IT IS A SAD FACT THAT MANY unpractised divers enter the water with far too much lead. I suppose that a little nervousness can lead to large lung volumes or even breath-holding on descent, where other divers expect to drop like a stone.
This could be why so many divers complain that BCs do not give them enough surface support.

Wing-style BCs give the designer the opportunity to include a massive buoyancy bag but sometimes these prove as difficult to rid of all air as does the spinnaker of a yacht in a stiff breeze. And that means divers under water with extra lead to compensate for the residual air bubble at their backs.

The latest thinking is the dragonfly-style wing. We have already reviewed a couple in these pages and Mares, always striving to be ahead of the pack when it comes to launching innovative products, is there with a Dragonfly BC too.

I first experienced this item when I tried the Mares HUB (Diver Tests, June) and this looks suspiciously like the same thing, amended for those who prefer to use a conventional rig.

This is not just a double wing. It combines the underwater comfort and comfort control of a wing with the surface support of a traditional BC. It's both a wing and a conventional BC.

The first amount of air that you might feed to it goes to your back. Once this part is filled, the air goes on to inflate the forward section, so there is no risk of pitching forward, even with an aluminium tank.

The Dragonfly incorporates the typical Mares integrated weight system. This stows the lead exceedingly securely but it takes some heaving on the oversized toggles each side to release the weight pockets once you get back to the surface and want to hand them up separately. So I was surprised to find on one occasion that I lost a weight-packet when I jumped into the water.

This gave me the chance to revert to a weightbelt for the rest of that trip and compare the comfort levels directly. No comparison. The integrated weights are infinitely more comfortable.

One must just be sure to stow them properly and not be seduced by helpful boat crew-members who might not know how to do it.

A typical Mares premIum product, the Dragonfly is substantially engineered. This equates to a long-lasting bit of kit but quite a lot of weight in your baggage.

Some other divers observed that it looked very bulky while I was wearing it under water. It felt fine to me and I had no complaints. The air was dumped easily when required by either of the two top dumps, and I never had to wriggle about to get the last of it out. You can either pull on the corrugated hose of the direct-feed to operate the integrated dump at the left shoulder, or on the toggle of a second dump mounted at the opposite shoulder. Either was always readily to hand. There's a bottom dump, too.

I used the BC with an aluminium cylinder which always felt part of me and imparted no floaty feeling during the latter part of the dive. The Dragonfly has lashings of D-rings - well, six anyway.

It also has two useful zipped pockets and these proved readily accessible when it came to retrieving the contents. They did however become confused with the integrated weights system when feeling for them to put things back.

I am pleased to report that I had 30 very happy dives with the Dragonfly before I sent it back to the distributor.

The Mares Dragonfly costs £440.
Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572

An additional strap holds the wing around the cylinder


Integrated dump on left shoulder


Oversized toggles for releasing the weights


No shortage of D-rings


Pull on the corrugated hose to dump

THERE WAS NO GREAT FANFARE when Cressi introduced a new computer. It just discreetly slipped onto the British market, tucked away alongside the air pressure gauge and compass on the Cressi-sub Kombi 3 console. It is often convenient to have all one's instrumentation in one console - the Kombi 3 does just that.

It is much smaller and neater than some consoles from the past, because it uses the latest fashion for small high-pressure gauges and the little computer which does not seem to be available at the moment in any other format.

Cressi didn't even bother to give it its own name! In fact it is a full-function, decompression-stop, nitrox, water-activated instrument with the latest push-button operation in a very tidy compact package. It is not air-integrated, and is made in Japan by Seiko.

The Kombi 3 uses the modern, nine-tissue, Buhlmann ZH-L16 algorithm to calculate decompression requirements. This puts it at the forefront of current decompression thinking, though it does not display a voluntary three-minute safety stop between 3 and 5m, as is rapidly becoming the fashion (even the manual recommends that you carry out such a stop).

It automatically sets itself for ambient air pressure (altitude) and is calibrated for sea water. Users can replace the 3V button battery, which should last three years or 150 dives, and alternate between metric and imperial measurements.

The instrument can be set for nitrox mixes between 21 and 50 per cent (in 1 per cent increments) by using the buttons, which also give you access to logbook, dive-profile, and dive-planning modes. It is menu and sub-menu driven. When resting, it permanently displays the time and date.

During the dive, a bar graph indicates nitrogen uptake and bullet points show oxygen toxicity levels. An alarm sounds if you reach 90 per cent of the maximum ppO2 of 1.6 bar.

Alarms also sound for deco-stop violations and excessive ascent rate, accompanied by suitably informative icons indicating the problem or its solution, eg "Slow", "Deco" or "PO2 limit". The ascent rate is variable according to depth. It is 16m/min at more than 20m, slowing to 8m/min at 6m and less.

Remaining no-stop time is displayed until it gets into decompression mode, when the display shows total ascent time needed, depth of the deepest stop and the time needed at that stop.

To give as much information as possible on a relatively small screen, the user has access to a second display by pressing button A during the dive. This gives the current partial pressure of oxygen and the water temperature. I found this very convenient. So often, computer manufacturers seem obsessed with water temperature, when I can tell if I feel cold without such technological help.

In keeping with most other diving computers, this one will interface with a PC for downloading your dives, and if you bend it you can reset it by taking it out of its mounting and pressing a small button on its back. This will be useful for those not breathing air or nitrox. It will also be useful for dive centres which might wish to hire out Kombi 3s.

At the time of writing the computer was not available separately, although I would guess that a wrist unit will be available before long. I wonder what they'll call it!


The Cressi-sub Kombi 3 Console with computer costs a very reasonable £270.
Cressi-sub 01484 310130

FRESH FROM THE LAND OF "VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK" comes a scuba-equipment manufacturer with its own motto: "Zuverlässigkeit und robusrheit" - "reliability and durability".
The German Seaway regulator with Micro first stage and Nexus second stage certainly felt robust when I picked up the satchel in which they were sent. Even the workers at Krupps would be proud of such engineering.

I am told that, unlike previous regulators which have been badge-engineered for Seaway, the Micro is the first of a line of products that has been specifically made to a unique Seaway design. It is a balanced-diaphragm design, and the one I tried for this test had the optional environmental sealing kit, which I heartily recommend to anyone who intends to dive in cold, fresh water.

It has a stubby barrel which mounts at a slight angle to the tank valve rather than being perpendicular to it, as one might expect. There are two high-pressure ports and five medium-pressure ports.

These last rotate in a satisfyingly precise manner on a turret, and because of its stubby dimensions, the regulator can be rigged so that the turret revolves freely without giving you that characteristic clout behind the head.

Seaway says it has gone a long way to designing out any of the resistance sometimes encountered with other regulators when the tank pressure falls below 50 bar.

The Nexus second stage is derived from some other existing regulator. It has a rather small exhaust port which stationary photographers and instructors might find puts bubbles up in front of their diving mask. Otherwise it is fairly ordinary when it comes to the breathing-resistance adjustment knob and venturi ± switch. What might have been considered small a few years ago is now normal.

However, what the Nexus does have is a large aluminium front cover, which forms an ideal heat-sink when diving in the cold.

You have probably noticed that a recently filled tank is rather warm. This is because a side-effect of pressurising a gas is to raise its temperature. The converse also applies. When air pressure is reduced from "high", as it is when it leaves the tank via the first-stage of your regulator, it gets colder. When the pressure is further reduced at the second stage, it gets colder still.

If you're diving in water which is only a few degrees above freezing, this very cold air can cause ice to form in your regulator, often leading it to free-flow, which only exacerbates things.

The metal parts of a regulator will conduct what heat there is from the surrounding water and warm up the air - not much, but often enough to make the difference. The Cryo second-stage I was sent to use as an octopus-rig has a front made of chrome-plated brass, which makes it even heavier but in some ways even more effective in this regard.
Seaway test-drives its products in Lake Constance, not far from its factory, so its designers and engineers should know about such things.

However, I am saddened to report that the problem I encountered last time I tried a Seaway regulator with the Nexus second-stage in the sea occurred again this time.

Although the Nexus breathed with little effort, as soon as I turned my head away from a position which presented the diaphragm head-on to my direction of progress, or indeed if I heaved on it in any unusual way, such as one might do when working extremely hard, it allowed a fine spray of sea water to mix with the air.

There is only so much salt water I can comfortably imbibe, and after half an hour under water, on every single dive I made with it, I found that I was retching.

I can, however, report that it is perfectly practical to throw up through the Nexus. I had to do so on several occasions.

The dive centre with which I was diving asked why I didn't swap it for a different regulator, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and persevered in the interests of fairness. In the end, there could be no doubt.

So all I can say to Seaway is this: you might have got a first stage made to your specification but please hurry up and get a second stage of your own rather than this one, or get one from another sub-contractor.

I cannot recommend it as it is.

Available in DIN or A-clamp, and with the option of nitrox dedication, the Seaway Micro Nexus including hoses and hose protector costs £243, only by direct mail.
Seaway Direct, 0800 0748016

ACHTUNG! ACHTUNG! Two more ferociously expensive German underwater lights incoming!
The Hartenberger Medi and Maxi Umbilical Lamps bring all the advantages of superior German lamp technology as well as allowing you to stow the battery-pack on your tank using a handy mounting which works in conjunction with the camband of your BC.
There is also the rigging option of a karabiner permanently fixed at the end of the battery-pack, especially useful with the smaller version.
These Hartenbergers use the same type of nickel metal-hydride battery as their siblings and can be topped up at any state of charge without danger of inducing a memory. A high-tech electronic charger unit is included.
By putting the weight on your tank, you can take it off your weightbelt, which means the lamp unit is far more manageable.
The Maxi uses a 12V system to give a bright light from its 50W bulb and burntime of just over an hour. The Medi uses a smaller 6V system with less light from its 20W bulb but a burntime a few minutes longer. The manufacturer recommends that you recharge a partially charged battery for five hours.
The units have a magnetic switch that allows you to run at one of a choice of four outputs, including 125 per cent! There is also an automatic SOS signalling mode.
In 12V form the battery-packs are slim cylinders around 4.5cm in diameter and 36cm long (the 6V unit is half that length). They unscrew in a satisfyingly Germanic way to facilitate charging. The battery can be unplugged but the lamphead is permanently wired.
I needed the manual to learn how to switch these lamps on! You revolve the switch-cover to reveal the magnetic switch, which in turn operates an electronic switch. There are no calibrations. The deeper you depress the switch, the brighter the light.
Holding the switch in one position for two seconds rewards the user with a confirmation flash that the message has been received. Let go and it remembers what you wanted. Holding it down for longer, or giving it a second press, turns it off. You can understand my confusion. It all works in a smooth and precise way but I'm not sure that this degree of complication is strictly necessary.
Nor can I see the lamp, without calibrations, being used at anything less than either full power or some arbitrary lower output. But it's all good fun and will impress the potential purchaser at the shop counter.
When the salesman tells you the front glass is made of borosilicate, reply: "But isn't that the technical word for glass?" Because the glass is suitably thick, it means that you can turn the lamp on in the air without overheating and damaging it.
The lamphead, 12cm by 4cm in diameter, sits comfortably in the hand, like a small mango. Its light has a wide and even hotspot, with an even wider peripheral halo. Even with the less bright 6V version, people complained that I turned a night dive into day!
I ended up cupping my hand over it to narrow the beam. Everyone else's lamps seemed puny by comparison and I think there was a hint of jealousy. Otherwise it was very pleasant.

But then, there's the price. The Hartenberger Medi Umbilical costs £350 and the Maxi costs £495.
Naut-Tech 01227 761232

The Oceanic Delta series has always performed remarkably well compared with other units in Diver's periodic regulator comparison tests, even against some much more expensive competition.
If we had any criticisms among our ever-changing panel of testers, it was that the Delta's cheap appearance belied its performance. Others must have felt the same, and Oceanic obviously received the feedback. Bob Hollis, the company's boss, is a man who, besides being a keen diver himself, listens to other divers. Welcome, the new Oceanic Delta 3.
The DX4 Sub Zero diaphragm-type first stage with which our test Delta 3 was paired has four medium-pressure and two high-pressure ports arranged around its barrel, which is in turn encapsulated in a black, soft plastic shroud at that end.
The other end has a substantial plastic cap to protect its mechanicals from the environmental effects of cold water. Even the knob of the A-clamp seems to be of top-quality injection moulding now.
There is the option of a cheaper piston-type first stage but I recommend that anyone who intends to dive in the cold goes for the DX4.
In common with many far more expensive regulators, the hose has protectors at both ends, so there is no need to see unsightly nuts. The small second stage is radically improved in appearance over the previous ABS/polycarbonate model, although it probably has the same internals.
The purge is hidden behind a large soft cover which is itself retained by a metal ring. The matt black contrasts fetchingly with the brushed aluminium and this will provide an additional heat-sink effect in cold conditions.
The breathing-resistance knob is now nicely rounded off and, thanks to what Oceanic calls "Dynamic Adjustment", it is said to stay set with the same amount of cracking-pressure, whatever the depth. This is all about how hard you need to draw on the regulator before you get a breath of air, and the knob cannot be overtightened by a ham-fisted diver wearing thick gloves. It simply clicks out of gear, so to speak.
That said, I always criticise regulators that have the breathing-resistance knob, on the grounds that if the regulator is properly tuned, it should give you all the air you need when you need it and, if you don't, you just inhale less heavily. Still, it seems that the market demands it.
More crucially, there is a venturi ± switch which operates a vane to interrupt the clean flow of air in the mouthpiece. This is useful because some designs give such a perfect venturi or vortex effect that the accelerating air can actually cause a reduction in pressure within the second-stage housing immediately behind the purge valve diaphragm, causing the water pressure to push in. The exponential effect is seen when a regulator free-flows on first passing from air to water.
The demand lever of the second stage has a nice rolling action and the whole unit exudes a quality not to be expected from an product at this price. The exhaust port is one of the narrowest I have used and this is reflected in the fact that exhaled air does tend to pass up in front of your mask if you are stationary, though this is probably a consideration only for underwater photographers.
Most divers just keep swimming in the hope of finding something new to look at, just beyond their range of vision.
Otherwise, this regulator was a pleasure to use. It might be positioned at the economy end of the market, but I would certainly not be ashamed to own one.

The Oceanic Delta 3 with DX4 Sub Zero diaphragm-type environmentally sealed first stage costs £231 in DIN or A-clamp form. It is also available in nitrox-dedicated guise.
Oceanic SW 01404 891819

The world of air travel has changed. No longer are we able to check in 20kg of baggage and then struggle on-board with another 20kg of small yet heavy items concealed in our carry-on luggage.
Too often now there are angry confrontations with aircraft-despatchers at the gate, and a not entirely unknown underwater photographer has been banned from one airline's flights to Sharm el Sheikh. Airlines are becoming especially keen on enforcing the 6kg in the cabin rule on charter flights. Let's face it, that doesn't help underwater photographers much.
Flights in and out of the USA are subject to this rule as well but the airlines allow a massive amount of check-in allowance, even for economy passengers. You can check in two pieces as long as neither weighs more than 32kg. No wonder US baggage-handlers all wear hernia belts. However, they faint at the sight of three bags, however small and light.
This has caused me to rethink my baggage strategy. First, I try to fly via the USA when it makes a sensible alternative. For example, it's better to go to the Bahamas via Miami than have to fight BA staff before you've left Gatwick.
It is also more sensible to get to Micronesia via LA than to go via Singapore and pay the whopping amount that Singapore Airlines wants to charge for excess baggage. The extra fare pales into insignificance. You can follow a similar route to Australia.
The next problem is getting everything into two bags. OK, I have the massive Stahlsac Cargo bag, capacious enough to take two people's diving gear, but I sometimes travel with enough for three, because of the demands of Diver Tests. What to do with my fragile camera gear?
Which brings me (about time - Ed) to Pelican, which makes a range of environmentally secure, heavyweight plastic boxes. They are strong, seal with an O-ring, have multiple catches, and a pressure-relief valve which allows you to get the box open once you are off the plane.
I equipped myself with the largest one the company makes. The 1650 comes with an array of folding handles and a set of wheels. You couldn't realistically lift it when loaded - it weighs in at around 10kg empty! With a professional Nikon housing, two Nikon SP104 flashguns and brackets, a Nikonos V, Nikonos 15mm lens and viewfinder, charger, synch leads and a few small tools, the weight came to 25kg.
The 1650 does cost £290, but its contents would cost more than £10,000, so I suppose it is an investment worth making. Everything is kept safe within the pre-cut foam plastic padding with which the box was equipped.
What am I going to do about checking in excess baggage for flights that go nowhere near the USA? As my old dad used to say: "I'll pay up and be smart!"
And, of course, there are smaller boxes in the Pelican range - from £28.
W Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572
The Oceanic Delta 3 with DX4 Sub Zero diaphragm-type environmentally sealed first stage costs £231 in DIN or A-clamp form. It is also available in nitrox-dedicated guise.
Oceanic SW 01404 891819