KevinSmith-hc4pc yeah, video editing is a lot of work... thanks for doing all this too! I still owe you guys a kayak diving video. Wish you guys had done more on drysuits, thought personally I'm all set, those are are $$$ and harder to pick.
I use a ACR personal locator beacon (PLB)... it is satellite-based and way better. *I put it in a small waterproof box and attach it to my BCD. 🐠
That's another good device. I had one years ago and didn't know they still made them.
Alec
What is this small waterproof box?
Based upon this video I just bought this from Amazon, about 200 US. It hasn't arrived yet. Maybe the manual will explain it, but the closest I read anywhere as to how it works from the rescuer perspective - the person/boat who hears the signal - is from another poster below: "My understanding is that it transmits a Man Overboard signal with GPS position in the digital message on VHF channel 70. All modern VHF marine radios are configured to receive the signal. It DOES NOT transmit a signal to the global satellite systems that search and rescue agencies monitor."
I really want to get to understand exactly how it works from "the other end" so I can ask future dive boat operators, especially outside of the US, if they've experienced responding to the device and exactly how they are alerted.
Overall, I get the whole pros and cons thing and that it's not for everybody, but for divers who travel a lot (let's say, in the Caribbean) and who do a lot of drift diving, this device may come in handy some day. There is a dive shop on Cozumel who assign these to their customers when doing certain "North" island dives (i.e. Barracuda Reef) where the current is ripping. I just wish I really knew the other side of the equation when a diver "presses the button" on this thing. Again, maybe the explanation is coming in the manual with the device.
Final comment: I just got back from another trip to Cozumel and was in Belize earlier this year (just prior to the "virus problem". I am still amazed at two things: the number of divers who dive open water ocean without a DSMB/SMB and the fact that dive operators, many of them, don't make them mandatory. We lost a diver for over an hour in Belize and another boat found him. No DSMB, of course no GPS.
Yes I get the whole personal responsibility slant to this discussion.
Thank you Alex, your channel is my number one go to for all things scuba related.
Thanks for the feedback Bob and know it will be a great safety device (whey it shows up).
The original lifeline saved me from a really bad situation when a liveaboard left me and my dive buddy to drift for hours. I miss the original one :(
It was good, obviously.
The new one has better life, distance and is more compact.
It ought to do the same job.
Alec
The 2 way communication was a god send. But I understand they got into some trouble with that.
Another Classic ! funny and informative as always
Thanks for watching John.
Alec
Friend of mine lost contact with the boat in a swell in coastal waters. The boat contacted rescue and a helicopter and lifeboat were deployed and my friend was picked up safe and well but it must have cost several thousand bucks to locate someone less than a mile or two away from the boat... I imagine/hope this device would have saved a lot of time and money
Thanks for this video, Alec. I've often thought about getting one of these, but the cost and the fact that I already look like a walking dive shop with all my gadgets has kept me from purchasing one. But, at the same time, I've discussed before how I only really have a chance to dive NC, and the dives there, while great, are also rather challenging (deep, currents, often moderate visibility). Having one of these, along with my SMB and Redundant Air System, might help alleviate some of my anxiety when diving. That actually brings up a good question: when do you think a nervous diver is someone who just shouldn't be diving? I guess what I'm asking is where is the line drawn between a cautious, prudent diver, and someone who just isn't cut out for diving? (I don't think I'm in that latter category, but I can only afford to do about four dives a year so I always feel like a novice when I go back out into open water. And, I try to be conscientious of other divers, so I don't want to anger my insta-buddy when I'm nearing the end of my dive and getting antsy because I can't find the anchor line on the wreck to ascend back to the boat).
I am considering this when I go to Hawaii this December. Have about 8 deep dives planned.
Well Hawaii is far away but remember they only work on the surface and if your dive boat has gone or is not visible. Have a great trip.
Have you used any of the flares that can attach to your BCD? I came across one in a diving magazine. Great video
Thanks
I've not seen flares for many years.
I know there is one in the UK but it's expensive and not 100% reliable.
I think a strobe light would be a better choice.
Alec
My understanding is that it transmits a Man Overboard signal with GPS position in the digital message on VHF channel 70. All modern VHF marine radios are configured to receive the signal. It DOES NOT transmit a signal to the global satellite systems that search and rescue agencies monitor.
Specification says it also transmits AIS signal, but that's not as useful as DSC. AIS receivers are not so common among smaller vessels.
I use a personal locator beacon (PLB)... it is satellite-based and way better.
Thanks a lot great explanation 🙌🏼
Glad it was helpful!
Clever Alec
Thanks for watching.
Alec
I dont think I need a GPS Alarm button on me, because I dive in coastal area with a team.
Anyways its nice to be available for divers that make offshore dives on remote dive sites.
It's one of those things that is diver specific.
If you need it, it's invaluable. If you don't, it's a waste of money.
Take care.
Alec
great video
when we connect the first stage to the tank and we open the tank valve do we have to keep open the bcd valve or the second stage valve to decrease the pressure shock to the first stage or we dont want that; maybe this could be an idea for a video. Thank you !
It is always a good idea to open the tank valve slowly. If there is a leak in the valve to reg connection, the air loss will be minimal and with no damage to either part or to the O-Ring. Also, while "shock" to either stage is not an issue, it certainly can't hurt to let the pressure build slowly in the 1st and then in the 2nd.
Take care.
Alec
Thank you !!!
It'd be a little embarrassing to have a helicopter show up with your dive boat fifty yards away.
Maybe. Fun though.
Imagine the stories for your dive buddies when you get dropped onto the boat from a helicopter.
Alec
@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter and the bill associated with that "rescue" :( (at least in the US)
I dove in the Red Sea during the Gulf War.
Sounds like a great way to relax from your duties. Fantastic diving too.
Alec
Won't necessarily in Australia
According to their website these work world wide. Is there something different about Australia that these won't get help?
Kevin, you gotta care more man
Ha ha, not true Victor.
Kevin
Galapagos 30k.
Not bad
This thing can honestly replace SMB's. Cause they do the same thing -- tell the dive boat where I am
SMBs have other purposes, like being visible to boat traffic and other divers
It's hardly a replacement for an SMB.
It's designed for a lost diver, not one that's still within vision.
Plus an SMB has other uses too.
Alec
Can you imagine a highly dense diving area, let's say Cozumel MX although there are places even more crowded, with every DM radioing a distress signal good for a 34 miles radius? That would be a nightmare of interference and GPS locations calling for pick-up. Many dive boats rushing to their beacons with no significant visual sign other than an insignificant led blink and a GPS (1,5m accuracy) signal... That would be dangerous even with the SMBs deployed as well.
Being an emergency channel/usage device, you do want such channel free for actual emergencies... While you are right, it tells the dive boat where you are, it is also good for 34 miles reception and hence other boats as well.
It is true that being a programmable device you could (in theory, and I am just let my imagination create) pair a given device with a specific dive boat filtering the signal, coding, protocol, etc... sounds possible, but complicated. I guess SMBs are far better for eye line of sight distance. The lifeline is to be used when you are really lost and drifting. It could be used in remote locations with the dive boat in stand by inside the 34miles radius, I would still deploy my SMB for visual localization. Or perhaps for night dives and pre-planned extraction points. The distress signal should be changed to something more appropriate to avoid other ships in the area to rush toward the emitter.
Just my thoughts on this, maybe wrong.
@@guillermopelaez5859 100% agree. SMBs are still super useful. And i feel like the device are for emergency situations. SMBs are just for every dive use. The chance that all emergencies happens at on spot is very slim.
@@guillermopelaez5859 This is not a phone to call for a taxi. This is an emergency device. That’s explained in the directions when you buy it. It’s not a replacement for an SMB which in high traffic area as you described would get you recognized sooner.
There are surprisingly high number of Divers lost adrift in the Cozumel area. This might actually save someone who’s on the surface and out of sight. That’s its only purpose.
Great video
Thanks for watching
Alec