Two sides to an issue
I can see both sides to this issue.
In some sports, there are restrictions on the equipment used. It all has to fit within similar guidelines to make everything as similar as possible- I am think of things like club sail boat racing.
Other sports differentiate between disciplines based upon equipment used. I am thinking about cross-country ski racing being divided between “classical” and “Skating”. This would seem to be similar to bi-fins with masks vs. monofins with fluid goggles/contacts.
Other sports are also driven by technology- like bike racing and triathlons. The Time-trial bike that Lance road in the last Tour cost more than Ted’s car and mine combined!
Freediving, or maybe just AIDA, should decide which other sport it’s trying to imitate the most. They do this in other ways by drug testing and having a set of rules for their judges, so why not open things up for gear advancements.
As far of the cost-prohibiting factor of Fluid goggles, they are still cheaper than a new carbon fiber monofin. Moreover, you also have other things that people can buy, like high performance wetsuits. Once you get to a level of international competition things are just going to naturally get more expensive as the competition gets greater. Even if you add up all of the fanciest freediving gear that a top-level competitor could own, it still comes out to much less, than even an entry-level tech diver would spend on his, or her, gear. I just don’t buy the cost argument. IF you can afford a ticket to Cyprus, you can afford some Fluid Goggles
Eric F.,
You should do some more research into how other manufacturer’s bond lenses into their masks. Before I had LASIK surgery done, I had MANY different prescription face masks. I had full-face masks, regular diving masks, and freediving masks, plus back up’s to all of these, made for my prescription. My father-in-law even has trifocals bonded into his regular mask and his full-face mask. This is not as expensive at it sounds since these things can be made fairly economically
We even have one of the companies, who have been doing it for a few decades now, right here in Wisconsin- Dive Site. I can tell you that the masks are being produced for a FRACTION of what you are spending.
I have even seen glass lens swimming goggles in their factory, which might make it easier for bonding of lenses. Since the lenses are made of glass, you could clean the anti-fog coating off without fear of scratching the plastic lens of the swimming goggles that you are currently using. I am sure that you have researched many things in this area, but there are just too many people already doing this kind of work for dive masks, and doing it SO much cheaper than you are, that it might be worth-while to team up with one of them for the future of your product.
Jon
I can see both sides to this issue.
In some sports, there are restrictions on the equipment used. It all has to fit within similar guidelines to make everything as similar as possible- I am think of things like club sail boat racing.
Other sports differentiate between disciplines based upon equipment used. I am thinking about cross-country ski racing being divided between “classical” and “Skating”. This would seem to be similar to bi-fins with masks vs. monofins with fluid goggles/contacts.
Other sports are also driven by technology- like bike racing and triathlons. The Time-trial bike that Lance road in the last Tour cost more than Ted’s car and mine combined!
Freediving, or maybe just AIDA, should decide which other sport it’s trying to imitate the most. They do this in other ways by drug testing and having a set of rules for their judges, so why not open things up for gear advancements.
As far of the cost-prohibiting factor of Fluid goggles, they are still cheaper than a new carbon fiber monofin. Moreover, you also have other things that people can buy, like high performance wetsuits. Once you get to a level of international competition things are just going to naturally get more expensive as the competition gets greater. Even if you add up all of the fanciest freediving gear that a top-level competitor could own, it still comes out to much less, than even an entry-level tech diver would spend on his, or her, gear. I just don’t buy the cost argument. IF you can afford a ticket to Cyprus, you can afford some Fluid Goggles
Eric F.,
You should do some more research into how other manufacturer’s bond lenses into their masks. Before I had LASIK surgery done, I had MANY different prescription face masks. I had full-face masks, regular diving masks, and freediving masks, plus back up’s to all of these, made for my prescription. My father-in-law even has trifocals bonded into his regular mask and his full-face mask. This is not as expensive at it sounds since these things can be made fairly economically
We even have one of the companies, who have been doing it for a few decades now, right here in Wisconsin- Dive Site. I can tell you that the masks are being produced for a FRACTION of what you are spending.
I have even seen glass lens swimming goggles in their factory, which might make it easier for bonding of lenses. Since the lenses are made of glass, you could clean the anti-fog coating off without fear of scratching the plastic lens of the swimming goggles that you are currently using. I am sure that you have researched many things in this area, but there are just too many people already doing this kind of work for dive masks, and doing it SO much cheaper than you are, that it might be worth-while to team up with one of them for the future of your product.
Jon
