What’s New

Each issue, the Scuba Diver test team bring you the latest product and equipment releases from the dive industry. Cannot wait for the next edition? Keep up-to-date with all the latest gear news and reviews by heading over to the Scuba Diver YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/ScubaDiverMagazine

SCUBAPRO BCDS | SRP: £335-£405

Scubapro has launched two new BCDs, the upgraded Level, and the lightweight and foldable GO travel jacket.

Scubapro Level (SRP: £335)

The Scubapro Level for 2022 boasts a fresh design incorporating eye-catching silver, blue and white graphics and a bold Scubapro logo to make it stand out in any diving crowd. The bladder, made of EndurTex high-tenacity 420 nylon fabrics, is lightweight yet extremely rugged, and it’s designed to comfortably wrap around your body without squeeze. The new rotating quick-release shoulder buckles allow you to optimise the routing of your shoulder straps for comfort, and a sternum strap and adjustable cummerbund with double-pull over-strap make for the perfect fit.

The full-sized backpack, working together with Scubapro’s Super Cinch tank band, holds the tank rock solid for maximum stability. The integrated weight system loads easy and ditches even easier with its low-profile 40mm flat buckles, and the new built-in trim weight pockets help distribute ballast weight and help ensure a comfortable swimming attitude while at depth.

Scubapro GO (SRP: £405)

The GO is loaded with the comfort and convenience features globe-trekking divers are looking for. A true travel BCD, the GO is constructed of 210 denier nylon covered with polyurethane and then RF soldered for maximum wear resistance. It is the company’s lightest front-adjustable BCD (size medium weighs only 2.5kg) and is designed to fold into a compact package that fits easily into a travel dive bag.

New compact rotating shoulder buckles make it easy to don the BCD and comfortably route shoulder straps. An adjustable sternum strap and a cummerbund with doublepull over-strap aid in dialling in the perfect fit www.scubapro.com

FOURTH ELEMENT REC FINS | SRP: £89.95

Fourth Element are well known for their OceanPositive range and efforts to reduce plastic usage, etc, and today they are launching their new Rec Fins – a recycled dive fin made from post-consumer plastic waste.

With a fully recycled plastic blade, the Rec Fins deliver great diving performance with a much lower impact on the environment. The classic four-channel design generates thrust on both the down and upstroke of the fin, while the stiffening ribs ensure excellent control, making this the perfect combination of efficiency and eco-consciousness, minimizing your fin print on the ocean. The plastic is sourced from postconsumer and industrial plastic waste, with the equivalent of approximately 120 plastic bottles rescued from waste streams in every pair of fins.

With the addition of a comfortable heel pad on an adjustable silicone strap, the Rec Fin’s soft foot pocket is comfortable for long dives and is available in three sizes to fit shoe sizes from UK 5-12. Designed with the eco-conscious ocean user in mind, these fins are perfect for divers and snorkellers and come in Aqua/White and Black/Grey colours. www.fourthelement.com

Reusing discarded materials in diving products is fast becoming a more-regular occurrence, with the likes of Fourth Element having products made from recycled waste in their range, and now a British watch brand is upcycling old wetsuits.

SDC Watches is the brainchild of Sean Clements, who ambitiously actually launched the brand in 2020. A self-confessed watch fanatic and scuba-diving enthusiast, he is a natural ambassador for the aquatic environment, and as he explains, he sought to ‘challenge the status quo by creating luxury dive watches and combining upcycled materials’. To this end, his initial OceanRider range of four watches – Black Tip, Great White, Ocean Blue and Silky Grey – all feature straps made from upcycled wetsuits, which are collected from dive centres around the UK and then cut and stitched into silicone rubber to make the unique watch straps.

The watches all feature a 42mm case crafted from 316L stainless steel, and are powered by the fully automatic Japanese Seiko NH35 movement. They are also all depthrated to 300m. The watches come in box that uses 100% biodegradable and sustainable FSC sourced materials, including a natural water-based, vegan-friendly glue. Not only is Sean using upcycled materials in his watches, but 5% of every sale goes to the Marine Conservation Society as well. www.sdcwatches.com

GARMIN DESCENT G1 SERIES | SRP: £479.99-£569.99

Garmin has added to its ever-increasing line-up of wristwatch dive computers with the launch of the Descent G1 series, which is sure to cause a stir in the market as it comes in at a very competitive price, but still boasts all of the smart/fitness watch functionality that marked out the company›s previous offerings. The Descent MK1 was superceded by the Descent MK2 and MK2i, which itself was then joined by the smaller Descent MK2S, and now this role-call has been joined by the Descent G1 (SRP: £479.99) and the Descent G1 Solar (SRP: £569.99).

Featuring an easy-to-read, high-contrast display and 45mm watch case, the G1 Series introduces a new compact design into the dive line-up that is purpose built in both form and function. Water rated to 100m and tested to engineering standard EN133319 for dive compliance with leakproof inductive buttons and a sapphire lens, the Descent G1 Series is rugged and ready for excursions above and below the water’s surface. It is available in multiple colour options and compatible with Garmin QuickFit bands, so divers can switch between long and short straps for wearing over wetsuits when needed, or switch up their style in a snap to take their timepiece from a dive to dinner.

Explore longer with the Descent G1 series, which offer a rechargeable battery with up to 25 hours in dive mode, up to three weeks in smartwatch mode, and up to four months in smartwatch mode with the solar charging models.

The Descent G1 series has features for new recreational divers up through seasoned technical divers with support for multiple dive modes for single and multiple gas dives (including air, nitrox, trimix and 100% O2), gauge, apnea, apnea hunt and closed-circuit rebreather. The G1 series also includes a three-axis digital compass and vibration depth alerts. The Descent G1 Series delivers a multitude of wellness features, including advanced sleep monitoring with sleep score and features a variety of built-in indoor and GPS sports apps with favourites that include swimming, hiking, running, cycling, golf, yoga and surfing. The G1 series will track and measure performance with Garmin’s full suite of advanced fitness features like VO2 Max, Fitness Age, Training Status, Recovery Time, HIIT Workouts, and Daily Suggested Workouts3. www.garmin.com