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'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed

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

#251

Post by _carbyau_ »

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?

Not OP but I have the same or similar issue.

Filling your lungs is pretty easy to try and pretty much the first thing that comes to mind and almost always the first suggestion everyone gives.

I've done a lot of lap swimming, sub 30s 50m, can hold breath for ages, swim 50m underwater, comfortable scuba diving etc but that doesn't help.

The issue is not total flotation per se. It is balance. I can't push air down into my legs, so they go down. I have then lost a lot of surface tension with my body area, so I go down.

I end up vertical but with max capacity lungs I can bob near surface. But breathing out to breathe fresh air in makes me go down. Compared to someone floating happily on their back it is not relaxing.

I really wish people would give up on the "eVeRy0ne cAn f1oAt!" idea. With just my body(IE no floating aids/neoprene), nope.

What I do instead, I kick gently. Just enough to keep my feet up. That keeps the rest of me up holding surface tension. I'm pretty sure I could do this for hours if need be but never want to be in a position for survival to know.

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

#252

Post by verisimi »

gklitz wrote: post #55
verisimi wrote: post #45

How long till this is fitted with a motor, an e-propeller :)

There’s already plenty of electric underwater scooters on the market. This is novel because it’s not electric.

True! I realised this a while after I wrote the comment, d'oh!

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

#253

Post by _carbyau_ »

ben7799 wrote: post #162
dh2022 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> This is the answer.

Nope. Not even close. If you have any other pearls than "fill your lungs" then let me know. I'll be happy to try next time I'm in the pool.

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

#254

Post by gklitz »

jerlam wrote: post #125
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…

Maybe not necessarily "faster" but there is an idea that adding any kind of technology should be avoided for recreational activities. For example, you can mountain bike with a fully-suspended e-bike, or you can struggle with a hardtail or even a road bike. Different kinds of fun, but in the former you'll wonder if it's the technology doing all the work.

> you'll wonder if it's the technology doing all the work.

We’re talking about manually propelled bikes here. The bike isn’t doing all the work, but it is pretty essential in reaching the speed and sustaining the pace.

Sure you can argue that if you strap a rocket to your bike then you aren’t doing any work, but that’s not the case in either of these examples, so what’s the purpose of going down that tangent?

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

#255

Post by gklitz »

matsemann wrote: post #184
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…

But if you wanted to swim fast you could just use flippers, and be much more agile.

Sure, and if you want to run fast you can just use rollerblades instead of a bicycle and be be “more agile”. So what? Doesn’t mean bikes aren’t worth anything.

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

#256

Post by cfn »

RajT88 wrote: post #160
gnicholas wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but a person paddling isn't hydrofoiling, right? They're using their arms instead of legs and contending with tons of additional friction/drag. I see this as being akin to bicycling, since it uses the same muscles.

Here's what I am getting at... https://youtu.be/SDX3Hz2gsas A guy on one of these doing the minimum speed. He doesn't look like he's casually pedaling, no? It's probably harder to maintain 6mph than you might think.

They seem to be struggling a bit and the there's no wind or waves. Maybe coupled with a battery like an ebike it might be sustainable for longer than a few minutes.

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

#257

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

ben7799 wrote: post #106
julianeon wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can think of a huge one. I live near a fairly dangerous ocean in SF where I’ve gone bodyboarding with a wetsuit and fins. I’m concerned that, if caught in a current, fins are not enough to propel me out of it. This would. The extra power and ease of propulsion could make all the difference.

You just need to get familiar with the correct way to handle a current like that. It’s not to fight it. Especially with a bodyboard and fins doing the right thing does not require a ton of strength and shouldn’t be stressful.

Your comment kind of implies that a strong swimmer with a surfboard and the right knowledge will pretty much never be in a situation where a riptide/undertow/current/whatever you call it carries them out too far to swim back. Is that true? (It might be, I just know very little about surfing)

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

#258

Post by defrost »

SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #257
ben7799 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just need to get familiar with the correct way to handle a current like that. It’s not to fight it. Especially with a bodyboard and fins doing the right thing does not require a ton of strength and shouldn’t be stressful.

Your comment kind of implies that a strong swimmer with a surfboard and the right knowledge will pretty much never be in a situation where a riptide/undertow/current/ whatever you call it carries them out too far to swim back. Is that true? (It might be, I just know very little about surfing)

With heavy caveats it's mostly true.

Well informed local ocean | river mouth swimmers are gemnerally aware of the currents and tend to know how far out they carry and where one can get to the side to make their way back.

That said, currents are strong, people have bad days, they can panic, water can be cold .. far colder further out than might be expected and that can weaken the body.

Surfing is a whole other ball of wax; dedicated surf spots might be well offshore and require a boat or a jet ski to even reach, if those get crunched by a slab or fail there might be a whole lot of swimming to get back to shore, assumming the surf didn't get you.

eg: The Right in Western Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjHaFOGBPzk

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

#259

Post by matsemann »

gklitz wrote: post #255
matsemann wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you wanted to swim fast you could just use flippers, and be much more agile.

Sure, and if you want to run fast you can just use rollerblades instead of a bicycle and be be “more agile”. So what? Doesn’t mean bikes aren’t worth anything.

If you rollerblade or bike, you're no longer running. But with this underwater bicycle they are still swimming, just more awkwardly. So this isn't a new form of transportation.

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

#260

Post by helsinkiandrew »

freeqaz wrote: post #189
pge wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting that the CIA conclusion for a device very similar to the article is "Not recommended for operational use due to its discomfort and very slight gain in speed over that of a swimmer equipped with fins."

Toss a battery on it though and what does it look like then? Perhaps you're able to augment a human's ability to traverse longer distances more quickly. That's tech that didn't really exist back then!

There's tens of different companies that make these from about $300

https://scootermotion.com/shop/seascooters/

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