Here we are wrapping up March and rolling into April; and many of us are jumping at the opportunity to head offshore in search of the spring Tuna bite. Offshore action this time of year can be a lot of fun, but as always you really need to keep a close eye on the weather as conditions can change/deteriorate over a short time period. If you have read the CharlestonFishing.Com discussion boards over the years, you know that quite a few folks have had to call the US Coast Guard for assistance, several have lost boats, and a few have even lost lives. Being safety conscience and prepared for the worst is a must for offshore fishing.
While I could very easily put together a full book on offshore safety and equipment as several agencies and people have, I thought it may be a good idea to focus in on one small aspect of safety that could very easily save your life. Take a quick look in your tackle room, I bet within seconds you could grab enough gear to equal $1000. I also bet that if your life depended upon it you would be willing trade that $1000 worth of tackle for your life in a second. So the question is have you invested $1000 into a ditch bag for you and your boat? Ditch bag? My definition of a ditch bag is a bag full of a few bare essentials that if you had to abandon your vessel at sea you could be located within a short period of time and hopefully live to tell about it.
Here are a few bare essentials for the ditch bag:
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Type I offshore life jackets. Did you know the $6 vest that you more than likely purchased to meet the US Coast Guard requirements are rated to only keep you afloat for a few hours? A Type I vest is designed for extended submersion and will keep you floating upright should you loose consciences. These start at $40/each and run up from there.
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PLB or Personal Locator Beacon. This item works just like an EPIRB using satellites to provide rescue personal with your location. A single PLB per ditch bag should be adequate baring conditions so bad that the crew is separated. ACR sell