No Diver Left Behind

[DiveNav]

Yesterday we alpha tested our new No Diver Left Behind system at Catalina ‪USC‬ ‪‎Wrigley‬ with several scientific divers.

For the next phase we plan to test the system on a real ‪‎scuba‬ ‪diving‬ boat. If you are a captain and are interested in being a beta tester please let us know.

 

[gr8jab]

What technology does it use? I'm guessing low energy bluetooth, just like the 'tile'.

 

[kelemvor]

How does it know "surfacing soon" or "Overdue"? Preset dive time limits?

 

[The Chairman]

Does it tell you where the diver is at?

How does it know "surfacing soon"

I bet it knows that you're at your safety stop.

 

[DiveNav]

What technology does it use? I'm guessing low energy bluetooth, just like the 'tile'.

Hardware is based on our existing bluebuddy data logger with some firmware modifications to support this new "Electronic Leash" operating mode (a scuba variation of Apple's iBeacon )

App is a brand new one (it will be available for both iOS and Android devices)

 

[DiveNav]

How does it know "surfacing soon" or "Overdue"? Preset dive time limits?

The Captain or Dive Team Leader sets the "due back time" (either for everyone or customized for each individual diver)

 

[gr8jab]

Hardware is based on our existing bluebuddy data logger with some firmware modifications to support this new "Electronic Leash" operating mode (a scuba variation of Apple's iBeacon )

App is a brand new one (it will be available for both iOS and Android devices)

First - excellent idea! BRAVO

Is your thought that each individual diver will buy one, or that the boat buys a supply and loans them to divers?

For this to gain traction and become ubiquitous it has to be cheap. I know that many are buying the Nautilus Lifeline, both as individuals or as dive op owners to loan out. However, Nautilus probably have less than 1% market penetration. At $250 each, a Nautilus Lifeline is a noteworthy expense for individuals or those equipping a boat.

You have to get much higher market penetration to make it successful. That means it has to be inexpensive. Very cheap, like tile cheap. It sounds like you are leveraging an existing product and modifying to add this new great functionality, which is a very low capital investment for you. However, does it result in an inexpensive point-of-sale? Will the incremental volume you achieve drive your BOM low enough? If not, maybe you should entertain a cost-reduced single function type of product that only does one thing. Maybe that's what you are doing, and I'm not telling you anything you have not already considered.

Anyway, I think it is a great idea. I hope it takes off. I'd gladly buy one if the price was not painful and I knew the dive boats had adopted the tech.

 

[kelemvor]

Seems like a very simmilar to the DAN diver tag system + a stopwatch. It does seem to offer the improvement that a diver can't forget to put the tag on the pegboard.. but a diver CAN forget to return the tag to the boat, potentially driving up costs for the captain.

Actually, having a unique and automatic timer for each diver is a nice idea, too. Especially for boats with mixed passengers, like a spearfishing group getting dropped on the opposite side of the reef from tourists where drop time will vary a good bit.

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

With all things being more or less equal (boat/captain history, reputation, cost) if the choice was between a boat with vs without I'd choose the with boat, even though a nautilus life line is on it's way to me. I would see it as a commitment to increased safety that the boat was making.

 

[DiveNav]

....... Is your thought that each individual diver will buy one, or that the boat buys a supply and loans them to divers?....

We are already selling our bluebuddy data logger to individual divers since 2013 (and to scientific diving organizations since 2014). The goal here is to market them as a package to dive boat operators and / or to dive team leaders.

....... .... it has to be inexpensive. Very cheap, like tile cheap. It sounds like you are leveraging an existing product and modifying to add this new great functionality, which is a .....

This is a different device than the tile ...
First of all it is designed to be used underwater, it has a water sensor and a pressure/temperature sensor.
The water sensor is used by the system to tell the captain if a device (and the related diver) is still in the water (instead of being on the boat).
The pressure sensor allows the dive team leader to review the dive parameters (max depth, average depth, minimum temperature, dive time and fast ascent alarm) as soon as the device becomes visible to the app.

....... ....
Anyway, I think it is a great idea. I hope it takes off. .....

Thank you.