GET SMART The Scubapro Uwatec Smart Pro is part of a new range of nitrox diving computers that use a new adaptive algorithm written with microbubble formation in mind. Microbubbles occur inside you on every dive, long before any symptoms of decompression illness might appear, and are especially important to consider when it comes to repetitive diving. The computer features a 32-bit processor with a 100 hour memory and comes with the software to enable you to download information to your PC via an infra-red link. It's called new-generation Smart Trak. £375.

YOU SAY MAJORCA Majorca or Mallorca, however you like to spell it, is a good summer destination for divers partial to gin-clear conditions. In the north-east, at Porto Pollenca, there is the Scuba Mallorca dive centre; in the south-west, at Sant Elm, is Scuba Activa. Both offer a full service for anyone who wants to enjoy easy diving below the steep cliffs of this Mediterranean island. Caves, wrecks and reefs are on offer,with surprisingly vibrant marine life.

REEL STRONG These reels are substantially made from 316 stainless steel and the spools can be changed over easily if required. Examples include the 50m wreck reel with an L-shaped handle (£55) and a 50m knuckle-mount reel suitable for use with a DPV (£65). Other products in the catalogue include a pony mounting bracket (£45).

WATCH YOUR WALLET! Enjay Marine, maker of the well-known Diving Log Book, now offers a zipped wallet ring-binder for it that will also house credit cards, decompression slates, pens and other items. Measuring 20 x 27cm, it costs £25.

PUT THE BOOT IN The 3mm TUSA Imprex pull-on Dive Slippers are available in sizes 4-13 and two colours and said to be perfect for divers who want to wear the minimum in conjunction with strap fins (£25). For £21 from the same importer, the 7mm Water Proof Atlantic boots are more appropriate for the diver who wears a thicker wetsuit or semi-dry. They come in sizes XXS-XXL.

MORE STROKES Four-stroke engines have the advantage of economy, reliability and smoothness. That's why your car has one. Honda has been making four-stroke outboard motors for some years and they are getting to be regular features at the blunt end of dive-boats. The new BF200 and BF225 should have enough ooomph to satisfy the most demanding application, with their 24-valve VTEC technology and multi-point fuel injection.

MANCHESTER AGAIN Direct flights between Manchester and Sharm el Sheikh have been reinstated. This time it is Diver Awards winner Explorer Tours that has put on the charter flight, which starts at the end of May. That's good news for northern divers who want to start their trips to the sunny shores of Egypt's Sinai without a long drive to south-east England - even better is that there will be no supplement to the normal Gatwick price. Holidays start from £299.

MANTAS GUARANTEED The Sub-Aqua Dive Centre at the exclusive Rangali Island Hilton in the Maldives is now offering a speedboat service to outlying dive sites. The fast boat puts outstanding diving at places such as Thundufushi Thila within easy reach for two-tank dives in a morning or afternoon. Among local sites routinely visited by the Sub Aqua Dive Centre is Madivaru (a 10-minute trip by dhoni), where encounters with manta rays of all sizes - plus sharks, turtles and groupers - are virtually guaranteed in season.

MOUNTING A PONY The bracket (left) attaches to your main cylinder by means of the BC camband - then you can mate your pony to it, using the two ratchet-bands (above). It is said to work for umbilical lamp batteries too (£40). Another ratchet-band (below) can be used to secure a lamphead, which is then clipped off by means of a karabiner (£14).

OFF-THE-PEG O'Three drysuits have a strong following on the UK market and the company has grown sales sufficiently to be able to hold stocks of off-the-peg suits for those with bodies to fit. The MSF500tb is a 5mm neoprene suit laminated with multi-stretch fibre. Neoprene suits offer inherent insulation, so a less-thick undersuit is needed - in summer, even just a vest and shorts. O'Three says it prides itself on its no-nonsense, no-hassle aftersales service. The MSF500tb costs £560, including hood and bag.

STAY THERE! If you want your boat to stay where you parked it, what about securing it to a post or wall using a 114-strand hardened-steel cable and tamper-proof brackets, and then further adding security with the aid of a Cable Alarm? If there is no wall or post, you can coil the cable back on itself and plug it back into the alarm lock. The Cable Alarm makes an ear-piercing screech that will not shut off, and costs £25 including cable.

ROUND THE HORN Mike Horn is a professional explorer who holds the world record for the descent of a waterfall on a hydrospeed (a small raft), and has circumnavigated the globe along the Equator. This year he intends to circumnavigate the Arctic Circle - solo. He will be wearing an Italian-made Luminor Panerai watch specially constructed for the job - the Luminor Arktos Amagnetic. The company also makes diving watches, starting at around £1700.

AHEAD BY A WHISKER If you fancy watching the never-ending ballet performed by sea-lions this summer, there is nowhere better than the Sea of Cortez in Mexico's Baja California. Otherwise known as the Gulf of California, this stretch of water enjoys the greatest variation in sea temperatures anywhere in the world and the marine life found there is similarly diverse. Angel fish browse alongside California sea-lions; whale sharks and mantas with elephant seals. The Cortez Club, at La Paz, is an English-run dive centre that says it will make sure you get the best out of your visit.