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From DIVER April 2004

The latest gadgets, gear and places to go...

INFINITY AND BEYOND All the way from Hawaii, the new to Britain Xcel range of wetsuits and semi-drys uses a neoprene that is said to stretch 250%. Ultraspan neoprene is durable, and these suits are engineered with seams that are fewer in number and both stitched and glued. The Infinity Dive full suit is available in 5, 6 or 7mm in styles for men and women. It includes an adjustable collar, GlideSkin wrist seals, zips at the ankles and flexible nylon knee panels. The Infinity Tri-density hooded vest has a contoured chin and there's a side zipper on the lady's version. You can trim it to suit your mask too. It's shipped in via Switzerland.

Aquadis, www.aquadis.ch

SUDAN CHANGE The liveaboard mv Emperor Pegasus has relocated from Egypt to operate from Port Sudan this year. Upgraded with a better interior, water-making equipment and more effective air-conditioning, she promises to offer all the normal facilities of a well-established but economically priced diving platform in new and excitingly undived waters, with both one- and two-week safaris.

Emperor Divers, www.emperordivers.com

ZIPPINGLY QUICK A new idea available to buyers of DUI drysuits provides instantly replaceable seals using a system called ZipSeals. Available for both neck and wrist seals, there is also the option of dry-gloves (with separate woollen liners) that can be fitted at will, because with ZipSeals you can remove and replace seals in a moment. DUI suits are now distributed by Hydrotech.

Hydrotech 01455 274106

BAGS OF CHOICE Here are four of the new range of dive bags from Scubapro - the Resort bag (�49), Large Duffel (�32), Caravan bag (�89) and Porter (�99). There should be something there that will suit your needs!

Scubapro UK 01256 812636

FULL OF IDEAS This new BC from SeaQuest has fused many of the latest ideas for BCs into one product - so it's called the Fusion. These ideas include direct-feed for inflation as on a drysuit; dumping by valves; integrated-weights said not to fall out when you least expect it; and a construction system using ligaments to give an almost armchair-like shape when the BC is fully inflated. The SeaQuest Fusion is available in sizes S, M, ML, L and XL and costs �499.

Aqua-Lung UK 0116 212 4200

VIRGIN LOCATION It's not often that we hear of a genuinely new destination but that is what the Lakshadweep Islands are. Formerly closed to tourism, this archipelago north of the Maldives is now ready to do business with divers. Of 36 coral atolls scattered across the Arabian Sea, only one, Bagram, welcomes visitors, but they are restricted to 60 at one time. The virgin white beaches await your footprints. We can't tell you what the diving is like but the 290-year-old wreck of the Princess Royal, sunk in battle by the French, awaits your inspection. Prices start from �1480.

Avion Holidays 020 8942 3531

WICKING UNDERWEAR Everyone should understand the importance of staying dry under a drysuit, but some of the moisture that arrives there does not come from the water in which you dive, but from you! To avoid that clammy feeling, you should wear a layer next to the skin that has good wicking properties. CBear recommends that you wear nothing under its undersuits, but for reasons of politeness most divers will prefer to cover up. These CBear pants, made from a suitably wicking material, will avoid shocking bystanders when you get changed. �19.

CBear 01566 777636

SLIPPERY DIP Having trouble pulling the neck- and wrist-seals of your drysuit into place? Polar Bears claims to have the answer with Suit Gloop. It's said to lubricate without damaging the delicate latex rubber of the seal, and will work just as well with neoprene seals too. It comes in a handy 330ml dispensing bottle so that you can keep it with your drysuit. Say goodbye to clouds of talc forever. �3.95

Polar Bears 01566 773654

DIGITAL LOGS Tired of logging all your dive information with pen and paper? There are several software programs which allow recreational divers to record their exploits on their PCs, laptops or handhelds. Electronic logs, which include search tools and statistics, are claimed to be much more useful than doing it the old-fashioned way. �13 - �25. Sporting Software also supplies a comprehensive field guide to the Fishes of the Caribbean for �41.

Sporting Software, www.sportingsoftware.com.

NO REVOLUTION For those of us who want good old-fashioned values in a drysuit, Italian manufacturer Coltrisub offers a neoprene suit with conical wrist seals and solid wellies. A fixed Swedish-made Si-Tech inflation value at the chest and auto-dump at the shoulder, combined with a standard cross-shoulder zip, completes the picture of a strictly conventional suit. It's available in a range of off-the-peg and made-to-measure sizes. The Coltrisub Amphibian costs from �490.

Submarine Manufacturing & Products 01772 687775

NOT SHACKLETON Endurance is a 7m Humber RIB with MCA certification to carry 12 passengers. GPS chart plotter and forward-looking 3D sonar assist in wreck-finding and the big four-stroke engine doesn't take your breath away like a two-stroke. Her skipper plans to move her to different locations as far apart as Selsey and Anglesey throughout the summer. Endurance has a quarterly events plan and will offer places to buddy-pairs, groups or full charters.

Phil Riall, 01252790252

CASE-HARDENED Waterproof, weatherproof, crushproof: these are the claims made by the manufacturer of Explorer cases. The example illustrated is one of five different sizes, each available in high-visibility orange or conventional black, and with or without a foam filling. Add to that the properties of being shock-, corrosion-, sand- and dust-proof, and you have a hard-to-shake way to transport fragile and expensive equipment such as cameras and other instruments. Prices from �112 to �322.

Forward Diving www.forwarddiving.com

HOT SCRAP-METAL Learn about Egyptian and Red Sea maritime history. Led by Mike Ward, two trips to dive the wrecks of the Northern Red Sea are offered by Oonasdivers. See the Carnatic, the Kingston, the Dunraven, and the Giannis D, not forgetting the Thistlegorm and several others that you might only have heard people talk about. Two departures on mv Panorama Sharm in July each cost �915, including flights and transfers.

Oonasdivers 01323648924

BRIEFLYScuba Training, the London-based PADI 5-star IDC dive school, has a new website, www.e-scuba.co.uk... A new dive-centre has been set up at Hale in West Cornwall, www.gulfstreamscuba.co.uk... Jacquie Cozens, co-owner of the Dingle Dive Centre in Ireland, says that to celebrate its re-opening on Saturday 24 April she is offering free diving, www.divedingle.com... Pete and Pat from Swanage Divers have taken over the Divers Down outlet on Swanage Pier, 07977 142661...

HOLIDAY SHORTS Halkidiki in the Aegean Sea offers Mediterranean-style diving and it's only three hours from the UK, www. halkidiki-hotels.gr... If it's a diving holiday in the Ionians you're after, check with www.ioniandivingholidays.com... Midway between Saba and St Kitts, St Eustatius is said to offer exciting Caribbean diving, www.subaqua.com... Going to Cyprus this summer? Cydive reminds us that it is the longest-established dive school on the Mediterranean island, cydive@spidernet.com.cy...