Photography by Joseph Byrd

Oceanic Probe QLR > This 2004 Testers' Choice is a jacket-style BC packed with all the goodies, including two zippered primary pockets, a couple of accessory pockets to stow foldable snorkels or pocket lights, and of course Oceanic's much-touted Quick Lock Release (QLR) mechanical weight-ditch system. With seven sizes to choose from, you can get a glove-like fit while luxuriating in velour-covered padding on the back, lumbar region and around the waist. Price: $555; $595 for XXL. Contact:www.oceanicworldwide.com.

The H2Odyssey Seahorse > James Bond would feel right at home with H2Odyssey's Seahorse Scooter mounted to his tank. The features of this hands-free DPV even sound like something that came straight from Q's workshop--it's fitted with a built-in air bladder to help balance your buoyancy and a push-button control module that you can clip to a BC D-ring. The Seahorse can propel you through the water at a max speed of about three knots and on surface intervals--between chasing barracudas (or the bad guys)--you can completely recharge the batteries. Better still: If you decide you want to get it off your back, the Seahorse can be easily converted to a conventional handheld DPV. Price: $1,550. Contact:www.h2odyssey.com.

Apeks Black Pearl > If you own a Black Pearl regulator, the next time your buddy accuses you of having no class, just wave this elegant reg under his or her nose and the conversation will be over. This limited-edition breather is truly a work of art. Its first stage, created to commemorate Apeks' 30th anniversary, features a specially finished investment cast brass body embossed with an image of a hard helmet diver. The second stage has an eye-catching co-molded plastic-over-metal cover with a dome resin purge decal. In plain English: it looks really, really cool. But the Black Pearl isn't just pretty. Bite down on its Comfo-Bite mouthpiece, hit the water and be prepared to be impressed. At depth, this 2004 Testers' Choice reg is truly a sweet breather in all positions, super dry and oh-so-comfortable. Only a few thousand were produced, so get this soon-to-be-classic reg while you can. Price: $769. Contact:www.aqualung.com.

Mares Nemo > Divers who keep their fins firmly planted on the cutting edge of technology will do backflips over the new breed of compact dive computers. By far the sexiest is the Nemo from Mares. This Euro-designed dive computer/wristwatch combo comes housed in either a brushed stainless-steel or titanium casing that's attached to an elegant composite rubber wristband. On the surface, it's a fully functional quartz calendar clock. Under water, it's a full-blown dive computer suited for both air and nitrox mixes. The Nemo uses Mares' new RGBM microbubble algorithm and offers just about every computer feature you can think of. Price: Nemo Titanium, $730; Nemo Steel, $600. Contact:www.mares.com.

Atomic Aquatics T1x > Attach this high-performance reg to your tank and bask in the glow of a dozen envious glances. It's like pulling up to the PTA meeting in a Ferrari when everyone else is tooling around in minivans. From the lightweight first stage (less than one pound) to the second stage accents, it's all titanium, baby, giving this reg a head-turning look and superior corrosion resistance. In past Scuba Lab tests, the T1x earned a Testers' Choice rating for some of the highest scores for ease of breathing, dryness and clearing, and very good overall scores in comfort. On the breathing machine, there are few regs that can match its stable and copious air delivery even under high stress at 198 feet. Yeah, you'll pay a lot for all this style and substance, but for the status-conscious diver, the $1,596 suggested retail price is just icing on the cake. Contact:www.atomicaquatics.com.

Akona AKB 724 Shoulder Bag > When you're out on a dive boat, the best way to ensure your after-dive clothes, wallet and whatnots stay dry is to stow them in a bag designed to keep its contents protected in a wet environment. The AKB 724 Shoulder Bag does this with style. The size of a large-volume soft-sided briefcase, the bag's main compartment can easily handle a jacket, extra clothes, camera and towel. An internal mesh sleeve is perfect for wallets and keys. The bag comes with a nice shoulder strap plus a cross strap for additional stability. There's a pad where the bag rests on your hip that allows air to circulate during those tropical treks down to the dive boat. Price: $85. Contact:www.akona.com.

Apollo Bio-Fin Pro XT/C-Series (A). This split fin is the bar-none fastest open-heel fin Scuba Lab has ever tested. Its bulletproof design delivers brute power that smokes the competition regardless of kicking style. But at the same time, it offers a surprising level of finesse. The fin is fitted with Apollo's C-Series stainless steel coil spring strap, which never needs adjustment. Sweet! Price: $260. Contact:www.diveapollo.com.

Tusa IQ-800 Sapience > There's absolutely no eyestrain with this unique data-cruncher. The IQ-800 features an enormous display for a wrist-mount computer, but it's wafer-thin, so presents a very low profile. Data is presented with big, bold digits on an uncluttered screen with easy-to-understand mode prompts so you know exactly where you are, data-wise, at all times. And get a load of this: Along with its standard audible alarms, it offers a unique vibration-type warning function. Very cool. Price: $625. Contact:www.tusa.com.

Aeris Atmos XT > The streamlined Atmos XT is great for divers looking for something a little different. This BC is a hybrid design, combining back-buoyancy with an air cell that wraps under the arms. The design perfectly balances the BC's buoyancy, allowing for excellent stability under water and a comfortable upright surface position, even when fully inflated. Because of the placement of the buoyancy, there's no sense of clutter in the chest area. Efficient valves ensure lots of diver-control at depth, while soft padding in the back and lumbar regions ensure comfort. All in all, it's a lot of BC for the money. Price: $469.95. Contact:www.diveaeris.com.

Scubapro MK25/X650 > Breathing off this Italian-made reg is easier than sipping a frappuccino at the corner Starbucks. In our most recent Scuba Lab reg test, it pumped out a perfect score on the breathing simulator, then dazzled test divers, who gave it the most points for in-water performance of any reg tested this year--not to mention a 2004 Testers' Choice rating. Need more proof of its sweetness? Check out the low-pressure port swivel turret which makes hose routing a snap, the comfortable mouthpiece and the easy-to-use dive/pre-dive switch and breathing resistance knob. Price: $602. Contact:www.scubapro.com.

Henderson Insta-Dry > Imagine climbing out of the water, giving your wetsuit a quick wipe-down with a special microfiber towel, and within minutes your wetsuit is dry. That's what you can look forward to with the new Insta-Dry 3mm jumpsuit. Traditional wetsuits have an outer layer of nylon that retains water, but this suit's exterior layer is high-carbon, micromesh neoprene that's water-resistant, nonslippery and very durable. The inside layer is Henderson's Black Gold anti-microbial neoprene, which makes the suit easier to slide into. The cutting-edge Insta-Dry (the patent is pending) suits also feature high-stretch kneepads and a new type of zipper that virtually eliminates water seepage.

Garmin GPSMAP 76C > Take this waterproof, handheld navigator on your next trip and you'll never get lost again. The GPSMAP 76C will get you from the hotel to the dock with street-by-street directions, over water from the dock to the dive location with GPS directions, and have you sitting in your favorite restaurant district in time for dinner. For geocachers and meticulous logbook keepers, there's 115 MB of memory, enough to store up to 1,000 waypoints or GPS coordinates. Its color display is readable in sunlight, and the unit also includes an electronic compass as well as a barometric altimeter. Bonus: It floats, just in case you drop it overboard. Price: $589; includes Americas, Atlantic, and Pacific Autoroute basemaps as well as the Marine Point database. Contact:www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap76cs.

iSun Solar Charger > Cell phones, PDAs, cameras, MP3 players and GPS units all require separate chargers and adapters that may take up more room than the gadgets themselves. Leave the lot at home and use iSun from ICP Solar. Just open up this book-sized solar charger, plug in the gadget to be charged and let Mother Nature do the rest. The two-watt output solar charger comes with a range of adapters that covers most devices. The drawback? Cloudy days. It really needs bright sunlight to be effective; however, the BattPac accessory can be used to store energy. Price: $79.99; BattPac, $29.99. Contact:www.icpsolar.com.

Creative Zen Portable Media Center > Tired of sappy romantic comedies and ridiculous kids' movies on the in-flight entertainment system while savvy dive travelers watch The Abyss on their portable DVD players? Go one better than your seatmates with the Zen Portable Media Center from Creative. Rather like an iPod for movies, the device is about the size of a paperback and stores 85 hours of video. It comes with a 3.8-inch screen and weighs just 12 ounces. The rechargeable battery pack lasts for about seven hours of continuous video playback, enough to keep you pleasantly entertained for most short hops to the tropics. For longer hauls, bring spares because a two-hour flight spent watching Hope Floats will seem more like five hours. Trust me on this. You can transfer movies from a PC, record your favorite TV shows, or rent or buy movies from web sites such as CinemaNow.com or Movielink.com. Movie selections are still limited and can be difficult to download, but that will change once every gadget freak has one of these. Price: $499. Contact:www.creative.com.

Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones > If you've ever spent a transatlantic trip sandwiched between a screaming baby and the screaming jet engines, you'll know that noise-canceling headphones are not a luxury but a necessity for extended air travel. Not only can they make your personal stereo or video player more personal, but they shield you from sonic assaults when you just want a little peace and quiet. Sony's MDR-NC6 headphones will screen out 70 percent of the clatter and they fold to pack easily. Price: $60. Contact:www.sonystyle.com.

Sony Ericsson P910 Smartphone > With this cutting-edge smartphone, you may never send an old-fashioned postcard again. This handy gadget is a PDA, a video camera, an e-mail client, an MP3 music player and a tri-band cell phone that will work in Europe, Asia and the U.S. So while you're on that trip of a lifetime in Thailand, you can capture it all in MPEG 4 videos, punch in an accompanying e-mail using the QWERTY keyboard, then push send to make your entire e-mail contact list green with envy. An alarm clock function will wake you in time for the early morning dive boat and the calendar will remind you to ring Mom on her birthday. Be careful though--those international roaming charges will cost you plenty. Price: The P910, scheduled for release this fall, is expected to cost about $800. Contact:www.sonyericsson.com.

Oakley Half Jacket Sunglasses > Discard that $15 pair of gift shop sunglasses and slip on a pair of Oakley Half Jackets to instantly improve both your image and your vision. You can pretend not to notice the admiring glances, but they'll be hard to miss when you see the world through these high-tech, interchangeable lenses. Both the standard lenses (shown) and the larger XLJ lenses feature XYZ Optics, a technology that prevents distortion at the curved outer edges. All feature UV protection, and you can choose from a dizzying array of colors, tints and optical qualities including polarized lenses and Oakley's Iridium coatings, which allow you to adjust the level of light transmission through the lens. Just snap in the lenses that best fit the light conditions, your mood or even your wardrobe--say, the ice Iridium polarized lenses to screen the harsh glare off the water by day and maybe the high-intensity yellow lenses to scan the crowd at the bar by evening. Price: Half Jacket Sunglasses start at $100; extra lenses also start at $100. Contact:www.oakley.com.

Globalstar's Qualcomm GSP-1600 Satellite Phone > Cell phones work great when you're in range of civilization, but when you're way out there and need to phone home, reach for the stars--or at least for Globalstar's network of low earth orbiting satellites. The GSP-1600 handheld satellite phone virtually guarantees a connection no matter how far you roam. There's even a data kit so the phone can be used as a modem, but only at 1990 dialup speeds of 9.6 kbps. Price: The phone costs $749 and air time packages start at $39.99 per month with a 12-month contract. There's also a prepaid plan--$750 for 1,000 minutes. Contact:www.qualcomm.com/globalstar or www.globalstar.com.

Apple iPod, Altec Lansing inMotion, Belkin Media Reader > No self-respecting hipster would be caught far from home without Apple's iPod MP3 player. The beefy 40-gigabyte version can do more than store up to 10,000 of your favorite tracks--it can also store and play audio novels, language lessons and even photographs. Once you're settled into your bungalow or live-aboard cabin, turn your iPod into a miniature boombox with Altec Lansing's inMotion speakers. Snap-happy digital photographers can store photos on the iPod with the Belkin Media Reader. Simply extract the card from the digital camera, insert it into the reader and store your photos on the iPod's disk. Price: 40-gig iPod $399; Altec speakers $149.99; Belkin card reader $99.99. Contact:www.apple.com; www.alteclansing.com; www.belkin.com.

December 2004
By John Brumm and Niall McKay

A Jacket BC With All the Trimmings

The Best Backup Breather
Atomic Aquatics SS1 > If there ever comes a time when you need an alternate air source, you're going to want the best. And that's exactly what you get with the Atomic SS1 alternate inflation reg. It attaches in place of the standard power inflator, and has a threaded coupler that enables you to unscrew the SS1 from the corrugated hose so you can safely pack it with your regulator and gauges. But here's the kicker: It breathes better than many primary-use regulators on the market. The SS1 is available in stainless steel or in an all-titanium version, which is lighter and provides added corrosion resistance. Price: $229 and $349. Contact: www.atomicaquatics.com.

A Hands-Free DPV

The Best-Looking Reg

A Stylish New Dive Computer

A Classic High-End Reg

A Bag You Can't Dive Without

The Fastest Fins of the Year
Like to chase down eagle rays, drag race barracudas and generally disrupt the local turtle traffic? Strap on any of these 2004 Testers' Choice fins and you'll be kicking in turbo mode.

Apollo Bio-Fin pro Yellow (B). This open-heel split fin is not quite as macho as the XT, but it's still a bona fide speedster. A slightly more pliable blade gives the fin a livelier snap that translates into fantastic acceleration and maneuverability. The fin is made of 100 percent natural rubber, which allows the foot pocket to virtually form-fit to your foot. All that in attention-getting yellow. Price: $225. Contact: www.diveapollo.com.

Mares Volo Power (C). An updated version of the popular Volo, the Volo Power is this year's fastest paddle fin. The patented Optimized Pivoting Blade, a hinge-like design that allows the blade to angle itself into the ideal shape for forward thrust, translates into serious speed. Lightweight and comfortable, it's also stable and easy to maneuver. Price: $189. Contact: www.mares.com.

Tusa X-Pert Zoom FF-9 (D). This full-foot split fin is the next best thing to growing your own webbed feet. These babies are small, lightweight, and they'll fold your ears back when you kick them into high gear. The fin is not only top-end fast, it's also extremely agile, allowing you to dart in, out and around reefs with the slightest kick. Plus its simple foot pocket is as comfy as a pair of your favorite slippers. Price: $50. Contact: www.tusa.com.

The Big Screen Computer

A Hybrid BC

The Best Breathing Regulator (in 2004)

The High-Tech Wetsuit

Originally slated for release last spring, Insta-Dry 3mm suits should be on the racks in selected dive stores in time for Christmas. Additional suits--5mm and 7mm jumpsuits as well as core warmers--should be available by spring. Each suit will come with the microfiber wipe-down towel and a storage pod to protect it from the elements. Price: $449. Contact: www.hendersonusa.com.

Electronic Breadcrumbs

Power to the PDAs

Living in Zen

Hear No Evil

The Digital Postcard Machine

Looking Good, Seeing Better

You Make the Call

Toys for the Pod People

Promising New Gear for 2005
Atomic Aquatics plans to unveil a new high-performance regulator, the T2. Also slated for release in 2005: the Z2, the second generation of the company's budget-minded reg.

Sherwood's new Tortuga tropical BC offers a low-profile rear bladder. It's also weight-integrated.

Genesis Scuba is rolling out a new tropical BC called, fittingly, the Tropic. It offers a low profile and is weight-integrated.

Oceanic is offering a handful of new and improved regs, including the new high-performance Delta 4 second stage coupled to a new lightweight first stage. The company will also introduce its new Dry Reg Technology (DRT), a new feature designed to address the problems of flooded first stages.

Sea & Sea has released its DX-5000G, a 5.13 mega-pixel digital camera that boasts a shutter release time log of just .12 seconds.

XS Scuba is rolling out the Air Wave, an adjustable alternate air source that can be used either as a traditional octopus or as an inline breather connected to your BC's inflator hose. The company also has a new gauge-reading mask with built-in magnifiers.

Dacor's new Hemisphere BC is designed to be easy to pack while still offering lots of buoyancy and a Quick Lock integrated weight system. We hope to include it in our upcoming review on travel BCs.

Mares' most popular regulator, the Abyss, gets a new look and a new name. The Abyss 05 second stage has been redesigned with a new mesh grid that is claimed to improve performance by better diffusing water pressure over the diaphragm.

Tusa's new Passage BC is designed for the traveling diver. All unnecessary functions and accessories have been eliminated to keep weight down and efficiency up.

Suuntoa's new D9 wristwatch dive computer allows you to monitor depth, time, tank pressure, deco status and even direction (via a digital compass).