Hollis Explorer - Due Soon in the UK

[RichardHowes]

You're saying eSCR is not more complicated than open circuit?!

Completely, in the same way an Apple Mac is less complicated than a ZX Spectrum. Engineer out the complications to the point where there is only one required response to a system problem.

Fatalities generally get caused by;

Error occurring
User has several options to choose from to solve the problem
User chooses wrong answer

If there is only one option available to solve a problem, then the user cannot choose the wrong one. Give a dive computer to a Open Water student and ask them what each piece of information on screen means...

my 8 y/o niece could use the Hollis Explorer, and she doesn't dive!

*Although I'd never go as far to say it's 'idiot proof', as that's often seen as a challenge for idiots ;-)

[RichardHowes]

A little tongue in cheek... but i'm not sure this is the best model on which to release a product you hope will change the industry.......

Agreed, but aforementioned diver was ignored by shop staff for 15 minutes...some people just don't like making a profit! (This was witnessed in my time as PADI Regional Manager).

[AndrewR]

Unless there are significant discounts to dive centres, I still don't see how this can take off. Compare the cost for the dive centre of lets say three rebreathers vs OC. I genuinely would love to see the business case for that.

[WFO]

Same thing was said by some daft audience members at EuroTek to Mr Toomer.

We have computers flying our airliners, yet people still believe they are better at monitoring a handset and manually injecting :-( 50% of the population are below average intelligence, yet 90% say they're above average. Go figure.

All Rec RBs are designed for 1 option in emergency. They're not Tech RBs and never intend to be.

As mentioned several times, we're in an industry where the limiting factor is the current mindset of 'New RB...it must be a tec unit...why does it do ted?...wouldn't want one of those...'

Lots of people in the industry are alredy signed up for thee units in their centres as they see it as a new technology that can attract new people to the sport. Hollis Worldwide is already onto the travel market and has the plans in place for this with rental units being implemented in holiday markets and at home in the UK.

Apart from the 'Will it do deco; NO' questions, does anyone here work in the UK industry as a pro and see any issues with this being used by brand new divers to dive on?

Which bit is daft?

The conventional SCR units had it about sussed years ago and they didn't really sell well. They are dead easy to use and don't have any complicated electronics to worry about except for the monitoring. You could easily stick some cells on one of those a lot simpler with some banging and flashy lights for if it stops working.

My experience of brand new divers is there are some who have the right mindset to handle a proper unit, and some who after 10 attempts still don't understand the difference between a DIN and an A clamp!


I'm not surprised places that want to jump on the bandwagon and sell lots of them and the profitable courses to go with them have them in there but I don't think many will sell TBH. I think you're asking in the wrong place if you expect everyone to tell you they'll be joining the back of the queue.

Maybe the apple mac comparison is about right, I don't understand the people who buy the latest iPhone every year either!

[matt]

I'm a big fan of CCR for three types of dive - long, quiet, deep. Personally I'd only ever consider eCCR. There may be a market for this - but it's tiny IMHO. People with 4K to splash are not buying units - they are on a 4 week trip to the Maldives in 5* accommodation and flying Club.

If you can get them into the PADI supply chain then you've a chance. Personal rec. market - no chance. I wait to be proven wrong.

I'd also get someone with a better CCR track record to cut the video ;-)

Matt.

[johnny boy]

First off, i was at Eurotek and witnessed the questions posed. They weren't daft. i felt they were valid and reasonable. The presentation given by Paul could have gone better as well and wasnt helped by his nervousness - which he openly admitted during the seminar.

I love the idea Mr Hollis, but it's simply down to price that makes me doubt it's success.

[anvill72]

Did you watch the video? Turn on gas, turn on handset, breathe...

How is that more complicated?

The unit is for the same customer who parks outside a centre on the double yellow lines in their Audi TT to get an air fill (been witness to this), they couldn't be bothered to carry their cylinder from the car park so would rather stump up the £60 fine from the Traffic Warden!

The same Open water diver who buys a £1000 Hollis DX300 drysuit (It's all we're making in the factory at the moment!). The same Open Water Diver who spends £500 on ali cylinders, £600 on a sidemount wing, £1000 on sidemount regs etc because they really want to do it.

As a worldwide company I can assure most people on here that we haven't done this to 'give it a go', as with the acquisition of the Prism2 and Sentinel systems, we see this as a long term strategy for the sport and something that consumers will move towards.

I was about to say I'm probably in your target market until the Audi TT comment

I don't dive an Audi and I don't park in double yellows if I can avoid it , but I'm a very recently qualified PADI AOW with just over 25 logged dives and a still high SAC (therefore definitely *NOT* a Tec, RecTec or whatever diver), who wants to safely extend dive times while staying in no deco limits. I'd love to actually dive to the NDL of EAN36 @ 30m but my air won't last that long. Currently my only option is to use a 15L cylinder. If only there was an alternative that wasn't as heavy, and not too much more expensive!

I'd find it hard to justify £4k and I'm definitely a one-percenter or thereabouts (admittedly I also have to support a housewife and 4 kids). If I was going to negotiate spending that kind of dosh with SWMOB, I'd want to justify it as something that was going to continue to be useful for a very long time.

How soon before you put that level of safety and automation and simplification into a CCR? That might entice me.

I can only see myself using one of these as a hire on holiday.

[Baz]

It's a thing of beauty.

Can we have 2 on free trial along with the training and we will write a full review into how easy it is to get into CCR please?

[dmainou]

Re: Hollis Explorer - Due Soon in the UK

I'm a very recently qualified PADI AOW with just over 25 logged dives and a still high SAC (therefore definitely *NOT* a Tec, RecTec or whatever diver), who wants to safely extend dive times while staying in no deco limits.

Humbly, I'd suggest to dive many more times the number of logged dives before you think of doing something like this.

You are right in that you are the target market. I'd also believe that once you've completed 150+ dives you'll see the issue at hand in a better light. Improving your sac is about fitness and relaxation.

Rebreathers kill more people than you think. You'll need to ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the risks and if you can appropriately evaluate them with 25 dives on your belt.

If you choose to dive one you should do so with the eyes wide open. There is no such a thing as a recreational rebrether.

The natural following question is if you are happy to run the risks, if this machine will take you everywhere you wish to go and if it doesn't what is the delta in terms of dollars to achieve your objective. You'll find very very quickly that you don't need a lot more to have a fully capable unit.

Thus why I think other posters have expressed their doubts about the unit.

D



Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Jackdiver]

Humbly, I'd suggest to dive many more times the number of logged dives before you think of doing something like this.

You are right in that you are the target market. I'd also believe that once you've completed 150+ dives you'll see the issue at hand in a better light. Improving your sac is about fitness and relaxation.

Rebreathers kill more people than you think. You'll need to ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the risks and if you can appropriately evaluate them with 25 dives on your belt.

If you choose to dive one you should do so with the eyes wide open. There is no such a thing as a recreational rebrether.

The natural following question is if you are happy to run the risks, if this machine will take you everywhere you wish to go and if it doesn't what is the delta in terms of dollars to achieve your objective. You'll find very very quickly that you don't need a lot more to have a fully capable unit.

Thus why I think other posters have expressed their doubts about the unit.

D



Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Ha ha ha

Right...

B...S..

[matt]

I'm definitely a one-percenter or thereabouts

What do you call top 1%...

Matt.

[nickb]

People like me and you Matt, earning a fortune and living the dream.

[anvill72]

Humbly, I'd suggest to dive many more times the number of logged dives before you think of doing something like this.

You are right in that you are the target market. I'd also believe that once you've completed 150+ dives you'll see the issue at hand in a better light. Improving your sac is about fitness and relaxation.

That is precisely my plan!

I just thought I'd give the feedback that the OP asked for: from a non-tec diver in the "target market" as all the other replies seemed to be from techies...

Don't worry I am in no great hurry to use a rebreather. Plenty to learn first. I can see how someone in a hurry and with more money than sense would be tempted, though.

[matt]

People like me and you Matt, earning a fortune and living the dream.

[anvill72]

What do you call top 1%...

Matt.

Estimating the UK one percent: A public service message