Community

Share your thoughts, experiences or questions and participate in discussions over our favorite topic : SCUBA diving!

Snorkel Pros, Cons and Solutions

by SKuba Steve on May 14, 2014

Why do divers carry a snorkel? Don’t they have air already?!

If you’re not a SCUBA diver this is an understandable question. Why would we have a snorkel if we’re already carrying air in a cylinder on our backs?

And, if you are a diver do you ever ask yourself this question or have you ever left your snorkel in your dive bag (you don’t have to admit it out loud… just let the voice in your head do the talking).

The answer to the first question is, of course, we do have air but there are some good reasons for carrying a snorkel as a SCUBA diver and some problems as well.

Dive in for more!

Scubapro T-Force BCD

by Paul Smart on September 06, 2013

Got my new BCD yesterday.

A Scubapro T-Force BCD. It's pretty awesome!

I was going to go for a Buddy Commando but have not be able to find one at a good price.

The Scubapro BCD is nice and light though (Does T = Travel?).

I can't find much info about the T-Force... in fact the scubapro website has no information at all about it!

I'll be taking it out with me on Saturday and Sunday in my confined water dives.I cannot wait! YAY!!

The Reel Thing

by Kernsart on June 06, 2013

Reels for diving, come in many shapes and sizes, along with many features and prices. Which one is right for you? I have always told divers when they ask me what to purchase,"Don't buy where you are, but buy where you see yourself going." There is a reason for this. If you buy gear suited for where your training level is, then when you move forward in knowledge, you will have to purchase better suited gear. If you purchase an air only dive computer, and want to dive Nitrox (enriched air) in the future, you either own two computers or one that is fit for your needs now and later.My feelings on the matter, apply to dive reels as well. I recently purchased a Rickly USGS HIF Type 1 Reels with...

I can barely feel my lips

by Phil on April 29, 2013

I've been diving for around 4 years and I've logged hundreds of dives. I work part time as a Divemaster in Iowa. Iowa diving does not offer what people would consider 'warm water diving.' Warm water in the Midwest means around 70 degrees Fahrenheit maximum! On average when certifying students the water is between 45 and 70 degrees which requires two piece 7mm suits most of the season (I can only imagine the pain of those divers up north in Canada!)While a two piece 7mm suit will keep you fairly warm, one thing that is hard to keep warm is your lips. I was unaware of any solution to keeping my lips warm outside of a full face mask; which would require additional training as well as quite a...

Testing the Cetatek Aquabionic Warp 1 fins

by Ksso on March 17, 2013

Cetatek was kind enough to send me a pair for their first product: the Aquabionic Warp 1.Yesterday I took them on a test drive with a buch of friends. Since my place is nowhere near a real see we had to make do with the local 20m/65ft deep pit so I couldn't try them out against a real current - but still got enough material to give some feedback on this piece of tech.

I've had the traditional Volo Race fins for years - a pretty popular model amongst divers since they're pretty cheap and yet going a bit beyond the cheap finns thing with some work done on impulse restitution which I found fairly efficient. But those finns have know to be very fragile and indeed you can tell the weak spots...

New Computer

by Raul Fuster on February 25, 2013

Just received my computer in the mail today. Genesis React Pro inline console. I wish I could go out this weekend and try it out. Can't dive on Sunday because I have to get on a plane on Monday. I would have to find someone on Saturday to go out with. But since I'm going to be gone for 10 days I don't think the wife and kids would be very happy if I left for the day. We will see. Excited to try it out though.

Gear Review: Golem (iQSub) 330m / 1000ft GoPro Dive Housing

by Phil on February 04, 2013

Richard Wait:

Dive gear is rated much deeper than you would go because if you bump it in to something you increase the pressure dramatically. For instance if your gear is rated to 100 ft, you are at 100 ft, and bump into something you have a very good chance of flooding it, however, if it is rated to 1000 ft you're probably not going to have a problem.

Golem (iQSub) 330m / 1000ft GoPro Dive Housing

by Richard Wait on January 26, 2013

iQSub 330m/1000ft Dive Housing

Ultra secure locking mechaism.

Side by Side with the 60m Dive Housing

Beautifully Machined

Reviewed January 2013

Just like your 200m watch - but real...

Looking to take your GoPro to the deep on those super deep dives? But afraid the standard 60m housing will leak? Well the good folks at Golem Gear have the answer.

An aluminium (machined from one piece) colossal 330m / 1000ft monster.

I feel looking at this amazing housing, it really will survive a dive to these depths, but I have to wonder if its just for marketing. Maybe someone will use them one a ROV - but I can't see any 'diver' taking one of these to its limits. ...

Are we all smurfs?

by Chris W on January 16, 2013

Ok... time to pose a question...Why are the majority of drysuit glove systems blue???With the exception of my daughter who does actually dive in a two tone blue drysuit, pretty much everone else I know goes for variants around black. Personally I dive in black with a smattering of yellow and generally look like an aquatic wasp.. but even in my most boring suit, I have nothing that goes with bright blue hands.I'm usually the first to snigger at the colour co-ordinated, ink still damp on the OW cert squad for who its more about the esthetic rather than the experience, but in this instance I can't help being a fashion victim.Put me out of my misery - is there some scientific / historic...

Dive with comfort: the thermo-formed mouthpiece

by Ksso on July 07, 2012

If you have been diving a bit, you may have encountered that jaw muscles fatigue after a long dive where you've been biting that mouthpiece a bit too hard. This is even more common on rental regulators where I've experiences the most oddly shaped mouthpieces ever. Even since I got my own regs, and despite the overall comfort bump they brought me, I kept finding myself over-biting the mouthpiece to ensure it stays firmly in my mouth.I've heard about those thermoformed mouthpieces for a while and when I finally found one in my LDS (local dive shop) I grabbed it and took it for a spin ! I bought the only brand they had: "JAX from DrBrux" which was co-branded by Mares (?) (apparently DrBrux...