dive equipment
Masks
The function of the mask is to provide a window to your underwater world, by creating air space between the diver’s eyes and the water. This air space allows you to see clearly underwater. There are many types of masks, many with options that make the mask easier to use. The most important part in selecting a mask is comfort and fit. Make sure that the mask has a good seal to your face and fits well. If it does not seal to your face properly the mask will leak. Options like a clear silicone skirt offer the advantage of being translucent, allowing for light penetration and creating a more open feeling. Black silicone is the preference for some hunters and cave divers because it eliminates any light penetration from the sides and allows the diver to focus solely on what is in front of him or her, therefore, eliminating any distractions. Low volume masks are easier to clear because of the smaller air space. Large masks can have side windows that allow more peripheral vision.
The following are the four types of masks used by divers:
Diving Masks Without Purge
Masks without purges are great for scuba diving and snorkeling. These simple masks are available with one or two windows. Some models even have side windows which allow more light into the mask. They are available in a range of accent colors and many have either clear or solid black silicone skirts.
Dive Masks with Purge
These snorkeling and diving masks are similar to the masks above with one important feature. They have a purge valve. The purge valve is a one way valve typically located in the nose pocket of the mask. If water enters the mask, the diver needs only to press the mask against their face, look downward and exhale through their nose to displace the water out. These easy to use dive masks are also available with one or two windows with some models even having side windows which allow more light into the mask. They are available in a range of accent colors and many have either clear or solid black silicone skirts.
Scuba Masks with Optical Lenses
Many snorkeling and diving masks are available with optical lenses and will solve the problem of having to wear contacts or diving without your sight correction. With optical lenses installed in your mask you will be able to enjoy diving without worrying about loosing your contacts or struggling to see the underwater sights. Optical lenses can be installed for near sightedness (minus diopters) and far sightedness (positive diopters). For those who just need some help reading the gauges, Bifocal lens are available for many masks.
Diving Mask Full Face
Full Face Diving Masks cover the diver’s entire face and have some special features. Using a full face mask allows the diver to breathe from both the mouth and nose, has less fatigue because the diver does not have to bite down on a mouth piece in during the dive. They are excellent for colder water, do not require defogging and are almost impossible to flood. With the addition of a communication system you can even talk underwater to other divers.
Swimming Goggles
Swim goggles are NOT designed for snorkeling or scuba diving because they do not cover the nose area and have no way of equalizing the air space around the eyes as you descend under the water. They are perfect for swimming or any activity at or above the surface of the water.
Mask Accessories
Don't end up having to end your dive because of a broken mask strap or a mask that constantly fogs up. Mask accessories include everything a diver needs for their mask. We have mask straps, mask bags, defog solution, strap covers and many other accessories you might need.
Dive Watches
In the roiling sea of wristwatches, dive watches occupy a rarefied island all their own. Sure, Grand Complications may seduce with sophisticated movements and artfully cluttered dials. Multiple time-zone pieces have their appeal for world travelers. Ladies watches have that svelte and jewel-draped lusciousness, while big and boldly colored fashion watches are the latest necessary accessory of the ever-burgeoning celebrity class. But dive watches have that certain something that makes them stand out on a crowded reef or jam-packed commuter train. In a word (or two), they're cool.
Not just "water-resistant-down-to-some-absurd-depth" cool, but the kind of cool that pegs the wearer as a man or woman of action. Strap a dive watch to your wrist and suddenly you're someone who can go deep; who could risk the bends; who may have faced treacherous weather, hostile sea creatures or near disaster on the open waves and--with a little help from your dive watch--lived to tell about it. Now that's cool.
Most dive watches never make it anywhere near the water, of course. "Most consumers like dive watches for their attributes, even if they don't understand what they are," says Andrew Block, a senior vice president at Tourneau, the international watch retailer. "Even if you never get your dive watch wet, it's nice to know that it could survive up to 2,000 meters." Block notes that one out of every five watches manufactured today has some sort of dive function: water resistance, for instance, or a rotating bezel for timing the amount of oxygen you have left in your tank--or, more likely, the time left until your next meeting.
For all their sophisticated functions, however, recent advancements in dive technology have lately relinquished dive watches to the role of redundancy. For many divers, they're a handy double check of what the console on their regulator is already telling them.
There are basically two types of dive watches on the market: those with the attributes and those with the computers. The former are much more about style than function, produced by high-gloss watchmakers such as Rolex, Panerai, Breitling and Blancpain with basic features including water resistance, a unidirectional rotating bezel and brilliant luminescence. The latter, on the other hand, offer a world of sophisticated functions to help divers track their underwater status, such as water temperature and depth readings; separate gauges for timing the breathing mixture in one's tank; and various alarms to warn of timely doom. Details can often be downloaded from such dive watches onto a personal computer for later analysis or sharing online--if you really must.
Whatever dive watch you go with, if you're actually planning to wear it underwater, make certain it can take a beating. Most are put together with anti-corrosive materials and non-scratch crystals, have large and easily accessible buttons for data entry with gloved hands and are outfitted with extendable wrist straps that can fit over a wet suit.
Following, we've assembled a treasure chest of the latest--and coolest--dive watches to keep you timely on land and at sea, and subjectively rated them for size (the more compact the better, we suppose); water-resistance (the deeper the better, of course); functions; stylishness and cachet. Just be sure to come up for air now and then.
When buying a divers watch there can be many features that are different between manufacturers,the list here are some of the features that you will find on a typical divers watch.
Watch Case
The watch cases of diving watches must be adequately water and pressure resistant to with stand the forces when there under water and be able to endure the corrosiveness of seawater, so the watch cases are typically made out of materials such as stainless steel, titanium, ceramics and synthetic resins or plastics. The case must also provide protection against external magnetic influences and shocks.
Elapsed time controller
Analog diviers watch will often feature a rotating bezel, which is used to read elapsed time from a specific point. This is used to compute the length of a dive. The bezel is used by turning until you can align the zero on the bezel with the watch's seconds or minute’s hand. As time elapses the reading can be read of the bezel. This will save the scuba diver from having to perform the subtraction that would be necessary if the watch's regular dial was used and the plus of having a bg dial to read when underwater. On a divers watch the bezel is "unidirectional", meaning the bezel can be turned in a single direction as turning it the wrong way can so not to increase the length of time under water. So the bezel can only move in a way that will give a shortened time underwater. Digital dive watches usually perform this function by use of a standard stop watch function. Digital dive watches may also feature a depth gauge and logging features.
Strap/bracelet
Generally a divers watch features a rubber, silicone rubber or polyurethane strap or a metal bracelet of adequate length to allow the waering of awet or dry suit. For this bracelets often have a (concealed) Divers extension deployment clasp by which the bracelet can be appropriately extended.
Bezel Markings
Most contemporary dive watches with conspicuous 15 or 20 minute markings on their bezels, are the result of copying a Rolex bezel design back from the 1950s. Back then divers typically planned a dive to a certain maximum depth based on US Navy dive tables, and dove according to the planned dive profile.
Crown
The typical analog divers watch must have a water resistant crown else it would flood. Often the crown has to be unscrewed to make any adjustments to the time and date and afterwards retightened to restore the water resistance of the watch. There are however models that have crowns that are operated like the crowns of non diver's analog watches. Screw down locking crowns and traditionally operated water resistant crowns can not be operated under water.
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Underwater Cameras and Housings
Extreme photography and underwater photos are great ... as long as your digital camera is useable underwater. If you aren't sure whether your camera is rated as waterproof, read the user manual or visit the manufacturer's Web site. Ignoring the user manual and testing the digital camera in a full bathtub to determine whether it is waterproof is not recommended. If you'd like to take these types of photos, you'll either need an underwater digital camera, as specified by the manufacturer, or you'll need to purchase an underwater housing for your digital camera. Here are some of the best underwater digital cameras and accessories.
Camera Housings
Canon
Canon offers many underwater housing units designed for its specific models and brands of digital cameras. In addition to being able to purchase the underwater housing units at the Canon Web site, you'll also find advice for using your model safely underwater.
Ewa-Marine
Ewa-Marine is a German company that offers underwater housings for digital cameras from many different manufacturers. You can use the company's Web site to determine whether a waterproof housing exists for your model of digital camera.
Fantasea
For beginner photographers, the Fantasea Web site specializes in underwater housings for Nikon compact digital cameras. More experienced photographers will find several other products aimed at underwater photography, such as lights, lenses, and filters.
Ikelite
Ikelite carries underwater housings for cameras from several different manufacturers, including Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony. You also can see underwater photos that customers have uploaded to the Web site, giving you some ideas for your photos.
Olympus
Olympus makes underwater housings for several of its digital cameras, and the company makes a few point-and-shoot digital cameras that can be used in harsh weather and in shallow water without waterproof housings. Finally, the Olympus Web site has some great tips for shooting underwater photos. Through the SeaLife Web site, you'll find digital cameras made specifically for underwater usage. SeaLife also offers lenses and flash units for its cameras, as well as a gallery of underwater photographs taken with its cameras.
Cameras with Housing
Intova IC800 Underwater Digital Camera (8MP)
The Intova IC800 8 megapixel camera with housing is perhaps one of the best value for money underwater digital camera kits out in the market today. Perfect for anyone looking to get into underwater photography as a hobby, without having the equipment cost both an arm and a leg. The IC800 is depth rated to 180 feet and has a 3x optical zoom lens and can accommodate up to 4 GB of memory. Also capable of recording VGA movies with a resolution of 640X680, the Intova IC800 gives the user the flexibility of both video and photographs.
Intova IC10 Underwater Digital Camera (10MP)
The second product from Intova to make our list of truly affordable underwater camera kits is the IC10 (10 Megapixel) Digital camera. Very similar to the IC800 reviewed above, the IC10 has more pixels, offering higher resolution images from the same compact body. Also with a 3X Optical Zoom lens and depth rated to 180 feet, the Intova IC10 is also great value for money providing you with 10 Megapixels of resolution and video and photograph capabilities as well.
Liquid Image Scuba Mask with Camera & Video
This innovative product from Liquid Image, the HD320 is a 5 megapixel digital camera and video camera integrated into a scuba mask capable of operating at a depth till 115 feet, allowing for convenient hands-free operation. The video quality of the Liquid image is a decent 720p recording at 30fps on micro SD storage cards that can accommodate up to 32GB of storage. What fascinates us most about the HD320 is its convenience; no need to have your camera dangling on your wrist off a lanyard, or in your hands, and also the reasonable price of approx. $250 which gives it a place on our affordable underwater camera list.
Ikelite Ultra Compact Housing & Nikon Coolpix L20 Digital Camera Still Package
Though from two separate manufacturers, what better combination can be there than pairing Nikon cameras with Ikelite underwater housings? Despite being on the higher end of our affordable underwater camera list, this perfect pairing makes an appearance purely because of the value you would get from combining two names that you know you can trust. The Nikon Coolpix range of cameras have proved extremely popular and easy to use, and with this package you get the Coolpix L20 which is an image stabilized 10.1 megapixel compact digital camera that features 3.6x optical zoom, 3 inch LCD, motion detection, ISO range from 84 to 1600, face priority, smile mode, in-camera red-eye fix and the list goes on! The Ikelite Ultracompact digital housing allows for full control functionality and is depth rated to 200ft (60m), and you know your Nikon will be safe in this well-built housing.
SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera
From the leading maker of underwater dive cameras, SeaLife’s new DC800 8 megapixel camera is truly a perfect purpose created product. With 5 dive-specific color correction modes, the DC800 takes sharp, colorful underwater pictures and is reasonably priced as well. Depth rated to 200 feet and equipped with a high capacity rechargeable lithium battery, the DC800 allows you to take photographs all day without needing to swap out batteries. The Reefmaster DC800 also comes with video recording capability with sound, and 22 land modes allowing it to be used as a terrestrial camera as well. Paired with the SeaLife external strobes, this camera can be used by amateur and professional underwater photographers alike.
