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
APEKS EXOTEC | SRP: £747
FOURTH ELEMENT MASKS Fourth Element Navigator (SRP: £74.95)
The Apeks Exotec BCD is a revolution in diving comfort, functionality and seductive engineering design. Created to fit like no other BCD and flow with the natural movement of the diver’s body, through the innovative BioReact articulation, and constructed with the usual exacting Apeks build quality, the Exotec is a paradigm of form and function. The BioReact articulating waist system allows maximum comfort and freedom of movement, while GripTek fabric keeps the BCD is place both on the surface and underwater. The bladder is constructed from super-tough Armoguard slick skin for increased abrasion resistance, faster drying and a reduced risk of bacterial growth due to the slick surface. Anodised aluminium hardware is both strong and lightweight, and the G-hook chest strap and tank retainer allow for one-handed simple operation. The three-position height-adjustable backplate allows for optimum fit, and it has adjustable waist and shoulders. Two large pockets can be folded up flat when not in use to reduce drag. The SureLock I Mechanical Weight Release System (patented) provides a safe, single-pull release. Inserting weight is as simple as insert and ‘click’. With SureLock, your weights are secure in the BC. Once engaged, the only way to release the weight is to pull on the handle. There are four dump valves in all, one in each corner. Three are proprietary flat valves, very streamlined and effective, while the dump valve on the upper left is the rapid exhaust valve found at the top of the Powerline inflator, which boasts one of the fastest inflation rates in the industry. www.apeksdiving.com
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The innovative Fourth Element Scout mask has been joined by two more masks. First up, the Navigator, which is a dual-lens mask with large, almost teardropshaped lenses, which offer wide peripheral vision all-round. The soft silicone skirt ensures a good, comfortable fit, and it is available in classic and wide-fit, so you will be able to find one for you regardless of your face-shape! The tempered glass lenses come in Clarity (designed to maximise the amount of transmitted light, without any tint from impurities in the glass, and thus the ideal lens for night divers and photographers), and Enhance (filtering ultraviolet and HEV (High Energy Visible) radiation, the Enhance lens is designed to protect the eye and enhance the visual experience). The Navigator comes with a moulded silicone strap, but you can retro-fit the elasticated Fourth Element mask strap (available separately).
Fourth Element Aquanaut (SRP: £64.95)
The Aquanaut mask is an extremely compact, low-profile dual-lens mask, which makes for a great all-round dive mask, but is especially suited to freediving. The mask has a soft silicone skirt, which sits comfortably on your face, and it comes with a moulded silicone strap (but like the Navigator, you can retrofit the elasticated strap). The Aquanaut is available in black or white, and comes in black or white with a Clarity lens (in black or white), or in black with Contrast (When diving in temperate (green) waters, images seen through this lens show an increase in contrast, accentuating brighter and darker areas, increasing the perception of visual acuity). Both masks come with the half-shell cushioned EVA mask case, which protects the lens during transport and storage, and can be tucked into a fin pocket thanks to its compact size. www.fourthelement.com
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