It’s a common sight. A diver is about to enter the water when suddenly his octopus or even his primary second-stage suddenly does an impression of a jet engine at the end of a runway just prior to take-off. The sudden roar as gas at 150 psi of pressure rushes out uncontrollably often precipitates the … Read more
It amazes me that I still see divers who do not seem to have managed to master good buoyancy control. Ships float because they displace a greater weight of water than they weigh themselves. That’s because, although they are made of steel, they have a great amount of airspace within them. A man in a … Read more
It’s always nice to get something new. My favourite old mask had seen better days. Its silicone skirt had yellowed and stiffened with time and probably too much exposure to tropical sunlight, so I got hold of a new one. I’m very lucky in that I seem to have a face that gets along with … Read more
by Lada Simek A long time ago, when I was still teaching chemistry, Rob Weintraub, the owner of New York Scuba showed me a mask that he called ‘the mask from hell’. Neither the original owner, nor he himself, was able to clean it sufficiently to keep it from fogging. He offered it to me … Read more
My previous underwater camera, trusty companion for 22 years of diving deeper for longer, weighed over 15kg out of the water. In its prime it was coupled to a pair of huge Ikelite 150 strobes with rechargeable battery packs. Its mass stabilised my photographs. Its solid metal housing chipped shark teeth. It had momentum. I … Read more
