Ryan Galiotto

Posts Tagged ‘scuba diving’

Getting yourself a sports equipment or gear always needs scrutinizing especially if the equipment or gear plays a major role in your performance. In the case of water sports and in particular, getting yourself a wetsuit, your choice may depend largely on what you are looking for in your suit. You may just want to have that top of the line wetsuit, or you can check for the quality and material that you prefer without having to pay too much for it.

Especially if you are looking for a triathlon wetsuit or scuba diving wetsuit which requires some special features, you should check the quality and the materials that make up your wetsuit so you will know what fits you.

Some of the important things to check when getting a new wetsuit are flexibility of the suit, the comfort it gives and the warmth it provides. Of course, the cost and style would also be considerations after you have examined the more important aspects of the suit. Here are some basic information on wetsuit quality and materials.

Wetsuits are made of neoprene. Although this material is generally flexible, the flexibility of wetsuits varies from the type of neoprene being used and this may vary from brand to brand and from models to models.

The most flexible neoprene is called the super stretch neoprene. It is also easier to determine the quality and flexibility of your wetsuit when it comes to super stretch neoprene as it is determined by the percentage used in the wetsuit. A wetsuit could have 30%, 60% or 100 % super stretch neoprene on it.

Of course, the more super stretch material your wetsuit has, the higher is its price, so wetsuits are made in different combinations of materials to suit any budget, flexibility requirement and skill level of the user.

If you are still starting out with your water sport, you may want to settle for some wetsuits that are less expensive and start with a 10% or 30% super stretch wetsuit. The more flexible parts of these suits usually are the portions on the shoulders, the arms and on the back of the knee.

For more experienced users, a 60% super stretch or a 100% super stretch wetsuit can be ideal although the choice largely depends on your budget.

Wetsuit manufacturers have even incorporated other materials to add more flexibility and comfort to wetsuits. It is not uncommon to see wetsuits having lycra, spandex or Merino wool in them for added comfort and flexibility.

Underwater digital cameras have become an essential part of scuba diving equipment for professional and amateur scuba divers. The underwater world of scuba diving offers so many opportunities to capture once-in-a-lifetime photos of undersea life, vivid colors of coral reefs or a remote shipwreck. With underwater digital cameras it is possible to capture these images in a life-like picture that can be shared with friends or sold professionally.

Common underwater digital cameras:

Some of the most popular dive cameras are the Canon G10, Sea Life Dc 800, Sony A200 Digital SLR Camera and the Nikon D3. These revolutionary underwater digital cameras give clean and crisp pictures that truly reflect the images of marine and plant life and are diving scuba cameras that can withstand the depths and pressure of many feet underwater.

Excellent Compact Dive Cameras:

The Canon G10 and Canon housing WP- DC28 is one of Canons most advanced compact cameras that sells for under $500. It is a well-rounded underwater digital camera package that gives richly detailed, high resolution images and has an excellent LCD that is large and crisp. With a superb wide-angle lens and lots of dedicated controls, it gives great performance for even the most serious photographers. The WP DC28 underwater dive camera housing enables you to take the Powershot G10 to depths of 130 feet.

With Ikelite #6841.20 housing the Sony A200 Digital Camera is an entry level digital camera that has an auto focus system which captures enough detail for photo quality prints. With large view finder and a wireless flash control the Sony A200 gives good details with low sensitivities. It is a very affordable camera and well constructed. This compact camera is teamed with Ikelite housing to get a compact, clear underwater corrosion free performance of up to 200 feet.

Better Performance, Professional Grade Dive Cameras:

The SeaLife DC800 is a sleek modern design diving scuba camera with high tech functionality. With its 5 new dive-specific color correction modes you can take colorful pictures underwater. You can restore lost colors that happen with underwater pictures at 200 feet by just setting the camera to Sea mode. This rubber armored underwater digital camera is designed for shock protection. For a full day of diving and photography Sea life also offers quick shutter for fast action shots and a long lasting battery.

Although pricier than some of its competitors the Nikon D3 digital camera are top in line in technology. With the Sea MDX-D3 housing the Nikon D3 is popular with professional photographers because the auto exposure is dead on perfect, the viewfinder huge and the auto focus fast and accurate. The Sea MDX-D3 is built ergonomically to make taking photography underwater with ease. It is made in such a way that with one finger holding the camera the other finger is shooting pictures. The new Sea underwater dive camera housing is quite impressive.

For cameras to capture your underwater memories two main questions must be asked the type of camera and how much am I willing to pay for an underwater digital camera. For those who love diving, and are looking for information on good digital cameras that can be used underwater and with suggested housings visit http://scubasoul.com, , the recommended website for any scuba diver looking to purchase scuba equipment or just looking for information on scuba diving.

Whether you’re new to scuba diving or a diving nut, you want to be sure the scuba regulator you have is top notch. There are differences in any scuba regulator and tons to consider such as warm water regulators, cold-water models, and ones that will work for any dive. Let’s look at what’s new, what are musts for diving regulators, and what’s a surprising alternative.

Latest in Regulators

In 2008, we saw the technologically advanced carbon fiber regulator that was lightweight and claimed to be most wanted for years. Compact yet high in performance the carbon fiber regulator’s second stage case came in sixty-five percent lighter than it’s metal cousins-take a look at these, if for nothing else-your curiosity.

The alternate inflator category saw a new star in the Sherwood Gemini model. Renowned for its ease in its breathing features and skilfully designed and placed controls. Other than its lightweight, it is nitrox-ready and is rated excellent with moderate breathing rates at both approximately 132 and 165 feet.

What’s a Must in Regulators?

Most divers look for durability when it comes to regulators. The Sherwood Oasis is a good warm-water regulator. Many of its models were tested for durability, service hours, annual servicing, corrosion issues, and peak performance. Along with the innovation of diving regulators, most were durable. But like any other fine piece of equipment, following the manufacturers recommendation.

The Blizzard is another regulator that is able to keep out moisture and icing. This was only a small part of this regulators feature. Apart from this model, a bubble deflector exhaust tee reduced the bubble size increasing the line of vision.

Another regulator by Sherwood is the SR1. It boasts a 360-degree swivel that works with both a yoke and DIN attachment. Its best for all-weather diving. This scuba regulator is one of the top picks for 2008 because it had it all.

Alternative Dive Regulators

The alternate inflation regulators are extremely functional and are integrated into your power inflator, getting rid of the traditional octopus hose. These were a challenge to build because of their small housings geared at keeping them ergonomically correct-but with today’s technology, they have built some good ones. Most inflation regulators on today’s market have gotten a nod from some experts and we expect to see more advancement in these dive regulator models.

The Bottom Line

After taking a look at many different models of dive regulators that were mostly connected to the Sherwood range, many questions have been answered on which best suits you. The scuba regulator is key to the aqua lung when diving so be sure you take the time to do some more proper research on the type of regulator that you need.