BC Inflator

[okiedown]

AT this year DEMA show there was a Mfg selling a new product. It goes inline with your BC Inflator hose and monitors your breathing. If for any reason you stop breathing or don't breath ofter enough it slowly inflates your BC and brings you to the surface.
Q: What is the brand and where can it be purchased. Any (+) or (-) comments are welcomed also.

---------- Post added May 24th, 2013 at 03:05 PM ----------

Never mind I found it DiverGuard, but I would like to hear some real world reviews

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There was a thread awhile back about this nightmare of a device. First of all I would not want anything like it. A good buddy is a better option. Even diving solo I would not want to take the chance that it failed and started adding air to my BC without my having any say in the matter. I do not remember the name but it was an Israeli mfg I think. Even if I did know I doubt I'd send anyone to it.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I think it's called DiverGuard, and it looks to generally be an excellent way to bend, embolize, and/or kill yourself. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accessories/439600-diverguard-real.html

My real world review is this: if, being a trained diver who has viewed the DiverGuard video, you have seriously entertained the thought that this might be a good idea, please never dive again. TYIA.

 

[okiedown]

I've only been diving 45 years with seveal thousand dives Solo and Dual, but I do like keeping and open mind and enjoy researching and keeping abreast of new tech devises. Otherwise I would still be using a 72 cube steel tank w/ double hose regulator with no BC at all. I've seen more diving whistles and bells than I can remember so I'm not biting on this one until I know much much more. That's why I posted the question,
Thanks for your input, every opinion helps

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Yeah, I found your earlier posts while re-reading the DiverGuard thread for kicks. As a solo diver, the idea of being surfaced should I pass out is attractive. As someone with a modicum of sense, this particular manifestation of that idea strikes me as impossibly stupid without further data needed. YMMV.

 

[okiedown]

Doc, explain your acronym YMMV, this one can be positive or negative. Just need to know where your coming from and what you may be implying.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Your mileage may vary; i.e., just looking at this 'annoying at best, will kill you and an OOA buddy at worst' technicolor Buick hanging low off a super overlong inflator hose tells me that no matter what it might be able to do in certain otherwise fatal circumstances... I want nothing to do with it... but maybe you still do.

 

[okiedown]

Doc, if that's what you are? how many dives,years of experience do you have and to what level have you been trained ? Once I know your experience level I can better judge the validly of your comments. I have 45 years experience w/ Open Water, Advanced O.W. / Deep diving, Rescue Diver, and NACD Full Cave diving certification. With Thousands of dives logged in both fresh and salt walter enviroments including wreck penitration dives, w/o any accidents. So I'm not an amateur at this sport. I look at new technolgy with an open mind but cautious mind. I do ask opinions of others with expericence and knowledge so I can compare notes. I then make my decission to buy or not after reviewing these comments. If I do buy a new product I put it through a rigid testing period before totally trusting it in a serious dive condition. So I will judge your opinion from your training and experience level.
I welcome all comments and especially anyone with on hands experience witht this attachment.
Regards to all,

 

[Dr. Lecter]

If your experience is as you claim it to be, you have hundreds, if not thousands, more dives than I do and are a caver while my training is limited to the standard OW/AOW/Rescue/EAN as well as extended range air using multiple decompression gasses while conducting technical wreck penetrations. Many of my dives, and most of my technical diving, has been solo; dives have been in places as forgiving as HI and as unforgiving as miles off NY/NJ. In short, I'm a pretty standard N.E. wreck diver who's recently been transplanted to Hawaii.

Now that the dick measuring is out of the way, I'll point out that none of your greater experience sheds any light on how this product could possibly be a net benefit, or, how my (and numerous others') criticisms of it are lacking in accuracy. So do enlighten me and everyone else: under what circumstances do you believe DiverGuard's ability surface a diver at an uncontrolled rate (it lacks the ability to automatically vent gas from what I have read) without the diver's positive input is a net benefit that outweighs its bulk, dangly inflator hose, additional task-loading for a hyperventilating diver, and potential to cause uncontrolled ascents in the event of electronics failures or air sharing emergencies?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

If your experience is as you claim it to be, you have hundreds, if not thousands, more dives than I do and are a caver while my training is limited to the standard OW/AOW/Rescue/EAN as well as extended range air using multiple decompression gasses while conducting technical wreck penetrations. Many of my dives, and most of my technical diving, has been solo; dives have been in places as forgiving as HI and as unforgiving as miles off NY/NJ. In short, I'm a pretty standard N.E. wreck diver who's recently been transplanted to Hawaii.

Now that the dick measuring is out of the way, I'll point out that none of your greater experience sheds any light on how this product could possibly be a net benefit, or, how my (and numerous others') criticisms of it are lacking in accuracy. So do enlighten me and everyone else: under what circumstances do you believe DiverGuard's ability surface a diver at an uncontrolled rate (it lacks the ability to automatically vent gas from what I have read) without the diver's positive input is a net benefit that outweighs its bulk, dangly inflator hose, additional task-loading for a hyperventilating diver, and potential to cause uncontrolled ascents in the event of electronics failures or air sharing emergencies?

While not disagreeing with your overall opinion of this thing, I feel obligated to point out (in the spirit of fairness) that the dangly inflator hose is not due to the gizmo. Their promotional video shows it being installed, and the inflator hose is whatever you already have on your BC. That inflator would be ridiculous with or without this gizmo.

BTW, nice to meet you while we were in Hawaii. It's always nice to put a face to screen names.