SHARK ENCOUNTER You've all heard those jokes about the dive guide letting go of a toy shark so that everyone could claim to have seen one during the dive. Well, this 55cm-long shark will glide considerable distances under water and give a heart-stopping moment to an unsuspecting buddy during a deco stop. We anticipate a lot of those divers who can afford to make the gesture buying one to conceal about their person! It costs £28.

WARM GLOW A Zodi Hot Tap water-heater is portable, easy to use and very affordable. So says the manufacturer, Omnipole. A Zodi runs on propane gas, and has a high pressure battery-operated water pump. Simply place the pump in a convenient water supply such as a river or lake, or a water container, light the burner and watch the hot water flow. It's the sort of accessory that can cause outbreaks of envy at a dive site. From £58.

YOU CAN DO IT Tall Stories is a travel company that supplies a wide range of adventure holidays, including scuba-diving breaks around the Medas Islands in Spain's Costa Brava. This a National Park that has been established for so long that the marine life has got used to the presence of divers. A full range of PADI diving courses is available and diving can be included as part of a Spanish adventure that involves mountain-biking, water-skiing, sailing and sea-kayaking. Prices vary according to the number of activities participated in. But Tall Stories promises you'll end up saying, "I did it! I did it! I did it!"

BOX CLEVER Out now is a revamped range of enlarged tough cases designed for protecting camera gear and other valuable equipment. Otterboxes are said to be crushproof, and even if they fall overboard the contents should stay dry (as long as the seabed is less than 36m or so!). They now have compound latches, locks, a purge valve and foam linings that can be cut to fit. Available in black, yellow, orange or grey, the 5000 Series is 234 x 181 x 103mm deep and costs £35, the 5500 Series is deeper at 156mm and costs £40.

CALIFORNIA STYLE Body Glove, the manufacturer of diving suits, has launched a range of lifestyle products bearing its brand. These include the Cellsuit, a clip-on case for your mobile phone, and the Earglove Mini for its hands-free kit (£9.99 each). Then there is the Datasuit Pro for your Palm organiser (£19.99), and the Fast Track CD wallet (£7.99) for 32 CDs. More info on similar products can be found by visiting Body Glove's website.

COVER YOUR NECK Dogtag says it has taken the paperwork out of active sports travel insurance - you wear the certificate in the form of a tag on a cord around your neck, so it's easy to find in the event of an accident. You can get quotes and, if impressed, take out the cover by logging onto the company's website - ordering takes only five mouseclicks, says the company. Annual general cover costs from £99, and you can take out diving cover to 30m or "extreme cover" to 50m.

SCOUT THE ISLANDS How about a sailing and diving trip on this Baltimore-rigged clipper sy Sir Robert Baden Powell, seen here in Majorca? She started life as an East German tugboat called Robert but, after imaginative rebuilding by her German owner, she sails the coasts of the Balearic and Cape Verde islands and around the Caribbean, at different times of the year. She is equipped as a magnificent base for diving as well as cruising and whale-watching.

IN DISTRESS The AQ-5 Multi Purpose Strobe Light is the latest in a line of marking and distress lights from Jotron (UK). Fired up by two AA cells, it's a handy pocket-sized unit of just 150gm, claimed to be waterproof to 30m and visible at night on the surface for a distance of more than six miles. Endurance is around 12 hours in continuous operation with strobe mode or 60 hours in torch mode. £40, or £53 for the seawater-activation version.

AMERICAN FLASHLIGHTS The new Nemo 8C and 4C are American dive torches which run on eight and four batteries respectively. Rated to 150m, they have ABS polymer bodies and a leakproof electronic switch. A spare bulb is also included. Burntimes are identical at 3.5 hours but the larger of the two generates a lot more light. Available in a range of four different colours, they cost £75 for the Nemo 8C and £67 for the Nemo 4C.

TINY TEAMWORK Two Japanese companies have teamed up to provide possibly the smallest underwater digital camera outfit yet. The Minolta Marine Case MC-DG100 snugly houses the cigarette-pack-sized, 2 mega-pixel Minolta DimageX camera (together £449) but still accesses all the controls. It also allows use of Sea & Sea accessories such as wide-angle lenses and close-up kits and integrates with a range of Sea & Sea underwater flashguns, including the all-new YS-25DX (£240), by means of the Sea & Sea DX arm and DX stay (together £69).

CALLING INSTRUCTORS Scuba Nerja is a dive centre in Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol opened by new PADI Course Director Alexander Duff, formerly of Club Nautique. Scuba Nerja is a 5-star IDC resort and offers a complete range of PADI and DAN instructor training, including rebreather, gas-blending and the latest emergency response aid courses . Duff says he is shortly to open a similar resort called Atlantis Sub in Granada, offering diver and instructor training programmes all year round.

DIVING FOR FREE Fancy a week in Sharm el Sheikh with either five days' boat diving at two dives per day or a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course at no extra cost? That's what Explorers Tours is offering if you book a seven-night package staying at the Ocean Club Hotel, departing December or January (excluding Christmas and New Year). A total price for the package including B&B is £293, and that includes all airport taxes, transfers and accommodation.