QUANTUM LEAP Cressi-sub moves confidently into the 21st century with this new regulator design. The Airtech has an adjustable, pneumatically balanced second stage with heat-exchanger, venturi ± control and titanium insert, coupled to a compact, balanced-diaphragm, six-port first stage. The Airtech is expected to sell at around £275, but a more expensive environmentally sealed version should soon be available, as well as the entry-level Airplus.

NOW IT'S A HOLIDAY! Operation Wallacea is a marine conservation group that spends most of its time sending university students to East Sulawesi in Indonesia. Now it is opening its doors to holiday divers for the first time. With a resident marine biologist and a vessel for short liveaboard expeditions based at its marine research centre on the island of Hoga in the Wakatobi marine reserve, it promises something special. Sixteen-day trips including flights via Bali with full-board accommodation cost £1700.

SCANDINAVIAN CHIC The Poseidon Powerlift Photic NHV is a Swedish-brand BC with an integrated-weights system, trim-weight pockets at the rear, four pockets, six large, stainless-steel D-rings, smaller D-rings for use with a jock-strap, two upper dump valves and a rear dump operated from the front. It will suit those who like their diving equipment built with traditional Scandinavian values, and comes with stylish gold embroidery on its heavyweight black material. Available in sizes S-XL, it costs £257.

LOST AND FAR FROM HOME? The Fastfind Plus is a personal locator beacon (PLB) with built-in GPS that works on the international distress frequency of 406 and 121.5 MHz. In an emergency, a signal with a position to within 30m accuracy is transmitted to a geo-stationary satellite and forwarded to the nearest rescue-co-ordination centre, typically within three minutes. All you have to do is wait for help to arrive. Battery packs have a five-year life. £699 (£450 without GPS).

STUCK ON YOU Your kids will go mad for these fridge magnets and you can get them at most dive shops attached to diving centres on the other side of the Atlantic during your next diving holiday. Besides the ever-popular dolphin and baby and, of course, the ubiquitous hungry shark, there is a scuba-diver holding some treasure. And if you like to stick notes on your fridge, who cares if you have kids or not? Expect to pay around US $7.

HARD WORKER The mv Indian Ocean Explorer is not a luxury yacht but an ex-North Sea research vessel which proves ideal for coping with Indian Ocean swells and has been well-adapted for diving. Hans Fricke used it with his mini-sub for his coelacanth expedition in the Comores, and you can use it too. Departing from Mahe, it takes paying guest-divers to the outer islands of the Seychelles, including the Admirantes, or longer trips to Astove, Alphonse, Cosmoledo and the legendary Aldabra atoll.

GLOWING REPORT Is someone looking for your octopus in the dark? Give them a sporting chance with a luminous Dualglo Apeks ATX40 second stage (£114). Once charged up with light, either from the sunshine at the surface or your diving light, its normally yellow cover glows green. Apeks will be supplying all its octopus rigs complete with this feature in future, and if you want Dualglo drysuit valves, they are available too.

VERY CALIFORNIA You've heard of DIR and DIS? Well here's MTE! Deepoutdoors is a new equipment manufacturer from the USA that follows what it calls the MTE school of thought. MTE stands for "More Than Expected". Watch this space for more information about a feature-laden BC said to be for the advanced diver, part of a range of products that Deepoutdoors announces is about to be launched. All the company's products will be guaranteed for the lifetime of the original purchaser.

SEE THE LIGHT The new Versa Pro dive computer is Oceanic's latest entry into the air/nitrox computer market. It is water-activated, boasts quick and reliable PC compatibility and a gauge mode for those who want to use trimix. Its backlit display provides light only when you need it, and it also has a built-in dive simulator. Two buttons give access to a vast array of menu-driven options. Uniquely, a red warning light glows brightly in synch with any user-set audible alarms. It costs £299, while the air-only Versa costs £185.

SONAR-DIVE This hand-held sonar can be used to measure depths of water from the boat, but it can be taken under water on the dive, too. This means it has applications in measuring horizontal distances under water and can be used for locating large, solid objects. Just point and press and read the distance. No more diving in "the vicinity of the wreck"! Available in a metric version, the Dive Ray DR100M has a 15° cone of sonar and is good for measuring up to 99m distant. The manufacturer claims it can be taken down to 30m. US $300.

TOE-SUCKERS Do your drysuit boots suffer from unspeakable smells? It comes from the bacteria that has made a home in the mould that's growing there. Yuk! Worse, the bacteria is probably eating through the glue that holds your boots on! Dampire is a simple idea - a pair of chemical-filled bags that suck the damp from your boots and can be recharged in the microwave for the next time. They come with a handy length of webbing to make their application more palatable. Even if your suit never leaks, we bet your feet sweat! £20.

SHORE THING One casualty of all the development along the coast of Egypt has been shore-diving. But Diver Dive Centre of the Year Emperor Divers says its new, fully equipped Soma Bay location is one of the few areas to offer diving directly from the shore, with a 400m jetty giving access to an extensive deepwater house reef. Soma Bay, near Safaga, promises to offer the choice of five hotels from leading chains as well as an 18-hole PGA golf course.