NEW ZEALAND WELLINGTON WINDSURFER FEELING SAFER

Posted by Di Pollard on Oct 20, 2015

NEW ZEALAND WELLINGTON WINDSURFER FEELING SAFER

PLBs do save Lives if Worn!

Story from a Happy Customer

I recently sold a Personal Locator Beacon to a windsurfer in Wellington - New Zealand for around $NZ330.00 through www.skippersmate.com.au

He had been deliberating about buying one for a while because of the cost of them within New Zealand and had been using a combination of mobile phone and a VHF radio as his safety plan. The radio wasn’t the best idea because it chewed through a lot of battery power and the signal wasn’t always strong.

Whilst many people enjoying water sports rely on using their mobile phone if they find themselves in trouble, it isn’t the best fall-back position to call for help. Even if you’re getting a strong signal, glare on the screen from the water and sun, noise from both the water and wind can make communication difficult.

With a PLB, strapped to yourself and not your vessel, you can call for help with a simple two-stage manoeuvre – flip the antenna and then push the distress button to activate - and once set off, the signal continues to be sent up to overhead satellites for 24 hours or until rescue is achieved.

Registering your PLB isn’t the drama it’s often made out to be. If you buy a KTi brand NZ-coded PLB from www.skippersmate.com.au then you register it on-line with the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) in Wellington. If you buy an ACR or RescueMe PLB coded for Australia then you register it with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in Canberra – who are happy to accept your NZ contact details.

So wherever you are in the world (the Mediterranean or the South Pacific) setting off your PLB initiates the same rescue response and process and helps keep you safer.