June 1999

John Bantin has been a full-time professional diving writer and underwater photographer since 1990. He makes around 300 dives each year testing diving equipment.

Price in mind at the second stage

• Price in mind at the second stage - Scubapro R380+MK20 reg
• Wrestling the gator two-handed - UK Gator light
• Looking good the British way - Hydrotech Explorer II suit
• Fin on with the handsome frogs - Cressi Space Frog fins
• Compact reel demands attention - DCM Trident SMB reel

When I once compared a Scubapro regulator to a Kalashnikov rifle, the people at Scubapro took offence. They must have thought I was implying it was made to Soviet Russian standards for consumer durables like cardboard cars and wooden radios.
The point I wanted to make was that the Kalashnikov had proved itself to be the most effective weapon in the world: it was simple, easy to maintain in the field, and always worked. Just the sort of characteristics you would want from a regulator, especially when diving in remote places.
The tall turret of Scubapro's piston-design first stage has become a familiar sight at dive locations throughout the world. The latest MK20 version, beautifully finished with all the subtle refinements you would expect on the long-standing general design, now makes up a large proportion of the Scubapro regulators out there. Matched with the G500 second stage, it is also one of the most expensive regulators around.
The MK20 first stage has four medium-pressure ports arranged around the turret, plus two high-pressure ports either side of its main barrel. Personally, I like to use this regulator first stage mounted inverted on the tank. Others, I notice, like to take full advantage from the turret design by having it sticking up - each to their own!
Now, to make this regulator more accessible in terms of price, Scubapro has introduced a new mini second stage, which one might assume performs less well than the dearer G500.
The R380 is an all-plastic design which has the familiar Scubapro VIVA adjustment knob. This positions a foil within the regulator's air flow to discourage free-flows. I found it made very little difference to the performance during diving, although I often encountered a free-flow if the regulator fell from one corner of my mouth.
This occurred several times as I found the super-soft Scubapro mouthpiece quite difficult to hold on to, which some might say was due to my large mouth. My wife, with somewhat daintier equipment of her own, found she had no trouble.
The soft shroud which allows you to operate the purge is well designed, without any tendency to pop off - something I have seen happen occasionally with other regulators when subjected to the hurly-burly of a busy dive boat.
The R380 also has a simple knurled switch, mounted on the soft rubber front, which allows you to take pressure off the valve seat when you are not diving. It discourages engraving and so extends the valve seat's life.
I used the R380 MK20 extensively throughout a two-week dive trip during which I made 32 dives in big currents and up to 40m deep. Apart from the annoying tendency to pull from one corner of my mouth with a resulting gush of air bubbles, it proved to be a high performer.
To all intents and purposes I found it hard to distinguish between this set-up's performance and that of the more expensive G500 MK20, although Scubapro assures me that the G500 is superior at depth.
The R380's small dimensions and light weight certainly help keep things comfortable and I didn't notice any irritating exhaust bubbles obscuring my vision, something which can be a problem with any regulator with such a tiny exhaust tee.
The R380 with the MK20 in normal chromed brass costs £249.

Scubapro 01256 812636

PLUS	MINUS
+ Reliable piston design with high performance + Less expensive alternative to G500	- Small mouthpiece can pull away from your mouth causing free-flow

WRESTLING THE GATOR TWO-HANDED
Even though divers' lamps are getting bigger and more powerful, you still need a back-up tucked away for safety.
At the size of an average torch, the Underwater Kinetics Gator Light is just the job for back-up. Small enough to fit securely into a BC pocket, it also comes equipped with a 'gator clip (we call them crocodile clips this side of the Atlantic) so that you can clip it to a cross-strap of your BC or other convenient place.
During night dives, I found it was quite useful to have the Gator attached to my BC so that the pool of light would illuminate my computer and pressure gauge.
It comes equipped with a hydrogen vent, which prevents build-up of gas from the three C-cell batteries. This is what can cause internal pressure and dislodged O-rings in some lesser-equipped lamps, eventually causing the mysterious flood syndrome.
The Gator's rubber-covered front bezel screws down the reflector assembly on to a single O-ring which gives access to the battery chamber and also turns on the lamp. Alas, this means you need two hands to operate it. So, hands full with a camera, I went in with the lamp on and turned it off only when I was out of the water.
The burntime from a fresh set of alkaline cells with the 3.6W bulb is about five hours (or five night dives).
I did find that when installing the batteries in a hurry, and in the dark, it is easy to jam the battery carriage by trying to slide it in along the wrong set of internal grooves.
The Gator's beam is quite narrow but very usable. I just wish it used a bunch of AA batteries instead of the C-cells because then it would be compatible with all the other dry-cell-powered equipment I carry with me.
The UK Gator Light costs £24.50.

Sea & Sea 01803 663012

PLUS	MINUS
+ Clips on where you need it + Hydrogen vent to stop gas build-up	- Needs two hands to operate

LOOKING GOOD THE BRITISH WAY
After all the praise I have heaped on Italian fashion designers and wetsuit makers, it's a welcome change to be able to send some in the direction of our homegrown craftsmen in rubber.
Hydrotech, based at Stoney Cove, is fighting the home corner in the diving fashion battle with some style.
It seems to have got the message that people want to look good in the clothes they wear, even when they are going diving. And it now turns out suits, both drysuits and semi-drysuits, that can make you look reasonably shapely. (If you normally wear an anorak and dirty trainers don't read this.)
The Hydrotech Explorer II 4mm semi-dry suit surprised us all by being so, well... stylish. Its combination of colours gives a woman a waist even if she may be lacking one. It's cut to accommodate more than just a boyish chest. It makes a woman look like a woman. It met with my wife's approval - and she used to be a London fashion designer. It has a rear-entry YKK zip and there are smooth-skin seals at ankle, wrist, neck, and between the zip and the skin.
The quality of the stitching could not be faulted. British worksmanship at its best! It comes in a variety of colourways to suit the customer's spec and is available in stock sizes or through a made-to-measure service.
The Explorer II costs £142.

Hydrotech 01455 274106

PLUS	MINUS
+ British design and workmanship	- None apparent

FIN ON WITH HANDSOME FROGS
There can be no doubt that a good heart and a strong pair of legs do more to help you fin than any artificial aid, and divers boasting these attributes probably get by with any old fins.
I, however, need all the help I can get. I'm not particularly fit and my idea of early-morning exercise is a buffet breakfast. So a good pair of fins which weld themselves to my feet and make the most of the feeble thrust I produce is what I need, and I am pleased to say that there are now plenty to choose from in our dive shops.
Cressi-sub, based in Genoa, Italy, is probably the most established maker of diving rubberwear. The Italians are very good at modern rubber injection-moulding technology, which they use to combine different compounds.
The ad for the Cressi-sub Space Frog fin reads: "Cressi's new fin is clearly extraordinary." A play on words because the major part of the blade is see-through, coloured polycarbonate which is combined with two other rubber-like compounds. To my know-ledge, none of these materials has been used before in this way.
Like the favourites of the power-finning and free-diving world, the blade of the Space Frog is of a crisp yet flexible material which has a hard edge. This is combined with a softer compound that provides side rails and integrates with the foot pocket. A third material, with a hardness somewhere between the other two, seems to be as much for aesthetics as for anything else. It all adds up to a top-quality yet very lightweight fin.
My wife and I both used Cressi Space Frogs for a two-week diving trip. The straps are flexible yet strong and the quick-release mechanisms use a conventional fastax-type buckle of a high-quality construction. We did find one problem: releasing the buckle allowed one of the parts retained on the fin to fall off and be lost beneath the boat. It could have ruined the dive trip, but luckily we had a spare and thereafter we both avoided quick-releasing them until we were safely on board.
The foot pocket fits the foot right up to the heel and, in the style of many top-flight fins including the original but much heavier Cressi Frog, the blade is angled to and integrated with the foot pocket in such a way that the load is put on to the top of the foot - ideal for a good kicking!
This Genovesi fin has about the same dimensions as that of Cressi's arch-rival and British market-leader from down the road in Rapallo, the Mares Plana Avanti Quattro. However, it has a very different action which has more in common with the Cressi Master Frog and Super Gara fins, its stable-mates.
There is no "spooning" effect. Instead, the flexibility of the blade imparts a flicking action to the water, thereby aiding progress.
The blades of the Space Frog are shorter than the over-length blades of the similar Master Frog, which we have previously proved to be good for hard finning. When it came to idly browsing along a wreck or reef without a current, I noticed a slight tendency for the Space Frogs to turn my gentler leg action into a sideways skid. This was not a problem for me, but might have been awkward for another diver who was following too closely. The leading edge of the fin has a wickedly sharp and unforgiving edge - keen enough to slice turkey.
When it came to chasing the photo of my wife with the whale shark, I was simply left wanting. I will never be sure if it was the fins or my lack of fitness. My wife, also wearing Space Frogs, managed to stay with the fish for a few minutes - so maybe the 15-year age gap made the difference!
Space Frogs are a top-quality fin and promise to stay smart for a long time. Although their hard shiny surfaces will get scratched with heavy use, I am convinced that they won't become soft and fluffy at their ends as some softer fins do.
Available in sizes S, M, L and XL and in six cool colours, Cressi Space Frogs cost £60.

Cressi-sub 01484 310130

PLUS	MINUS
+ Top performer with dimensions suitable for scuba use + Novel use of materials	- Could be unkind to a close-following buddy - Possible problem with quick-release buckle

COMPACT REEL DEMANDS ATTENTION
A new mechanical age did not dawn the day they came up with the Trident SMB Reel. But I needed something smaller than the larger reel I had been using and the Trident was of a design favoured by many technical divers, yet cheaper than an American-made caver's reel.
The Trident Reel is 8cm in diameter and carries around 30m of plaited terylene line. Its plastic hub is mounted on an anodised steel chassis with a simple threaded screw to lock it and a standard small sprung karabiner to clip it to a D-ring on the diver's BC.
I found that I had to be careful sending up my late-deployment SMB at around 20m because it went like a Polaris missile, which turned the reel into a high-speed blur. A moment's lack of attention meant that the line caught round the locking nut - which would have sent me hurtling on my way too if I hadn't surprised myself with my sudden dexterity in sorting it out. Similarly, when the buoy came to a sudden halt at the surface I found I had to put the brakes on the reel super-fast to avoid being left with an awful bird's nest of line. But the same thing can happen with any small reel - ask an angler!
After two weeks of daily use in salt water at around 30*C, the Trident showed slight signs of rust, but not enough to make me want to take it back to the shop.
It costs £50.

DCM Sales 0181 399 7049

PLUS	MINUS
+ Small and compact	- Some sharp edges - Slight rusting

---

Appeared in DIVER - June 1999

---