January 1999
Coral reef shock
The Casio watch company, maker of hard-wearing watches for a very fragile world, has joined forces with the World Coral Reef Conservation Society to produce a new range of "WCCS watches".
Not specifically for divers, these tough G-Shock watches are water resistant to 200m and have an electro-luminescent display.
Casio has the objective of helping the world's coral reefs. It claims it "supports marine ecology activities" by raising public awareness of the need to conserve reefs, and says it has made a contribution to the WCCS.
The G-Shock's packaging is made from recycled milk cartons. Available in various styles and colours, the price is no great shock at 160.
Casio Electronics 0181 450 9131
Dive-Guard jumps to cover
Dive-Guard has been quick off the mark in producing a new insurance package for divers, following our Are You Getting Value For Money? round-up in November's Diver.
The company's Dive Travel Policy covers you for cancellation or curtailment (up to £3000), medical (£3m); personal accident (£15,000); personal luggage (£1500); dive equipment (£1000, optional); personal liability (2m); delayed departure (up to £200); missed departure (£300) and legal expenses (£15,000). Diving depth limits depend on your qualification, and a Diver's Travel Card is included.
"After the article we took what we thought was missing out of all the policies, and asked the underwriters to come up with a scheme that would avoid people having to pay twice for elements where they are already covered," says Dive-Guard's Michael Weldon.
Sample prices include £36 for 15 days in the Red Sea, £59 for 15 days worldwide and £131 for annual worldwide cover (£170 for a couple).
Greasborough Insurance Services 01709 555221
Housing benefit
The Amphibico Explorer underwater housing is designed to accommodate the Canon MV-1 digital camcorder. Compact and lightweight at about 1.4kg, it is precision-made from aluminium and is ideal for use by both divers and snorkellers.
It has a built-in viewfinder with sunshade for the camera's 50mm monitor and an external stereo microphone. The Canon MV-1 can be used for both stills and video. The Amphibico Explorer housing costs £690.
Eyewitness 01794 322500
Hammer horror
Scare your friends and keep warm at the same time with the new Hammerhood. Designed with divers in mind, this three-in-one hat, scarf and balaclava is made of quick-drying, breathable fleece fabric. One size fits all. Price £15.
Hammerhead 01932 887070
Mardon goes for gold
Don't get your RIB turned back at the slipway because it's not insured. In the wake of new legislation requiring boat-owners, including dive clubs, to prove that they have third-party liability cover when launching, Mardon Insurance Brokers has introduced credit-card style proof with its Gold Card policy.
The card shows that the owner is covered up to £2m, and is said to be tamperproof if stolen. The cost of Gold Card cover depends on the craft and the owner's experience, but is the same as with existing Mardon policies.
Mardon 01743 232688
Beat the boat thieves
Theft of outboard engines is, we are told, a growing problem. Seacure's solution is an Outboard Engine Lock . Such locks usually tend to corrode and eventually require cutting away to allow the engine to be removed. Seacure reckons it has overcome this with the nylon-finished stainless steel construction of its product.
This lock costs rather more than conventional ones at £139; but as Seacure points out, a single unit can protect a twin-engined rig.
Let's hope frustrated outboard thieves don't simply steal the whole boat. One way of preventing that is to use the new Boatmark DIY kit from British Marine Industries Federation.
You no longer have to take your craft to a marking station but can do the work yourself, marking a boat and up to five items of gear in under 45 minutes, says BMIF.
Register the unique number on a central database linked to the Police National Computer. The kit costs £30.
Seacure 01929 421689; BMIF 01784 473377
Meccano for cameras
Sea & Sea's Multistay is part of a system for Sea & Sea or Nikonos cameras and Sea & Sea flashguns that promises to eliminate problems when bolting such units together. The Multistay Base, combined with the SX Quick Shoe and Quick Shoe Base, is designed to create a firm foundation for any Sea & Sea waterproof housing.
It might sound boring but it's the sort of thing that can bring eternal happiness to an underwater photographer frustrated and far from home. Price: £49.
Sea & Sea 01803 663012
Get a handle on gas
Semi-closed-circuit rebreather divers need to know exactly what gas is being breathed, but they have always been denied that information. Now Uwatec can provide it with the Oxy2 and Aladin Air X O2 units.
The Oxy2 device is inserted in the airflow of the inhalation hose and measures the exact oxygen fraction of the inspired air. The information can be transmitted to a paired Air X O2, which interprets the data. It also calculates the diver's workload - vital for oxygen toxicity information.
Most crucially, because it can measure the actual mix, the Air X O2 makes appropriate predictions for decompression status.
Uwatec, now distributed here by Scubapro (UK), is at pains to point out that the combination of Oxy2 and Air X O2 is not suitable for use with fully closed-circuit rebreathers. The two units together cost £795.
Scubapro (UK) 01256 812636
DUI update
Aquarius is now an official supplier of DUI products, along with Splash Sports and SDS Watersports. Full after-sales support and repairs are available.
Aquarius Divers 01235 512056
Make it snippy
How useful is a dive knife alone? Many divers now prefer to carry a net-cutter either as well as or instead of a knife. Another option comes from the ever-resourceful MarKat, which is offering new for 1999 a Dive Knife with Scissors and Net-cutter.
Made from 420 stainless steel, the knife has a 15cm blade and is held in a quick-release sheath. It costs £43.
MarKat 01935 815424
Get on course with nitrox
Nitrox training courses and nitrox diving are now available through Regal Holidays and Emperor Divers at Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh.
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course (EANx) consists of six to eight hours of theory, plus an exam.
Prices start from 319 per person for a dive holiday to the Red Sea, including flights, transfers, seven nights' B&B hotel accommodation and six days' diving. The nitrox course costs an additional $175 (approx 110).
Regal Diving 01353 778096
Midnight sun
In a joint venture, the dive boats Gaelic Rose and Jane R are running weekly trips from Bergen in Norway during July and August 1999. The diving will be between Bergen and Alesund on vertical walls in 20-40m and on the intact wrecks of the fjords. The visibility is usually excellent and, of course, there is continuous daylight.
The six-day trips, including full board and tank fills, cost £420 per person (travel to Bergen not included). The trips are aimed at divers and non-divers, groups and individuals.
Diver's holiday guide in the centre of this issue contains further information on diving in this part of Norway.
Gordon Wadsworth 07775 851150 or Bob Jones 0378 965618
The moon is your oyster
The liveaboard formerly known as Moon Dancer is now operating as the mv Oyster. This Red Sea liveaboard has 10 air-conditioned cabins with private facilities, an onboard photolab and video-editing suite. It is equipped with two compressors, and nitrox fills are available.
Two diving holidays aboard the mv Oyster are available through Goldenjoy: the northern itinerary, visiting sites such as Ras Mohammed and the Thistlegorm, with prices from 779 per person for seven nights full board; and the southern itinerary, visiting sites including Elphinstone and Sha'ab Marsa Alam, from £849 per person for seven nights full board.
Goldenjoy 0171 794 9767
Malaysian medley
Jebsens Travel has launched a new brochure featuring six islands in the South China Seas off Malaysia. A five-day diving package starts at £795, including flights and full board on Layang Layang.
Further information on Malaysia is also included in Diver's holiday guide in the centre of this issue.
Jebsens Travel 0171 932 0998
School days
Does your club have any training gaps it needs to plug? The Old Harbour Divers school at Castletown in Portland has recently been made a BSAC Centre of Excellence. Now it has joined forces with Breakwater Diving Centre at the Aqua-Sport Hotel to share its facilities, and hopes to be of service to visiting branch groups as well as individuals.
Aqua-Sport offers not only accommodation and catering but, says Old Harbour Divers, easy access to dive boats and sites. Air and other gases, rental gear, changing and lecture rooms are all available.
The school covers the full range of BSAC branch training, including Skill Development Courses, as well as Ocean Diver.
Old Harbour Divers 01305 861000/860670
Appeared in DIVER - January 1999
