By Alex Bourn
Anti-whaling activist Pete Bethune has spoken out on the importance of having beacons that can be easily activated in the event of an emergency.
His calls follow the distressing disaster which saw himself and four others fighting for their lives after being struck by a freak wave in the Foveaux Strait. He now has to bury his twin brother.
The distress signal in the patch of water between Invercargill and Stewart Island was not made because the men could not reach the locator beacon inside their boat.
Boaties can use various locators which work in different ways. The yellow devices may not look like much but out on the water they could save your life.
The most common distress beacons are called EPIRBs, which remain on the boat. Before they can be activated, many have to be manually triggered by pulling out a pin.
Safety at Sea’s Brian McGrigor prefers a water-activated EPIRB that releases an automatic distress signal as soon as it gets wet.
“In the case of the boat flipping over, these will then be released and allow to float to the surface,” says Mr McGrigor.
He says boaties should also invest in their own personal locator beacon or PLB. These are the handiest because you can attach them to your lifejacket at all times.
“You can put it in your pocket, put them in the pouch that comes with it, and wear it on your belt,” he says.
Most locator beacons are fitted with GPS tracking. Once activated, the beacon sends an emergency signal up to a satellite, which locates your position and sends an alert to the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand.
The beacons cost between $400-$900 but both devices can be also hired for just $10 a day.
“I don't think there's any excuse not to have one. It’s too important,” says Mr McGrigor.
The cost of not having an emergency beacon can be far higher.
3 News