From its inception, the Rapid Diver was developed with the assistance of public safety divers that are active in the PSD community. We learned early on that there are certain inherent factors which actually make the Rapid Diver system safer in application than standard dive gear, all achieved without cutting corners in safety. Whenever possible we use the Cave Divers "doctrine" when it comes to back up issues and entanglement concerns.
Here is a quick description of the the superior safety features over a traditional backmount.
All of the components on the Rapid Diver are easier to manage in the front mount tank configuration because there is nothing you can't reach. Especially important is the easy access to the air supply knob, important if you forget to turn your air on before going in. The unit weighs in at about 30 lb. which is about 40 lb. lighter then standard gear. The lighter weight unit reduces fatigue and helps with a better breathing rates. Less drag through the water also contributes to better air consumption, we have had reports of over 40 minute bottom times with the 30 cu ft steel tank. The ability to add the redundant air tank (6 cu ft, 13 cu ft) to the front mount configuration is also a plus for helping eliminate entanglement issues but still providing useable back up air and, the back is clean and free of things that like to catch on submerged hazards, especially rope and line (monofiliment is the worse). Entanglement is one of the worst case scenarios facing PSD's and should be practiced often.
As Jesquittieri mentioned in his post:
My fire department regularly performs training that focus on real life rescue diving. Our last exercise involved dealing with zero visibility entanglement using nets and other hazards. Rescue divers wearing the Rapid Diver were out of the water in half the time of the back mounted divers. The beauty of the Rapid Diver is in its configuration. The tank is ideally situated in the front where the diver can easily protect, disentangle if necessary and manage.
One of the worst places to have an entanglement issue on your gear is on your 1st stage/valve on the back mount system, right were you can't reach it. This is one area that is extremely difficult if not impossible to access with your hands. If your bail out 19 is attached directly to your 80 then you would have to ditch your entire unit plus the bailout to make an ascent to the surface.
One of the misconceptions about a front mount tank system is that it gets in the way. Most divers remark at how the tank seemingly disappears in the water. Once in the water the tank placement provides ideal weight geometry and with a thickness of only 5 inches you barely know it is there. The tank also serves as a perfect place to for shears, a light and a back up Z knife. I have crawled on the bottom many times and the tank simply serves as a bumper. Any entanglement on the system can be easily managed with full access to all parts of the unit.
You are more likely to be put into a complicated entanglement situation with a back mount opposed to a compact front mount system.
Here is an article about a diver that got his 1st stage valve caught on a buoy rope.
Cape Cod: Scuba diver drowns near mouth of canal
The body of a scuba diver was pulled from the frigid waters alongside a jetty at the easternmost mouth of the Cape Cod Canal yesterday afternoon.
Bruce J. Switzer, 42, of West Yarmouth drowned in the Cape Cod Bay area near Town Neck Beach - a location notorious for strong currents, officials said.
"We determined that this was a tragic, accidental drowning," Sandwich Police Sgt. Joseph Cotter said.
For almost two hours, rescue crews from the Sandwich fire department and the U.S. Coast Guard combed the area surrounding Scusset Harbor for a man reported missing by his wife around 4 p.m.
It was unclear to authorities yesterday how Switzer drowned, but he was diving alone.
Switzer might have become entangled in some line, possibly attached to an underwater buoy or lobster trap, according to Timothy McMahon, the fire captain in charge of the rescue effort.
Officials said Switzer's diving equipment appeared to be functioning correctly, although he was missing a piece to his wetsuit. When he was found by authorities, Switzer wasn't wearing a buoyancy control device commonly used by divers.
Switzer's wife called 911 after her husband was overdue returning to shore, Cotter said. He apparently entered the water from the shores near Horizons on Cape Cod Bay restaurant.
Three divers from the fire department and a Coast Guard helicopter were soon dispatched to search for Switzer, who was eventually located about 300 feet offshore near the craggy jetty.
Searchers had to battle a strong, easterly moving current that looped back into the canal before finding Switzer's body.
While it was unclear why Switzer was scuba diving, several bystanders said the area is a popular scuba spot to search for lobsters.
In total, about six members of the police department and 12 from the fire department were involved in the search as the sun tucked into the clouds.
Kim Squire of the district attorney's crime scene unit and Sandwich police officer Jason Keene are investigating the incident because it was an unattended death.
Here is a quick description of the the superior safety features over a traditional backmount.
All of the components on the Rapid Diver are easier to manage in the front mount tank configuration because there is nothing you can't reach. Especially important is the easy access to the air supply knob, important if you forget to turn your air on before going in. The unit weighs in at about 30 lb. which is about 40 lb. lighter then standard gear. The lighter weight unit reduces fatigue and helps with a better breathing rates. Less drag through the water also contributes to better air consumption, we have had reports of over 40 minute bottom times with the 30 cu ft steel tank. The ability to add the redundant air tank (6 cu ft, 13 cu ft) to the front mount configuration is also a plus for helping eliminate entanglement issues but still providing useable back up air and, the back is clean and free of things that like to catch on submerged hazards, especially rope and line (monofiliment is the worse). Entanglement is one of the worst case scenarios facing PSD's and should be practiced often.
As Jesquittieri mentioned in his post:
My fire department regularly performs training that focus on real life rescue diving. Our last exercise involved dealing with zero visibility entanglement using nets and other hazards. Rescue divers wearing the Rapid Diver were out of the water in half the time of the back mounted divers. The beauty of the Rapid Diver is in its configuration. The tank is ideally situated in the front where the diver can easily protect, disentangle if necessary and manage.
One of the worst places to have an entanglement issue on your gear is on your 1st stage/valve on the back mount system, right were you can't reach it. This is one area that is extremely difficult if not impossible to access with your hands. If your bail out 19 is attached directly to your 80 then you would have to ditch your entire unit plus the bailout to make an ascent to the surface.
One of the misconceptions about a front mount tank system is that it gets in the way. Most divers remark at how the tank seemingly disappears in the water. Once in the water the tank placement provides ideal weight geometry and with a thickness of only 5 inches you barely know it is there. The tank also serves as a perfect place to for shears, a light and a back up Z knife. I have crawled on the bottom many times and the tank simply serves as a bumper. Any entanglement on the system can be easily managed with full access to all parts of the unit.
You are more likely to be put into a complicated entanglement situation with a back mount opposed to a compact front mount system.
Here is an article about a diver that got his 1st stage valve caught on a buoy rope.
Cape Cod: Scuba diver drowns near mouth of canal
The body of a scuba diver was pulled from the frigid waters alongside a jetty at the easternmost mouth of the Cape Cod Canal yesterday afternoon.
Bruce J. Switzer, 42, of West Yarmouth drowned in the Cape Cod Bay area near Town Neck Beach - a location notorious for strong currents, officials said.
"We determined that this was a tragic, accidental drowning," Sandwich Police Sgt. Joseph Cotter said.
For almost two hours, rescue crews from the Sandwich fire department and the U.S. Coast Guard combed the area surrounding Scusset Harbor for a man reported missing by his wife around 4 p.m.
It was unclear to authorities yesterday how Switzer drowned, but he was diving alone.
Switzer might have become entangled in some line, possibly attached to an underwater buoy or lobster trap, according to Timothy McMahon, the fire captain in charge of the rescue effort.
Officials said Switzer's diving equipment appeared to be functioning correctly, although he was missing a piece to his wetsuit. When he was found by authorities, Switzer wasn't wearing a buoyancy control device commonly used by divers.
Switzer's wife called 911 after her husband was overdue returning to shore, Cotter said. He apparently entered the water from the shores near Horizons on Cape Cod Bay restaurant.
Three divers from the fire department and a Coast Guard helicopter were soon dispatched to search for Switzer, who was eventually located about 300 feet offshore near the craggy jetty.
Searchers had to battle a strong, easterly moving current that looped back into the canal before finding Switzer's body.
While it was unclear why Switzer was scuba diving, several bystanders said the area is a popular scuba spot to search for lobsters.
In total, about six members of the police department and 12 from the fire department were involved in the search as the sun tucked into the clouds.
Kim Squire of the district attorney's crime scene unit and Sandwich police officer Jason Keene are investigating the incident because it was an unattended death.
