Virtual reality
in Las Vegas
Fancy a mask that protects your ears or improves your eyesight? How about a digital contents gauge, collapsible snorkel or underwater voicebox? Some ideas catch on, others don't, but Mike Busuttili was in pursuit of innovation at this year's DEMA Show
The dive industry's annual trade show is often used as a thermometer to indicate the health of the market, and this year many noted that the patient seems to be losing some weight. One way of gauging the state of the market in the USA, however, is by the level of course bookings in dive schools. If waiting lists are an indication of a buoyant market, that was what was being reported at this year's Diving Equipment Manufacturers Association show.
Major manufacturers such as Scubapro were reporting their best winter (order-taking) season ever, and confidence was in the air. But the industry does seem to have understood that its boom days are over for the moment.
Most diving equipment has reached a fairly advanced stage of development and there is little consumer demand for revolutionary change. Still, it is encouraging to see that most major manufacturers have now turned their attention to steady improvement of their ranges, without too much energy expended on innovation for its own sake.
Some years ago we could always look forward to discovering the new trends in colour which were going to make diving brighter and safer. Now we have come full circle and everyone seems to have followed Henry Ford's rule - that you can have any colour you like, so long as it's black.
In the race for attention, some stands presented a little more than they could deliver. On a distinctly upbeat stand, Oceanic offered a "Virtual Reality Oceanic Experience". Using special headsets, we were invited to experience a dive that could be outdone only by the real thing. The idea is that dive shops should be equipped with this system so that would-be divers can experience the delights of diving before getting wet.
Now, if the system worked well, we could see a danger of those newcomers deciding to avoid the rigours of travel and the discomfort of getting cold and wet altogether. Fear not, however - the "experience" offered by the rather over-blue 3D images that made up this presentation would not be enough to threaten diving as we know it.
Back to non-virtual reality, Oceanic has adopted an Israeli-developed design in its ProEar 2000 mask. It incorporates cups over the ears, to keep them dry, which are connected by small corrugated hoses to the mask body. As you exhale air into your mask to compensate for mask squeeze, air also feeds into the cups to equalise pressure on the outer ear.
It's just the thing for protecting your ears from infection while keeping them warm and dry. The mask is also claimed to ease ear-clearing problems for those who suffer from this.
Another Oceanic model, the Lite Vision, has three high-intensity LED lights fitted to the top of the frame. They are said to give enough light for you to read your instruments in the dark, or for other close-up examinations. It can also be set to flash for signalling purposes.
Several manufacturers offered masks that feature curved, rather than flat, lenses which restore our field of vision to a claimed 140° or 180°. The theory is that a spherical lens removes distortion and therefore magnification. In practice much depends on the position of your eyes in the mask and your own vision, just as for a prescription mask. One of the neatest solutions is Technisub's new Sphera mask, feather-light, close-fitting and likely to prove the most economical contender.
Hydro Optix, a new company, has taken a high-tech approach to the problem and come up with two solutions - the Mega for young and near-sighted divers (probable retail price around £40) and the Max, for those needing complete correction while restoring everything to its real size (probable retail price £400). We hope to be testing these new masks soon.
In the field of electronics there was little new, but some very acceptable repackaging. Uwatec has at last planned a facelift for the Aladin range to make the three major models sleeker and more ergonomic. The basic Aladin Sport model will become the Plus while the Aladin Pro will be renamed Ultra and will include the features of the Nitrox series.
The Air X moves up to Air Z and sees the two display screens rearranged so that they are easier to read at the same time. These models will also get back-lighting to improve their legibility in poor conditions. An introduction date has not yet been fixed.
Following the trend in dive watches that become computers when you dive is Dive Rite's Nitek C. Carved from a block of titanium, it offers all the features of the standard Nitek but its compact size makes it particularly suitable for use in gauge mode as a back-up for trimix dives. When you return to the surface it switches to "timepiece" mode, giving you the date and time of day.
Last year Suunto introduced the Vyper as its latest compact computer. For 2000 it has been incorporated into an air-integrated version known as the Cobra, and the serpent-like appearance is easy to recognise.
At long last the digital contents gauge has arrived! Aqua-lung was showing the EPG, effectively a module which would retrofit into any of its existing gauge and console housings. The compact screen shows current cylinder pressure, and graphical and digital displays of remaining air time, as it measures pressure drop over time. It will also provide "time of day" and temperature.
A similar entry from Scubapro/Uwatec uses a graphical pictograph showing a tank outline with an air level that slowly drops as air is consumed - an idea first used by Farallon many years ago. Both would be ideal companions for your non-air-integrated computer.
Last year saw the introduction of several split-blade fin models, and this year's new entry from Scubapro combines the split-blade design with the more traditional slotted Jet-Fin to make the Twin Jet. A graphite version, lighter and more expensive, will also be produced but will probably not be offered in the UK.
Let's admit it, snorkels can get in the way when you're not actually using them. Several solutions are now on offer. Scubapro's Flip Snorkel hinges in the middle so that it can be stowed easily in your BC pocket. An alternative solution is the Telescopic Snorkel soon to be introduced by Markat. The main tube collapses telescopically and bends around a flexible connector so that it clips to the mouthpiece, making a very small package.
Markat's other new unit is the Fresh Air Snorkel, which uses a double-barrelled approach to keep the air in a one-way loop.
Claimed to have the smallest second stage of any regulator, the Oceanic Zeta is light and compact while keeping a smart yet practical look. It is claimed to give top-of-the-range performance and is pleasingly free of knobs and adjusters. The well-established Delta range has also been given a new look, the Delta 3 being compact by all normal standards, while incorporating adjustable breathing and venturi control.
Scubapro's G500 series was always considered a pretty good performer but the company's technical director explained to us the series of improvements which have apparently gone to give the new G600 series an improvement in performance of up to 20 per cent. Watch out for its introduction in Europe later this season.
The SeaSigns program is designed to get divers using the well-developed sign language used by the deaf, supplemented by conventional diving signals and other means of manual communication. It goes beyond the strictly safety function of signs to allow divers a more interactive underwater experience.
Some of the signs are extremely descriptive, such as that for "lobster", while others seem to be lifted straight from the streets of Naples ("not"). Pity they didn't do enough homework to avoid choosing a sign for "breathe" which is virtually the same as the CMAS signal for "I am out of breath". See more on www.seasigns.com.
If you still insist on talking under water, try the Scubavoice Pro. This is a replacement for your regulator mouthpiece which makes it rather easier to speak than with a standard bite configuration. Attached to it is a side tube leading to a voicebox which helps transmit your words to your companion divers. They can hear you without any additional equipment. More information at www.scubavoice.com.
There's good news for those aiming to take up underwater photography from Sea and Sea. Its new entry-level camera, the MX-5, will sell for just £139. This is a simple point-and-shoot 35mm camera with built-in flash. Its 28mm lens gives it a real wide angle under water and it is claimed to operate down to 36m.
At the other end of the scale the company has introduced the NX-100 PRO housing for the Nikon F100 camera, successor to the F5. This is a highly sophisticated tool for the professional or the extremely serious amateur and is priced at around £1300, excluding ports.
Have you been disappointed with the results of your underwater shots? A little on the blue side, perhaps? Kodak had news of a service which it says automatically "improves" your pictures. Called Kodak Sea Service, it recognises when your photos need certain adjustment and correction, typically increased red content and higher contrast, and adjusts the digital processing used nowadays to produce your prints.
Those of you into digital photography and computer "enhancement" will recognise this process as the sort of thing you can easily do on your home or office computer. Those who are not appropriately equipped could find it a major advantage.
WHAT PEOPLE SAID ABOUT DIVER AT DEMA
"We thought you'd trashed our regulator in Diver Tests, but then we actually read what you'd written" (Equipment manufacturer)
"We hoot when we read Diver editorial. American magazines just print wallpaper to go between the ads" (US subscriber)
"How can we do equipment tests like Diver's without losing our advertisers?" (Journalist from top Swedish magazine DYK)
"Diver magazine is by far the best in the industry" (David Doubilet, underwater photographer)
