Watch with distress beacon?

[gareth h]

My son is a keen surfer and will often be out on his own, i would like to buy him a means of contacting the coastguard should the worst happen, I know Brietling used to do a watch with a beacon, any idea if in this world of smart watches whether anybody else does similar?

[RD-1]

There is a shortcut on an Apple Watch to call emergency services.

But a Breitling Emergency is way cooler

[Burrow01]

Problem with a smartwatch is battery life, and needing a mobile signal to send the distress message.

I have one of these for solo sailing at sea:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-Signal-rescueME-PLB...

[gareth h]

Burrow01 said:

Problem with a smartwatch is battery life, and needing a mobile signal to send the distress message.

I have one of these for solo sailing at sea:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-Signal-rescueME-PLB...

Thanks, I’d been looking at similar from garmin
https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/garmin-inreach-m...
But was hoping to find something that was more “wearable”

[Octoposse]

gareth h said:

My son is a keen surfer and will often be out on his own, i would like to buy him a means of contacting the coastguard should the worst happen, I know Brietling used to do a watch with a beacon, any idea if in this world of smart watches whether anybody else does similar?

Beacon or no, he really needs a buddy, even if they’re sitting on the beach wrapped in a blanket. A beacon would need interpreting by the emergency services, and gives limited information - are they looking for a life raft, an oil tanker, or a guy in a black wet suit? Cliff rescue or lifeboat?

[Stick Legs]

RD-1 said:

There is a shortcut on an Apple Watch to call emergency services.

But a Breitling Emergency is way cooler

I can’t really find the excuse for one, but if I was going to start single hand sailing off shore or flying light aircraft I’d have one in a heartbeat.



However what the OP requires is a PLB.

McMurdo FastFind 220 Personal Locator Beacon - Black and Yellow https://amzn.eu/d/4gVok5r

[Stick Legs]

Octoposse said:

Beacon or no, he really needs a buddy, even if they’re sitting on the beach wrapped in a blanket. A beacon would need interpreting by the emergency services, and gives limited information - are they looking for a life raft, an oil tanker, or a guy in a black wet suit? Cliff rescue or lifeboat?

A PLB is registered to an individual.
On receiving the MMSI number from the beacon the MRCC has a location.

Those 2 bits of information are sufficient to know they are dealing with a person in the water at that position.

If the PLB was registered to a company then they’d know what ship etc it came from.

Unique personal PLB’s are brilliant.

Everyone who messes about in water should use them.

As a Pilot we had them on our coats so if we fell from a ladder the Pilot boat may lose us in a big swell but the beacon would ensure a helicopter could find us.

[Burrow01]

gareth h said:

Burrow01 said:

Problem with a smartwatch is battery life, and needing a mobile signal to send the distress message.

I have one of these for solo sailing at sea:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-Signal-rescueME-PLB...

Thanks, I’d been looking at similar from garmin
https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/garmin-inreach-m...
But was hoping to find something that was more “wearable”

I have it strapped to my buoyancy aid, within easy reach if I am ever in the water

[Mont Blanc]

gareth h said:

Thanks, I’d been looking at similar from garmin
https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/garmin-inreach-m...
But was hoping to find something that was more “wearable”

Those Garmin InReach things are very cool, but just be aware that when the emergency SOS button is pressed, the 'call' goes through to the Garmin call centre, and Garmin will then inform the emergency/rescue services. It doesn't directly inform the emergency services. It requires a Garmin InReach subscription.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just something to bear in mind. You might consider it better than a PLB 'radio' beacon, in so far as Garmin call centre will respond to the SOS message and get more details from you via the device, so they can co-ordinate a better response and give the emergency services as much information as they have available. At least when you press it, you get a message back within a minute or so from an actual human telling you that help is on the way, rather than pulling the antenna out on a radio beacon or a Breitling watch and having absolutely not clue if anyone has even picked the signal up or not.

14 day battery life as well. Just make sure it is kept charged!

In your situation, I would probably go for the Garmin InReach.

[troc]

Breitling emergency is super cool but I think the frequency it operates on is depreciated these days. A PLB or EPIRB would be an option but maybe overkill and rather more for finding yachts, ships and ‘planes lost in the wilds.

Garmin inreach is a great option though. Latest apple iPhones will also talk to satellites in an emergency situation but lack the battery life and are more delicate of course.

[Semmelweiss]

When I used to surf as a late teen/early twenty in SA in the 80's, the usual life beacon was a girlfriend sitting wrapped up, on the beach, in a blanket jacket, smoking reefer and sipping from a bottle of Old Brown Sherry. Perfect really.

[Barchettaman]

gareth h said:

My son is a keen surfer and will often be out on his own, i would like to buy him a means of contacting the coastguard should the worst happen, I know Brietling used to do a watch with a beacon, any idea if in this world of smart watches whether anybody else does similar?

Where is he surfing on his own? Outer Hebrides?

It’s so bloody crowded when it’s decent, I can’t imagine too many situations where there’s nobody else in the water with him.

I think the idea of an emergency beacon watch for a surfer in UK waters may be overkill (apologies for the choice of words).

Even if he’s surfing giant Cribbar waves then there will be people filming on the headland (when my older brother got into trouble out there the observers on the cliff called out the Newquay lifeboat. But that’s another story).

[Mont Blanc]

Barchettaman said:

gareth h said:

My son is a keen surfer and will often be out on his own, i would like to buy him a means of contacting the coastguard should the worst happen, I know Brietling used to do a watch with a beacon, any idea if in this world of smart watches whether anybody else does similar?

Where is he surfing on his own? Outer Hebrides?

It’s so bloody crowded when it’s decent, I can’t imagine too many situations where there’s nobody else in the water with him.

I think the idea of an emergency beacon watch for a surfer in UK waters may be overkill (apologies for the choice of words).

Even if he’s surfing giant Cribbar waves then there will be people filming on the headland (when my older brother got into trouble out there the observers on the cliff called out the Newquay lifeboat. But that’s another story).

When it comes to the safety of your own children, absolutely nothing is overkill in my opinion.

Some places might be crowded, but there have been plenty of incidents of people being swept out to sea or swept along the coast and stuck on rocks, and then need to be located.

I would spend £350 all day long on a gadget that may offer my own child even the slightest extra layer of protection.

Edited by Mont Blanc on Wednesday 24th January 10:46

[gareth h]

Barchettaman said:

Where is he surfing on his own? Outer Hebrides?

It’s so bloody crowded when it’s decent, I can’t imagine too many situations where there’s nobody else in the water with him.

I think the idea of an emergency beacon watch for a surfer in UK waters may be overkill (apologies for the choice of words).

Even if he’s surfing giant Cribbar waves then there will be people filming on the headland (when my older brother got into trouble out there the observers on the cliff called out the Newquay lifeboat. But that’s another story).

We’re in West Wales and he knows all the “best” spots which don’t tend to be publicised, he’ll often be out at sunrise when the only company is seals.

[gareth h]

Mont Blanc said:

When it comes to the safety of your own children, absolutely nothing is overkill in my opinion.

Some places might be crowded, but there have been plenty of incidents of people being swept out to sea or swept along the coast and stuck on rocks, and then need to be located.

I would spend £350 all day long on a gadget that may offer my own child even the slightest extra layer of protection.

Edited by Mont Blanc on Wednesday 24th January 10:46

Yep, and piece of mind, he was a bit late back yesterday morning and I was driving down to the beach to check on him (no telephone service) when he returned with a big smile and a wave!

[Mont Blanc]

gareth h said:

Mont Blanc said:

When it comes to the safety of your own children, absolutely nothing is overkill in my opinion.

Some places might be crowded, but there have been plenty of incidents of people being swept out to sea or swept along the coast and stuck on rocks, and then need to be located.

I would spend £350 all day long on a gadget that may offer my own child even the slightest extra layer of protection.

Edited by Mont Blanc on Wednesday 24th January 10:46

Yep, and piece of mind, he was a bit late back yesterday morning and I was driving down to the beach to check on him (no telephone service) when he returned with a big smile and a wave!

£12.95 a month for the InReach emergency response subscription.

Homer Simpson once said "Who would have thought you could put a price on your families safety, yet here we are"

Don't be like Homer

[Burrow01]

Barchettaman said:

gareth h said:

My son is a keen surfer and will often be out on his own, i would like to buy him a means of contacting the coastguard should the worst happen, I know Brietling used to do a watch with a beacon, any idea if in this world of smart watches whether anybody else does similar?

Where is he surfing on his own? Outer Hebrides?

It’s so bloody crowded when it’s decent, I can’t imagine too many situations where there’s nobody else in the water with him.

I think the idea of an emergency beacon watch for a surfer in UK waters may be overkill (apologies for the choice of words).

Even if he’s surfing giant Cribbar waves then there will be people filming on the headland (when my older brother got into trouble out there the observers on the cliff called out the Newquay lifeboat. But that’s another story).

Problem is that you cannot rely on people a distance away to realise that you are in trouble. I had a rudder break about half a mile from the shore, and even with a rescue boat in the water for a dinghy race it was my wife on shore who realised after 20 minutes that my overhead waving with crossed arms meant I was in trouble.

[gregs656]

A handheld VHF?

[gareth h]

Burrow01 said:

Problem is that you cannot rely on people a distance away to realise that you are in trouble. I had a rudder break about half a mile from the shore, and even with a rescue boat in the water for a dinghy race it was my wife on shore who realised after 20 minutes that my overhead waving with crossed arms meant I was in trouble.

We had similar on a lads holiday to Devon 40 odd years ago, one of the boys had gone into the surf and was standing in waist deep water waving, took us ages to work out he’d lost his shorts diving through the waves, and even longer to take him a towel

[weeve]

Garmin Inreach are great. Are they waterproof though? Think you need to buy the mini dive case with it. I’ve been rescued on a very foreign mountain many years ago with the help of an old skool, first gen, £££££iridium sat phone as big and heavy as a brick (and with about the same battery life). My Dad was so pleased to see me make it back he even picked us up at the airport at 3am. Tru love dat.

Roll on 25 years and bush pilot friend just got collected in deepest West Africa after using it for distress comms. Small enough to put in his pocket as a back up and it cost him a few hundred plus subscription. Love progress.

Both my sons are having one welded to their leg by their mum / my wife as we speak.

Edited by weeve on Wednesday 24th January 20:13