Freediving Safety Vest

Here is a PDF from Terry Maas with some excellent information regarding freediving blackouts and a new product, now under development, that is being designed to save lives.

Chad

http://www.freedive.net/swb.htm

Also two other threads about it on other forums.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=25855

http://forums.deeperblue.net/forum53/thread64975.html

Chad,

I developed such a vest in the 1980s, but could get no one to manufacture it. I still use it for all my dives, and call it the Para-Sea BC. You can see a picture of it on my photo here. I still would like to get it produced, as it has a lot of advantages, including the streamlining feature. I have used it in all kinds of environments, including snorkeling in high-current rivers (the North Umpqua by Roseburg, Oregon and the Clackamas River near Portland, Oregon). Here's the patent info:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...est)&OS=Ratliff+and+vest&RS=(Ratliff+AND+vest)

I'll get some drawings of it and post them. I really at this point don't care about making money with it, but just wish it could get onto the market. My wife and I did not want us to go into business for ourselves with it years ago, as there is quite a liability too. But it is available, and I think it is now public domain too.

I just read through the article on the website by Dr. Terry Maas titled "The Case for a Device to Manage Freediver Blackout," and it is apparent that my vest, while a good design, does not have the high tech components that the Free Diving Vest would have. Working in a high tech company, I appreciate these efforts to incorporate high tech sensing devices into the arsenal for free divers. I would like to still get my design out there; perhaps it could incorporate some of these advances too, but it looks like the design aspect is fairly far along.

SeaRat