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!"

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.

Last week, Homeland Security Group International (HSG) announced a new product, the Neptune EBD1, which is designed to provide extended breathing time in emergency situations. Measuring 13 inches by 4.5 inches, and weighing a mere 5 pounds, the EDB1 can supply 55-60 minutes of breathing time for divers, aircrew members, workers in confined spaces (such as mines), firefighters, law enforcement, hazmat workers, etc. HSG claims "this newest generation will revolutionize the diving industry... trained military and civilian professional divers are telling us this is the greatest thing that the diving industry has seen in a long time."

Thanks to its small size, large capacity, quick deployment, long shelf life, and other attributes, HSG claims the EDB1 is a winning air-delivery device. If you want to learn more, check out HSG's short, dry video presentation of the EDB1(featuring a semi-comical patriotic soundtrack and slightly different specs for the unit). Interestingly, HSG is working on a new BC that will incorporate the EBD1 within the design. If you want one for yourself, they should be available in mid-November.

[Via Asia Dive Site]

I once saw an ad in the back of a diving magazine for a "wheeled scuba tank boot." Is this a solution looking for a problem or the Diving Invention of the Century?

The WSTB is like any tank boot with the addition of wheels and a small storage compartment. "Wheels?" you ask. Yes, big 'ol off-roading wheels. Think about a long day diving Casino Point as you lug your third tank from the filling station. Maybe some shore diving at Sunset House as you man-handle your wife's two tanks then go back for your own. Those wheels don't sound so bad, do they?

But does it work? Two brief customer reviews were positive but warned "[The] tank is unstable with a BCD attached that has integrated weights. It wants to roll over due to the wheels." Another stated facing the wheels backward for the best fit over your BC.

I was hoping the manufacturer's web site would have more information but it appears they're only selling through discount Internet retailers such as Overstock.com. In July, ScubaRadio was promoting a contest (through Overstock.com) for a more interesting product name and I guess no one was a winner since the product name hasn't changed.

The Wheeled Scuba Tank Boot (yawn) retails for $100, can be yours for less than $60, and still seems expensive. Anyone use this thing?

Max Holdings Systems offers "no hassle, no headache," easy-to-install scuba tank racks and speargun holders, perfect for when you take borrow your buddy's boat. Pre-assembled, the systems are available in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-tank units. For the 1-tank unit, you need to purchase an aluminum track onto which an adjustable holder slides. For any of the multi-units, you can either use the track and add a holder, or you can grab one of their nifty suction-mounted attach-and-release systems. Featuring heavy-duty polypropylene tank brackets that fold down when not in use, the combo units also include a speargun holder that sports an extra hook to secure your mask or fins. A single tank holder will set you back about $60 (including the track); a suction-mounted 4-tank holder is $145.

[Via X-Ray Mag]

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.

This picture may not be the most technically-stunning or eye-poppingly beautiful shot we've featured on This Is Why We Dive, but more than any of the images we've seen, it screams "anticipation."

Sarim captured this shot -- titled Scubacats -- on Sipadan. Seeing the tanks, all lined up, geared up, and ready to go, makes me want to go diving desperately. The tanks are beckoning me, distracting me from work...

Add your most beckon-some images to Divester's Flickr pool and distract other divers, too.

This month, Dennis Y. O'Hair was set to face trial for first-degree murder. He had been charged with killing Jason Schulwitz who investigators found bound, beaten and stuffed into a garbage can in the back of his Ford Expedition in December, 1999. Officials believe Schulwitz had failed to repay Colombians who supplied him with counterfeit money and cocaine, and O'Hair was dispatched to exact revenge. However, due to insufficient evidence, and the death of the lead investigator, charges against O'Hair have been dropped.

According to the U.S. attorney's office, Schulwitz transported at least 70 pounds of cocaine and $225,000 in "exceptionally high quality" counterfeit U.S. currency from Colombia to Spokane -- in scuba tanks.

Does your LDS require you to have those obnoxious Nitrox or CUSTOM MIX stickers on your tanks? Do they tell you that it's a "requirement" or "law" to label your tanks with a huge sticker in order to dedicated that tank as a Nitrox tank? Do they tell you that it's so that someone else doesn't grab your tank by accident and breath something they aren't trained for? Do they refuse to fill you tank if you don't have it?

You wanna have some fun with them? Well, then get some of these new stickers from Airspeed Press.

An oxygen clean vip sticker and contents label is usually enough for shops around here but if you have to get the one of those stickers, get one with style.

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.

I went to the Scuba Show in Long Beach on Sunday, checked out the exhibits and ran into some friends. I've been planning on going to the yearly Scuba Show for 5 years but something always comes up. This year, I put the event in my calendar and made myself go to it.

Southern Californian's define everything on not how far away something is but on how long will take you to get there. This is because we are very proud of our traffic, and I can report today that we had a good traffic day, so I arrived in Long Beach in short order.

The conference costs $9.00 to attend per day and I got my money's worth.

In Australia recently, an aluminum scuba tank that was being stored in a garden shed exploded, splitting the tank in two and damaging the walls of the shed. Considering no one really lives in Australia, no one was injured. However, the incident prompted the Australian government to caution consumers who own 15- to 30-year-old aluminum tanks. Many of the tanks manufactured during this time were made of aluminum alloy 6351, a material that is susceptible to sustained load cracking.

Of course, the chance that you will be injured by an exploding cylinder is pretty minimal. Nevertheless, if you think the old tank in the corner of your garage isn’t doing any harm, you might want to get the tank professionally tested and rated by a qualified person. Alternatively, you might want to dispose of it (properly).

To learn more about scuba cylinders, check out Choosing A Scuba Cylinder That’s Right For You or The Life of an Aluminum Scuba Cylinder.

The 26^th Annual London International Dive Show is scheduled for Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2, in London ’s ExCel Exhibition Center. There will be over 260 exhibitors in attendance. Moreover, the Show will feature talks ranging from discussions of Baltic Wrecks to the Future of Diving. Among the many speakers at the Show will be the Chatterton/Kohler duo; John Boyle; Monty Halls; and Jean-Michel Cousteau. Ticket prices run 7.50GBP per day and gain you entrance to the exhibition halls and the guest speakers. That’s a great deal.

[Thanks, Drew!]

If you’re in the Boston area this weekend, don’t forget to check out the Boston Sea Rovers’ 52nd Annual Clinic, hosted by one of the premiere dive organizations in the world. Packed with diverse and interesting daytime seminars – ranging from The Macro World of St. Vincent to Murder on the High Seas to Why Divers Die – and an evening film festival hosted by Philippe Cousteau and showcasing Wes Skiles, Stan Waterman, Howard and Michelle Hall, and others, the weekend event sounds like it’ll be as informative as it is fun.

The Sea Rovers also offer a variety of workshops, so you can get your learning on; a number of exhibitors, so you can get your spending on; and some activities for kids, so you can get your relaxation on. Tickets run $25 per day, or $40 for a two-day pass. (Fees for workshops – like those offered by Berkley White, James Wiseman, and Eric Cheng – are extra.) Gosh, I wish Boston were closer to me, so I could go!

Looks like steel-tank-maker Pressed Steel (PST) is in receivership and a buyer is being sought. The Milwaukee based PST has been in ligitation around moving their plant to a new location and basically owe more money than they have in the bank. 

Pressed Steel makes some of the best steel tanks available today but have had problems with keeping up with demand as of late. The company has been making tanks since 1902,  however this could be the end of Pressed Steel as a company.