Scuba Diver Makes First Underwater Facebook Post on Aqwary Smart Console

On August 26, Anders Brodin updated his Facebook status.

But this was no ordinary update – Brodin was diving in Vänern, Sweden’s largest lake, when he hit send. The post read: “Right now, I am diving at 16.1 meters and the temperature is 15 degrees (Celsius). This is only the beginning…”

This is the first time such a post has been created underwater using a wireless device. How did he send it? By using Aqwary’s Smart Console. Aqwary’s new device started turning heads last year and as its name may suggest it’s a mix between your trusty dive console and the latest smart phones.

The Smart Console’s initial claim to fame is that it uses ultrasonic sound to create a sub-aquatic network. This allows you to track the depth, direction and tank pressure of not only your buddy, but up to 70 divers within a 300-foot radius. It even has a built-in distress signal that can alert other divers in an emergency.

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The Buddy Viewer is just one of the many apps available on the Smart Console. That’s right, this dive gadget can be customized by downloading different apps from Aqwary’s online store. Among the air and nitrox compatible computer — which can be set on three conservative factors and calibrated for altitude — there are apps for a compass with a stopwatch, an image viewer that is perfect for downloading site maps and fish ID graphics, and dive logs that can be wirelessly connected to the cloud.

Aqwary is also working on a messaging app so you can communicate more effectively with your dive buddies. They even have a version of the classic game Snake, after one test diver suggested it so he could have something to do during long safety stops.

Currently Aqwary’s app store is closed to outside developers, but that may change. Brodin is optimistic that a new HTML5 interface will allow Aqwary to open its app store to third-party developers.

If this recent social network milestone is any indication, Aqwary is also well on their way to integrating Facebook and Twitter functionality into their dive computer.

The feat of wireless communication with the surface world is possible due to their new product, the Aqwary Link. This device acts as a go-between for land and sea, picking up the ultrasonic signals and connecting them to a tablet or laptop computer. This can be used to post to the world wide web, as demonstrated, but can also allow surface tenders to keep an eye on and interact with the divers below.

Though connection speeds are currently limited to 2kbps — slow by even 90s computer standards — the Aqwary Smart Console can still send weather updates, task data, and information on marine life to those below.