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I looked into the applicability of EPIRBs for use in diving situations and
decided that it would be better to carry a BRICK to beat yourself over the
head and end it quickly.

I'd suggest reading the following article to see why EPIRBs, especially the
smaller units which are all of the 121.5 MHz variety have very limited use
for this application.  IMHO

http://www.westmarine.com/iww/customers/westmarine/advisor/safety/22.html

The 406 MHz  class of EPIRBs are much better, but are much bigger and costly
at +/- $1200.

I would like to hear of just ONE charter boat that has the appropriate
equipment to track an EPIRB signal.  121.5 MHz is used primarily as THE
aviation
distress frequency and EPIRBs only intermittently transmit a signal so as
not to crap out the frequency for any real emegencies.  121.5 MHz is also
not a frequncy that most airplanes would have the appropriate equipment to
track.

For the size and applicability I would suggest one of the new waterproof VHF
radios and pray that someone has a DF (direction finding) system integrated
with their VHF radio.  Marine VHF DF systems were popular up to ten years
ago, but the advent of LORAN and subsequently GPS navigation systems have
made them less popular.

Of course as a line of sight communication system VHF radios would have a
rather limited range operated by one bobbing in the water like a COCONUT.
Perhaps, you could at least then scream obsenities at the captain for losing
you.

Along with a 2 shore based USCG stations, a USCG falcon jet, a USCG
helicopter, a commercial ship,  more than a few yachts all with VHF DF, it
took the crew of the boat I was on over 8 hours to locate the survivors of a
sinking vessel which was correctly believed to be in a rather small search
area (<3 nm).  The boat had of course sunk a few hours before the rescue of
the four COCONUTs who made the wise decision of making a traverse of the
gulfstream to the Bahamas during a small craft advisory the same day they
picked up the brand new boat.  In 1984 GPS were still a pie in the sky and
LORAN or OMEGA navigation systems were not popular on smaller vessels.

Personally I use a small high intensity strobe, a whistle, a safety sausage
and a lift bag.  The triple-incident in WPB has certainly made me re-think
the lift bag vs float ball issue.  However,  all my deeper ocean diving has
been conducted within a mile of shore and I'd probably survive the swim.
The only exception to this near shore diving was the USS Monitor in which we
had a float ball and surface/deco support.

I do not mean to disparage the capabilities of those who have decided to use
EPIRBs as they can probably outdive me any day of the week and twice on
Sundays.  I just do not think that the EPIRBs currently on the market would
provide much beyond false hope which is very dangerous in such critical
situations.

My $0.02, John

-----Original Message-----
From: Ronnie Bell 
To: techdiver@aquanaut.com 
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 1998 9:42 AM
Subject: epirb


>Well with all the recent chatter about divers being lost (and presumably
>drowned) I thought about them being slowly being washed out to sea
>somewhere. Has wnyone considered the use of a small epirb for diving in
>high current situations where you are laible to be "lost" by the boat?
>r.b.
>
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>Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
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