In dark depths rarely visited by scuba divers, subs explore hectares of sponge many storeys high that form British Columbia’s ancient Sea of Glass By Sabine Jessen and Alexandra Barron The Aquarius submersible plummets through the depths, the light fades and darkness surrounds the small white vessel. Through the …

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 …

Photographs Courtesy Deep Ocean Technology A patented project by Deep Ocean Technology (DOT), the Water Discus Underwater Hotel is right out of the Jetsons. The futuristic accommodation is remarkable in appearance and design. The basic structure comprises an underwater disc and a topside disc, sized to client specifications, water …

Text By Russell Clark  Scuba diving in the waters of Vancouver, British Columbia can be a chilling adventure. Not only are our waters pretty cold all year round, but the Emerald Seas of the Great White North are also fed by icy waters from snow capped mountains. All in …

  Scientists gave the rebuilt Alvin submarine two thumbs up after field-testing the nation’s only human-occupied deep-sea research vehicle for the first time after a major $42-million overhaul that dramatically upgraded the sub’s capabilities. “We’ve tested the core functions of the new Alvin, and we believe we have a great new tool for the scientific community,” said …

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 …

Canon calls the EOS Rebel SL1 100D camera “The World’s Smallest and Lightest Digital SLR Camera.” We can believe it, it’s tiny. Pared with a small, fully functioning Ikelite housing with an 8 inch dome, what you get, may just be on the most versatile and practical underwater DSLRs you can …

Five pieces of awesome dive gear, untested but worthy of your dive time Waterproof D6 Lite ISS $1995 Available late Spring 2014, this lightweight version of the popular D7 is ideal for travelers.  Flexible and light trilaminate, comfy FlexBoots and a front entry TZIP. Looks damn cool.  www.waterproof.eu Sherwood amphos $550 …

Text by Michael McAllister and Ian Kerr-Wilson Following publication of Civil Disobedience Wreck Diving in DIVER Volume 38 Number 7 the City of Hamilton expressed interest in outlining its initiatives and future plans for the Hamilton and Scourge historical site in its charge. This post is the FULL City …

Following distribution of our Gear Guide issue (Volume 39 Issue 1) we were contacted by Scuba One, an Italian manufacturer of scuba goods included in that feature. This European company has the same name as a United States based dive travel operation, which asked if we would help distinguish between the …

An explorer begets the Explorer, the new Hollis Gear semi-closed unit that just may change and reinvigorate sport diving  Text by Michael Menduno   Kevin Gurr has been passionate about computing and rebreathers since his first rebreather dive in 1987. The prolific 54-year old British explorer, tech instructor and …

Product: CO-Pro Recommend Retail Price: Single $7.95 Pack $37.50 Website  Carbon Monoxide can be a big killer; odourless, colourless and impossible to detect using just your senses. Adventurous dive travellers may have encountered questionable fill stations in various corners of the globe. Maybe the compressor was situated too close to a …

Manufacturer: EezyCut Product: Trilobite Recommend Retail Price: $24.95 Website  Cutting devices have seen little change since man first crafted them, but the Trilobite is made specifically for emergency uses, and has a host of applications; rock climbing, kayaking, skydiving, fishing and of course scuba diving. EezyCut have managed to successfully reinvent the …

Manufacturer: Maxtec Product: Handi+ Recommend Retail Price: $225 Website Having an O2 analyzer on hand is an excellent addition to your gear bag. For some, checking your O2 level pre-dive is an essential requirement, for others it can be a great habit to get into. After all, no harm …

Dive industry pro Bret Gilliam offers the historical perspective The first research work in decompression physiology was not directed at scuba divers. Records from 1841 show that construction workers working at elevated pressures in either caissons (water-tight boxes inside which workers did construction underwater) or construction tunnels beneath rivers …

Wall diving in the Cayman Islands is extraordinary, even before you hit the water Text by Peter Golding   There’s a wall dive you won’t want to miss next time you’re in the Caymans. Any vacationer to these islands can enjoy this particular reefscape ascending a double helix staircase …

First magnetometer survey of Hamilton and Scourge may reveal new debris field artefacts of the Lake Ontario heritage wrecks Text and Photos by Joseph Frey   Sailing out of Ontario’s historic Port Dalhousie on a glorious late June morning I imagine the treed shoreline of western Lake Ontario looks …

More than a decade ago a group of technical divers made a series of ‘unofficial’ deep dives on the heritage wrecks of Hamilton and Scourge in Lake Ontario. This is their story Text by Scott Stitt   It feels like we’ve been dropping forever. Descending through 150 feet (46m), …

Night diving has to be one the most unique and awe inspiring things a human can experience. The cliche “It’s another world down there” is so for good reason. But what if there was a subsea world invisible to the human eye? Light & Motion have continued to innovate …

Fins. Not the most exciting piece of dive gear, but definitely one of the most under appreciated. A good pair of fins can make a world of difference to any diver, and the market is some what flooded with options. The warp1 fin from Cetatek is another ‘revolutionary fin’ …

San Diego based Diving Unlimited International (DUI) is one of the world’s leaders in the design and manufacturing of drysuits. Established in 1963, long before the internet, DUI have expanded through 400 dealers in North America alone, with all their drysuits being hand made in California. Consistently innovating, DUI …

For the diver who’s done it all, this place is one for the logbook Text by Michel Braunstein Photography by Michel Braunstein & Jacki Soikis    I’ve had the good fortune to dive in many parts of the world. It’s the variety of experiences I’ve enjoyed that keeps my eye …

SCUBA’s very own transformer, the innovative Aeris Jetpack, will change the game for dive travelers navigating airports, airlines, beaches, boats and even the water and the dive itself! Last year’s DEMA show had its share of new products and services. But in that Las Vegas convention centre the size …

As government funding for exploration dries up, private ventures are beginning to lead the way. But we can’t all get grants from National Geographic, or ask for handouts from Paul Allen. Kickstarter.com is a ‘crowd funding’ website and a fast growing addition to the internet, labelled by Time magazine …

Explorer and Director James Cameron will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 11, with Dr. Susan Avery, president and director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for a series of public events and a Senate hearing. Central to their visit is the display of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, the only human-occupied …

In the current issue of DIVER magazine, Andy Murch travels to Japan’s Yonaguni Island to dive the infamous Yonaguni Ruins. Opinions regarding the ruins are split between those that believe the ruins are natural, those that believe they are man made, and in the video below, those that think …

If you’re eager to book a summer vacation, or maybe expand your dive knowledge with a new certification, then two upcoming dive training trips could be what you’re looking for. Shipwreck School is run by Canadian wreck expert and author Terry Dwyer. Based on the east coast of Canada, …

Sonar map reveals new details of sunken Civil War-era warship A hundred and fifty years ago in January, the U.S. navy gunboat Hatteras was sunk during a battle with the famous Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama. It was one of the skirmishes that saw the key southern port of …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary When we first began taking pictures underwater there was nothing even close to automatic underwater flash photography. To this day, we swear by pool tests, exposure tables…and histograms! Is this about to change? With our ‘manual only’ attitude, we put the Ikelite TTL …

‘Way down below the ocean’, as Donovan sang in his song Atlantis, is the setting for these independent short films now on YouTube   Okay boys and girls, it’s movie time. Put that left brain logic and reason on pause and dive into this provocative possibility: the ancient civilization …

Panasonic’s GH2 was a gargantuan success with pro videographers. The GH3 has hit the market to rave reviews and will doubt be a huge hit with underwater videographers, be they professional or keen amateurs. Ikelite have just released their GH3 underwater housing…  Product No. 6860.03 MSRP $1,500* Other housings …

As electronic devices become smaller, cheaper and more powerful, their applications can be seen infiltrating all walks of life. We dive into a new, emerging wave of SCUBA technology The first iPhone commercials proudly stated “There’s an App for that.” Indeed, it seems so. More and more diving related …

Text by Phil Nuytten The U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet is the coin of the realm among diving helmet collectors. The Mark V embodies all the mystique of ‘Deep Sea Diving’ in one handsome package and although it is arguably the most mass-produced of all diving helmets, it …

There’s no shortage of replacement mouthpieces available and most are pretty standard, so why dedicate a web article to one? The idea of SeaCure Custom Mouthpieces is brilliantly simple and one that stands out in a crowded market. It’s a unique take on a familiar product; moldable mouthpieces for …

The Niagara Divers’ Association will present its 19th annual Shipwrecks Symposium Saturday, April 6, 2013 and DIVER Magazine will be there! A popular event for Ontario and New York State area divers, the event is staged in Welland, Ontario. This one-day symposium on shipwrecks features multimedia presentations and internationally …

DUI President Susan Long offers a perspective on the challenges of dive garment fit from the perspective of a woman and a manufacturer.  Make it smaller and make it pink. Not so long ago that was the fallback position for most manufacturers when designing dive equipment for women.  It …