Introducing the new AIRBUDDY!

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Glad to hear that you were able to work it out without incident. Entanglement is one of the many things I run through my head while day dreaming at work about diving.

That reminds me. One of the students I certified this year is a firefighter. I need to ping him for the training documentation he has with regards dealing with entanglements. I'm sure it is rather extreme. I want to write a Self-Reliant Diver student manual for PADI, and I think entanglements are one of the topics that needs to be addressed. I'd never suggest dealing with entanglements in deep water, but I think on dry land first, and a pool second in the shallows may be appropriate.

 

[Kevo88]

That reminds me. One of the students I certified this year is a firefighter. I need to ping him for the training documentation he has with regards dealing with entanglements. I'm sure it is rather extreme. I want to write a Self-Reliant Diver student manual for PADI, and I think entanglements are one of the topics that needs to be addressed. I'd never suggest dealing with entanglements in deep water, but I think on dry land first, and a pool second in the shallows may be appropriate.

Excellent idea! Having just finished my OW class, one thing I wished there was more of was real world problem solving. Even just tossing a bit of loose nylon rope over a fin in the pool would be enough to raise the heart rate and focus your attention while trying to maintain buoyancy.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Im trying to think of any benefit this thing provides and I cant, especially as its only 45 min dive time!

I mean I guess the one advantage is that you don't need to go to a shop to fill your tanks, you are "self-sufficient" in a way, without having to invest in a real compressor -- this one you just plug in, and you are now ready to dive - HOW CONVENIENT!!.

If this is real, maybe they are hoping that they can sell enough on impulse buys from people who don't know enough -- they think you can buy this, plug it in, and now youre ready to dive (notice homegirl in the ad doesn't have any additional gear) - no need for buying gear, or training.

Im sure there's fine print "You must be scuba certified to use this product"

I think they are overestimating the amount of stupid people with $1000+ of throw away funds.

 

[RainPilot]

There may also be people that for physical reasons can't take a tank in the water, think adaptive diving etc. Brownies seems to have found a market, maybe these guys will as well.

 

[lermontov]

I think he was too shocked, as he's not the kind of person to just back down. I know I can be confrontational when I'm angry, but when I'm really shocked at someone's behavior my mind often thinks "is this person for real?" As an example, I was solo diving off a boat. Got in an entanglement issue (which I resolved eventually). Saw 2 divers from the same boat. Signaled to them "problem" and "come here". They took off. Deckside one said "yeah, I saw that and didn't want anything to do with it." I was too shocked to be angry. The boat captain on the other hand.....

unreal!

i had a similar experience when i was at 20m my inflator hose started leaking and I held my hand over the split and singled to my ( instabuddy) to stay close - they just turned around and swam off-quickly

 

[TMHeimer]

We were discussing it in the shop today with the general opinion being fairly negative. I guess in certain specific circumstances this thing could be of use. If you want to do one shallow dive at a specific spot--ei. our house on the ocean.
Can't go deep. How much does it cost to re-generate it for 3 hours (as someone posted) vs. a tank of Air? It eliminates walking with a tank on, but you still need all the other equipment/weights, etc. May be more practical in the tropics?

 

[Kharon]

When I first saw the AirBuddy I was kind of excited. At 70 and not being a wreck diver, the idea of a very light weight air supply to 40 feet sounded good. Buy a few extra batteries and I'd be set. I seldom go deeper than 60 feet so a bit shallower didn't seem like much of a sacrifice.

The problem I have is the price. You can get a hooka setup and go deeper for longer for the same price or less. With a floatable gas hooka the "re-charge" time is as long as it take to refill the tank. If the price were low enough I'd consider it - but it would have to be a lot lower than current.

 

[fstbttms]

Floating 12-volt hookahs have been around for years. The only "new" aspect of this device is that it is small and self-contained.

 

[2airishuman]

I guess in certain specific circumstances this thing could be of use.[...]

For recreational divers with OWD training, the various hookah systems make sense in a number of specific situations:

1) Underwater maintenance dives, particularly swimming pool, dock, and boat maintenance, because they eliminate the cylinder handling, and because the depth limitations don't matter much.
2) Shallow reef dives while cruising in a personally owned boat, if there isn't room for a compressor and cylinders.
3) Shallow dives in remote areas where fills are not reasonably available.