The Diving Technology That Every Diver Needs to Have!
Maurizio Banfi, CEO of SharkNet, is a seasoned electrical engineer who spent his entire career in developing, using and selling deep-sea underwater equipment. While talking with a friend owning a diving school, Maurizio realized that most of the scuba diving accidents or even casualties are simply a consequence of poor initial training, which nowadays is mostly left to the judgement of individual instructors. In order to solve this problem, Maurizio developed Sharknet, a system that shows the data of all training dives to both the student and his or hers training organization. Schools can evaluate any progress objectively and on a constant basis, while students increase their motivation and sense of accomplishment.
SharkNet is a two-part technology that includes an external attachment to divers’ suits that connects directly to an app on a smartphone. The physical attachment records the location and the depth profile of every single dive and, upon resurfacing, it automatically transmits all information to the student and to the school. On the app, all dives are nicely displayed on a chart together with their depth profiles and a set of information aimed at improving diving technique and efficiency.
Maurizio envisions SharkNet becoming an integral tool to be used in diving instruction, as upcoming free divers, scuba divers, and spear fishers are all working to hone their skills in their respective activities. Famous diving instructor Marco Mardollo had a significant role in designing some of the training features of the App. Champion free divers, such as Andrea Zuccari, has successfully proved SharkNet in the 126 feet deep of Italy’s Y-40, the deepest pool of the world.
In addition to being a teaching tool, Maurizio sees SharkNet as an opportunity to unify the diving community and advocate for more safety around diving and spearfishing. When divers complete dives that are loaded onto SharkNet’s database, the total time, difficulty, and user descriptions of the dives are shared in a social media style and are linked to that specific location. Divers are encouraged to reach out to one another and connect over their love for diving. Moreover, SharkNet has built-in safety features that allows diving boats to constantly detect who is onboard and who is still diving, not to forget anybody at sea. If anybody is missing, a request of position can be sent and the Sharknet device of the lost diver automatically communicates its position upon resurfacing. This function is very helpful for rescuers to help find missing divers in diving accidents and boat accidents in general.
SharkNet represents the future of the diving community. Whether you use it as a safety tool, a social media platform, or a dive-tracking trainer, SharkNet will be a solid addition to any diving school’s teaching kit or any diver’s repertoire. SharkNet is excited to be at the forefront of diving technology and is actively looking for strategic partners to bring their product to the American market. For more info, visit http://www.sharknet.com