Diving in Canada is unlike diving anywhere else in the world. Divers and their gear are subjected to extreme conditions such as cold water and the gear we use has to be able to take the abuse.
For over twenty years, Oceanic has offered a full line of gear to help meet Canadian divers' needs.


The Oceanic Delta II Sub Zero regulator is designed to overcome the extremes of cold water diving through the use of composite materials and prepackaged components.

The first stage contains a balanced diaphragm which seals the piston, seats and o-rings from the elements. When the optional Oceanic environmental kit is attached to the first stage, the upper spring chamber is also sealed, providing one of the best defenses against icing. Available in a yoke or optional DIN version, the first stage has four low pressure and two high pressure ports. The port designated to hold the primary second stage also features a venturi assist to provide easier air delivery when tank pressure drops below 1000 psi.

The Sub Zero's second stage is also designed to minimize the effects of cold water. Within the composite polymer housing most of the major valve components are built of strong, compound plastics instead of plated brass or stainless steel.

The Oceanic DataMax PRO computer is an advanced air integrated dive computer which is very simple to use. Set around the border of the screen, three colour coded bar graphs make it easy to interpret the status of a dive at a glance. A Tissue Loading Bar Graph (TLBG) allows you to see how close you are to the no decompression limit and two other graphs show representations of tank pressure and ascent rate. In conjunction with these simple references, the computer also gives the required detailed numerical information. The DataMax PRO also displays air time remaining based on depth, dive duration, breathing rate, safe ascent rate and decompression obligation. During a dive the screen will flip to an alternate dive display every 15 seconds for a period of two seconds. This alternate screen displays dive number, maximum depth and elapsed bottom time.
If at any time the DataMax PRO senses that you are entering a potentially dangerous situation an audible alarm will sound to alert you, and a display on the computer will flash to let you know which violation has occurred. If the tissue loading bar graph enters the red zone indicating a need for decompression, a double beep will sound and the screen will switch to decompression mode. The TLBG will indicate a decompression ceiling and the screen will display the decompression time. After the dive, the computer enters the surface mode and by holding down the activation button you can enter the memory log and retrieve pertinent information for the previous nine dives.
The Datamax Pro has a depth rating of 249' and if the computer enters a violation of either maximum depth or decompression, it will go into gauge mode for 24 hours. During this time it will display only basic information, such as depth and bottom time. The Datamax automatically adjusts to altitudes up to 14,000' and its J-size battery is user replaceable. The owner's manual is very explicit and easy to follow.

The Oceanic Prodigy is a compact wrist or console-mount computer which performs the same functions as the DataMax PRO with the exception of showing tank pressure. In addition to bar graph displays, the Prodigy uses a series of icons for quick visual reference. The Prodigy displays the maximum depth and elapsed bottom time for the entire dive, unlike the DataMax PRO which flips screens every 15 seconds. The Prodigy has an alternate screen which appears at intervals during a decompression dive. The alternate screen provides current depth and total bottom time remaining including decompression stop time.

Diver Magazine would like to thank
Rowand's Reef Scuba Shop
for their assistance in preparing this article.