Mike
Contributor
Finally a technological breakthru for all those who can't snorkel
Finally a technological breakthru for all those who can't snorkel
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Just watched that with my NDS (non-diving spouse), who thought that it looked terrific! We sometimes snorkel together, and she has a lot of those problems....
Not available yet, but will keep an eye out for it. Looks clever, for people who have problems snorkeling (easy to forget about them on this board)...
Not available yet, but will keep an eye out for it. Looks clever, for people who have problems snorkeling (easy to forget about them on this board)...
Arubandi07
Contributor
"Easybreath" ... All good, 'til you accidentally dip your head a little, or a couple of ripples from a passing boat close up that stopper as you´re just about to take another nice, relaxed breath ...... P-A-N-I-C!!!
David Wilson
Contributor
I agree. It's good to see a company not only acknowledging that certain prospective snorkellers will have special needs but also proceeding to design a product that assists in meeting those needs, using a tried and tested process of problem-solving. It's very positive too when we witness a commercial company consulting people with a variety of such needs and integrating them into the product trials. I would expect the product, when it is eventually marketed, to have constraints as well as benefits, but what item of snorkelling or diving equipment doesn't? If certain people prevented hitherto from snorkelling will now have access to the simple pleasure of the pastime, while understanding fully any risks, I for one choose to celebrate the fact, just as I celebrate the fact that Scubaboard has a "divers with disabilities" forum, where people address barriers by discussing solutions.
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Yup, that is a definite problem with this type of snorkel. Better to stick with the regular snorkel which lets you continue to breathe when you dip the top under water, preventing panic...
David Wilson
Contributor
Yes, every piece of gear has both benefits and constraints. Be aware that there's a rather negative previous Scubaboard discussion of the "Easybreath" here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/snorkeling-freediving/475027-full-face-snorkeling-mask.html
I'll reserve judgement until we hear from somebody who has actually snorkelled with the product.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/snorkeling-freediving/475027-full-face-snorkeling-mask.html
I'll reserve judgement until we hear from somebody who has actually snorkelled with the product.
Arubandi07
Contributor
K
KeithG
Guest
Have they solved the "fit" problem?
Realizing that faces (even worse, heads) come is all shapes and sizes, mask manufacturers provide different size and shapes of scuba masks. One size does not fit all.
I assume (but do not know) that is problem also exists for full face masks. Is the fit problem even more difficult to accommodate in this case?
It appears that they need to create a water tight seal over a larger area than a mask. So more contours and distance variations need to be dealt with.
Realizing that faces (even worse, heads) come is all shapes and sizes, mask manufacturers provide different size and shapes of scuba masks. One size does not fit all.
I assume (but do not know) that is problem also exists for full face masks. Is the fit problem even more difficult to accommodate in this case?
It appears that they need to create a water tight seal over a larger area than a mask. So more contours and distance variations need to be dealt with.
Yup, just looked at that.
Funny, I was in an airbuddy thread recently, and I raised some concerns about this rather unorthodox alternate air supply gadget (as did a number of other divers). I got totally flamed by the OP, whose position was that if I hadn't used it myself, then I had no business saying anything critical about it. I wrote back why I thought that in a public forum, it was reasonable for divers to express opinions and that you didn't necessarily have to have used something to point out it's obvious limitations.
Here, on the other hand, I'm starting to take the opposite position - that before trashing something like this, one might at least see what it's like to use.
That thread raises some good points, but also some that are off base - to paraphrase:
"I tried this in the 60s, and it was a complete failure" - well, there might have been some design or material improvements over the past 50 years...
"This is no good because it get people with severe limitations into the water, and dive training is already too dumbed down" - yes, but this isn't made for scuba divers at all. And it's true that there are some people who are so phobic that it's probably not a good idea for them to do anything like this, but there are a lot of others who are never going to dive, but might be able to enjoy using something like this, and take it off if they had a problem.
The critics do raise some good points, but given the fact that it's (1) easily removable, and (2) designed for use on the surface, in benign conditions, I don't think that it's necessarily a failure out of the gate. As I said, my wife really thought that this looked good. We just got back from Turks where she snorkeled a bit with me and had some of the issues that they mentioned in the video. It might be worth 39 Euros to check this out. Since I could easily spend $1700 on a flashlight for diving, I don't think that's such a bit investment.
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