David here, Founder of SCORKL. Wanted to reply to your post here so you had all the information at your disposal since that "Busted" video is unfortunately quite far off the mark. Please excuse the length of my reply but there are a few items to respond to. We welcome the interest of Treasure Hunters such as yourselves and already have many happy Treasure Hunter customers so I wanted to be comprehensive in my reply. Please note administrators that I do not intend this post to be promotional, just informative, and this is a personal post, not a company one.
Regarding safety:
Please take a moment to watch our Safety Video here: to review a video summary of the User Manual Warnings provided to all our customers with every SCORKL purchase.
The SCORKL has been tested and certified against European standard EN 250:2014 which specifies the minimum requirements for self-contained open-circuit compressed air underwater breathing apparatus and their sub-assemblies to ensure a minimum level of safe operation.
Since SCORKL is for shallow diving only, the depth and temperature to which it has been certified are 6m (20ft) and 15°C (60°F) respectively.
There are potentially life-threatening risks associated with using SCORKL products and breathing underwater that our customers need to be aware of and take steps to avoid.
Our customers are instructed NOT to use SCORKL products without reading and understanding the risks and the necessary precautions and safe methods of use as provided in the product User Manuals.
Key amongst these Warnings is that our customers be aware that they must never hold their breath when using the SCORKL, especially during ascent. They are must also never ascend rapidly. We make it abundantly clear, both in the User Manual and also by placing a sticker right underneath the mouthpiece in full view of the User that will be seen prior to every use, that holding your breath during ascent, or ascending rapidly, can lead to pulmonary barotrauma (also called "lung over-expansion" injuries), which can result in serious injury or death.
Please also review Lesson 2 at the SCORKL SCHOOL link above which provides additional usage and safety information.
Exploring the underwater world is an adventurous and potentially dangerous activity, we totally agree. But armed with knowledge of the risks, and information as to how to take steps to avoid those potential dangers, our customers will be able to enjoy the underwater freedom that SCORKL provides, safely and responsibly.
Regarding the SCORKL being a "scam" or "busted":
The SCORKL is most certainly not a scam.
Being an innovative new product, the SCORKL originally launched via the product-launch platforms Kickstarter and Indiegogo in mid-2017. Prototypes had been developed before then but it took until early 2019 for the SCORKL to achieve international certification approval. This involved passing rigorous SCUBA industry-standard product testing standards as well as proving that our manufacturing quality control processes were of international best-practice. Manufacturing of the first batch of 8,000 SCORKLs therefore took until mid-2019 to commence, with orders arriving in our initial customers’ hands throughout October – December that same year.
That extended delivery timeframe, coupled with the fact that the SCORKL received a tremendous amount of media attention when it first launched, as well our decision not to market the product at all during that period, unfortunately made our potential customers vulnerable to dishonest scam-artists. Dishonest scam-artists had created fake websites purporting to sell the SCORKL but were actually just stealing people’s money instead. Throughout the entire period we did our best to have these fake sites shut down, and we were relatively successful in the long term, but there were unfortunately quite a few people that nevertheless fell victim to the scams.
During the product launch period (2017 – 2019), the ONLY two places that the SCORKL was available for purchase was either on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Practically 100% of these orders have already been delivered. If you purchased via Kickstarter or Indiegogo but still haven’t received your order, I will have already contacted you via email to explain why your delivery has been delayed.
The ONLY place that the SCORKL is currently available for purchase is one our official website (which I am not allowed to post to sorry but which is the product name plus dot com). If you have purchased a SCORKL from that website this year but have not received your items within four weeks, please contact us at
support@scorkl.com and we will confirm the expected delivery date.
Still not convinced?
Here’s a video of me reviewing the product launch and development process that the SCORKL went through. It includes footage of the testing, manufacturing, international certification and logistics processes, as well as a section discussing the scams mentioned above:
Here’s a video celebrating the successful delivery of our first batch to 3,000+ customers worldwide:
Here is our Instagram page which frequently features content created by some of our customers:
Login • Instagram
Regarding Refilling and the effort required to refill:
You can fill your SCORKL in 3 ways:
- From a SCUBA cylinder
- From a diving compressor
- With the SCORKL Hand Pump
Each SCORKL comes with a SCUBA Tank Refill Adapter and a Dive Compressor Refill Adapter included for free. The SCORKL Hand Pump is sold separately. Refilling using a SCUBA cylinder or Dive Compressor is super easy and takes around a minute. You can see how that works at Lessons 6 and 7 at SCORKL SCHOOL on our website
It is a bit of a workout to refill from the Hand Pump but nevertheless a great alternative when a SCUBA cylinder or dive compressor, which are both much heavier and more expensive, aren’t available. Owning the Hand Pump means you can fill your SCORKL whenever, wherever you like.
It ends up being about 10 pumps per breath that you want to take from the SCORKL. The SCORKL holds 68 breaths when filled to 200 bar, so that would be 680 pumps, but we recommend only filling to 50 - 100 bar (160 - 320 pumps) for ease of use and to prolong the lifespan of the Pump. The SCORKL PRO will take approximately 20% longer due to its larger volume. You can see how to refill using the Hand Pump, at Lesson 5 of SCORKL SCHOOL on our website
Regarding Air Quality:
The SCORKL Hand Pump comprises replaceable air filters which ensure that the air going into your SCORKL is as clean as possible and suitable for breathing underwater. The air filters contain a molecular sieve, activated carbon and micron filters, removing H2O (water), CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), hydrocarbons (oils), dust particles, taste and odour, to ensure breathable Grade E SCUBA air quality.
You can see photos of the Hand Pump Air Filter at the product page on the website (I am not allowed to link to that here sorry)
Regarding Use Underwater (or requirement to "have a strong mouth"):
The SCORKL sits weightlessly underneath your chin during a dive, being held loosely in place by the surrounding water. All you have to do is grip the mouthpiece between your teeth, exactly like a snorkel. It feels much the same.
The SCORKL is negatively buoyant so it will sink if you let go of it. A Retractable Holder is available which enables you to secure your SCORKL to chest webbing or a dive belt if you wish.
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Hope that clears up a few of your questions or concerns. For any others, please feel free to reach out to me at REMOVED.
I look forward to welcome you and the rest of the Treasure Hunter community into the world of SCORKL soon.
Sincerely,
David Hallamore
Founder of SCORKL
diveavelo.com
