You've seen the bloated contents of my dive bag so today we'll take a look at something more svelte. Marc Lyng's warm water setup is direct and to the point but not as flashy as Willy's. I envy you warm water divers but at least hauling my bag around is a good workout. If you want details on the gear in the photo, head over to Marc's Flickr page and hover over the photo.
Responding to someone's question about how to sanitize dive gear, DAN crafted a detailed response. Don't use household cleaners, go to your dive shop and buy one specially formulated for scuba diving equipment. Follow the directions and don't forget to rinse your gear with fresh water.
Really people...disinfect your gear? DAN claims there is no documented proof of viral, bacterial, or fungal infections brought on by diving.
How do I clean my gear? I hang it up outside and douse repeatedly with fresh water. Drip dry, return to storage. When I lived in an apartment I let it soak in the tub for awhile before the drip dry.
Considering my entire body is immersed in the ocean and has touched my lips and been ingested in small amounts, disinfecting my gear is probably the least of my worries.
Willy showed us some East Coast style with the contents of his dive bag. Compact and to the point. On the other hand we've got my bag throwing down some West Coast style. Neither compact or trim, it's all about bulky neoprene for Southern California waters in the range of 50-70 degrees F. The gear is around five years old so there isn't much which needs changing, but a drysuit (or semi-dry) is mighty tempting! It's a real workout getting in and out of thick, layered, neoprene.
I've shown you mine so show me yours! Drag that equipment out of the garage, post a photo on Flickr, and tag it with "whatsinyourdivebag".
While I don't support robbing banks, I DO support creativity. And Charles Everett Coma gets some credit for creativity.
In April, 2004, Coma managed to leave an Olympia, Washington bank with $6000 in stolen money. Wearing a wetsuit under his street clothes, Coma apparently rushed to Puget Sound in his car, and dashed toward the water carrying scuba tanks. Police saw him throw a backpack containing the robbery money into the Sound, but tackled him before he was able to enter the water. Evidently, he was planning on swimming to freedom.
Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Franklin D. Burgess sentenced Coma to 16 years in prison for armed bank robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer. He was overheard to've said, "Man, if only I'd been wearing Flip Fins!"
This afternoon, I hauled my dive gear outside, unpacked it all, arranged it in neat little piles, and took a picture of it. Then, I uploaded it to Flickr and used that handy little API to add notes to the image, explaining what everything was. If you're interested to see what I dive with, head over to Flickr. Warning: some of the equipment is pretty ancient. I plan to do some upgrading this spring. So don't laugh. If you've got a few minutes, I invite you to share with us what's in your dive bag. Be sure to tag your picture(s) with "whatsinyourdivebag" so we can find it easily.
Most of the vendors at the Florida Dive Show were standard: Caribbean resorts, gear manufacturers, conservation organizations, etc. However, I was caught of guard when I walked past Wetwear's booth. There, stuck among several other "ordinary" wetsuits was a Superman wetsuit. Although the suit doesn't have a cape, it'd still be cool diving as The Man of Steel. Wetwear will make you any kind of custom wetsuit you can imagine. Got an underwater wedding coming up and you haven't got a thing to wear? Wetsuit can design suits that look like tuxedos.
Next Halloween, I'm going as Borat...not! Happy times!!!
We mentioned Hangairs wetsuit drying systems back in September. Basically a clothes hanger with a 12-volt fan built into it, the good folks at Hangairs claim their units dry funky wetsuits up to 70% faster than standard methods (read: throwing it over a balcony rail). Employing a 130-cubic-feet-per-minute waterproof fan that forces air through the arms and legs, a Hangair hanger is able to hold up to 150 pounds of weight AND dry your wetsuit in just a few hours (no more wriggling into wet wetsuits the morning after a day of diving!) I saw some Hangairs in use today, and I was pretty impressed. They were silent, sturdy, and easy-to-use.
Interestingly, Hangairs is a family affair. Today at DEMA, I met the inventor -- 23-year-old Michael Appelman; his father (the financial backer); and his sister (head of sales). Want your own? Retailing for $70 piece, they begin shipping next week -- just in time for Christmas.
When preparing for a dive trip I usually take my own gear but that means a large duffel with BCD, regulators, computer, fins, gloves, booties, mask, spare parts kit, etc.
But there are times I need to travel light due to baggage restrictions or just plain convenience. Most of my items are chosen for reasons of performance, safety, and hygiene. The latter two may be paranoia but why risk it.
My short list of gear fits nicely in a small backpack (well...not the fins) and I rent everything else from the local operator.
Rip Curl has recently added a new wetsuit to their Bomb series of suits, and it's a pretty innovative design. The new H-Bomb claims to be the world's first power heated wetsuit.
Unlike the "supplemental heat" used by Hotsuits, the H-Bomb generates heat via two coated fiber elements positioned on your upper back. Powered by two Polymer Lithium Ion 7.2v batteries -- the same batteries found in many cell phones and MP3 Players -- you shouldn't worry about getting burned by the electricity-conducting elements: a thin layer of neoprene lies between the elements and your back, which helps to spread the heat and protect your skin. No word yet on price, but if you're a diver who's easily chilled, the cost for an H-Bomb may be irrelevant.
Action-Plus boasts that their new EZ Stretch wetsuit is built with "nano technology." No, it doesn't mean the wetsuit is super-small, it means that the neoprene has super-small capsules scattered over the surface of the suit, allowing it to repel water and retain heat better than ordinary wetsuits. The EZ Stretch is actually 4 layers thick:
The outside layer is the nano capsules, which helps to retain heat.
The second layer is Super Composite Skin, a hydrophobic layer that also repels bacteria.
The third layer is titanium, which reflects warmth back toward your body.
The fourth layer is a super-stretchy neoprene that provides a more comfortable fit than ordinary wetsuits.
The EZ Stretch also sports heavy-duty zippers, Lycra taping on all edges, and is triple-glued and blind-stitched. EZ Stretches are available for both men and women, in either 3mm or 5mm versions. Before you get all excited, recall that some people don't believe titanium is a marketing ploy and not a real enhancement.
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.
It's unpleasant to pull on a still damp and smelly wetsuit before you hit your next set of waves or favorite dive spot. When I was diving in Mexico, my suit just wouldn't dry all week and on the last day, it smelled like Limburger cheese.
So here is a kind of a neat idea, take a wide hanger, insert a small waterproof fan inside of it and use it to help dry wetsuits faster. The circulating air will help dry the suit faster, prevent the build up of bacterial and mold that makes the suit smell, and the wide hanger protects the suits shoulders.
They claim to take a 24 to 48 hour drip drying cycle down to 8 hours with this new product.
Hangairs, says the new product should be available in stores in November but no word on the pricing or if it really works as advertised.
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.
Steven Lindblom has written the aptly- (but drably-) titled Wetsuit and Drysuit Maintenance and Repair, the first book dedicated entirely to the repair and service of divesuits. Covering both field and shop repairs, the book is geared toward both the individual diver who wants to maintain his or her own suit, and the dive shop technician who wants to be able to offer professional divesuit servicing. In the book, Lindblom discusses topics like replacing seals; boots and zippers; patching and alterations; and valve servicing. He also covers popular modifications and accessories, including an overview of commercial P-valves and drygloves, and details on how to make low-cost DIY versions. The 186-page book might seem pricey at $40, but if it prolongs the life of your suit for a few years, consider it an investment.
If you're curious, you can check out a few brief excerpts from the book on neoprene cements, zippers, and the importance of practice.
Scuba Diving recently reviewed 19 wetsuits for warm-water diving. Carefully analyzing everything about the suits -- from ankle, wrist and neck seals; to the suit's materials, construction, and linings; and more -- the Scubalab testers critiqued all 19, but only deemed the following five as "Tester's Choice":
Declaring these as "Tester's Choice" doesn't mean one of the other suits isn't the perfect one for your needs, so have a look at the entire list. If you do most of your diving in warm waters, and you're not into tropical drysuits, this review is a must-read!
Responding to someone's question about how to sanitize dive gear, DAN crafted a detailed response. Don't use household cleaners, go to your dive shop and buy one specially formulated for scuba diving equipment. Follow the directions and don't forget to rinse your gear with fresh water.
While I don't support robbing banks, I DO support creativity. And Charles Everett Coma gets some credit for creativity. 
When preparing for a dive trip I usually take my own gear but that means a large duffel with BCD, regulators, computer, fins, gloves, booties, mask, spare parts kit, etc.
Rip Curl has recently added a new wetsuit to their Bomb series of suits, and it's a pretty innovative design. The new H-Bomb claims to be the world's first power heated wetsuit. 
Action-Plus boasts that their new EZ Stretch wetsuit is built with "nano technology." No, it doesn't mean the wetsuit is super-small, it means that the neoprene has super-small capsules scattered over the surface of the suit, allowing it to repel water and retain heat better than ordinary wetsuits. The EZ Stretch is actually 4 layers thick: 
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.
A damp wetsuit stinks, literally. 
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. 
Steven Lindblom has written the aptly- (but drably-) titled Wetsuit and Drysuit Maintenance and Repair, the first book dedicated entirely to the repair and service of divesuits. Covering both field and shop repairs, the book is geared toward both the individual diver who wants to maintain his or her own suit, and the dive shop technician who wants to be able to offer professional divesuit servicing. In the book, Lindblom discusses topics like replacing seals; boots and zippers; patching and alterations; and valve servicing. He also covers popular modifications and accessories, including an overview of commercial P-valves and drygloves, and details on how to make low-cost DIY versions. The 186-page book might seem pricey at $40, but if it prolongs the life of your suit for a few years, consider it an investment. 
Scuba Diving recently reviewed 19 wetsuits for warm-water diving. Carefully analyzing everything about the suits -- from ankle, wrist and neck seals; to the suit's materials, construction, and linings; and more -- the Scubalab testers critiqued all 19, but only deemed the following five as "Tester's Choice":
