Scuba divers who use personal locator beacons (PLBs) are being urged to take part in a consultation on a Coastguard proposal to make search and rescue response faster and simpler should they go missing at sea – and then to ensure that their own devices are registered.
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is putting forward an update that would bring PLBs under the same registration requirements that currently apply to Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), as used on some boats.
PLBs broadcast a location on the same 406MHz frequency as the bigger EPIRBs but are designed to be worn on the body rather than kept on a vessel or life-raft. They are always manually activated.
The change would require divers and others to register their current and any new PLBs with the MCA – free of charge – if they are to be used in any maritime environment, ranging from sea and coast to rivers and lakes.
ID, verify and locate
Registration means that when a PLB is activated, the Coastguard can use the details to identify, verify and locate the person in distress and, it says, send help more quickly and effectively in an emergency.
“Spending just 15 minutes registering a PLB online could make all the difference to being found and recovered safely from a life-threatening situation,” says UK distress & security beacon registry manager Linda Goulding. “Simply register any existing 406MHz PLBs, and any new ones you buy in future, on our customer self-serve webpage (link updated) as people currently do with their EPIRBs.
“Make sure you keep your registration up to date to ensure that search and rescue teams can find you in an emergency.”
The package of updates also reflects changes in technology and extends registration obligations to various types of watercraft. In formal terms, updating registration requirements for EPIRBs and introducing new registration requirements for PLBs means replacing the Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000 with the Merchant Shipping (EPIRB and PLB Registration) (Radiocommunications) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
People are asked to respond to the consultation no later than 30 January, 2025.
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Does this not work in the US? The registration link is broken.
Thank you for pointing out, the link has been fixed
Thank you! Great Article!