Posted Jan 25th 2007 11:33AM by Willy Volk Filed under: BCs
According to Oceanic, the HERA BCD is not a man's BCD that's been scaled down. Rather, the HERA is designed and contoured specifically for the female body. Created with assistance from more than 300 female scuba divers, the HERA features a special hybrid bladder that combines the benefits of both rear inflation and jacket-style BCs. Moreover, the BC boasts a custom-fit harness with a multi-position shoulder strap, an integrated weight system, reinforced shoulders, a padded back pack, and an adjustable position sternum strap. Get yours for $479.
Question: if women designed the BC, why is it boring blue-and-black? Did the men take over when it came time to choose the color coordination?
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".
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.
Posted Jan 8th 2007 7:11AM by Willy Volk Filed under: BCs
Looking for a new buoyancy compensator? Then check out Scuba Diving Magazine's ScubaLab, which recently compared 14 BCs.
Inspecting everything from ergonomics, to buoyancy, to valve flow rate, to whether the owner's manual matched the actual BC presented, ScubaLab details exactly what they do and don't like about each piece of gear presented. Covering jacket-style BCs, back buoyancy BCs, and lightweight travel BCs, ScubaLab has the low down on all the hot, new gear that all the cool kids'll be wearing next summer.
Beuchat's new X-Air Light BC is so new you can't even find it on Beuchat's web site. The X-Air Light is different from the original X-Air because it's, well, the "lite" version designed for the frequent traveler.
After looking at the specs in the press release I'm not sure there is much difference between the BCs (aside from weight). Differences between Light and heavy:
Single bladder, 840 denier cordura (compared to 1000)
Updated system to distribute front/back ballast for "perfect buoyancy"
Beuchat's new Masterlift TEK BC is a single-bladder BC made from sturdy, 1000-denier Cordura structure. Aimed squarely at the technical diving community, the Masterlift TEK is completely customizable.
Featuring an adjustable harness with an adjustable Velcro abdominal girdle; pre-formed aluminum plates with multiple fastenings; adjustable chest straps with detachable clip and catch rings; reflective borders; and 12 aluminum attachment rings, the Masterlift TEK is available in medium, large, and extra-large.
All those adjustable doo-dads sure must be costly, because the masterlift TEK runs in the neighborhood of $950.
Posted Dec 3rd 2006 7:06PM by Willy Volk Filed under: BCs
One of the most interesting things I saw at the Florida Dive Show was Zeagle's Ascent Freediving BC Belt. The Ascent Freediving BC gives freedivers the benefits of a BC -- by helping them ascend and descend -- but is streamlined enough to facilitate easy swimming.
Although not brand-spanking new, Dive Rite featured their TransPac at the DEMA show. The TransPac is a completely modular system, meaning it can be customized to fit any body type, and each piece can be replaced independent of the rest of the unit. Think of it like a high-end stereo with individual components versus an old-school boombox. Made from 1000 denier Cordura nylon and featuring 316 marine-grade stainless components, the TransPac comes standard with 7 one-inch D rings; 2 two-inch waist D rings; 2 two-inch angled shoulder D rings; a Waist buckle; and Cam buckles (2 cam straps).
I love OMS' booth. Call me shallow or easily swayed, but all the colors and the open floor plan make me want to go over, browse, and touch the gear. I mean, who wouldn't be attracted to a wall of wings?
SeaQuest has redesigned their Pro QD BC, and it's totally cool. Whereas their old model was fairly de rigeur, the new version is spiffed up pretty well with some innovative new features. Plus, who doesn't love red?
Rebreathers are popular at DEMA this year. I could've spent hours shooting pictures of rebreathers and digging into them. However, I selected just a few booths at which to stop and view their selection. First, I hit Silent Diving's booth.
Some of the displays at DEMA are closed-in, contained, and store-like. I think the idea is that if you're inside the booth, you may feel more private, it'll be easier to hear, and you'll linger longer. Personally, though, when I'm in those booths, I feel like I'm trapped. Consequently, I was pretty pleased with Mares' open layout -- as well as the content within it...
According to Oceanic, the HERA BCD is not a man's BCD that's been scaled down. Rather, the HERA is designed and contoured specifically for the female body. Created with assistance from more than 300 female scuba divers, the HERA features a special hybrid bladder that combines the benefits of both rear inflation and jacket-style BCs. Moreover, the BC boasts a custom-fit harness with a multi-position shoulder strap, an integrated weight system, reinforced shoulders, a padded back pack, and an adjustable position sternum strap. Get yours for $479.
Responding to someone's question about how to sanitize dive gear, DAN 
Looking for a new buoyancy compensator? Then check out Scuba Diving Magazine's ScubaLab, which recently compared 
Beuchat's new X-Air Light BC is so new you can't even find it on 
Beuchat's new Masterlift TEK BC
