Diving Lore
Contributor
Now I've been diving for 9 years now and it's been a good journey so far.
For part me there has been the negative assertion that the technology of diving has become more refined we are somehow at the plateau of where diving can reach.
But then the other part of me is an eternal optimist and believes that a new paradigm shift could result in a new set of breakthrough's like that attained by Jaques Cousteau and his contempory's...
I'm going to list three key areas of what I think are good discussion points and ideas on this topic...
Source: Future Diving
Thermal Development
Thermal Evolution
The steady march of under-water progress has seen some different concepts for man underwater. One early prediction was that the entire body should be encased in heavy material to protect from the eat sapping conductivity of water. Later this changed with recreationaldiving as neoprene wetsuits became popular. With the 1980s heralding the introduction of the drysuit into the mainstream dive community things stayed as they were until the 21st century.
A hybrid of the wetsuit/drysuit is seen by many as the next step in the evolution of thermal protection. It is often a complaint that splendid though the drysuit is at keeping a diver warm in cold water, the air-space problems, boyancy considerations and other nuances can detract from its value. Likewise a wetsuit can be extremely versitile and user-friendly to use but suffers from loss of thermal insulation at depth and lacks the warmth of a dry-suit. Even the often trumpeted semi-dry falls short with the warmth factor only boosted marginally.
A brilliant idea now taking form commercially is the mainstream introduction of battery heated 'Jackets'. This thermal material operates similar to a radiator and wraps around the torso over the wetsuit. Commercial divers have and continue to use 'hot water suits' which operate on a similar principle. But these 'heat jackets' which are smaller and umbilical-independant make fusion of drysuit warmth with wetsuit ease is a reality. Currently the only limitations on this evolution are battery power and that the arms, legs and head are not covered by the 'Heat Jacket'. It is predicted that in the near-future wetsuits will come with these 'built-in'. With advances in battery life hours of warmdiving in freezing conditions will be feasible.
Diver HUD Masks
Next-generation equipment
The essential dive mask is moving in totally new directions never even considered years ago.
Until recently the dive mask was predominantly in one colour - black. Then came different styles and colours. Actual 'upgraded' masks with built in extras per se did not appear until the beginning of the 21st Century. Internal 'purge' clearance for a flooded mask, wide angle 'big eyes' and side angle viewing ports.
The next generation of cutting edge dive masks will have head-ups display (H.U.D) of water temperature and depth readouts. Known as a HUD Mask it would be a much welcomed dive aid. Also hinted at is the possibility of an internal digital compass. The latest scientific next generation development is Dive Masks with night vision. Thus allowing an image intensifier to 'see in the dark'
Possibly in the future even thermal Imaging may become viable.
According to military sources though such a wonder dive mask may be restricted for sale in certain countries due to security reasons.
Underwater Cities
Atlantis Reborn...
Underwater CitySome development and research has gone into the concept of having underwater living complexes. During the 1960s through to the mid-1980s the USA began investigating this possibility through its underwater habitation program. Headed by the US Navy several divers lived in underwater buildings in the shallows at depths of around 10m. They proved that it could be done and the divers themselves lived under water for weeks at a time. So why hasn't the concept gone further? Some futurists and experts argue a compelling case for taking the concept further.
On paper having cities underwater would certainly go a long way into dealing with the over-population concerns now taking shape across the world. Many in the space agencies and the corridors of power look to the stars to seek answers from soaring numbers in cities and towns, but some reason that it is the below the surface the answer truly lies. Over 70% of the world is covered by water so making use of it would certainly make sense in proportion to the land mass available. Indeed many sections of continental shelves close to land would prove ideal sites. At depths of 100m or more from the surface a good sized city anchored into the earths crust would give excellent protection from hurricanes, storms and even meteorites! With water processing plants providing clean water for the inhabitants and power coming from relays of tidal wave collectors or building a city near geothermic vents the city would be to a certain extent self-sufficient from the outside world.
Even though we are in the dawn of the 21st Century, cities underwater still has the ring of science-fiction to it. From the practical aspect the massive amounts of spending required to build and maintain an underwater complex would mean that it would undoubtedly require a massive joint effort from several countries. Unless there is a breakthrough in hydroponics most of the food supplies would have to be imported via .....<Continued at source>
Points and views appreciated...
For part me there has been the negative assertion that the technology of diving has become more refined we are somehow at the plateau of where diving can reach.
But then the other part of me is an eternal optimist and believes that a new paradigm shift could result in a new set of breakthrough's like that attained by Jaques Cousteau and his contempory's...
I'm going to list three key areas of what I think are good discussion points and ideas on this topic...
Source: Future Diving
Thermal Development
Thermal Evolution
The steady march of under-water progress has seen some different concepts for man underwater. One early prediction was that the entire body should be encased in heavy material to protect from the eat sapping conductivity of water. Later this changed with recreationaldiving as neoprene wetsuits became popular. With the 1980s heralding the introduction of the drysuit into the mainstream dive community things stayed as they were until the 21st century.
A hybrid of the wetsuit/drysuit is seen by many as the next step in the evolution of thermal protection. It is often a complaint that splendid though the drysuit is at keeping a diver warm in cold water, the air-space problems, boyancy considerations and other nuances can detract from its value. Likewise a wetsuit can be extremely versitile and user-friendly to use but suffers from loss of thermal insulation at depth and lacks the warmth of a dry-suit. Even the often trumpeted semi-dry falls short with the warmth factor only boosted marginally.
A brilliant idea now taking form commercially is the mainstream introduction of battery heated 'Jackets'. This thermal material operates similar to a radiator and wraps around the torso over the wetsuit. Commercial divers have and continue to use 'hot water suits' which operate on a similar principle. But these 'heat jackets' which are smaller and umbilical-independant make fusion of drysuit warmth with wetsuit ease is a reality. Currently the only limitations on this evolution are battery power and that the arms, legs and head are not covered by the 'Heat Jacket'. It is predicted that in the near-future wetsuits will come with these 'built-in'. With advances in battery life hours of warmdiving in freezing conditions will be feasible.
Diver HUD Masks
Next-generation equipment
The essential dive mask is moving in totally new directions never even considered years ago.
Until recently the dive mask was predominantly in one colour - black. Then came different styles and colours. Actual 'upgraded' masks with built in extras per se did not appear until the beginning of the 21st Century. Internal 'purge' clearance for a flooded mask, wide angle 'big eyes' and side angle viewing ports.
The next generation of cutting edge dive masks will have head-ups display (H.U.D) of water temperature and depth readouts. Known as a HUD Mask it would be a much welcomed dive aid. Also hinted at is the possibility of an internal digital compass. The latest scientific next generation development is Dive Masks with night vision. Thus allowing an image intensifier to 'see in the dark'
Possibly in the future even thermal Imaging may become viable.
According to military sources though such a wonder dive mask may be restricted for sale in certain countries due to security reasons.
Underwater Cities
Atlantis Reborn...
Underwater CitySome development and research has gone into the concept of having underwater living complexes. During the 1960s through to the mid-1980s the USA began investigating this possibility through its underwater habitation program. Headed by the US Navy several divers lived in underwater buildings in the shallows at depths of around 10m. They proved that it could be done and the divers themselves lived under water for weeks at a time. So why hasn't the concept gone further? Some futurists and experts argue a compelling case for taking the concept further.
On paper having cities underwater would certainly go a long way into dealing with the over-population concerns now taking shape across the world. Many in the space agencies and the corridors of power look to the stars to seek answers from soaring numbers in cities and towns, but some reason that it is the below the surface the answer truly lies. Over 70% of the world is covered by water so making use of it would certainly make sense in proportion to the land mass available. Indeed many sections of continental shelves close to land would prove ideal sites. At depths of 100m or more from the surface a good sized city anchored into the earths crust would give excellent protection from hurricanes, storms and even meteorites! With water processing plants providing clean water for the inhabitants and power coming from relays of tidal wave collectors or building a city near geothermic vents the city would be to a certain extent self-sufficient from the outside world.
Even though we are in the dawn of the 21st Century, cities underwater still has the ring of science-fiction to it. From the practical aspect the massive amounts of spending required to build and maintain an underwater complex would mean that it would undoubtedly require a massive joint effort from several countries. Unless there is a breakthrough in hydroponics most of the food supplies would have to be imported via .....<Continued at source>
Points and views appreciated...
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