Diver Dennis
Contributor
Good little knives. MEC has some great stuff at reasonable prices.
You have GOT TO BE KIDDING!- New Aqualung BC
- Thread starter Otter
- Start date
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AQUALUNG came by the shop a few weeks ago and showed us this BC. The oral inflator hose is sorta rolled up in a pocket on the left shoulder
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edjohnson66:
So what's the deal? Is it some sort of auto-pilot cruise-control thing, or is is just a combined inflate/deflate control?
Enquiring Minds Want to Know!
Terry
Diver Dennis
Contributor
It is the elevator concept which really bothers me. What means up? Also the remote deflation, no matter how robust they say it is.
Below is the complete description as provided to SportDiver
"Sea Quest i3 from Aqua Lung
The Sea Quest i3 is an innovative, new inflation system found exclusively in Sea Quest BCs. Its greatest asset is its simplicity and how intuitive it is to use. Move the lever up to go up; push it down to go down. What could be easier? What’s more, when dumping air from the BC, the i3 opens all of the new Flat E-Valves at once. Gone are the days of deciding which valve to reach for based upon your orientation in the water.
Safe
The i3 allows you to take control of your diving. Mastering buoyancy control is one of the most difficult skills to learn. The i3 not only makes the skill easier but eliminates potential out-of-control-ascents caused by a diver reaching for the wrong dump valve. The i3 also allows for rapid location and activation of the inflator to establish buoyancy at the surface in case of an emergency.
Easy
The i3 is simple and intuitive. Move the lever up to go up; down to go down Convenient Unlike a traditional inflator at the end of a floppy hose, the i3 never moves. It is stationary at the same location where your left hand normally rests. It is always in the right place at the right time.
Reliable
The i3 does not utilize pneumatics or hydraulics to activate the Flat E-Valves. Therefore, there is no possibility of failure due to leaks. Using push-rod technology, as found in aircraft, the design remains simple and robust.
Fun
The i3 is just plain fun to use.
i3
• Intuitive design makes buoyancy control safer and easier
• Opens upper and lower dump valves simultaneously. No more thinking about which dump valve to reach for
• Over-molded lever prevents gloves from slipping off while using
• Increased flow rate over traditional inflators. Allows you to fill your BC faster
• Attached dust cap prevents contaminants from entering mechanism when not in use
• The i3 uses fewer parts and is easier to service compared to standard inflators
• Using the new lp hose grip, the lp hose can be attached or removed while wearing the BC.
This will satisfy instructional agency requirements to disconnect and reattach lp hose while training Flat E-Valves
• Extremely low profile reduces drag in the water
• Utilize a one-way valve to prevent water from back flushing in when all of the valves open at once
• Very easy to service
• Activated with push-rod technology making them very responsive"
Specifications:
Year 2007
Contact Info:
Aqua Lung
2340 Cousteau Court
Vista, CA 92081
United States
760-597-5000
Visit us at http://www.aqualung.com
Below is the complete description as provided to SportDiver
"Sea Quest i3 from Aqua Lung
The Sea Quest i3 is an innovative, new inflation system found exclusively in Sea Quest BCs. Its greatest asset is its simplicity and how intuitive it is to use. Move the lever up to go up; push it down to go down. What could be easier? What’s more, when dumping air from the BC, the i3 opens all of the new Flat E-Valves at once. Gone are the days of deciding which valve to reach for based upon your orientation in the water.
Safe
The i3 allows you to take control of your diving. Mastering buoyancy control is one of the most difficult skills to learn. The i3 not only makes the skill easier but eliminates potential out-of-control-ascents caused by a diver reaching for the wrong dump valve. The i3 also allows for rapid location and activation of the inflator to establish buoyancy at the surface in case of an emergency.
Easy
The i3 is simple and intuitive. Move the lever up to go up; down to go down Convenient Unlike a traditional inflator at the end of a floppy hose, the i3 never moves. It is stationary at the same location where your left hand normally rests. It is always in the right place at the right time.
Reliable
The i3 does not utilize pneumatics or hydraulics to activate the Flat E-Valves. Therefore, there is no possibility of failure due to leaks. Using push-rod technology, as found in aircraft, the design remains simple and robust.
Fun
The i3 is just plain fun to use.
i3
• Intuitive design makes buoyancy control safer and easier
• Opens upper and lower dump valves simultaneously. No more thinking about which dump valve to reach for
• Over-molded lever prevents gloves from slipping off while using
• Increased flow rate over traditional inflators. Allows you to fill your BC faster
• Attached dust cap prevents contaminants from entering mechanism when not in use
• The i3 uses fewer parts and is easier to service compared to standard inflators
• Using the new lp hose grip, the lp hose can be attached or removed while wearing the BC.
This will satisfy instructional agency requirements to disconnect and reattach lp hose while training Flat E-Valves
• Extremely low profile reduces drag in the water
• Utilize a one-way valve to prevent water from back flushing in when all of the valves open at once
• Very easy to service
• Activated with push-rod technology making them very responsive"
Specifications:
Year 2007
Contact Info:
Aqua Lung
2340 Cousteau Court
Vista, CA 92081
United States
760-597-5000
Visit us at http://www.aqualung.com
Diver Dennis
Contributor
Splitlip:
Hmmm. Not so hard to understand. Up is pulling the lever up toward your head or put another way, if you are standing on the floor, pull up to go up. Down toward your feet or if you are standing on the floor, down toward the floor. This does not change, even if you are upside down.
Remote deflation? Similar to using a string to dump air as most BCs use today. Is the rod technology as good as the string technology? I don't know.
Until people have tried this thing how do you know how well it works? I see the negative tone of the OP and everyone jumps on the bandwagon...:shakehead
Diver Dennis
Contributor
Otter:I just read about the new BC with the i3 inflator.
A direct quote :"The innovative i3 allows divers to simply and intuitively control their ascent and descent by pulling a lever up and down to surface or dive deeper."
What happened to buoyancy control??? And look at the design, does that handle look like an entanglement hazard looking to happen? Imagine some kelp getting wrapped around it and you shoot to the surface or sink to the floor. Did anyone with diving experience read the copy or think about the implications of this design?
Have you tried one of these BCs? Have you even seen one in person? Or can you just tell from the pictures this is a huge blunder by AquaLung?
RS
Guest
Nemrod:
Yeah, but this one is fun. It has a lever that goes up and down.
Well.
I know how tempting it is to bash something different from the norm that we haven't used.
With that in mind, my first jacket was a US divers model in the late 70's. That jacket had a waist-level combined inflate/deflate control that would no doubt elict gasps of dismay today. Yet, over roughly 200 dives I found it to be:
>Very reliable - never a failure.
>Easy to use.
>Convenient - it was an easy reach away from my right hand.
>Never an entanglement hazard, despite most of those dives being in Monterey kelp.
This jacket had a conventional inlator hose over the left shoulder that was purely oral. Although I appreciated it there as a backup, I think the only use it really saw was in rinsing at home.
I guess I say'in keep an open mind. And this comes from someone that owns both jackets and backplates.
All the best, James
I know how tempting it is to bash something different from the norm that we haven't used.
With that in mind, my first jacket was a US divers model in the late 70's. That jacket had a waist-level combined inflate/deflate control that would no doubt elict gasps of dismay today. Yet, over roughly 200 dives I found it to be:
>Very reliable - never a failure.
>Easy to use.
>Convenient - it was an easy reach away from my right hand.
>Never an entanglement hazard, despite most of those dives being in Monterey kelp.
This jacket had a conventional inlator hose over the left shoulder that was purely oral. Although I appreciated it there as a backup, I think the only use it really saw was in rinsing at home.
I guess I say'in keep an open mind. And this comes from someone that owns both jackets and backplates.
All the best, James
OP
Diver Dennis:
As my original post indicated. The COPY of the ad "... simply and intuitively control their ascent and descent by pulling a lever up and down to surface or dive deeper." speaks to adding air to ascend which is not the way to properly ascend. A proper ascent is done by swimming up while dumping air as it expands in your BCD so that you are in a controlled ascent. Adding air to 'surface' is a recipe for a runaway ascent.
My second point was specifically about the entanglement hazard afforded by a lever.
Others may have their own opinion about other features and as for jumping on the bandwagon, your post on the recall of a "H" inflator certainly appeared to be consistent with that characterization.
As for having tried one, no I have not...and will not. Speaking as an Instructor diving in the waters of Southern California where kelp is 'abundant', I wouldn't take the risk nor ask my students to....and I certainly would reemphasize that adding air to a BCD is for establishing positive buoyancy on the surface and neutral buoyancy underwater. As we say "no elevator rides to the surface".
To be 100% clear, my views on this are strictly my own and do not represent those of ScubaBoard. YMMV.
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