Virtually every certified scuba diver you meet will tell you they won’t dive without a computer. In fact, just recently, dive computers became an integral part of the PADI Open Water Scuba certification program. However, Free Diving is an entirely different activity and some divers wonder why divers holding their breath would even need a computer.
World record-setting free diver Martin Stepanek knows first-hand how valuable a computer dedicated to free diver can be. Recently, he teamed up with the AERIS scuba equipment company to help develop a computer that meets the distinct needs of the free diver. That computer is scheduled for release this week according to AERIS officials.
“It was disturbing that there was not a computer that free divers could use in their training and competition,” he points out. “As free diving has continued to grow and expand, competitors have asked for tools to help them in their pursuit of free diving and breath-hold records.”
Stepanek explains that the repetitive nature of free diving (descending and ascending from different depths) does indeed cause participants to load nitrogen in their systems just like scuba divers. Further, the sometimes rapid ascents can also contribute to decompression sickness.
The new AERIS F.10 computer, which Stepanek tested during several international events and competitions, includes a number of features not appropriate for SCUBA divers. For example, the F.10 displays surface intervals in seconds, not minutes. The unit also has continual displays, so free divers have their hands free during descents and ascents.
To read about the F.10, click here: http://www.diveaeris.com/p_computers_f10.html
Stepanek used the F.10 during a world record attempt in the Red Sea earlier this year. That attempt was chronicled in a recently-released ad campaign by AERIS. To view the ad, go to New AERIS Campaign
“Martin’s assistance has been invaluable in the development of the F.10,” said AERIS marketing manager Doug Krause. “We see the growing opportunities for free diving in terms of training, product sales and travel. The F.10 will become a free diving standard and we’re pleased to be out in front of the trend.”
