International Cospas-Sarsat Programme

EPIRB Key in Rescue of Four After Yacht Strikes Whale in South Pacific

Four sailors have been rescued from a life raft in the South Pacific after their yacht struck a whale and began taking on water about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island.

This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue,” RCCNZ Operations Manager Mike Clulow said. Clulow said the yacht’s crew had been well prepared and credited the early activation of the EPIRB with helping rescuers locate them quickly.

www.cospas-sarsat.int

CJAD-AM interview with Ms Cheryl Bertoia
on the Elias Makos Show with Trudie Mason
10 September 2026 at 11:10:00 in Montreal, Canada on Global Search and Rescue Day

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www.cospas-sarsat.int

For Artemis II, NASA is equipping Cospas-Sarsat second-generation beacons called Advanced Next-Generation Emergency Locators (ANGEL) on the astronauts' life preservers and installing another location beacon onto the Orion capsule so both can be located quickly.

Continue reading here:

www.cospas-sarsat.int

Global Search and Rescue Day may be over, but the mission continues.

Thank you to all the MCCs, partners and supporters who helped shine a light on the people and systems that make search and rescue possible.

Together, we highlighted an important reality: effective search and rescue depends on international cooperation, shared expertise, and a common commitment to saving lives.

Today, and every day, we recognise the professionals working behind the scenes to turn distress alerts into action.

Because search and rescue never stops.

Adventures with Zander and his 406 PLB (personal locator beacon) - Haida Gwaii

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3uIP4i3Ur/

Adventures with Zander and his 406 PLB (personal locator beacon) - Haida Gwaii @daszander #406beacon #rescuebeacon #searchandrescue

Follow Zander on his adventures as he tests a 406 beacon

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc1GuxyimqT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

@daszander #rescuebeacon #406beacon #searchandrescue

Search and rescue is changing, in very practical ways.

Not long ago, sending a distress signal meant waiting, sometimes without knowing if it had been received.

Today, things are different. Most 406 beacons can now send precise GPS coordinates, helping rescuers know exactly where to go.
New satellite systems can detect signals almost instantly, instead of waiting forthe next satellite pass. And with Return Link Service, users can receive confirmation that their alert has been received.

These are not small improvements : they change what happens in the first minutes of an emergency.
• Less waiting
• Less uncertainty
• Faster decisions

Ultimately, a faster response when it matters most.

Five hours adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. Eleven lives saved.

When a small aircraft was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean during a flight near the Bahamas, all 11 people on board survived the impact and climbed into a life raft. For the next five hours, they waited.

What they couldn't see was the search effort already underway.

After the aircraft went down, its emergency locator transmitter (ELT) alerted rescue authorities, who launched a SAR response. Hours later, all 11 were safely recovered from the ocean.

Stories like this remind us that search and rescue systems are often invisible, until the moment they are needed most.

Behind every rescue is a chain of people turning a distress signal into a location, a response, and ultimately, a way home.