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!"

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

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.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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:

1. The outside layer is the nano capsules, which helps to retain heat.
2. The second layer is Super Composite Skin, a hydrophobic layer that also repels bacteria.
3. The third layer is titanium, which reflects warmth back toward your body.
4. 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.

[Via X-Ray Mag]

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.

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.

[Via X-Ray Mag]

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":

• AKONA AKMS204 3mm Fullsuit
• HARVEY'S Dri-Flex 3/2mm Jumpsuit
• HENDERSON Gold Core 3mm
• MARES Tropic Air
• TILOS 3/2 Enigma Fullsuit

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!

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.

Most wetsuits are made from a few large pieces of rubber that are cut to resemble the human form. They are then stretched to fit a "person" and stitched together. Wetsuits made in this fashion often lack durability: the seams are stressed from holding together the large pieces of material that are stretched over a person's body. However, if you're a once-a-year diver, this kind of wetsuit is likely highly adequate.

An alternative method for making wetsuits is to make a three-dimensional design, take many smaller pieces of neoprene, and form those pieces to a person's body, much like paper mache'. Although there are more seams to contend with, the fact that those seams aren't stretched as much means they should last longer. Consequently, if you're a frequent diver, you might want to consider purchasing a wetsuit that has been crafted to fit the body carefully. In other words, you might want to look into Waterproof.

A Swedish company that has been around for 20 years, Waterproof has recently redesigned their collection of wetsuits, drysuits, semi-drysuits, and accessories, to make them warmer, dryer, tougher, and easier to don and doff. Featuring gender-specific styling; form-molded tabs; knee guards; reinforced shoulders and elbows; double-thread stitching; an extra-thick spine pad; and many other details, Waterproof's wetsuits are impressive. Although I have never dived with a Waterproof product, I saw them at OceanFest 2006, and I was mightily impressed. They looked and felt like they could withstand some serious guerrilla diving and still look good and keep you warm. Although most of the dealers are not in the US, the fact that I saw them in Ft. Lauderdale suggests to me that the Swedes will be invading soon.

Although spearfishing is a close cousin of scuba diving, we don't mention it too often on Divester, mainly because I'm not too familiar with the sport. However, after reading Ismail Sunday's two-part series called, appropriately enough, Dummies Guide to Spearfishing Part I and Part II, I know a lot more.

Part I explores the kind of equipment a "spearo" needs, and Ismail provides the names of some brands that are popular. He also explains why a "loading pad" on the chest of a wetsuit is essential for spearos, and why every spearo should own at least 2 weight belts.

Part II explores the most unique aspect of a spearo's tools: the speargun. Ismail opens with the comment, "What must be remembered though is that ultimately it's not the gun, but the skill of the diver that makes him successful." Of course, we've all heard those sentiments before, but Ismail actually backs up the comment with facts. Further, he explains the difference between pneumatic and band guns, as well as the difference between articulated and dyneema wishbones. Finally, he provides novice spearos with tips on how to select the best speargun for them.

The only thing missing from Ismail's reports is where he goes to catch his fish. Because, ultimately, it's not the skill of the diver, but where he dives that makes him successful.