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technologies you would like to see

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Originally posted by Baur
How about a self-compensating mask

That can be done easily, little air tank attached somewhere with a good seal. Two way (internal and external) pressure gauge that reads pressure (by the way since it already measure pressure then it can convert it to the depth and display on the mask) and realse required amount of the air until the pressure balanced reached. The airtank can be made of carbonfiber or titanium for lightweight.
 
i have been in contact with suunto for the combo of freediving depth gauge and heart rate monitor. since the direct measurement of o2, co2 and n2 saturation under centralized conditions isn't too easy the saturation log will probably remain a desireble but not realisable item.

the mask mounting headup display is highly desireble though and the integration of a hrm would be a nice gadget...

i would even buy funky looking stuff..!

your pat
 
who would be interested (and how legal would it be??) in a speargun that can discharge electricity on spear impact. the electricity would travel through the cord from a device kept alongside the reel. this would completely eliminate fish loss when the fish are actually hit and would also eliminate fish struggle/the need to fire another shot.
 
An incompressible wetsuit...
 
Last edited:
Bevan,

I had already planned the up/down splits in seconds or m/s, I just forgot to list that feature.

Concerning the incompressible wetsuit, that is another project well on its way. I have with me at this moment material samples of silicone and neoprene without air bubbles in them. However, only the silicone is stretchy enough to make into a good suit, and it is very, very expensive; the suit would cost over $1000.

Today I'm going diving and I'm going to try a HYBRID idea. The idea is to use a 3mm heiwa suit, with incompressible 30cmx30cm 'panels' under my suit, made of silicone, no-bubble neoprene and butyl rubber. Butyl rubber is the most insulating of all rubbers, with a thermal conductivity of 0.09 (vs. 0.14 for silicone and 0.19 for solid neoprene).

I'm also working on an electric foot warmer and electric suit warmer, with batteries that replace the weight belt.

I was also thinking of making a custom silicone or neoprene material; instead of air bubbles in the material, you use TINY rock hard foam pellets, which don't compress, but have great insulation.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
 
On suits...

If you could fill each air bubble with liquid ( a kind of oil?) then you'd have soft and incompressible..

What about a lard substitute? Something you could paint/spray on to isolate the skin from the water. It could be used for performance diving rarther than for prolonged use.

Al
 
We had the idea of the 'animal fat' suit in 2002. Ironically, it would be simpler just to gain weight (fat) !


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
 
Great thread. Interesting ideas.

I too, have something that I have been pondering on for a while. As I am primarily interested in freediving, there a few things that have bothered me for some time. One in particular is the breathhold part. Even if you are very good, your dive will seldom last more than a minute or two before you need to surface for air. Wouldn't it be great if there was some way to stay down longer?

I have been making some rudimentary drawings and sketches to find a solution to this. Basicaly what I am entertaining is some kind of device with which to carry air during the dive. I am a bit unsure of of some the details though, even if the general picture is clear. Maybe you guys can help me out. To be more specific, what I am thinking of is maybe some kind of tank, which would be filled with air, and then a system to deliver that air to the divers mouth. That would be great as it would allow one to freedive for a lot longer, even hours in principle. It would also have the advantage of not needing apnea training. No more boring tables or horrible contractions. It would be freediving the way it was meant to be.

Second opinions welcome, just remember who thought of this idea first...
 
I like freediving without extra air supply.....

I'm working on fins.
 

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Hi dudes...

I don't want to judge here anybody for their own ideas since this thread actually kinda FUN thread but i want to remind something. Most of us do this sport (freediving and apnea fishing) for fun, for challange or for the instinctive reasons. I don't see a point of developing such devices that will allow us to "breath" underwater or electric spears for easy, non challenging, 100% kill success rate. We have think about what can we do to make this sport only a bit less dangerous for us

Just my opinion...
 
The "HUD (Head Up Display) mask" has already been developed and tested by both the US Navy's EDU (Experimental Dive Unit), and SPECWARDEVGRP (Special Warfare Development Group-The test group for technology and gear that ends up with the SEAL Teams). It uses a wireless transmitter (similar to what you have on a HR monitor) to transmit data from a conventional computerized dive console to the mask, where it is projected onto the lens, so that you (almost) never have to look at your gagues. Originally the display was transmitted from a transmitter/sensor on the tank manifold, but this had proven to have some reliability issues, so in the interest of safety the transmitter was included in a standard type computer, so as to allow a back up in the event the transmitter or mask reciever went up. The HUD displays tank pressure and depth info, and there is work underway to add a compass heading as well, but that is still in development. The masks are big and kinda ungainly and pretty high volume, so not really what the freediver typically wants.....

But rumor has it that there will be a "civilian version" hitting the market sometime in 2005....but it will cost $$$$$

As for me personally, I would like to see a contact lens (but much larger) that would allow me to dive maskless, but with good vision (and minimal distortion) both above and below the water. And not be able to be washed out while in the water....this would be great for surfing and bodysurfing as well....maybe in a photocromatic/photo reactive type for surfing/sailing/bodysurfing, etc.... And it would allow u to use a conventional camera viewfinder.......instead of one of those wierd cameratop "sights"...

Or how about a chamelonic wetsuit...one that like an octopus could very quickly change colors to allow the wearer to blend into almost any environment....and be self monitoring, so that it would change as conditions change (we have all seen how quickly an octopus can change its colors).... Imagine what you might be able to get close to (to either photograph or spear) in THAT !!!
 
Ok i need technical help it is urgent!

I just got stung by jellyfish not the dangerous kind but still it burns like hell

Is there anything you can do to stop the critters from burning you? I have seen a guy who was swimming across the English channel. He lubed himself up in some kind of grease to prevent himself from the burning fangs of hell. What could this grease be?

I also thought of getting a full face hood with holes for the eyes and mouth, but this is not avalible here in the shops
 
ouch, ib only been stung once, a long time ago, and not to sound too bad but the scar is still there, of course not the way it was, much fader now, but its still there. i saw a wetsuit that was extremely thin, made for pro swimmers so the resistance of their skin to the water decreaces, since its not skin but that wetsuit that comes in contact with the water, bare in mind thats for the olympics and could cost well over a grand...
 
The suits that the Olympic swimmers wear, are by and large the Speedo Fastskin suits, they come in a variety of styles, including one that is called a "bodysuit": long arms and long legs like a full wetsuit.

It provides no insulation or bouyancy and the donning process can take time (about 3x longer than putting on a full wetsuit). They work great for bodysurfing, but I prefer insulation for freediving, so I wear a wetsuit. But that would give you almost full body protection (the only thing exposed would be your hands, feet, neck and head), while still being very unrestrictive, lightweight and not much hotter than being lightly dressed (people wear shorter versions all the time in triathlons).

The suits are however pretty fragile, and typically last 10-12 uses (or less depending on how hard you used them) before needing replacement (I know this since I was part of the team that tested them for Speedo prior to the 2000 Olympics when they were unveiled: typically every swimmer had a new suit for every single race they had to swim during the Olympics, this maximized the effectiveness of the suit design, and eliminated the chance of "equipment failure" during a race. I managed to destroy a body suit in a single wear by wearing it bodysurfing for a whole day in Hawaii prior to everyones departure for Sidney). A full body suit will run you $300-$400 US.

The "grease" used by channel and open water swimmers is Lanolin. It gives a bit of insulation, eases chafing, and gives you topical protection from the "little beasties" as well. As far as getting it for yourself, ask around in the drug stores.

One thing that I found useful to keep me from getting stung by jellyfish, man-o-war and "sea lice" during my time as an ocean lifeguard in Florida in the early 90's was to use a sunscreen like Bullfrog or Aloe Gator. These sunscreens leave a slight chemical film on the skin that seems to make it harder for the stinging cells to attach to the skin. I used it alot, and while co-workers would get stung while on rescues using our "issued sunscreen" I never had any problems while using either of the sunscreens I mentioned above...... And the sunscreens are invisible...much more attractive than greasing up with lanolin.

And of course peeing on the stings does help take some of the "bite" out of it quickly by helping to break down the protiens in the stinging cells.....
 
The speedo FastSkin DOES provide buoyancy. I know this because I have one and I did objective tests in florida in 2001.

The suit fabric traps micro air bubbles which provide the buoyancy. After wearing the suit in the water for a long time, or swimming very fast, or diving deep, eventually the air bubbles escape and the suit loses its buoyancy--however this process took much longer than I wanted, so I was forced to go down buoyant, and then 'lose' the air bubbles at 60m+, and then ascend more negative then I was when I went down.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
 
Originally posted by BlueWaveC


And of course peeing on the stings does help take some of the "bite" out of it quickly by helping to break down the protiens in the stinging cells.....

Thanks for the advice guys. Still I think putting lanolin on would still be more attractive than peeing on my face where I got burned
 
Digital Mask

may sound a bit fiction. A digital mask where depth, pressure and time are automatically on screen as u descend and ascend, something like those masks used by fighter pilots to lock on their target and with lots of info about distance, zoom in and out, speed and others.

Live your dreams dont dream your life........- a friend -
 
I read some years ago some article about science-fiction like nanotech inventions.

One of them that was for medical use was some kind of micro-spheres, that can hold about 100 times more o2/co2 than red blood cells. It's supposed to have a selective membrane that can regulate the gasses in the blood.

The idea is that having your blood filled with those, even after you have a cardiac arrest, you'll still be able to just walk down the street and catch a taxi to a nearby hospital. They estimated that you can stay alive 4 hours with no circulation.

I didn't know what freediving was at the time I read it, but the first thought in my mind was going for a 4 hour underwater stroll, or fill my air spaces with fluid and catch a ride on a spermwhale.

That kind of invention could change mortality (and freediving) as we know it.
 
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