Tactical to Practical--Zeagle does it again!

[The Chairman]

Terry,

again, you have provided more baseless assumptions. Have you even seen or tried the Rapid Diver? If not, we now have baseless assumptions combined with a profound ignorance of the product being discussed and subsequently we wind up with your posts. It's easy to dis what you haven't tried, but it really adds nothing to the discussion. However, both the military and the PSD organizations are adopting this equipment. It actually fills several niches, but with a closed mind you will never see them.

 

[archman]

Well, I know some aquatics centers that would certainly be interested in these things. I've worked at places where our scuba staff keep small gear rigs on standby in case there's a missing person in some of the shallow recreational areas.

These zeagle things look a lot easier to run with, and much quicker to don. A lot more compact, too. I like how all the hoses and junk are in front, reducing potential back entanglement. I got my own tank jammed under a dock once, boy did that suck.:shakehead

 

[riguerin]

WOW .... lot's of hate'n on this thread ;-)

I guess I must be missing something. The Rapid Diver system appears to merely be a lightweight compact SCUBA system ... with both advantages and limitations in its utility. It appears to be primarily intended for dives that are shallow and/or shorter in bottom time. From some of the photos posted on the their website, however, it appears that the system has some flexibility in how it can configured. Adding more air capacity doesn't seem to be a problem.

I assume that like any SCUBA system, it's intended be used by certified divers. Wouldn't you need to show evidence of this to get the tank filed ... or do dive shops only check for cert cards if the tank is 50cft or greater ;-) ? Like with any SCUBA system, a responsible diver should never attempt to do a dive for which they do not have the appropriate training, experience and equipment. This equipment would not be suitable for many kinds of dives. I certainly would not rush out and trade in my Zeagle Ranger / Flathead VI for one of these Rapid Divers, but I would certainly be open to trying one under the right conditions ... the lack of restriction seems appealing.

I personally don't see the connection between this product and assumption that it will somehow unleash an army of Bozos on the diving community. I mean, is there really a difference if some untrained person, determined to go diving, straps a traditional system or a Rapid Diver ... other than the difference in energy spent doing so ? I guess this is a normal initial reaction to something new ... it must somehow be ugly/bad.


peace, all !

 

[jonnythan]

I have a big problem with giving an inexperienced diver 1/3 of a normal sized tank, and letting him jump solo into an unknown environment, dive to an unknown depth and go into an overhead environment that contains one or more panicing victims.

Interesting position!

I think it's one that everyone can agree on.

I have to wonder where this comes from, though! It looks to me like you've totally made up some bogus situation in your head! A situation that doesn't appear to correspond to anything in reality!

 

[Gary D.]

WOW .... lot's of hate'n on this thread ;-)

I wouldn’t call it hate. I think some assumptions and misinformation has taken control.

I think the unit is being looked at as a sport diving package which it wasn’t designed to be. It has a purpose and should be used for that purpose.

To stress more about the misinformation in this thread, there was an assumption that rescue gear set up with integrated weights would be OK is another wrong statement. Integrated weights do not work well in the PSD circle. Personally I don’t even like them for sport but that isn’t the issue here.

Anyway, chill out and look at what the unit was intended for and not what you think it will be used for. Everything is subject to misuse and this unit will be no exception.

Remember; you can’t legislate against stupidity.

Gary D.

 

[The Chairman]

Remember; you can’t legislate against stupidity.

Actually, it appears our system seems to reward them instead!

 

[*Floater*]

Interesting position!

I think it's one that everyone can agree on.

I have to wonder where this comes from, though! It looks to me like you've totally made up some bogus situation in your head! A situation that doesn't appear to correspond to anything in reality!

The original poster suggested that these units might be used by boat owners for boat repairs which s/he implied could stimulate scuba interest among said people. To me that implicitly suggests that these units would be used by non-certified divers, since presumably certified divers are already intereted in scuba.

Now IF(?) boat owners could use these without certification, then why not tourists? Obviously some minimal form of training should be provided and the use of these by non-certified divers should be limited to shallow waters - but if that would be acceptable from a safety standpoint and economically viable, then I think it really could stimulate scuba interest among tourists, and provide a nice new activity for them.

If OW certification were required to use these in shallow waters, then tourists and boat owners might as well just use regular scuba equipment - and in that case these units certainly they wouldn't lead to an increase of scuba divers since I doubt many people would take up OW specifically to use these units as opposed to scuba gear in general.

 

[Web Monkey]

I haven't tried it, so the only information I have is what was in the post announcing it.

However, since discussing any non-positive possibiliities seems to bother you , I'll drop it.

Terry

Terry,

again, you have provided more baseless assumptions. Have you even seen or tried the Rapid Diver? If not, we now have baseless assumptions combined with a profound ignorance of the product being discussed and subsequently we wind up with your posts. It's easy to dis what you haven't tried, but it really adds nothing to the discussion. However, both the military and the PSD organizations are adopting this equipment. It actually fills several niches, but with a closed mind you will never see them.

 

[The Chairman]

Just provide some documentation please. Again, all we have so far are your assumptions. Saying you don't like it is one thing, but you stated that they are encouraging unsafe practices, and we just want to see that in writing. That's all!

 

[ScottZeagle]

I almost hate to jump in here...but I will.

Just for clarification: This system is designed to be used by CERTIFIED DIVERS. Any thought otherwise is just plain foolish, as is the fact that I need to clearly state it, but welcome to the internet.

We have MANY inquiries from Police and Sherrifs dive teams as a rapid deployment device, and we have a similar unit that the military is already placing orders for.
That fact, alone, makes the production of these units worthwhile.

The simple fact is, any Zeagle dealer can stock this unit, or order one. If "Joe Average Diver" wants one to keep on his boat in case of prop troubles or to scrape barnacles, fine. If they would prefer to use a normal scuba setup, that is fine too - this is simply a second option, and one that takes up much less space than a normal set-up.

If I can answer any other questions about this system for you, please feel free to ask.

Thanks and dive safe (regardless of what gear you use)

Scott