Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

newatlas.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 285 posts

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#161

Post by password54321 »

gklitz wrote: post #51
uncertainrhymes wrote: post #35

I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. This seems awkward and I bet you have to use your arms just to counterbalance the twist you'd get on each 'stroke' of the leg. So even though I think it's goofy, I bet I'd like whoever came up with this. Someone who put a ton of effort into building something they thought would be interesting despite a thousand people telling them it's goofy. Go…

> I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. I run because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. But I also bike because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. You seem to assume that because this thing is faster, it must automatically be less enjoyable. That’s not the case for bikes, why should it be the case here? In my opinion it sounds fun, and…

>You seem to assume that because this thing is faster, it must automatically be less enjoyable.

The problem in this case is that the device is doing part of the swimming for you.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#162

Post by ben7799 »

dh2022 wrote: post #67
simonbarker87 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people (myself included) don’t float like this. I try basically every time I get in the water and my legs drift down to just after 45 degrees and then I slip under completely and don’t resurface until I give in and swim back up. People who can float never believe me, but enough have now seen me in the water that I know I’m not “doing it wrong” I just don’t float. The people who’ve seen me try it in water always…

Have you tried filling your lungs with as much air as possible?

This is the answer. You're supposed to learn this if you take quality swim lessons.

I was a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and lifeguard. I taught plenty of lessons to sub-10% body fat adults who had this problem. I generally have this problem too.

I can still float all day effortlessly.

I would totally try this toy out if it was at a resort and I could try it free or for a small charge. I think I wouldn't likely buy one but I would definitely enjoy trying it.

It is extremely clear to me this is a toy for expert swimmers. Anyone who has any fear at all of it should not try it. A lot of the comments read to me as people who are not good swimmers and aren't being straightforward about it and are projecting things onto the device.

But I also see no reason why you can't use this thing with a PFD. For something like a snorkeling program you could let people use it with a PFD.

A lot of people who can't swim freak out and have poor control of their breath. That's why this is a sticking point in lessons sometimes. You can tell someone to slow their breathing and hold more air in their lungs, but they are basically freaking out breathing fast and they have no control.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#163

Post by loeg »

danielvaughn wrote: post #78
loeg wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate on that?

clip-ons lock your feet to the device. If you find yourself needing to suddenly swim away from the device for any reason, you better hope that you can easily clip out. On a bicycle, you can do this fairly easily because you're on ground with gravity. In water, it could be much more challenging to clip out.

> If you find yourself needing to suddenly swim away from the device for any reason

Can you elaborate on that part?

You would set the cleat retention tension lower than for a bicycle. (But also this product is ridiculous, no one is actually using it.)

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#164

Post by arturkesik »

uncertainrhymes wrote: post #35

I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. This seems awkward and I bet you have to use your arms just to counterbalance the twist you'd get on each 'stroke' of the leg. So even though I think it's goofy, I bet I'd like whoever came up with this. Someone who put a ton of effort into building something they thought would be interesting despite a thousand people telling them it's goofy. Go…

I come from family of scuba divers, and the scuba divers are a perfect market for this I think - pretty rich, pretty lazy and have to cover a lot of distance underwater

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#166

Post by mhb »

etrautmann wrote: post #26
debacle wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything you choose will be cumbersome because you can't create friction on the water (well...), your ability to move is based on your ability to move water around you. There are solutions that leverage a pair of catamarans and a track system, or a prop. These tend to move very slowly, much slower than a canoe or kayak. The water wheel style systems seem to move faster, but you can just get a pedal kayak and will be…

I've always wondered why nobody has created something that looks like a catamaran with two rowing shells and a road bike on top directly connected to a prop. That would have minimal drag, an optimal body positioning for using leg muscle strength, and would be fun and intuitive to pilot (facing forwards, feels like biking, etc). The obvious downside is that height above water may be an issue so the catamaran would hav…

http://www.castlecraft.com/seacycle.htm

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#167

Post by zardo »

password54321 wrote: post #161
gklitz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I swim because I enjoy it, not because I'm trying to get somewhere fast. I run because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. But I also bike because I enjoy it, not because I’m trying to get somewhere fast. You seem to assume that because this thing is faster, it must automatically be less enjoyable. That’s not the case for bikes, why should it be the case here? In my opinion it sounds fun, and…

>You seem to assume that because this thing is faster, it must automatically be less enjoyable. The problem in this case is that the device is doing part of the swimming for you.

I don't understand how this is different than the running-bicycling example. How does this swim for you but a bicycle doesn't run for you?

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#168

Post by rcruzeiro »

dylan604 wrote: post #127
lupusreal wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Wartime paddleboards" is not a phrase I ever expected to read.

Brings a new meaning to "Charlie don't surf". At this point though, you have to pretty much imagine that the military has researched any and every mode/method/means of achieving the goals of a mission. I'm sure roller blades and skateboards have been considered at some point as well.

Not sure about the military, but French police has been using rollerblades to patrol the streets of Paris.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#169

Post by cassianoleal »

xhkkffbf wrote: post #89
cassianoleal wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially clipping your feet to a bouyant device!

Better than clipping them to a non-buoyant device. Or worse, the classic cement overshoes.

If it's non-buoyant and not very heavy, it's easier to control and stay afloat than if it pushes your feet upwards to the surface.

Re: 'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

#170

Post by alanbernstein »

bilsbie wrote: post #10

I wish we could find a good way to bike over the surface of the water. I haven’t seen anything that’s not slow and cumbersome.

I can only imagine this is slow and cumbersome, but I love the idea of it working with your existing bike: https://www.shuttlebike.com/en/
Post reply on HN