Russell Sanoian of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo, recently took the CudaX out for a multi-day wreck dive. Read about his experience here!
"Backscatter leads a trip to Truk Lagoon every year. We typically have about half of the group on closed circuit rebreathers and DPVs. The last time we were there was 2019 for the 75th anniversary, then the pandemic hit and we were not able to get back out there until March of this year. The last few trips I've brought my Sierra DPV, which is 20 years old and still going strong! This trip I was able to bring my CudaX with a pair of DeWalt 60v/20v 9.0AH batteries. We dove for 10 days with a deep dive in the morning (180-210ft) and shallower dive in the afternoon (80-140ft). I had my Nauticam housing for the Sony A1 and a pair of Keldan 8X video lights mounted to the CudaX on every dive. There were dives where I would tow my dive buddy who was on doubles with a large DSLR rig. Most of the wrecks are 400-500ft long and we would often go from bow to stern. I dove the entire trip and never had to charge the batteries; I was blown away!
The Sierra or older Cuda DPVs required the batteries to be changed at the end of every dive day. We have a lot of other gear that has to be cleaned/serviced at the end of every dive day, so being able to rinse the CudaX and just leave it in the dive shop was a game changer. I was typically in 4th or 5th gear most dives. On deco I would typically go to speed 1, which was perfect for staying almost stationary (depending on water movement) and being able to circle the group just to keep eyes on everyone and take some pics if we had fish or sharks circling us. I have also used the CudaX at Ginnie Springs, and the Ludicrous mode is a blast for getting into the Eye or anywhere there is extreme current!
