Avelo--I guess there's no need for me to recommend fundies anymore....

[admikar]

It's fine for that system to claim less weight needed, but how much does it weigh itself? Required pump and batter can't be that light? So, are we talking about another marketing hype for those that don't know better?

 

[Gone for diving]

Maybe the tank will be a welded SS tank like the Russians make, should be plenty heavy then, and will not rust,

But seriously I think it will be steel and carbon fiber,
Has to be light enough in the water to be used with no wetsuit, after that just add a weight belt to make it heavier just as you would on any other dive gear,,,,
What I don't like is it probably will have floaty tank syndrome,,,
I have an aluminum tank like that,

 

[Angelo Farina]

The point is that you make a generalising comment (no need for lead) which is very specific to your local situation. There are other environment too

I was a bit older and first snorkel when I was 10... free diving out of the question in an environment with strong tidal currently and bad visibility but you could be sure I vould hold my breath from practising in swimming pools with the cmas club. The first time I dived i can tell you i was wearing a 7mm neoprene suit... because it was the minimum exposure protection possible. The point i make is your training needs to be specifici to your local environment it is not one way fits all.

I am fully aware that in most places around the world local diving is in harsh environment. My point is that in such environments you cannot apply the PADI-style "one weekend" OW approach. Which instead is perfectly reasonable in holiday resorts, in tropical waters, under very favourable conditions.
For people starting diving in places such as UK, North Europe or cold waters in US or Canada, another training approach is needed, very similar to what BSAC or CMAS developed.
A first course lasting several months, with a significant part of the training in the pool, then moving to quarries or "controlled" OW environment, and only at the end bringing the students in true open water.
At that point the students did reach already a proper control of their body (and of their brains), and buoyancy is not such a severe problem.
Please note that I am a CMAS instructor, and my first diving course lasted 6 months, in 1975, despite here the local sea is much warmer and "easier" than in many other countries.
Said that, I did also work at Maldives, where instead a super-short first course is plenty feasible.

 

[Vicko]

Just a thought but using a solid balast tank in there makes so much more sense, you just need a solenoid to let pressurised gas in/water out.
Or you know, be sensible and not use a electrical component for something that works with a simple mechanical one....

 

[ginti]

@beester and @Angelo Farina, you are saying the same thing, just using different words

 

[Gone for diving]

Just a thought but using a solid balast tank in there makes so much more sense, you just need a solenoid to let pressurised gas in/water out.
Or you know, be sensible and not use a electrical component for something that works with a simple mechanical one....

It fail safe is positive bouyence,
Open valve water flows out, because tank bladder with air pushs the water out,
To sink electric pump pumps water into the tank,
It's quite a good idea

 

[kelemvor]

I'm sure they don't intend it to be used with drysuits or thick wetsuits. No big deal, there's plenty of gear that's intended for warm water diving only. That doesn't make it inherently crappy, just unsuitable for cold water diving. I like the idea of a ballast tank, but don't like the idea of it being my breathing gas tank. I'd prefer to have a seperate tank attached kind of like a tank-mount pony. This way you could achieve the same thing with no risk to your breathing gas supply.

Personally, I think the idea is interesting. I haven't had buoyancy problems for years but vacation divers who just don't want to put the time in might find this useful. I'd rather see vacation divers in this rig than crashing into the reef.

 

[Wibble]

A buoyancy compensator has already been developed. It’s commonly referred to as a rebreather.

 

[Vicko]

It fail safe is positive bouyence,
Open valve water flows out, because tank bladder with air pushs the water out,
To sink electric pump pumps water into the tank,
It's quite a good idea

So they created a problem to solve so they can engineer a failsafe?
If you have a pressure differential you don't need a pump, and considering you have HP air on one side....

 

[NothingClever]

It's fine for that system to claim less weight needed, but how much does it weigh itself? Required pump and batter can't be that light? So, are we talking about another marketing hype for those that don't know better?

I think so.

I don’t like the idea of battery-dependent buoyancy control.