Chris DeFelice Bio | Christopher DeFelice is the product
developer and inventor of the Rapid Diver system. The Rapid Diver technology was patented in 2005 after 5 years of reseach and development working closely with the public safety dive community. Christopher
continues to directly support Professional Rescue Dive Teams, Law Enforcement, Military, Homeland Security, Border Patrol,
and Fire Rescue Depts.
The Rapid
Diver Technology has set the gold standard for Rapid Rescue, and has been used successfuly in numerous rescue operations.
Here is an article about Chris:
Christopher DeFelice has been a diver since age 12 (1976),
and was the first to be certified Advanced Scuba (now considered Master Diver) at age 16. His first experience in the
dive industry was in a dive retail near his home town in Massachusetts where he gained his underwater skills and developed
a deep appreciation with the diving industry "I knew then that I wanted to do something big in the diving,
I grew up watching the Cousteau specials, it seemed anything was possible underwater". The love of the water and a spirit
of adventure led Christopher to an exciting career in the US Navy. "It's hard to believe that since the
bombing in Beirut in 1983 we are still on the frontline of terrorism". " I feel proud of my contribution and
am as equally excited to be developing the next generation of dive equipment for the Military."The Naval experience
fed Christopher's enthusiasm for big technology.
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"It surreal to be
18 years old and at the helm of a state of the art Fast Frigate. My best friend on board got to fire missiles, it
doesn't get any better then that. There is no other career path that you get that kind of responsibility
at that young of an age." The exciting life of international travel and close combat led to a dilemma
in Christopher's career. "How do you top that? I was inspired by the travel and the technology."
"There was only one direction to go. The entertainment industry!"Orlando Florida is where Christopher found
himself. "The high profile attractions and all the possibilities, it seemed like anything was possible there. And
there was diving nearby, a big change from western Massachusetts" Christopher soon found his nitch working on special
projects that utilized his passion for diving and technology. | The first major
project that I worked on was to help create, train and race a human powered submarine for Disney. It didn't end there.
This particular project was a springboard to other subsea opportunities. "As soon as we completed the Disney Sub project
I got a call from Universal Studios about a TV Show call SEA QUEST DSV." This officially launched Christopher in
the sub business and into film and TV. "This is a time when I knew I was on the right track, I combined all of
my interests and talents into a micro-niche area of the subsea entertainment industry.." | | This led to a host of opportunities with
film and TV. "It became apparent that I could do more then just supply a piece of equipment. Christopher
found himself taking on projects with MTV, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the BBC. "Some
of the more interesting projects were filming dolphins in 3D for Sony, working with the second unit team on
a James Bond film and traveling the globe with the underwater expedition team "Team Atlantis". | | The Team Atlantis experience put all of Christopher's
skills to work. As a team member, Chris traveled to the small island of Yonaguni, Japan to film an underwater structure
of unknown origin. "The structure was amazing, I have never seen anything like it, a real mystery to be solved."During
the Japan expedition the team experienced some real challenges. "A Japanese patrol boat mistook the fishing boat
we had hired for transport as a drug runner and tried to sink us in the East China Sea. After they realized we
were not pirates or smugglers they escorted us to the island." | In an age of terrorism everything
is affected. Christopher found himself with a new direction. "After 911 things changed, I knew I had to change
too." "It is a different
world we live in, but I didn't want the events to change my outlook." Time to adjust to the times and take advantage of the new opportunities."I
learned that a lot of the new ideas and concepts adopted by the military come from the civilian marketplace. I used
my military experience to hone some of my equipment designs. Tactical mobility is a key concept regarding equipment design
for todays armed forces - well built equipment that is rapidly deployable and has endless configuration possibilities."
"My latest project,the RAPID DIVER™ compact scuba system, fits this profile combining hyper mobilty and stealth
in a compact completely configurable package. |
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