Hi SD fans, and welcome back. In this video, I am going to present a round-up of all the
latest releases we have featured in the magazines over the past few weeks. These are all new
products that are either available now, or will be coming on line during 2021. We have
not dived with any of these, this is purely to whet your appetite – I will be conducting
in-water tests with the dive kit later in the year.
For those here for the first time, my name is Mark, I am the editor-in-chief of the Scuba
Diver media brand, and welcome to the Scuba Diver YouTube Channel. Take two seconds to
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more content for you to enjoy. Now, let’s dive into the video!
Launching today on May the 4th – Star Wars Day, hence the T-shirt – is the Ocean Reef
Neptune III full-face mask. This is the third incarnation of their popular Neptune series,
and it comes in Stormtrooper white and Darth Vader black.
It extends field of vision considerably, removes impediment in lateral movement and features
a double-coated visor. The new second stage is now fully and easily
detachable (with only level one service training required) for quick servicing and easy swapping.
The SAV has a new design, better grasping surface and an internal valve. The mask will
not fog when not connected to the cylinder, and water will not drip in if forgotten to
open underwater. The Neptune III offers a new visor geometry
and new orinasal pocket which is the most-anatomically designed on the market for minimal dead air
space and internal volume – it is 13 percent less than the Neptune Space, and 24 percent
less than competitor masks. The mask also offers a 20 percent wider field
of vision than the Neptune Space, and far more than a conventional mask.
The new design quick-release tabs increase the surface to grasp, and also include an
accessory one-hand removal handle to remove the IDM while carrying equipment in the other
hand. The Neptune III comes standard with a Neptune
III backpack, and is available in black and white, in two sizes – S/M, and L/XL.
The 360 Observe is a small convex mirror than can be worn around the wrist or on the hand,
enabling divers to effortlessly maintain eye contact with other divers, their equipment
and surroundings. There are a multitude of situations when the
360 Observe comes in handy, from dive guides keeping an eye on a group, to doing a bubble-check
on your valves or CCR, to using as a signal mirror on the surface.
The new version of the 360 Observe comes with elastic bungee cord, which can be adjusted
to fit around your hand.
Whether you are writing on a slate or on your wetnotes, a pencil is a useful piece of kit
to add to your gear list, and now logbook specialists Diveproof have released a nifty
bungee pencil that doesn’t just write well, it is also great for the environment.
These pencils are made from recycled CDs, so as well as being eco-friendly, they won’t
split when they get wet. With a handy 40cm bungee on the end, they
are perfect to attach to your wetnotes, logbook or binder.
Fourth Element have redesigned their glove range, providing improved fit, comfort and
flex, and the addition of a hydrolock seal in their 5mm and above thickness gloves reduces
water ingress and maximises thermal protection. The seams are blind-stitched and fused to
ensure they are watertight, and thermal linings further improve protection.
The 5mm Kevlar Hydrolock gloves are made from 90 percent neoprene and ten percent nylon.
These gloves combine 5mm Kevlar reinforced fabric across the palm, fingertips and thumb
with 5mm stretch neoprene across the back of the hands, producing a remarkably comfortable
and durable glove. The 7mm Hydrolock mitt is Fourth Element’s
warmest wet glove, and it has been redesigned to enhance fit and dexterity. With three fingers
of each hand in a single compartment, the hands remain warmer as a result, while the
index finger and thumb are free for manual operations. The flexibility of the back of
the glove is maximised, reducing fatigue during a dive.
Mares have released a pair of special buckles, made to military standard, for 50mm webbing,
straps and harnesses. With a range of uses, they can also replace weightbelt buckles,
and are able to support around 500kg. The use of these special buckles means safe,
quick and easy harness opening. This characteristic allows for not only simple, quick donning,
but also notably increases safety, as it greatly facilitates removing the harness in a time
of need thanks to two quick-release points. These two points are part of a safe system
in which both must be pressed in order to release the buckle, thus preventing any unplanned
opening. The metal buckles are available in two models,
black aluminium and stainless steel.
Scubapro has released a cold-water kit containing two MK19 EVO DIN 300 first stages, two G260
second stages, and two hoses (1 x 64cm and 1 x 210cm).
The MK19 EVO was designed to be the ultimate first stage for cold water or contaminated
diving conditions, and its design makes it substantially smaller and lighter than the
original MK19. The air-balanced diaphragm delivers consistent and effortless airflow,
regardless of depth, tank pressure, or breathing rate. An environmentally sealed system prevents
water and pollutants from fouling the inner mechanism, and its dry chamber is equipped
with a double spring, making it more compact and reliable.
Two opposing high-pressure ports allow the first stage to be positioned either up or
down, plus provide for an optimum hose/transmitter layout.
The swivel turret comes with four High-Flow low-pressure ports plus one axial Super High-Flow
low-pressure port to maximise hose routing options. With its compact size, light weight,
and superb breathing performance it continues the best Scubapro regulator tradition. It
is the ideal first stage for recreational, technical, professional, and military divers.
The G260 is the optimal combination for the cold-water set, as it has numerous components
made of seawater-resistant solid brass, which ensure excellent heat exchange and thus optimise
the cold-water property. The air-balanced valve smoothes out the inhalation effort at
varying depths and supply pressures, the super-flow hose features an oversized bore that allows
more air to flow on each inhalation. The High-flow exhaust valve reduces exhalation for better
overall breathing comfort. Its nylon fiberglass design features Scubapro’s biggest second
stage casing and diaphragm for the ultimate in breathing sensitivity, regardless of position
in the water. A diver-adjustable inhalation effort knob fine-tunes air delivery to suit
changing depths water conditions and personal tastes, and a reversible hose attachment allows
to easily adjust hose routing for tech diving configurations.
Mares has also released the STRAWS – Single Tank Removeable Additional Weight System.
It is, as the name suggests, a removable additional weight system for single tanks consisting
of a simple, durable, lightweight pocket that can easily be mounted on tank straps.
The diver may choose to mount a single system on the back of a single tank, or better, two
systems, one either side, as additional weight. The additional weight can be between 2kg-6kg
in the case of a single system, or up to 12kg in the case of a double one.
The use of this important accessory offers various advantages - significantly improved
trim and the possibility of fine-tuning it due to the position of the weights, noticeably
superior back comfort due to the absence of, or significant reduction in weights on a belt
and, a last advantage, this additional weight system stabilizes the tank for a more pleasant,
safe dive.
So that’s our latest round-up of new diving-related kit coming your way in 2021. Anything there
that takes your fancy? Leave your comments below, and if you have a question, fire away
– if we can’t answer, maybe someone in our community will be able to. Remember, if
you enjoyed this video, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, ring that notification
bell so you know when we put up a new video, and don’t forget you can grab a free digital
magazine subscription in the description below. As always, stay safe – and if you are going
diving, enjoy!