Something really new, Worlds Smallest Dive System

[DredgerDana]

Hi, I bot a pair of them, one for gold mining partner yesterday. It just went up on KickStarter and made its goal in a little more than 1 day.

It is the Nemo, a tiny hookah or surface supplied dive system about 10 pounds and not much bigger than a football. You can dive for hour+ to 10 feet on a rechargeable roughly fist sized battery. I plan to hook it up to solar to it when get it and have the time. A single unit goes for $349.

Here is the KickStarter and it has good tech detail on it ( deleted by mod)

The key thing on performance is that it has an electronic regulator, that only uses only 10% of the power of any prior dive system. That is how a fist sized battery lasts over an hour. Also the pump is a linear dual opposed cylinder pistons so virtually no wear, no crankshaft, no rotation.

I am an inventor, and wanted one so did come up with the idea of electronic regulator and super portable system. Approached Brownies with it, one of the oldest names in diving. They said were working on it (super portable), and then they bot from another inventor John Colburn who independently had come up with same electronic regulator idea 4 months before me. So no hard feelings, dropped my prototyping, and I bot it on Kickstarter launch.

Did have some contributions to the designs and am an advisor now to the company for full disclosure, but not an employee.

Now what does this mean to treasure hunters and gold dredgers/prospectors? That is why am writing this. See it as a game changer. Was in Downieville last week told 3 miners about it (before kickstarter) and all three wanted one. Since then know of one involved with WMA that has bot and another WMA guy told me last nite he was buying one for daughter to dive with as safer than SCUBA.

The thing for the miner/underwater detectorist/treasure hunter is portability and cost. It fits in knapsack easily, weighs 10 pounds and comes with everything you need except mask(use your own), and is airliner certified, you can take it even as carry-on on a trip anywhere. Think it is only dive system that has that ability.

So you can go to Cabo and underwater metal detect down to 10' (about 13 feet with arm reach and more with detector) for what people lost in surf etc. For me as dredger and cervicer its opened up all sorts of territory that it's hard to bring in a gas engine system too. Think for prospecting a river is is truly a game changer. In past have seen cervices 8 feet down in backcountry beckoning to me but out of reach.

Oh well just thought people here would be interested in this new tool.

Cheers.

 

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[FreeBirdTim]

You seem to be plugging this item on here quite a bit. Are you connected with this company? Getting a commission for recommending them? You're not allowed to sell anything unless you are a charter member.

 

[DredgerDana]

You seem to be plugging this item on here quite a bit. Are you connected with this company? Getting a commission for recommending them? You're not allowed to sell anything unless you are a charter member.

Hi Tim, I do not get any commision and am not an employee. As explained invented the same thing and tried to sell it them, but John Colburn was 4 months ahead of me and that is the unit being KickStarted,his design. I did have some input on some design issues (to handle fast water in rivers and something that made manufacturing easier), and have bought two of them for prospecting on the KickStarter. Hope that does not violate the rules. Being I started building a similar prototype of my own design first, this topic is naturally of great interest to me. An ultra portable dive unit.

Cheers

 

[RTR]

That system was suppose to be ready for sale 2 Months ago ,it still isn't.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I know nothing about diving, but I see two glaring flaws with this system. Number one is that you can only dive 10 feet. That seems to seriously limit it's use for metal detecting. Number two is that it's a battery powered air compressor. No way would I bet a constant air supply on a battery powered air compressor. I know you're only 10 feet under water, but 10 feet is a long way to go if you suddenly realize you have no air! And yes, it has a warning signal, but I wouldn't bet my life on that working. Just my take on this device...

 

[DredgerDana]

That system was suppose to be ready for sale 2 Months ago ,it still isn't.

Hi RTR, Thought had replied but do not see post so will do it again. You may be thinking of Airbuddy a $1,000+ product from another company that weighs more than twice as much and they did not deliver when they said they would. It looks like a good unit if they get it done.

The Nemo is by Brownies and am 100% sure it has never been offered for sale before. This is its introduction as of 3 days ago.

 

[Actionman]

Thanks DeredgerDana for telling us about this product. I take it as you being excited about a new tool that is valuable to other treasure hunters, not as trying to line your pockets. I saw this thread and ordered a early bird special. Great for river hunting and diving on my sailboat.

 

[DredgerDana]

Thanks ActionMan, what type of uses are you thinking of in rivers? See you are from Oregon, are you in rivers for gold? Yes you are right, have needed something like this a long time, hence started building my own and am excited about it. Per chance the inventor (John Colburn) called me this morning, we haven't talked since July. He is now interested in gold mining (is from Texas) so we hope to try out a prototype gold mining in a creek.

I have never done beach detecting much but think will try it now, do have a small underwater detector.

 

[DredgerDana]

I know nothing about diving, but I see two glaring flaws with this system. Number one is that you can only dive 10 feet. That seems to seriously limit it's use for metal detecting. Number two is that it's a battery powered air compressor. No way would I bet a constant air supply on a battery powered air compressor. I know you're only 10 feet under water, but 10 feet is a long way to go if you suddenly realize you have no air! And yes, it has a warning signal, but I wouldn't bet my life on that working. Just my take on this device...

Hi Tim,

I have gold dredge dived for hundreds of hours on Kanaka, Middle Fork of Yuba and other rivers since the 1970s. What happens when air stops pumping, is nothing. It has happened to me maybe 25 times on gas engine units (gas runs out). I normally stay down another 10 seconds or so to finish off what was doing, then swim to top. If you are in fast water with 60 pounds of lead then it might require dropping your belt but thinking about it, just recall walking to surface. Normally it's the gas running out that causes this.

At 10 feet you are same depth as when you dive off low board, just swim to surface. The dangers are using a non diving compressor (oil lubricated as most are) that will kill you(coats lungs and you get no oxygen) As well as Carbon Monoxide from gas exhaust getting in intake. One more danger if having a boulder roll on you and you can not get to surface. Having backup air and buddies is a solution to that.

On issue of 10 feet, there is an advantage in a major part of the market. The warm water resorts can rent these out with very little training and danger. Medical studies show generally you have to be over 10 feet down to get an embolism, if you surface without letting any air out. Rare but some people panic and surface holding their breath, at over 10 feet that can kill you from embolism, air bubble being forced into your blood. So safer and less instruction if you limit to 10 feet.

If someone needs to go deep and be on battery, the SeaLion came out about 2 months ago and its specs are Run time: Up to 3+ hours available, 2 divers to 65 ft and 3 divers to 35 ft* It sold out and is in 2nd run now, also from Brownies.

But it is much more expensive.

In my Kanaka/Yuba experience 99% of the time am less than 10 feet. There are people that have gone down 80 feet on North Yuba, but the average dredger has to work to get two feet of water under the dredge then dredge bending over to get 3 feet, enough to get in the water. In the hundreds of hours on Kanaka and Middle Yuba likely 99% of time my head was at 10 feet or less. My section of Yuba averages 12 foot deep bedrock(arm reachable if head at 10'). So for me it's very practical at 10 feet for dredging and the idea of cerviving on backcountry prospecting hikes quite appealing. I do have a gas unit with t-80 pump but so much heavier.

Cheers

 

[Actionman]

I plan on using it in the river with my Excalibur to look for lost jewellery. It is a well used river that is 8' deep max. It goes through Bend, a large town in the middle of Oregon. Lot's of folks float down it. I would also like to use it for sniping. I love being in the water, used to dredge a lot until they outlawed it.
I have used dive equipment to hunt for jewellery before, and that is a lot of gear! This will be so easy to use for the shallow stuff. I don't see going deep in freshwater, it's just to dark down there to find anything. I tried to find my anchor in 30' at a local lake and just could not see anything! Most loss is at wading depth out to six feet, I think. That's where all the swimmers seem to be.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Hi Tim, I do not get any commision and am not an employee. As explained invented the same thing and tried to sell it them, but John Colburn was 4 months ahead of me and that is the unit being KickStarted,his design. I did have some input on some design issues (to handle fast water in rivers and something that made manufacturing easier), and have bought two of them for prospecting on the KickStarter. Hope that does not violate the rules. Being I started building a similar prototype of my own design first, this topic is naturally of great interest to me. An ultra portable dive unit.

Cheers

You still can not plug, push or advertise a non supporting vendor like this. No more hot links to them and no more advertising them unless they are a supporting vendor.

 

[DredgerDana]

I plan on using it in the river with my Excalibur to look for lost jewellery. It is a well used river that is 8' deep max. It goes through Bend, a large town in the middle of Oregon. Lot's of folks float down it. I would also like to use it for sniping. I love being in the water, used to dredge a lot until they outlawed it.
I have used dive equipment to hunt for jewellery before, and that is a lot of gear! This will be so easy to use for the shallow stuff. I don't see going deep in freshwater, it's just to dark down there to find anything. I tried to find my anchor in 30' at a local lake and just could not see anything! Most loss is at wading depth out to six feet, I think. That's where all the swimmers seem to be.

Actionman, good for you. I have only done wilderness river diving where fishing lures and weights are primary human thing (and green patina Levi copper rivets quite common), but urban river diving sounds like fun. Ever watch https://www.youtube.com/DALLMYD that guy has a ball urban river diving, finds goPros, jewelry, guns, etc.

Ah you just gave me an idea, I have a urban river that is very pretty and has big trout in it, 1 mile from me. Its heavily inner tubed in summer, bet is full of stuff and know it has a fair amount of my fishing gear in it about 5 to 10 feet down, The Truckee :-)