CHANGING SHAPES This revolutionary BC from Mares is called the Morphos Twin. It can change shape from a convenient wing to something more like a floating sofa when fully inflated, and gives masses of lift. When you've finished diving, it turns itself inside-out and becomes a cushion. It uses the MRS advanced integrated-weight approach with the Mares Airtrim system, whereby pneumatics do away with the need for a direct-feed with corrugated hose. "Twin" comes from the fact that it has two of everything, including pneumatic dump valves. There is also a less-expensive single pneumatic dump-valve Morphos constructed in a lighter-weight cloth. The Mares Morphos Twin costs £400 and comes in the usual range of sizes.

WORTH THE WAIT We've told you so much about the Atomic M1 regulator in recent issues but we haven't been able to tell you where you can get one. At last, thanks to bureaucratic delays on CE certification, importation has started and you can order one from the first consignment to enter the UK at any franchisee of Mike's dive stores.

TOP PHOTO-CALL With a top prize approaching £4000, and generous prizes for runners-up, the Open Fotosub competition held annually in the waters surrounding the island of El Hierro in the Spanish Canaries has unique attractions for Europe's top underwater photographers. It is held in March and limited to a fixed number of entrants, but it's not too late to apply for entry because the organisers have reserved some places for foreign participants. Entry closes in the first weeks of February. The competition is based in the small fishing village of La Restinga, and good diving is to be had.

CLEANING UP Are you an AP Inspiration rebreather- owner and still using a broom-handle to help you change hoses? We think you'll know what we mean! A broom-handle may be a cheap tool but it will eventually damage the lugs inside the hose connection. Elite Diver Training makes a special tool from turned aluminium and stainless steel. It hopes to clean up! £30.

TOP-DOLLAR CONTEST The first annual Mantafest festival and photo contest is being held from 25 June-2 July in Yap, Micronesia. Both 35mm film and digital photographers will compete in various categories, such as best manta, best mandarinfish or best shark image. Prizes with a minimum value of US $20,000 are promised. Manta Ray Bay Hotel and Yap promotes the event which, they say, will include events for non-divers and sponsored parties. Package prices start from £860 excluding flights but including a manta-awareness course, films and processing and T-shirt.

WITH OR WITHOUT ICE? It's proven that regulators with greater heat-sink qualities are less likely to freeze up. Some manufacturers add heat-exchangers to plastic second stages. The men from Mares say they have gone one better and come up with an all-metal version of the mini-sized Proton, the Proton Ice. And if that isn't effective enough for you, they can provide it with an environmental sealing kit (£45 extra) too. The Proton Ice with MR32 first stage costs £350 in basic form. There is also an octopus available at £146.

DINOSAURS BEWARE This titanium diver's knife looks lethal. It's called the T-Rex. It has an assortment of cutting edges, including a line-cutter and comes with a range of mounting accessories for its sheath, a set of straps for arm or leg, a hose clamp, a stainless-steel plate that will allow you to fit it to any flat part of your BC and a belt-clip. Titanium is super-light, super-strong, super-sharp and does not rust. At more than £52 you won't want to lose it either, so the importer suggests fitting an optional Aquatec Kevlar lanyard (£9.80). If the knife's too rich for your blood, there is a less expensive stainless-steel version at around £24.

DISCOUNT THE DIVING Eco Divers, based in Manado, North Sulawesi, tells us that if you book with a buddy, sharing a room at the Tasik Ria hotel and booking your diving or courses with Eco Divers, you can save a whopping 25% on the cost of both. It has a purpose-built dayboat that visits both Banka Island and the Bunaken Marine Park, where you are likely to see sharks, turtles, eagle rays and perhaps an orca or a dugong too. There's a WW2 wreck within dayboat range and the house reef at the Tasik Ria is getting something of a reputation for pygmy seahorse encounters.

GOT THE T-SHIRT ProDivers, the operator of three dive resorts in the Maldives, asked a visiting diver and the MD of 4I Group designers to come up with an identity and an introductory range of branded goods to support brand awareness at diving and travel events. The result is a contemporary range subtle enough to be worn back home even by those who have never been lucky enough to visit the resorts. You can see what's on offer at LIDS next month or by visiting the website.

JAPANESE GARDENS Virtually unknown as a diving destination, Japan's southern sub-tropical paradises, the Kerama Islands, are lush, green and virtually uninhabited. Winter diving highlights whale-watching while summer promises encounters with manta rays. The "lost city" of Yonaguni with its awe-inspiring stone monuments is also a must-see and winter diving features schooling hammerheads and blue-fin tuna. Trips in May with Open Coast cost around £2000 plus flights.

STILL USING TRANSITS? These Inpro Optics Marine 7x50 binoculars are designed for use in the wet conditions found in small boats. They are filled with inert gas to prevent internal fogging and, thanks to an integral in-view compass with its own illumination for night use, charting a course or picking up a landmark becomes precise. Anti-UV coatings give a high-definition view in good sunshine with reduced glare from the water's surface and individual eye-piece adjustments mean that once set for your eyesight no other adjustment is needed. They are guaranteed for 15 years. £200.

TAKING YOUR LUNCH? Conservation-minded as Diver's editorial staff surely are, we found it hard to come up with a use for this capacious Stahlsac Goody Bag. Until, that is, we realised that it was perfect for filling with cans of non-caffeinated soft drinks, to be hung over the side of a moored boat to keep cool, and then consumed between dives at lunchtime. It is made of extremely strong nylon mesh with a draw-string. We have heard of people putting captured lobsters in them, too. Like all Stahlsac products, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. £14.

BARGAIN RED Positioned midway along the Sinai coast between Israel and Sharm, Dahab has re-launched itself as a trendy diving destination for those with a laidback approach to life. With famous dive sites such as the Canyon and the Blue Hole nearby, Dahab offers some spectacular Red Sea shore-diving and DiveSportif offers all-inclusive holidays. Another tour operator, RegalDive, says that there has never been a cheaper time to go diving in the Red Sea and offers many bargain deals, such as all-inclusive holidays with B&B accommodation, including diving in both Hurghada and Safaga, from £355.