By Dr. David Sawatzky Rebreathers are becoming ever more common in the diving community, and in diving fatality records.  I wanted to write a column on rebreather fatalities but immediately realized that it would make no sense to most divers unless they had a good, basic understanding of …

Text by Hillary Hauser Fifty years ago December a 1,020-foot (311m) dive off Catalina Island, California, changed everything. Hannes Keller’s revolutionary accomplishment accelerated a new age of deep sea diving, but the daring exploration came at a price   On his sixtieth birthday Hannes Keller flew a Russian MIG …

Text and Illustrations By Jill Heinerth I have never figured out why so few North American technical divers wear helmets. Perhaps helmets never reached the Pantheon of hip here? Divers in other parts of the world would never consider exposing their scalps to the ceiling of a cave or wreck …

Text by Jill Heinerth Ask a rebreather diver what drives their rebreather and they will undoubtedly tell you, the oxygen sensors. These annually disposable devices are critical to creating a safe breathing loop and yet when not functioning properly can reduce a $10,000 investment in life support to a …

DIVER magazine would like to announce an amendment to our current Gear Guide issue. Our pricing of the Shearwater NERD (page 24 of Volume 41, Issue 1) should be CAD$2,500, and not $950 as printed. This is an editorial mistake by us, we put it down to a mixture of pre-Christmas excitement, narcosis, …

The Diving Almanac is the ultimate authority on diving exploits and history, but what’s the story behind the stories? By Jeffrey Gallant I was dreaming of overnight success… Reality struck at my first DEMA Show where I met veteran publisher Rick Stratton who looked me straight in the eye and said: …

By Jill Heinerth Gliding along with the precise synchronicity of a flight demonstration team, scuba divers piloting radical-looking scooters maneuver into the frame. As viewers we are transformed, drawn into the dimly lit cave of indescribable beauty. If the Director of Photography has done his job, we are engrossed …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary We use a Swiss Army knife on ALL assignments. First, the plastic toothpick of this old companion is the best O-ring removal tool ever made. Second, other components such as the screwdrivers, scissors or tweezers always come in handy. As Michel was unscrewing …

Many DIVER readers would have seen small, yellow scuba tank water bottles infiltrate all corners of the globe. What a lot of people aren’t aware of is that they were originally intended to house every sea lovers favourite tipple, rum. Time to rejoice rum lovers – they soon will. Tank Rum is the …

SeaLife Micro HD 16GB $399.95 Micro HD+ 32GB WiFi $499.95 The newest addition to the SeaLife range of user-friendly cameras is the ultra compact Micro HD. Unlike most cameras this is a sealed unit – no openings, no O-rings, no memory card ports and, therefore, no risk of flooding. SeaLife’s trusted ‘piano key’ design makes …

By Jill Heinerth These days, it seems that most divers own a GoPro or similar small sport camera. These little devices are awesome for traveling light and capturing great underwater moments. Yet, sometimes unavoidable small and large disasters get in the way of bringing home the best possible footage. …

Lowepro DryZone 200 US$283.86 ‘A drysuit for your gear’ claims the world’s first waterproof soft-sided camera backpack. TIZIP zipper system, rubber covered sealed seams, adjustable dividers, mesh pockets and a lifetime warranty. www.lowepro.com Ikelite RX100 III housing $550 Sony’s RX100 III is a first rate compact camera that produces …

Canadian manufacturer Aquatica has taken the plunge (no pun intended) into the MFT market and introduced the AE-M1, an enclosure tailored for the Olympus OM-D E-M1 (the more potent version of the legendary M5). This is a big step considering the resources needed to develop an entirely new housing …

Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses promise a bright future By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary With modern featherweight carry-on allowances and large, tendinitis-inducing camera housings, many people opt not to shoot large DSLRs. If you don’t care about the status symbol associated with the bigger/heavier ‘pro’-look cameras, there are …

First Published in DIVER Volume 38 Issue 5 By Phil Nuytten The problem: A swillion, or so, years ago, we humans were designed (or evolved, or left here by aliens – please substitute your desired flavour) to function best under a fairly rigid set of specifications. These specs include …

Advances in gear design & technology over 60 years may not make diving more fun, but it is much easier. And, a picture’s worth a lot of words, we think! Text by Phil Nuytten  Bouyancy Compensators Bouée Fenzy / Aqua Lung Axiom i3 The French Navy’s Bouée Fenzy, left, was …

Dive Rite O2ptima Rebreather $8,500 This fully closed circuit, constant P02, electronically-driven rebreather features built-in decompression ability. Dive Rite’s O2ptima is great for overhead environments where immediate surfacing is not always possible, and it will appeal to open water and wreck divers too.  Features include 5-litre total loop volume counter …

Pelican iM2050GP1 Pelican Storm Case $TBC Tough as a house, watertight, and guaranteed for life. Keep your GoPro and a range of accessories safe and dry with this padded, lightweight hardcase. Optional shoulder strap. www.pelican.com Nauticam Super Macro Converter 1 $480 The first underwater macro conversion lens that is …

Atomic Aquatics BladeFins $179 Feel the need for speed? Then these new fins designed specifically for a flutter kick will give you a powerful swimming style that will allow you to move through the water fast, even in strong currents. Designed with sweeping curves and a unique two frame structure …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary New photographers often struggle with some concepts, and depth of field is one of them. Learn how to use it creatively. We may be taking digital images today but the laws of physics and optics still apply. One of them relates to depth …

Nauticam FIX Neo Prices vary A new line of lights that have an LCD display, removable battery, 100 degree beam angle, interchangeable heads, remote control and sealed recharging. Wowsers. What more could you want? www.fixneo.com Backscatter Macromate Mini $88.95 This well-priced, flip on and off, lens for your GoPro 3 …

By Jill Heinerth In my last column I provided tips to assist in comparing the quality and brightness of underwater video lights. Most underwater videographers buy a couple of lights and mount them to their camera on arms, illuminating the environment, or a dive buddy at close range. Camera-mounted …

We sincerely hope you don’t, but our intrepid contributor, Stephen Weir, has taken steps just in case, and he’s not alone Text by Stephen Weir If at some point in the future someone who is not my dentist gets up close and personal with me and they see my …

By Jill Heinerth I have a confession: I have a bit of a light fetish. I can’t seem to stop buying new lights. Headlamps, solar rechargeable, hand-cranked lanterns, cinema lighting, LED key fobs and endless cave diving and video lights. I have them all.  And this doesn’t include the …

Sidemount diving may have been around for while now, but in the last couple of years it seems to have risen in popularity and become a very fashionable way of diving, and not just for cave divers, but open water divers too. The new SEAC KS01 Buoyancy jacket is a …

Announced a week ago at the TekDive USA show in Miami, the new Edge / Hog Gear sidemount system created a wee bit of interest to say the least. Little is officially known at this point, but that hasn’t stopped people getting excited at the prospect of a new, …

American Underwater Products (AUP) announced today the merger of two of their recreational dive companies, AERIS & Oceanic. Each of these companies currently offer similar product lines to the diving industry worldwide. Effective September 1st, 2014, these lines will be combined and sold exclusively under the Oceanic brand. The merger will …

For those new to sidemount, or those still trying to find the right gear configuration, Dive Rite may be able to help. Dive Rite’s new BC Hose Quick Disconnect Adapter is a simple solution to a common routing problem . If the power inflator on your sidemount rig doesn’t sit flat …

Nikon has refined its flagship DSLR, and Nauticam continues it’s tradition of continual innovation in the underwater photography world. Nauticam have announced the NA-D4S underwater camera housing for the Nikon D4S professional SLR camera and Flash Trigger for Nikon, the second in it’s line of flash trigger units, allowing use of robust and reliable …

Ikelite have been hitting a lot of home runs lately. With some fantastic packages and a great new website to name just two.  Their new Vega has been looming for a while now, but it’s finally available in stores and is well deserving of your attention. The Vega packs a …

Five pieces of awesome dive gear, untested but worthy of your dive time Roland St. John Sterling Hammerhead Shark $75 Conservationist, videographer and artist Roland St. John has created this latest lovely piece for his Seaplicity Collection. It’s approximately 2 inches of sterling silver on an optional 2mm Omega chain. One of …

Five pieces of awesome dive gear, untested but worthy of your dive time   Poseidon SE7EN Rebreather $6,895 Developed from the world’s first recreational rebreather, the SE7EN reflects next generation innovation. New hardware and firmware make for a faster and more reliable unit, bluetooth connectivity means easy updates and dive …

Is the consideration objective or subjective? The decision is yours…. By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary Manufacturers offer the latest and the greatest, but which camera is the best one? From beginners to old salts, underwater photographers are always talking gear and one perennial question concerns the ‘best’ camera …

A great way to get started in underwater photography with this compact, easy-to-use system. The Camera Switch effortlessly underwater between colorful 20.1 megapixel stills and high-resolution HD 720p video with a single package. Be ready for anything you come across with the possibility of shooting wide angle, portrait, and …

Gates Z100 Housing $7100 ‘Bullet proof’ housing for your Sony 4K professional camcorder. Adjustable weight system, surface monitor feed, magnified viewfinder, fingertip controls and a 2-year warranty. www.gateshousings.com   Ikelite Canon SL1, Waterproof TTL Housing, Camera, and Lens Kit $1850 Everything you need in one amazingly priced package. HD …

Five pieces of awesome dive gear, untested but worthy of your dive time Oceanic Omega 3 / FDX-I $699 Side exhausts are making a come back and March 2014 sees the release of this Oceanic first and second stage unit. Effortless breathing thanks to a unique levered pilot valve, plus …