Ocean Signal and Datrex recently introduced the world’s smallest Personal Locator Beacon, the rescueME PLB1. Almost immediately, reviews of the product have been positive. How could smaller not be better? The miniaturization of electronics has made lots of safety equipment easier to carry and use. However, this particular product is making me think about the [...]
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This is a post where I feel compelled to put the disclaimer right up front: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the United States Coast Guard. (There – now that we’ve got that out of the way….) Alright gang, I’ve officially had [...]
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The image above is from a YouTube video posted in 2009 – a sort of warning to boaters about the benefits of safety gear like life jackets and kill switches. I’m posting it here as a warning about how wrong some people are about what is safe and what isn’t. Our man, Greg – the [...]
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In 2002, my friend and mentor (and maniac) Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht fell – on purpose – through the ice on a frozen lake. He wanted to demonstrate just how those who fall through the ice can survive and help themselves. Advice is also given to amateur and professional rescuers. I ran across the video on [...]
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My older brother and I have this thing about phone tag. It takes four calls and three messages (typically laugh-out-loud funny messages) before one of us is not too busy to answer. So I was really surprised the other day when I called his number and he answered – because the man was definitely too busy. [...]
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I couldn’t feel my hands anymore and using them was impossible. The shivering was uncontrollable and violent. “That’s a good sign,” I thought to myself. I remembered from my studies of hypothermia that shivering stops before you lose consciousness. “If I’m still shivering than I’ll live for a while longer”, I reasoned. But mostly I was wondering about how I got myself into that mess.
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I’m going to come right out and tell you something that almost no one in the maritime industry understands. That includes mariners, executives, managers, insurers, dock workers, for certain – fisherman, and even many (most) rescue professionals: It is impossible to get hypothermic in cold water unless you are wearing flotation, because without flotation – [...]
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At the beach at Cape Canaveral, nineteen-year-old Josh Scurlock looks out at the water. The larger than normal waves look rough but not too rough so he and a friend go out in them to play. A strong swimmer – Josh loves the ocean and his new Florida home just five blocks from the beach. [...]
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The best place for boaters to be when heavy weather strikes is back at the marina – but weather changes can happen fast, the unexpected can extend your voyage, and in the middle of your first bad patch of sea is not the time or place to learn how to handle things in rough water.
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