DOWNSIZING Looking for something smaller that still promises top performance? When it comes to regulators, the mini-sized Mares Proton XL lightweight second stage is now available with the new top-of-the-range rubber-covered lightweight V32 first stage. For the diver who has everything, there is a matching Proton octopus too. The Proton XL/V32 costs £270 and the Proton octopus £130.

COOL DIVING Based at Port Gallanach near Oban, the Puffin five-star dive centre offers a full range of PADI courses plus launching facilities and air supplies for visiting divers. It runs its own trips and expeditions, and although the Scottish sea water might be cool, many sites are well protected from the wind and diving is rarely cancelled due to bad weather. It's an ideal UK destination for reliable diving conditions.

NUMBERS GAME It started with the S-102, improved it with the S-104, went on to make the S-108 and the S-109 and now Cressi-sub offers the S-111. More evolutionary than revolutionary, this conventional-style BC is packed with features and presumably must be getting close to perfection by now. What could be the most secure integrated-weight system, trim-weight pockets, and much more lift than before makes this a serious contender among BC buyers. In sizes XS-XL, it costs £388.

NO WEEPING The new Typhoon Dryglove system comes with mounting rings which allow you to fit the gloves directly to the wrist seals of your drysuit. You don't have to cut, or apply glue to, your precious suit, so there are no tears at the fitting stage, and the gloves promise to keep your hands warm and dry while diving. The system of fitting uses a wide surface sealing which makes the join less prone to leaking caused by dirt or particles from the undersuit. A pair costs £40 in a full range of sizes.

WOOLLY WARMER This C Bear fleece hat in traditional diver's red will keep your head warm when all about you are losing theirs. Made from 100% polyester, it is 300gm Polar Fleece. It costs £9.

SPIRITED ENTERPRISE "More space, more luxury, the same top-quality service and diving expertise." That's the claim of Maldives Scuba Tours, a British company and owner-operator of mv Sea Spirit. This new 12-berth liveaboard vessel joins mv Sea Queen, departing from Male to cruise the atolls of this tiny Indian Ocean nation. Both vessels work with a spacious diving-support dhoni and Sea Queen can now offer nitrox fills. All-inclusive trips from London with Emirates Airways cost from £1199.

WATERTIGHT A Personal Locator Beacon or a flare both prove very useful to any diver lost at the surface but are useless if they have been flooded when taken on a deep dive. These dive canisters are rated watertight to 150m and are designed each to accommodate a PLB or Pains Wessex Day/Night (£40) distress signal - or you could use them for your sandwiches! £110 and £59.

WIN A FREEBIE Primary Direct is offering five of its new Primary Active annual multi-trip insurance policies for sports types free to Diver readers. The policies, which cost around £150, provide normal travel insurance plus medical expenses and personal accident cover, with diving up to 40m, depending on qualifications. What is Primary Direct's phone number? Answer that simple question on a postcard and send it to Diver Draw, Catapult PR, 19a-20a Marsh Mill Village, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancs FY5 4JZ by 31 May to enter the competition draw. Include your name, address, your own phone number and your likely destinations.

BEAT THIS! Underwater HID lamps might be bright but they are getting a reputation for fragility. The new Green Force Impact HID lamphead is claimed to be extremely robust and can be used as part of the Green Force system either as a handheld or as an umbilical lamp. The Impact HID can be used with the Green Force Arrow 12V battery pack or with the larger F2. It has an adjustable beam spread and can be mated to a range of handles and tank mounts. With F2 battery pack umbilical and charger, it costs £577.

WEEZLE WORDS This waistcoat and hood can prove useful between dives if you need to keep warm. Made along the same lines as the popular Weezle undersuit, it is available in five sizes and two colours. The hood and collar are interchangeable and can be removed so you can use it under your drysuit to augment your undersuit. There are two zipped external pockets and one large inside pocket. £41.

A BIT ON THE SIDE Going far? Martin Farr, the well-known British cave diver, has come up with a harness suitable for those who want to use their breathing-gas tanks side-mounted. The Explorer 1 is made of polyester webbing with stainless-steel D-rings and has a heavy-duty feel about it. It is multi-adjustable, easy to use with thick gloves and has a stripped-to-the-essentials design, says Farr. It costs £99.

DESECRATE ONE Francis Toribiong of Fish 'N Fins in Palau is organising a special diving expedition on liveaboard dive yacht Ocean Hunter. Toribiong and Klaus Lindeman, discoverer of the wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon, have found a collection of wrecked Japanese wartime vessels which led to the production of the book Desecrate One and a documentary film The Lost Fleet of the Rock Islands.