The latest gadgets, gear and places to go...
COOL BLACK
The all-black Shadow is a mask from Oceanic that looks ideal for photographers and any other diver who needs to look through an eyepiece. Internal reflections are eliminated by use of a black skirt, and the matching black strap and matt black frameless effect give it a modern, purposeful look. £31.75 with bag.
Oceanic SW 01404 89181
IT'S A FLOATER
The Key Liferaft can support around six assorted keys in the water when attached to your key-ring. Saves that "plop and curse!" syndrome when leaning over the side. Then again, it"s the size of a hotel key fob and we all know why they are so big! The distributor says the "Self-Inflating" label is just a joke. We thought along the same lines. Red, blue or green, £3.99.
Markat 01935 815424
GNOME & AWAY If you want to get passers-by talking, install one of these diving gnomes in your front garden. They might think you"re a diver or they might think otherwise. Available in hard-hat, tekkie or straight scuba mode, from £39.
Aquaticus 0161 665 1370
HOLY TOOLKITS! IT"S LEATHERMAN
The Leatherman utility tool can be seen in its leather pouch adorning the belts of boatmen worldwide. It"s a serious combination tool which includes pliers, screwdrivers, knives and saws in fact everything you need to get you out of mechanical trouble on the Batboat. Around £70.
Presents Direct 0208246 4366
FINSTROKES AHEAD
Are these the Bentley Arnage Red Label of diving fins? Mares would like us to think so. The new Volo fins promise to be better performers than Plana Avanti Quattros, it says, and that"s a hard act to follow. With Mares' latest blade design and polymer technology, and Advanced Buckle System, Volos cost £125 a pair.
Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572
BRIEFLY
Wittering Divers has joined forces with Brighton Dive Co and taken over the retail side of the popular South Coast shop. 01273 681333... Sea & Sea introduces the NX-100 housing for use with the new Nikon F100 camera. 01803 663012... Radio transceiver and navigation products importer Icom (UK) has a new, more modern website, www.icomuk.co.uk... Cannock Scuba Centre is now the Scuba + Outdoor Pursuits Centre, reflecting a wider range of activities. www.scubapursuits.com
THE FAR SIDE
Bridge the World Travel Service, firmly established in the travel to Australia and New Zealand market, has set up a specialist diving department. Initial packages include pool and classroom learn-to-dive combined with three-day liveaboard cruises out of Cairns; diving in the Bay Islands (NZ); or diving in Fiji and Thailand (from £854 per person).
Bridge the World 020 7734 7447
ASTRONOMIC
Mares has launched its ultimate regulator, the all-titanium Ti Planet. Titanium offers light weight and hard-wearing characteristics over normal chrome-plated brass. It is claimed that the Ti Planet is a better performer than other Mares regulators (themselves proven world-beaters), though at a price to match - £825.
Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572
¿HABLA ESPAÑOL BUCEADORES?
No? Don Quijote, Europe's largest organisation devoted to teaching Spanish in Spain, offers a unique mixture of diving and language lessons at the Canary Sub diving school. A package at the resort in Santa Puerta de la Cruz in Tenerife includes the Spanish course, accommodation, PADI diving course, dive gear and insurance for around £600 per person. !Fabuloso!
www.donquijote.com/english/tenerife.scuba.asp
UP AND UNDER
The simple-to-use Ikelite Auto 35 takes good quality snaps on land and is offered as an alternative to other entry-level underwater cameras now available. It comes with a purposeful submarine housing and has an accessory flashgun that is essential for good marine photos. A macro-kit is also available. The camera alone costs £231 or the complete system £412.
Oceanic SW 01404 891819
CUFF UP
The Si-Tech cuff system is designed to allow a diver to wear gloves that become part of the internal volume of a drysuit. Other dry gloves get compressed as you go deeper but Si-Tech says its quick coupling allows you to get them on and off easily, too. Gloves, glove rings and seals cost £86.
Si-Tech 0115 9100050
SHADY DEALINGS
For those who enjoy sea caverns, Estartit on Spain's Costa Brava offers plenty of choice. El Mila is a section of coast that has many, including those with multiple air chambers. The Las Vetes cavern system has many stalactites and there are the famous caves of the Medas islands, too. Ryan Air operates a daily service between Stansted and Perpignan. It could make a perfect week-end dive break in and out of the sun from around £300 including flights.
Xaloc Dive Centre 017684 83143, www.xalocdive.com
HOLIDAY SHORTS
Regal Diving, three-time winner of Diver's Best Tour Operator Award, has added the five-star Hilton Sharm Dreams resort, close to Emperor Divers, to its Red Sea brochure, 0870 2201777... Meanwhile the European Diving Centre in Marmaris, Turkey, Diver's Dive Centre of the Year in 1998, is running a one-month course to show other centre owners how to do it! e-mail: europeandiving@ibm.net... Rendezvous Dive Ventures offers coldwater diving off Vancouver Island. e-mail: rendezvous@ island.net... Bob Lenham has moved from Amphibian Sports in West Norwood to start a new venture, Tenerife Dive Club. e-mail: www.tenerifedive.com
Appeared in DIVER - September 2000
