Liquivision claims that when you use their Nirvana 2 Fluid Goggles, you won't need "to waste precious air to equalize the mask and you will have more air to equalize deeper than ever before." I never considered that I was "wasting precious air" when equalizing, but maybe I'm missing something. Liquivision also promises that its masks eliminate mask squeeze, fogging, and flooding. I guess that's because, basically, when you're wearing a Nirvana 2, your mask is already flooded. Yup! Filled with saline solution, diving with the Nirvana 2 means that while you're eyes are open, they're touching liquid meant to "enhance your apnea reflex."

Featuring adjustable, removable, corrective lenses; a wide field of vision; and "greater thermal insulation against cold water," the Nirvana 2 is the only mask in the world that doesn't require equalization. Liquivision's Nirvana 2 Fluid Goggles run a hefty $295 per set, and they don't even include the required nose piece!

[Via X-Ray Mag]

Everybody knows that as you descend into the water, colors disappear one-by-one until everything in your field of vision has a blue tint. Underwater shooters know that by placing a red filter over the lens of their camera, however, they can add the reds back into their images. So why don't divers place a red filter over their eyes and add the reds back in, too? That's the questions SeaVision asked themselves, and as a result, they've developed a line of color-correcting masks for divers. I've seen these before, and I've always wondered if they worked.

According to Divernet, these rose-colored lenses DO make the undersea environment appear to be more robustly-colored -- sort of. If you're diving in bright light conditions, this mask provides better vision in sunny conditions and "works well at putting the color back into what you see." If, however, you're diving in low-light conditions, the specially-tinted plastic lenses may actually impair your ability to see. SeaVision masks are available for around $100, or about twice that price, if you want prescription lenses inserted.

• 3mm wet suit (or equivalent)
  
• Regulator + octo
  
• Computer
• Mask
• Snorkel
• Fins
• Booties
• Gloves
• Small light
• Dive log with PADI tables, fish ID cards, etc.

Are the days of lugging around huge, back-breaking gear bags numbered? Have gear-makers discovered that many divers are not Herculean and, in fact, want bags that are easier to carry? Probably not: divers will still carry with them numerous regs, unwieldy camera set-ups, and heavy-duty drysuits. However, if you're on the prowl for some gear that's tote-able, then you might be interested in Scuba Diving's recent portable gear round-up. From travel bags to featherweight regs; from travel BCs to hotel-to-boat bags; from lightweight fins to topside roller bags, this is an excellent little gear round-up.

Driving thorough Islamorada last July, I noticed a large, blue un-opened building on my right. A sign outside the building read, "The Florida Keys History of Diving Museum," but the building was clearly shuttered. Curious but disappointed (and ready to enjoy the rest of my vacation), I kept driving. As it turns out, the Diving Museum opens officially this coming Wednesday (September 20). Dedicated to "collecting, preserving, displaying and interpreting artifacts, antiques, books, documents, photographs and oral history relative to the History of Diving," the museum's founders, Drs. Joe and Sally Bauer, claim to hold the largest collection of historic diving equipment and research documents in the world. Consequently, the museum should be killer. I wish I could be there for the opening.

Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays, the museum features 8 distinct rooms, from "Timeline of Diving," to "Helium Diving," to "Into the Abyss," to "Parade of Nations" -- a collection of historic hard-hat dive helmets from around the world. In addition to its standing exhibits, the Museum plans to host a lecture series, as well. Stephen Frink lives up the road in Key Largo; I wonder if he'll swing by for a chat. Located at Mile Marker 83, admission is $10/adult, $9/kid. To learn more about the Museum, check out Dive Bubbles, the Museum's newsletter. The most current newsletter is dated July, but I'm betting a new one will be available soon.

Mask Savers replace the common silicone strap on any dive mask. In addition to providing a neoprene pad to protect the back of the head and hair, Mask Savers have an interesting clip feature that allow divers to easily and comfortably adjust or remove the mask, without having to re-size the strap repeatedly. That clip also allows divers to attach the mask to their BC after a dive, which I think is quite a unique touch. For divers looking for a little more, the strap on the Mask Saver Deluxe converts into protective, floating case for the entire unit. If I've totally confused you, check out the short video of the Mask Saver in action, and it will all become clear. A Mask Saver runs $21.50, and a Mask Saver Deluxe runs $26.50; both prices include shipping.

[Via X-Ray Mag]

In light of our recent post concerning how to prepare a new dive mask, I was interested to discover this article in Scuba Diving, in which the testers pitted 8 commercial mask defogging products against each other:

• Aquaseal Sea Gold
• Absolutely Clear
• 500 PSI
• 200 Ft. Viz
• Aquaseal Sea Drops
• Aquaseal Sea Ice
• Trident Instructor's Choice
• Aquaseal Sea Quick

(Hey, where's the Wide-i magnetic fog wipers?)

In the end, they determined that Johnson's baby shampoo performed almost as well as some of the commercial solutions and that spit performed better than some of the weaker defogs: "most (but not all) of the commercial products do work considerably longer than the free one [spit], the best lasting the equivalent of three dives compared to one-and-a-half for spit." With a final determiation like that, I'm certainly happy I'm not banking my retirement on my new mask defog product.

Despite your initial elbows-and-as*holes mask prep work, it still happens occasionally: your mask fogs. To remedy this, of course, you have several options:

• You can spit in your mask.
• You can use commercially available anti-fog products.
• You can use Wide-i's magnetic fog wipers.

Wide-i's wipers, sold in pairs, allow divers to slide a magnet along the outside of the lens, causing an inside magnet to move in unison to remove fog. Claiming chemical antifogs are not re-apply-able while diving (which is true), and arguing that rinsing a mask underwater "requires training" (uhh...), Wide-i promises that the "strength of the magnets is designed to assure that they stay on the mask at all times, even upon a clumsy or splashy entrance into the water." What do you think?

Brand new dive masks often have an oily film on the inside of the lens(es). Usually silicone-based, the oils are used during the manufacturing process as a mold release agent and to make the masks appear bright and shiny in the store. However, after the mask is molded (and sold), the oils attract dirt and lead to mask fog. And nobody likes mask fog. So what's the best way to prevent it? Well, here are two suggestions:

1. Wikihow has a nice tutorial describing mask prep. Basically, the process involves washing the mask thoroughly with soapy water, and then scrubbing the inside of the glass with toothpaste. This cheap, relatively natural solution comes to us via Dive Happy.
2. According to the folks at Salclear, however, the soapy-water-and-toothpaste combo can abrade the glass. Instead, they recommend using Salclear NMP, a fluid designed specifically for removing the oily film.

My mask is so old that I can't recall how I removed oily residue. Considering I've had the same mask since I was about 16, I imagine I did very little...and just wondered how come I couldn't clearly see the girls swimming past me. What have you done to remove any new-mask-oils?

• Dish-soap-and-tooth-soap?
• Manufactured formula? 
• Other?

If you plan to be in the Seattle area late next month, you might want to stop by Underwater Sports' 28th Annual Divers Fair sale. Scheduled for the weekend of July 28-30, customers can save up to 50% on every imaginable kind of dive gear from companies like Atomic, Apollo, Atlan, Cetacea, DeepSee, DiveRite, DUI, Harvey's, High Tide, Ikelite, JBL, Light & Motion, Mares, McNett, Northern Diver, Oceanic, OMS, O'Neill, PADI, Pelican, ScubaPro, SeaLife, Sea & Sea, SeaSoft, Stahlsac, Trident, USIA, Underwater Kinetics, Viking, XS Scuba, and Zeagle.

According to Calvin Tang, who attended last year's event, "this is honestly, hands down, the best time and place to gear up - especially if you've recently got into scuba." In fact, this year's sale features over 100,000 items, including thousands of regulators, thousands of suits, thousands of computers, and hundreds of tanks. Calvin claims the best part of the event is that all the reps show up to answer questions and to demonstrate their equipment.

Sadly for me, the Fair couldn't be much farther away and still be in the same country. This is too bad, especially since I dropped my reg off to be serviced this week. Upon seeing my vintage Dacor unit, the repairman's eyes popped out of his head and he reminded me that Dacor's replacement parts are hard to come by. Depending on the news he gives me, it may be time to buy a new reg. I could certainly use one at 50% off. Maybe Calvin can buy me one and ship it to me.

On a recent dive trip with my wife, she asked why most divers wear dark-colored BCs and wetsuits. It's the traditional color?, I answered lamely. The boat captain spoke up, claiming it was because there was limited light underwater, and so there was no need for colorful underwater gear. I think that answer is almost as lame. It turns out, TUSA also thinks blah-colored dive gear is lame.

Consequently, TUSA is planning to launch a new line of colorful dive gear for summer, including masks, fins, and snorkels in Pearlescent Pink, White, Black/Red, and a limited Lavender. Although the gear, itself, isn't presented on their website, some of their new ads are uploaded there, so you can see what all the dive fashionistas will be wearing this summer.

[Via X-Ray Mag]

If you don't have the luxury of a large gear bag when you travel, saving space might be important to you. In that case, you might want to consider a folding mask. Although they don't feature a hinge that really "folds" them in half, folding masks are masks that lay down flat for easy packing. Sherwood's Mako mask is an example of a folding mask.

The Mako features a subframe, which means that rather than attaching the mask strap to the flexible silicone skirt, the strap is attached to a small piece of rigid material (called a subframe) that's attached to the mask. This "virtual frameless mask" provides greater stability and a more secure fit than some other frameless masks. Featuring an easy-access nose pocket for quick-and-dirty clearing, and a single tempered-glass lens, the Mako comes in a variety of styles and won't take up too much space in your gear bag.

And if you're wondering, Sherwood's website claims the Mako is the "coolest looking mask you can buy." That's got to count for something.

Mares has unveiled 4 new and/or tweaked pieces of dive gear, just in time for the summer dive season.

1. The Demon Mask -- Boasting superior comfort and increased flexibility, the Demon claims to offer "the widest field of vision with the least amount of drag."
2. The Avanti Excel full foot fin -- Claiming to offer "greater thrust with the same effort," the Excel features a Super Channel Thrust, which facilitates optimal thrust. Moreover, Mares claims the fin's blade is angled for maximum efficiency.
3. The Vector Epic -- Sporting an elastic cummerbund, the Epic is a weight integrated jacket-style BCD, featuring the MRS Plus weight-release system.
4. The M2 computer -- Retaining the best of the M1 model, the M2 computer tosses in a few extras, including newly-designed button distribution, updated software, and a new price. It also features user-changeable AAA batteries, an increased log book capacity, Air/Nitrox/Bottom timer modes, and more.

Have you received your tax refund yet?

[Via Scuba Diving]