In this article, we are going to discuss some underwater breathing devices without oxygen tanks that you can use to make your dive experience memorable.
Breathing underwater without oxygen is known as tankless diving or hookah diving. This consists of a battery- or gas-powered air compressor that delivers air through a long hose called a down-line to the diver through a low-pressure regulator.
The air compressor pulls air from above the surface and sends a fresh supply through the tube to the divers below. Divers use regulators to breathe the air.
As long as you stay within the range of your air tube, you can spend as much time as you like below the surface without health concerns. So they require far less equipment from each diver. A tankless diving system includes:
- Portable Air Compressor
- Float Tube or Raft
- Filtered Hoses
- Regulators
- Power Source
It can run for 3-3.5 hours and supply air to more than one diver at a time depending on the system. Tankless diving is often done in less than 40 feet of water, however, some systems are designed to work well down to 65 feet.
Tankless diving is much easier to do without formalized training or certification. After a quick orientation session with a dive outfitter, you can start exploring below the surface in a matter of minutes.
Because you’re breathing through a hose, tankless divers can’t dive in deeper water, so the most dangerous scuba concerns of gas equalization and speed of ascent aren’t an issue.
Tankless diving is a great option for anyone who wants to explore reefs, lakes, and oceans. Men, women, and children of all ages can quickly and safely get started with tankless diving. There’s not a lot of heavy equipment to carry, no math calculations to perform, and very few safety considerations to stress over.
Tankless diving is a great compromise when you want to go beyond the capabilities of snorkeling but you feel overwhelmed by the idea of scuba diving. There are some limitations to tankless diving, but it’s a much easier pastime to try out casually.
So what are some devices used in tankless diving and how do they work? We’ll cover some devices you need to accomplish this intriguing experience. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
10 Underwater Breathing Devices Without Oxygen Tanks
Listed and discussed below are some devices you can use to explore more in your diving experience.
- Dive Portable Lungs (Dive and Refill anywhere)
- Nomad Tankless Dive System
- Brownie’s Third Lung
- SeeAir Tankless Dive System
- Nomad Mini
- Dive Nemo System
- Airbuddy
- Triton Tankless Scuba Mask
1. Dive Portable Lungs (Dive and Refill anywhere)
This is an amazing, Self-fill, steel/aluminum tank fit inside a small, portable bag which is perfect for any adventurer! You can take it with you everywhere you go, it fits in your backpack and the self-pump feature will keep you diving non-stop!
There is no need to take your tank to a scuba shop for refill. While you are adventuring/hiking/traveling and come across a pool, stream, river, or any body of water you can dive with Portable Lungs!
2. Nomad Tankless Dive System
Nomad is a battery-powered tankless diving system that floats on the surface like a buoy and delivers compressed air through a hose as you breathe underwater, to a depth of 9 meters. And it is best suited to more advanced divers wanting to explore deeper reefs, wrecks or search for underwater treasures a little further out.
The battery run time is typically about 45-60 minutes and spare batteries can be swapped in seconds for extra dive time.
This diving system is more than capable of supporting a wide range of deep underwater activities including boat maintenance, underwater exploration, photography, and underwater metal detecting.
Compared to traditional scuba setups, the Nomad Tankless Dive System provides an incredibly powerful, portable package that is easy to store and travel with inside the included backpack.
This makes getting to those secluded coves or remote swimming holes significantly easier, and recharging is as simple as plugging into any standard 240v outlet.
Nomad is powered by a custom lithium-ion battery pack that is swappable and rechargeable. The pack and connector are IP67-rated to handle saltwater environments.
Nomad has an air hose of 12 metres which is the perfect balance of weight, flexibility, and durability. The coils prevent the hose from kinking and make it super easy to dive.
The air hose is longer than the max depth to allow for more scope, making Nomad easier to tow while diving at max depth.
The buoyancy of the hose allows excess to float on the surface so that it stays clear of you, the marine environment, and other divers underwater.
Nomad comes with a one-year limited Warranty. With high-quality components and no moving parts, Nomad is incredibly reliable.
3. Brownie’s Third Lung
Brownie’s Floating Hookah Diving Systems offers the freedom to dive when and where you want without the use of conventional scuba equipment.
By replacing bulky scuba tanks and traditional buoyancy compensators with Brownie’s Drop Weight Cummerbelt and float-mounted compressor, divers can enjoy hours of fun exploring the underwater world.
Brownie’s Tankless Diving offers divers approximately three hours of air on less than one gallon of gas, less than the cost of filling a single scuba tank!
The new Variable Speed electric Sea Lion Third Lung is even more efficient for up to three hours of diving on one battery.
Brownie’s Floating Hookah Diving Systems can support as many as 3 divers to depths of up to 90 feet. Add-A-Diver Kits that allow an additional diver to participate are available through your local dealer.
Key Features of Brownie’s Third Lung
- It has Up to 3 hours of run time
- Easy swap lithium-ion battery with spring-loaded contacts
- Variable speed algorithm – system turns on and off based on diver breathing demands
- Maximum depth selector for higher efficiency modes
- Visible LED battery level indicator
- The total unit weight is 53 lb (mounted in pan, with battery)
4. SeeAir Tankless Dive System
SeeAir is easy, safe, and intuitive to use compared to traditional scuba cylinders. Diving with SeeAir is simple and lightweight without complicated setup and unnecessary gear. Even a diving rookie can learn to use it in minutes.
With an air hose extending up to 12 meters, the system is perfect for diving and snorkeling in shallow waters where undersea life is abundant.
SeeAir has an ultra-long battery life which can power your adventure for up to 5 hours! Thanks to a large 70000mAh battery, you can stay underwater longer and explore more.
It is perfect for underwater activities that require longer bottom times such as snorkeling, spearfishing, and photography.
As Safety is a top priority in sea diving, every feature of SeeAir is designed to ensure your underwater safety. SeeAir`s body was purposely reinforced. Making it resistant to damage from contact with the environment or other gear.
While you are diving the air supply is the most essential function. Featuring a powerful motor, the air supply can provide 56L/Min, adequate for any underwater activity. And the air provided is pure, using an activated carbon filter to remove impurities in the air. Breathe deep with clean, pure air.
Most importantly SeeAir is environmentally friendly with 100% pollution-free. Using pure electric power, SeeAir does not harm the fragile ecology of the underwater world as you dive freely among the fish.
5. Nomad Mini
Nomad Mini Dive System is for diving up to 15 to 30 feet in depth. Nomad tankless diving systems are lightweight, compact, and even airplane-friendly.
The complete system packs down into a backpack making storage seamless and convenient for owners of small recreational boats, inflatable boats, tenders, and personal watercraft (kayaks, canoes & stand-up paddle boards).
Nomad weighs only 15 lbs, the entire setup also fits into a backpack and takes up minimal space on your vessel. Whether you’re a sailboat, yacht, or center console owner, Nomad makes hull cleaning simpler, quicker, easier, and more efficient than ever before.
6. Dive Nemo System
They are super portable and user-friendly battery-powered, custom-designed compressors that float right behind you, providing air as you enjoy your underwater adventure.
The Nemo tankless diving system is lightweight, compact, and even airplane-friendly perfect for shallow-water diving. It features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows a single diver to dive up to 10 feet for 60-90 minutes or more
The main unit floats on the surface while you dive underwater. Inside the unit, there is a custom battery-powdered air compressor. The compressor pumps air to the diver through the air hose and out through our patented Smart Reg™, which saves battery life by monitoring breathing patterns to let the compressor know exactly when it needs to send air.
This means that it doesn’t just push air to you, but rather breathes with you. Whether you are treasure hunting, a recreational diver, or just seeking a travel-friendly adventure companion – Nemo is perfect for you.
Nemo is ultra-portable which makes it easy to carry and even travel with. It weighs less than 10 pounds and measures less than 12 on all sides
7. Airbuddy
AirBuddy is a battery-powered surface-supplied diving system for self-guided shallow water diving. It is a battery-powered portable dive compressor that floats on the surface above you and follows you as you dive.
It is a compact, user-friendly unit that provides maximum performance, comfort, and safety at the minimum weight and size.
AirBuddy is manufactured in Sydney, Australia from 220 (mostly custom-made) components that are sourced from reputable suppliers locally, and internationally.
Every finished AirBuddy undergoes a comprehensive testing program (takes about 1.5 hours), including a simulated dive using our “RoboDiver” a device that breathes like a diver and logs various data every second.
AirBuddy is a result of 4 years of R&D and many generations of working prototypes tested in the ocean. It combines 200-year-old diving principles with the latest technologies, materials, and innovations.
In case of an emergency 16L compressed air inside the float prevents immediate loss of air supply. It can provide about 4-5 breaths at depth to about 12-15 breaths close to the surface for a safe ascent or until you reach for an egressor.
8. Triton Tankless Scuba Mask
Triton was invented by a South Korean. This allows you to breathe beneath the surface of the water as if you were a fish. The mask, dubbed Triton, would allow you to dive free of cumbersome tanks and lines, and with an unlimited underwater air supply.
Triton consists of two arms, which branch out to the sides of the scuba mask, and are designed to function as gills. The scaly texture of Triton conceals small holes in the material that allow water to enter through small holes; from there it enters a chamber that separates hydrogen from oxygen.
The oxygen is then compressed and stored in a small storage tank, enabling the diver to inhale the collected gas comfortably within the ocean.
This whole gadget is powered by an easily rechargeable micro-battery, which is around 30 times smaller than a current battery and can charge 1,000 times faster.
Things to note about Triton
Some key features of Triton include:
- Swimmer bites down on a plastic mouthpiece to breathe.
- Two arms, which branch out to the sides of the scuba mask, have been developed to function as gills.
- The scaly texture on the arms conceals small holes in the material where water is sucked in.
- Chambers inside separate the oxygen and release the liquid so that the user can breathe comfortably in the ocean.
- Using a very small but powerful micro compressor, the system compresses oxygen and stores it in tanks.
- The gadget is powered by a micro battery around 30 times smaller than a battery.
This device, however, is only a concept and questions remain over whether it would be technically feasible to recreate.
So far, the design is just a concept, but if successful, you could soon be able to spend more time underwater, just like a marine creature!
Mr Yeon describes Triton as ‘a future product’ that could one day replace complicated scuba equipment
Conclusion
Whether you’re an air buddy, SeeAir, diving Nemo, or Nomad, you should take the Training Course before diving. With a maximum depth of 9 meters underwater.
Also while diving we strongly recommend diving with a backup air supply such as Spare Air (sold separately) and getting Scuba certified to further your diving skills. All these put together will make your diving experience worthwhile.
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Ahamefula Ascension is a Real Estate Consultant, Data Analyst, and Content writer. He is the founder of Hope Ablaze Foundation and a Graduate of Environmental Management in one of the prestigious colleges in the country. He is obsessed with Reading, Research and Writing.