Get some pop corn folks ;-)

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have a bunch of old but very usable REAL scuba gear they can have.
I appreciate the experiment and the learning and all that, but the wheel has already been reinvented hundreds if not thousands of times, sometimes with not so great results.

 

[EricTheDood]

Is it more advantageous, in terms of advancing our civilization, to bubble wrap our children, or with our guidance, allow them to create and explore??

It's a grey area.

In the videos posted, some questionable decisions were made with the choice of methodology as well as the choice of things to make. Focusing on the latter, there's a lot of gear in the world of diving - why experiment on the life support system?

Then again, I knew of classmates in middle school who spent their free time peddling pot. This was in an upscale area.

Anyway, those kids in the video would be well served getting OW certified and creating/exploring with the resources available today that weren't easily accessible 20-30 years ago - 3D CAD, fab shops, CNC machine shops, etc.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I think it's awesome. The kids learned about regulators, gas laws, PVC glue, how to make a system systematically, and were supervised the whole time. Sure it could have gone wrong, but so could falling out of a tree.

Are kids still allowed to climb trees these days?

 

[KevinNM]

Are kids still allowed to climb trees these days?

As long as they are in a climbing harness and belayed by a crane and supervised by 2 certified riggers, sure! We don't want to ruin childhood.

 

[ajtoady]

Any time I see a child involved in any thing besides a friggin phone, game console, or an iPad, I think, finally one that has some interest in real life adventures!! What I used to do for entertainment when younger, would probably land me in jail or a psych ward these days!! Along with Mom and Dad arrested for neglect!! I applaud the interest of these kids!

 

[Kharon]

To be honest, the chance of that "tank" blowing at <200psi is negligable, and I bet they pumped it up numerous times before making the video. At the depth the kid was at there was no more danger of drowning than if he was simply swimming underwater holding his breath. My only concern would be if the kid was at bottom and held his breath and surfaced rapidly. I'm not sure what the expansion would be (small lungs and probably <5 feet) and I'm not inclined to do the calculations.

The skills these kids learned (IMNSHO) far outweighed the nominal risk. Get off your collective elitist high horses.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I commend you for all your efforts; your creativeness and family involvement.

Your SCUBA unit -- and it is indeed a "Self contained underwater breathing apparatus" a name created by an American in the 1940s for the LARU.

It has a familiarity with the "Aerophore" that Rouquayrol & Denayrouze developed and was operational in the 1860s. The R & D unit also had and accumulator and had a working pressure of 750 PSI.
( The R & D unit was the basis 90 years later for the modification of the R&D based Gasogen with the addition of high pressure air by Gagnon & Cousteau to create the Aqua Lung)

The mouth piece is some what similar to the Fernez unit developed in 1913 and was used in combination with the later SCUBA unit of Yves Le Prieur in the 1920s. Le Prieur also initially used goggles, but later switched to a full face mask.

So there is nothing really new in your unit, just a adaptation and modern materials which lead us to where we are today.

About 25 years ago I had a monthly dedicated column titled "The way it was" in a national now defunct dive magazine "Discover Diving" and your efforts certainly in a modern sense harken back to the very genesis of self contained diving.

Keep up the good work

SDM

 

[cerich]

I think it's awesome. The kids learned about regulators, gas laws, PVC glue, how to make a system systematically, and were supervised the whole time. Sure it could have gone wrong, but so could falling out of a tree.

I agree.

In fact, I made a PVC pressure testing chamber for test cycles...and the math is pretty clear on the strength.

 

[cerich]

To be honest, the chance of that "tank" blowing at <200psi is negligable, and I bet they pumped it up numerous times before making the video. At the depth the kid was at there was no more danger of drowning than if he was simply swimming underwater holding his breath. My only concern would be if the kid was at bottom and held his breath and surfaced rapidly. I'm not sure what the expansion would be (small lungs and probably <5 feet) and I'm not inclined to do the calculations.

The skills these kids learned (IMNSHO) far outweighed the nominal risk. Get off your collective elitist high horses.

agree,

People are quick to be negative and self appointed scuba cops, slow to research

PVC Pipes - Pressure Ratings

 

[Carl_F]

I liked it. Three caveats that would change my mind:

1. If the Dad did not cautioned the kid about holding their breath and coming up. Don't know if he did or did not. But alveoli are fragile and an over-expansion injury can occur from shallow water such as a pool.
2. If the experiment was unsupervised or if the Dad allowed the unit to be used unsupervised. Death from drowning can occur quickly and the consequences extreme.
3. If the family took the unit out to deeper water thinking it safe for an open water environment.

No indication one way or another about any of the above. So I choose to view the videos for what is there rather than for what is not evident and offer kudos to Dad & kids experimenting and creating a great learning environment.