THE FACTS AND VIEWPOINTS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF X-RAY MAG. EQUIPMENT PRESENTED IN THIS SECTION HAS NOT BEEN TESTED BY X-RAY MAG STAFF, NOR ARE THE ITEMS WARRANTEED. INFORMATION PROVIDED IS CONDENSED FROM MANUFACTURERS’ DESCRIPTIONS. TEXTS ARE USUALLY EDITED Trimix mixer FOR LENGTH, CLARITY AND STYLE. LINKS ARE ACTIVE AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION Spotted at the recent POINT & CLICK TekDiveUSA conference, Nardi ON BOLD LINKS Compressori’s TT-Mixing panel (photo at right shows near identical N-Mix) produces ready trimix gases simply by keying the blend on the touchscreen. According to the presentation, the Edited by panel can even analyse Peter Symes leftover gases in used tanks and calculate how Equipment to top them off with a new blend according to specs, minimising the loss of expensive Wingman gases while calculat- This practical bag for a bailout tank keeps ing the price for the your hoses tidy and regulator handy with no fill. The panel, which need for bungees and straps. Simply put can be remotedly the tank in the bag, close the zipper and controlled with an app, place the regulator inside the strap. The weighs 13kg and comes with bag is made from a mesh of ballistic brackets for easy mounting on a wall. nylon, which protects the NardiCompressori.com tank while allowing water to drain away easily. Comes in 5-liter (40 cu ft) and Cobalt 2 7-liter (80 cu ft) sizes. The Atomic Cobalt 2 is Available in black. a hose integrated Poseidon.com recreational dive computer capa- ble of support- ing up to six gas mixes, each up to 99% oxygen. The display has been HDC Tech Dry updated and now BARE writes that this suit is the the Cobalt 2 benefits toughest they have ever made. SMS75 from a bright, full colour, By combining three stretchy fab- The Hollis SMS75 side- high contrast LCD screen. rics, the designers have created a mount system fills the gap Atomic has also upgraded suit that is both lightweight yet rug- between the sturdy SMS100 the processor, making the ged enough to sustain heavy use in and the minimalist SMS50 light- Cobalt 2 more reactive. demanding environments with abra- weight siblings making it a Atomic states that the ‘soft sive surfaces. The patented Automatic hybrid that combines the best touch’ magnetic button navi- Torso Recoil system controls torso length of the two into this new harness. gation on the built-in compass is and eliminates the need for a crotch strap. Hollis states that it was designed easy to use. The Cobalt 2 is pow- The suit comes in 16 standard sizes but can with all environments in mind, with ered by a built-in lithium ion battery also be made to measure. Technical and a wing optimised for horizontal that provides 40 to 60 hours of dive cave divers can opt for an Expedition model diving with increased lift around time, with two options for charging. A that comes with a slim cut, crotch strap, big the hips. The SMS75 also supports fast charge via a mains socket or a slower pockets, Tech boots and a new Sealtek dry rear-mounted tanks and reversible charge when you use a powered USB port. hood. Baresports.com inflator positions. Hollis.com AtomicAquatics.com 39 X-RAY MAG : 61 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Bring your iPad down under iDive and Watershot have unveiled the first fully functional underwater touchscreen for smart devices. The team built the housing with a flex- ible membrane with the key component called the “Balance Module”, which automatically manages a positive pressure supply and enables the full functionality of the touch- screen. The diver can choose between supplying air via a CO2 car- tridge or the first stage regulator or pony bottle. The iDive currently has a recommended depth rating of 40 meters for CO2 supply and 100 meters for the first stage supply. idive-and-watershot Review Watershed HOG Zenith Chattooga Drybag The Zenith second stage from HOG Text by Matthew Meier is a pneumatically never balanced second The Chattooga Drybag is a found stage. All good sec- top-loading duffel sealed with the per- ond stages use a a ZipDry waterproof closure. fect bag venturi effect to assist Created and patented by to keep in maintaining flow, but Watershed, the closure resem- the cam- the venturi performance Scuabfest A6.indd 1 12/02/2014 12:17 bles a large ziplock seal and is era protected is less critical if the second both air and watertight. The bag and dry. The stage is pneumatically bal- is made of backpack-grade Chattooga performed anced. The center portion uti- nylon coated sheets of polyure- beautifully on both lizes a durable soft touch silicone thane film making it incredibly counts. The large 17in opening to make purging easier. According durable. Upon completion each at the top of the bag made it to manufacturer the new design also helps and every bag is inspected to easy to get gear in and out, controlling a free flow in a current. Edge-gear.com ensure that it is 100% leakproof. while the padded liner gave Anilao, Batangas, Philippines The Chattooga comes with a me piece of mind when the pair of rugged yet comfortable, bag was placed along the AP Diving announces additional oxygen cell supply padded handles, numerous hard floorboards of a small skiff. For lash points and various compres- different shooting scenarios, the for their Inspiration range CCRs sions straps. The bag weighs in at padded dividers allowed me to Due to interruptions in oxygen cell supply this year, less than 2lbs and measures 12 x travel with multiple lenses, plus a AP Diving has taken steps to secure a 20 x 10 inches, with a capacity flash. The top closure was simple second supplier. The cell from the new of 1,800 cubic inches (30 liters). to operate and sealed airtight. supplier, the same supplier as the Narked Optional accessories include a While no bag is perfect, the @ 90 cell, will have the designation APD16 shoulder strap, a padded liner Chattooga worked incredibly and has a white label (shown left). AP and a padded divider set. well and my gear came home Diving points out, while the APD16 has As an underwater photogra- safe and dry. an unfortunate trait in that once the pher, I spend a lot of time on For more information on the Inspiration scrubber warms up, the cells boats and like to bring along Chattooga DryBag and the rest read 0.05 bar higher than the actual PO2 my topside camera for shooting of the Watershed line, please this trait is repeatable and reliable and so [email protected] between dives. However, I have visit: Drybags.com is easily compensated for. APDiving.com DIVECBR.COM 40 X-RAY MAG : 61 : 2014 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Interviewing Wreckers — Four Pioneering Wreck Divers Author’s note: Though for the most part, the cave diving community was the first to pioneer mixed gas sport diving, beginning with Dale Sweet’s successful 1980 Heliox dive to 110m (360ft) at Diepolder II in Hernando County, Florida, USA, leading shipwreck divers were not far behind. By 1995, numerous groups of wreck divers in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe were using Trimix to improve the safety and performance of their dives. That year I interviewed some of the vanguard to get their perspectives on mix and how it was impact- ing exploration. Here are the original interviews as they appeared in aquaCORPS Journal #9: Wreckers, August 1995. — Michael Menduno Text by Michael Menduno And to further stir the SAFETY COMES FIRST. Though the Photos courtesy of aquaCORPS, soup, grand daddy wrecker, rewards of shipwreck diving are Leigh Bishop, John Chatterton, Oceaneering International, the great, a diver can easily end up Joe Pass and Joel Silverstein global commercial diving con- paying the ultimate price if all the tractor whose crews dived the parameters of the dive (and diver) Lusitania over a decade ago, are not taken fully into account. August 1995—Today, ship- recently completed salvaging And when this happens, the entire wrecks are at the heart of treasure—five tons of silver and community suffers. Training and gold coins from the Spanish Brig experience are critical. Particularly a technological revolution of War, El Cazador, sunk in 1784 today, when competition for that is redefining the limits in the Gulf of Mexico—using their new wrecks has driven the cut- of what is possible. Within WASP Atmospheric Diving Systems ting edge ever deeper and more the last year, a leading (ADS) fleet to limit their ambient remote, increasing the operation- exposure. This after the techni- al and safety requirements for the team of tekkies mounted cal diving team led by Captain dives, as well as the costs. the first mix expedition on Billy Deans were found in viola- What is it about shipwrecks that the Lusitania to 90m (300ft), tion of the Occupational Safety inspire us to invest time and inge- long thought out of the and Heath Administration (OSHA) nuity and put our human frailties standards prohibiting deep self- on the line? Is it simply the knowl- practical reach of scuba contained diving the prior year edge that these failed human aficionados, and racked and was thrown off the job. “It’s a outposts may yield up potent trea- up over 120 dives. Other mental barrier, not a technologi- sures, or is it some complex piece cal one,” explained commercial of genetic code that compels us tech divers opted for the diving supervisor and wrecker to seek out our remaining rem- safety of a hose and com- John Chatterton.