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Scuba-Doo Underwater Scooter
hawado writes "Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water, 'Fans of the Segway scooter now have a way to look just as silly traveling underwater as they do on land thanks to the efforts of an inventive Australian company.' 'The Scuba-Doo comes with everything you would want in a submerged Segway.' I just don't know what to say, but I am sure all you /.rs will have some really great comments. The company's web site can be found here."
I don't like the way you start to drown as soon as you fall off. :-)
I've ridden on very similar underwater skooters like this years ago. They've got these in just about any snorkel/scuba sites that are primarily tourist areas. Hawaii, Micronesia, Polynesia, the Caribbean, etc. all have tourist excursion packages that include riding these things.
Next week will we be hearing about snuba?
I have been pwned because my
... you're all free to say "Scuba-Doo, where are you?"
As a trained diver I can evaluate the personal risks involved in my sport and decide wether or not to engage in it. I think that this device will encourage untrained people to do things which can end up with them being DEAD or crippled.
It is too easy to get your eardrums blown in or your lungs burst, or drown unless you've had the appropriate training.
There are already DPV's (Piver Propulsion Vehicles) on the market for those who dont want to fin their way around the bottom. I think that this product will cause plenty of problems.
and I'd have made a million from it if not for you meddling kids..I mean /.'ers finding all these flaws.
Second when you dive to a depth of 30 to 60 feet or so you can only stay down safely a bit less than an hour or you risk getting the bends (nitrogen saturation of your blood coming out in gass form in your joints and nerves). So the time limit is just fine.
Third you dont have to be certified to use this. fourth, its failsafe in many ways that scuba is not. The number one danger in scuba is forgetting to exhale when ascending (descending is not dangerous). If you forget to exhale on ascent from 60 feet then when you get to the surface you have a few atmospheres of air in your lungs and they literally explode inside of your body. Since ther is a bubble of air around your head there is no time when you would feel like holding your breath. This machine automatically passively equalizes the air pressure for you as you ascend (your nose is also exposed too).
Likewise there is no way to suddenly find the tank is empty. when the tank goes empty you still have a head bubbles worth of air left
One of the little known facts about scuba diving is that if you run out of air then if stay calm you always have enough air in your lungs to swim to the surface from any depth. The reason is that as you go deeper you also have more air in your lungs. You only have to remember to exhale on the way up to let off the excess air pressure.
this thing is attached to a bouy so you cant sink it or goo to deep go into a cave. And you have a lifeline to the surface if you are disoriented. When you get to the surface you have floatation.
A final danger in scuba is too rapid of an ascent. when you try to go up your boyancy device will run away from you: as it expands you rise faster leading to further expansion and pretty soon you are apolaris missile broaching the surface as your lungs go "pop". On the scooter it controls this for you.
On the other hand the joy of scuba diving is the freedom of 3-D orientation. Drift in a current head down. try to use as little effort as possible (e.g dont swim up but instead just control your breathing to control your veritical position). look behind you look all around. This sort of sucks the life out of the sport.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
You're joking right ? Puking through a regulator is no harder than puking any other way, and I know from personal experience.
As an added benefit you would be amazed at how all the beautiful fish swarm round you afterwards.
If you dive without scuba gear, the problem cannot happen. You cannot have any more air in your lungs than you started with at the surface. Think about it. Your lungs will feel slightly crushed when going down, and expand back to normal size when going up. No problem.
Incidentally, you cannot have any more nitrogen in your tissue than you started with at the surface either. That's why the guys in Le Grand Bleu were able to go down to a depth of 100 meters, and up again whithin a couple of minutes, without feeling the bends.
The danger of scuba is that you add air (and nitrogen) to your body while at depth, and this air will expand in your lungs if you go up.