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I looked into my crystal ball today, guess what I saw there! I saw a future where rebreather's , high intensity discharge lighting, diver propulsion vehicals and underwater communication gear was the mainstream.
I know, I know some of you are gasping right now... Walter just turned green... just kidding Walter! Some of you will no doubt not beleive a word I'm saying here ... much the same way B.C.'s, Octo's, Pressure Gauges and Dive Computer's were rejected and laughed upon.
Like it or not, diving is now safer than the old days thank's to technology ... that trend of improvement will no doubt continue in the future of diving.
I read somewhere that only 1% of the world's ocean were shallower than 130ft. No one here can deny that we need better, more reliable, safer gear in order to venture deeper and deeper into the abyss.
The world's ocean are truly the last frontier. We've explored more of our planets outer space than our own oceans. We continue to discover new spcies as well as find species previously thought to be extinct. We don't even know what we don't know yet!
These are very exciting times, I for one am thrilled to be a part of it!
You could be right, but there's a big difference.......
.........between the two groups.
B.C.'s, Octo's, Pressure Gauges and Dive Computer's became mainstream very soon after their introduction. Octo's taking the longest to make the transition.
OTOH, rebreather's , high intensity discharge lighting and underwater communication gear have all (OK, I'll admit I don't know the difference between high intensity discharge lighting and high intensity lighting, so I could be off on that one) been around for a very, very long time. Rebreathers predate SCUBA by a long time. If I were looking for something new to become mainstream, I'd look for something new, heads up display has been kicked around for a few years.
Walter I just knew you'd my on the other end of the line on this one! LOL! Don't fight it Walter(anne) step into the light! The light is good! You will find peace on the other end of it. I will be waiting for you here... patiently!
............I was the first one on my block to get a dive computer. My point is the items you've mentioned are not new, they've had a long time to catch on and haven't. They are becoming more common, but it seems to be a slow process. The other items you mentioned gained acceptance much faster. I'm interested in what new things are out there that may gain widespread acceptance. I'm eagerly awaiting your DEMA report.
Fellow Members,
It's all about numbers, it's one big game. As technology allows us to make it cheaper, and more companies begin to compete, the prices begin to drop.
While rebreathers were born before scuba itself, it wasn't until a few years ago that triple redundancy became possible. http://www.steammachines.com Prices have begun to drop, there are more and more agencies and instructors along with shops and dealers offering Rebreather instruction and rental. There's always a curve associated with how things catch on with people. Health Insurance only had a 2% market penetration statistic when it was introduced. Now 80% of the country has some. That major growth happened in a relatively short period of time.
HID lights are still expensive and a little bulky, but that's all about to change with what's on Niterider's http://www.niterider.com drawing table. They have designed and built prototypes for a HID light that is tiny in comparison to what's out there today at a fraction of the cost. This is a light that is much brighter and requires less energy than the halogen standard of yesterday... all possible through advances in technology. Will it catch on... you betcha!
The latest San Diego Tragedy (the second one in a week) is yet another example of a dive where underwater communication could have made a difference. The diver actually had to surface and waste valuable time waiting for a fresh air cylinder. If they had underwater communication http://www.oceantechnologysystems.com , she could have communicated with another diver or the boat and had one hung over the side for her.
Accident's will happen, in the last case it was a diver whom was very experienced and certified. But, noone can deny that the addition of some more technology might have avoided it. A rebreather last's much longer, has multiple warning systems, reduces your nitrogen level exposure, and has air bailout bottles built in, just in case. You get what I'm trying to say here right?
These products will catch on because of the efforts of companies such as the one's I've listed above. There are others out there, and I haven't purposely left any out. I'm not a salesman, but I have done my research and will trust and use nothing but the best in my aquatic excursions.
It's definately going to get more and more technical. It's just like the old saying goes, "If your not going foward, then you'll soon be going backward, and everyone else will pass you on by".
I am with you Mario, diving is getting more sophisticated and I like it (about time). It won't be long before we have a heads up display or electronics to help make the sport safer. Walter is also right, some of the items have been around for a time. The line in the sand is usually the OLD and the YOUNG or Certifying agencies.
This is one of the slowest growing industries with regards to technology because the old generation don't want and/or like change. It starts with the certifying agencies. For example, when Nitrox first came out I watch a large fight start up until the agencies found a way to make a buck. Full face masks with communications is another example, the agencies thumbed down them for years stating, "How do you buddy breath?" How are we supposed to get ahead. What motivates investors to put money in an industry, SALES. When they do market research and find that a bunch of know-it-all's pick everything apart, they run for the hills.
Its a matter of mathematics, manufactures will step up to the plate and give us neat things if we buy them. If not, we will keep getting the same old mask, fins and regulators in different colors and shapes we have been getting for the past 50 years. If you think I am off base, make something new and show it to an Instructor. He will pick it apart and tell you everything wrong with it without even trying it. He will also explain why his students won't use it.
I wish I could close with some words of wisdom!. I also wish diving would get the attention other sports like Golfing, Skiing, Biking, etc. receive. It would only benefit us all.
DeepSea,
The trouble with diving and the media is that diving is not a spectator sport. You can't watch it on TV, can't score it, can't have cheerleaders. I guess I could let Winston or Budweiser paint my tanks.
We will never get the attention of the mainstream sports, maybe that's not all that bad.
Actually Don, we almost had a great event going. I shot and was in charge of media for the Human Powered Submarine Races held in Florida. You would not believe the attention we got and the elaborate set up we had. Dig this:
The course was about the size of a football field. We had a red, yellow, & green starting light that let two Human Powered Subs know when to start the race. I had a video shooter on the start line, 3 cameramen around the course and 1 shooter on the finish line. We were all tied into a mixer on a barge at sea. From the barge we sent the video to a production mixing trailer on the beach via fiber optic cable. I also had an announcer on the beach. I called the shots from the starting line tossing back and forth to the beach announcer. We had a giant screen TV on the beach with bench seats all around. Every on the beach could watch the race and hear me announce underwater. I was wearing a Tuxedo Tee Shirt over my shorty (looked cool). The Florida TV network carried us for about 3 hours every day along with a local radio station.
The US Navy sent about 56 divers for support taking responsibility for diving operations. They pulled down the subs, coordinated subs leaving the beach and getting out to the barge, etc. Any media people came through my station (Popular Mechanic Magazine, etc.). We actually had 56 subs from around the world competing. IT WAS GREAT!
THEN fighting broke out for control amongst the head people. Sponsors were fighting to get involved, Coors along with lots of diving manufacturing. National G & American Journal both used our video for TV specials. It was one of the highlights of diving for me. I have hours of video of all the boats and action and still to this day hope the event would start up again. Oh well.
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