This was a perfectly routine dive -in fact, more than routine, it was an absolute walk in the park. To step off the stern of the dive tender, to drift through crystal water with the reef on one shoulder, to eye the white sand of the seabed only 20m below -surely dives don’t come more tranquil and soporific. Here, in the Maldives, as the sun rose overhead and the first coffee of the day kicked in, this was the heady elixir of diving dreams.
A Perfect Dive… Until the Anxiety Hits
Why, then, was I feeling so colossally stressed? Why was my pulse hammering in my ears? Why was I scanning the blue water all around for potential issues? Why was I looking at the computer, the air, the depth, the computer, then the air again? And why was I patting my BCD pockets in a strange repetitive tribal dance of SMB, reef hook, knife, SMB, reef hook, knife? The reason was sculling along, entirely oblivious, about two metres behind me.
This was my first proper dive trip with my wee lass, who had happily taken to it all like a duck to water. She drifted, stress-free, at one with the sea, a monument to poise and aqualine elegance. This contrasted with her dad, who was doing grid sprints backwards and forwards to her, a blizzard of okays, of tweaking buoyancy, of peering into her eyes, of tinkering and tampering with her gear. In short, being utterly, infuriatingly, unnecessarily attentive.
There is nothing on god’s green/blue Earth as joyous as your first proper dive trip with your offspring. There is also nothing that comes remotely close to being as stressful. Those butterflyfish? Definitely looking for trouble. That sponge? Well known for their aggression and ability to absorb passing divers. That ascent from 9m to 8m over a duration of 30 seconds? Unequivocally a precursor to life-altering DCS. Fortunately, the one thing that is keeping me sane and sober is the array of safety gear that Isla is draped in. Festooned is probably a more appropriate word. And here we come, at long last, to the rationale for this month’s column.
Damn, there’s some good kit out there. And, even larger damn, do we give most of it a good ignoring. This trip has made me take a good look at some of it, with one item in particular rising to the fore.
How EPIRBs and PLBs Work Underwater
That item is an EPIRB. We’re using the thoroughly remarkable InReach Mini2 from Garmin, but of course, there’s a plethora of devices out there now. Why every diver, on every holiday (and indeed domestic) dive, doesn’t have one is absolutely beyond me. Gone are the days of having the BCD air horn and a large flag – still good bits of kit, I hasten to add – to be replaced with £300 worth of global alert system, that can pinpoint your location anywhere to within a few metres. And then it can text you that someone is coming, and inform you how long they will be. And then politely ask you to ping a text back to say what you’re up to (‘Hiya! Yep, just drifting alone in the Indian Ocean, at dusk, with interested grey reef sharks circling. Anyway, how are you?’).
The Real Cost of Safety — and Why It’s Worth It
My point here is that £300 is a decent wedge of cash. But we’d spend that on a new reg without batting an eye, on a new alternator for the car, on paying someone to do the guttering, on getting some painting and decorating done. And yet, as you surface in a vast, empty sea, as you inflate your BCD, as you spin wildly on the spot, as you rail and weep, as you try to stay calm, as darkness descends and you think of the people you love, you’ll definitely be muttering ‘Bugger, why didn’t I spank £300 or so, to ensure that wherever I dive, for the rest of my days, I will never, ever be lost and alone in a vast empty ocean. And, just to emphasise the point, bugger. Again’.
So, please, please, buy an EPIRB, any EPIRB. Charge it up, bolt it on to your kit, then head off to explore the blue planet. I need to go. I haven’t seen Isla for 20 minutes, even though we’re on the liveaboard between dives. A kraken may well have snatched her off the stern platform, or she might be caught up in the mighty pistons of the engines, or a huge seagull might have attacked her face. If that has happened -which is almost certain – at least I can rest assured someone will know where we are to come and get us…
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an EPIRB and how does it work for divers?
An EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) sends your GPS location via satellite to rescue services when activated, ensuring you can be located anywhere on the planet — even in remote oceans.
What’s the difference between an EPIRB and a PLB?
Both send distress signals, but EPIRBs are registered to a vessel, while Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are registered to an individual. For divers, compact PLBs are ideal to carry on every dive.
How much does an EPIRB cost, and is it worth it?
Quality models like the Garmin InReach Mini2 cost around £300 — less than a new regulator or dive computer — but could be the single most important safety investment a diver makes.
Do EPIRBs work anywhere in the world?
Yes. Modern EPIRBs and PLBs use the COSPAS-SARSAT global satellite system to transmit alerts from any location, even beyond mobile coverage.
Where should a diver carry an EPIRB or PLB?
Mount it securely on your BCD or in a pocket with a tether. Ensure it’s easily reachable in an emergency and protected from accidental activation.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver Magazine
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Hey, I need to be that jerk here: An InReach IS NOT AN EPRIB! They are very different things. Also not a PLB. It’s a Garmin’s proprietary satellite messenger. It is not part of GMDSS. (And that’s probably a good thing)
If you have a subscription and hit the button it goes to a private response coordination centre managed by GEOS now part of Garmin. They evaluate it and forward it to a response service. That means it works in far more scenarios than a PLB. It also means thankfully that they parse the false alarms before they go to MRCC. It also has the ability to message a friend at long distance.
I am a huge fan of InReach units and potentially they could be great for diving independently, I have used one when skiing in the backcountry. I would definitely take one over a big dive knife 😉 . But an InReach response is usually 4-36 hours away.
It’s worth also mentioning that if you are with a busy place with boats. An AIS style beacon like the Nautilus can produce a much faster local response. We do use those in our area and they are especially good if you have a dive boat that will look for you. Understanding the difference between those is key.
Happy diving, J
Toted a Nautilus LifeLine since 9/2013. It finally was too beat up and too ugly to show it outside of its case. It was still in working order. Almost no one on the dive boats had ever heard of such a device. I swapped it in for the new model. Few less features, but still squawks your location. I agree everyone should have one.