Equipment manufacturers have been busy all winter preparing for the new dive season.  New female-friendly BCs, go-fast swim suits and new comfortable mask straps have already started turning up in dive shops across the continent. 

Suited for going-fast

Speedo is calling it the world’s fasted swimsuit!  Earlier this year the swim wear manufacturer brought out the LZR RACER suit  which it says  “has 5% less passive drag” than a suit it brought out last year, (which helped swimmers who wore it to set 21 World records).

Made from an ultra lightweight, low drag, water repellent, fast drying fabric, the LZR RACER is the world’s first fully bonded swimsuit that is ultrasonically welded and gives the effect of no seams at all. Ultra low drag LZR Panels are embedded into the base fabric to create what Speedo calls a ‘Hydro Form Compression system’ helping to compress the entire swimmer’s body into a more streamlined shape and enabling them to cut through the water with power and agility.

Speedo scanned the bodies of more than 400 elite swimmers and held technical tests involving more than 100 different fabrics and suit designs. The result is an engineered swimsuit whose 3D anatomical shape has a Core Stabiliser with a corset-like grip to support and hold the swimmer so they can maintain the best body position in the water for longer without losing freedom or flexibility of movement.

Right: Commonwealth Gold Medal swimming winners Caitlin McClatchley and Liam Tancock (Great Britain) model the new Speedo LZR Racer.

Suited for women

Aqua Lung has created for 2008 what they are describing as their “most innovative ladies Buoyancy Compensator (BC) yet – the Pearl i3.”
 
The new Pearl i3 is both functional and fashionable. The Buoyancy Compensator (BC) has a hybrid air cell which integrates a single touch control for fast and easy inflation and deflation. The BC also combines a jacket with a back inflation unit that surrounds the backpack and flatters the feminine physique.

The manufacturer notes that women come in all shapes and sizes, and so its Pearl i3 also offers a Multiset waistband that lets divers change the waist size by up to six inches and has a wide adjusting shoulder strap that allows women to find the best fit for their body. The Pearl i3 incorporates a plush back lining, rolled neoprene collar, and patented sports bra for added comfort, security and stability. The weight system is comfortable and is designed to give ease in the loading and ditching of the weight pouches.  

Aqua Lung says that “women will also appreciate the strategically constructed bladder that expands backwards as the BC inflates (instead of outward) as well as the contoured silhouette that allows for a better range of motion and provides more comfort.”

Left: The Pearl i3 comes in sizes XS-L in colours: pink/silver, aqua/silver and charcoal/black. Three zippered utility pockets provide plenty of room for all of a diver’s essential accessories.

Suited for going-fast feet

Aqua Lung has also just come out with a new diving fin called the Slingshot. The manufacturer says there are three major innovations built into the Slingshot that gives wearers more power, flexibility and comfort than a traditional fin.

The Slingshot has two silicon Power bands near the toe, and these bands release energy on a swimmer’s down stroke, lessening fatigue and adding thrust. As well each flipper has an adjustable 3-speed gearshift that “customizes your speed to effort ratio to fit the specific conditions of your dive”.

Right: The Slingshot’s red silicone Power Bands are designed to release their energy prior to the upstroke to provide a diver with an added boost of power.

The third innovation? A Mid-foot Flex Joint. The blade is attached to the foot pocket using two Mid-foot Flex Joints. Aqua Lung says this takes the strain off of the toes and the top of the ankle. “The result is a dramatic improvement in comfort … you can now use the entire foot to power the fin rather than just the front half of the foot.”

The Flex Joints provides the blade a significantly larger range of motion, “often up to 5 times that of a conventional fin”.


Left: The Slingshot’s Gearshift tightens or loosens the fin’s power bands. The 3-speed Gear Shift is easy to shift during a dive, even when wearing gloves.

Suited for sensitive heads

The new Mask Saver by Aqualine Oceangoods Co., Ltd. is perfect for sensitive heads because it is designed to take the discomfort out of wearing a mask strap.  The Thailand based dive equipment supplier has developed an inexpensive mask strap that it claims “is an easily adjustable, padded, convenient strap system that replaces the straps on any mask.” 

Grant Landis, a spokesman for the company told Diver Magazine that “the beauty of the Mask Saver is that it lets you tighten or loosen the mask without any difficulty”.

A deluxe version of the Mask Saver turns into a floating pouch big enough for most sized masks to fit in.

Right: The Mask Saver doubles as a floatable pouch.