Suunto have issued a recall of some of their D9 and D6 Dive Computers after discovering a software bug that could lead to inaccurate dive time information

Suunto Dive Computer Recall – divehappy.com: Scuba Diving In Thailand and South East Asia

Taking care of your regulator is one of the most important duties you can perform. For some, this might be a breeze. For the rest of us, who are a bit behind the technical curve, Mares has a nice write-up concerning how to care for your reg. From routine maintenance to some low-key technical maintenance (like replacing mouthpieces, or lubricating the pin that fastens the first stage to the tank), Mares’ Doctor Tech (Gianni Tomà) has laid out some handy tips for caring for your reg. I have no idea if these How-To’s are going to become a regular part of Mares’ website, but I think it’s a cool idea.

Mares’ Tips On Caring for Your Reg – Divester

Just bought a new dive mask? Make sure you get to enjoy your next dive trip from the start by ensuring your mask is properly cleaned of factory lubricants to ensure it won’t repeatedly fog up on you

How To Defog Your New Dive Mask – divehappy.com: Scuba Diving In Thailand and South East Asia

After I went diving last weekend, I hosed off my wetsuit and hung it on the fence to dry. In this hot Florida sun, it dried in about 30 minutes, and I believe the sun killed any bacteria hiding in the neoprene. I don’t have a drysuit, though, so I don’t have any experience drying them. Consequently, I was pleased to learn about Dave Dalton’s snappy drysuit dryer. Of course, Dave Dalton is a tinkerer. You might not have to go to this much trouble to dry your drysuit, but if you like fooling around in the garage, then this kind of project might appeal to you.

How-To: Build Your Own Drysuit Dryer For $30 – Divester

When Ian Usher wanted to make a short film using his dog, Baxter, as its subject, he really wanted to take some underwater shots of the dog swimming. Rather than invest in an underwater camera and attendant housing, however, he decided he’d just make the housing himself. Using a borrowed Panasonic camcorder, some plumbing pipe, a piece of glass, and some sealant, Usher made his housing for $19. Here’s how he did it:

How-To: Make An Underwater Housing for $19 – Divester

California`s Scubapro said Wednesday it was recalling 670 of its X650 second-stage regulators.

A manufacturing error could cause the main housing of some regulators, which divers place in their mouths to breathe, to change shape over time, which could cause the cover and diaphragm to become dislodged, Scubapro said. If this occurs, airflow will be interrupted and the regulators will no longer function, posing a drowning hazard to users.

Underwater Times | Scubapro Regulators Recalled Over Drowning Risk

Calvin Tang recently went diving with a newly-certified diver. Upon returning, they placed their gear in a freshwater rinse. Unfortunately, Calvin’s friend forgot to replace the dust cap in the first stage. Of course, we’ve been told a gazillion times not to get water inside the first stage, so naturally Calvin freaked when he discovered the first stage had flooded. After searching for information on how to handle the situation (to no avail), he called his local dive shop; the staff member assured Calvin that the problem was minor, especially since the first stage had flooded with freshwater. (Even if it had flooded with saltwater, however, the problem is simple to correct, but first you need to rinse the unit thoroughly with freshwater to avoid corrosion.) Ultimately, it was easy for Calvin to dry out his first stage.

How-To: Dry Your Regulator’s First Stage If It Has Accidentally Flooded – Divester

Currently, when divers with the Knox County Water Rescue Team take the plunge, they can communicate with crews on the ground by voice. But now, they’ll also be able to see them very clearly, thanks to the robotic scuba diver.

Divers are counting on the robot to keep a close eye when they’re underwater on dangerous missions.

“It’s got a lot of mobility. There are a lot of high risk things for our divers to go down and look at,” says Capt. David Henderson.

New robot helping Knox Co. rescuers with underwater searches

Personally, I’m not much of a fan of snorkels. However, as a PADI dive instructor, I’m required to wear one when teaching or acting in any sort of official capacity so I always have one packed and ready to go in my dive kit. Out of habit it ends up going with me on non-teaching dives as well.

I mostly swim face-up in the water and so I never really even put the snorkel in my mouth. In full equipment, I’ve always found the face-up puts my body in an optimized position to get the most power out of each fin kick. Even in rough seas, I still prefer this style. Thinking back, I don’t remember a time when I’ve ever used a snorkel during a surface swim so part of my view on snorkels originates from my belief that a diver should shed any gear he doesn’t plan to use on the dive (except emergency equipment such as signaling devices, etc). I mean, I wouldn’t carry a wreck reel on my belt to do a drift dive along the reef in Cozumel even though it’s a useful (and even required) device for other types of dives.

Divester provides a good counter-argument though. It might not change my mind about what I prefer but it’s a good read in terms of the arguments for wearing (and using) your snorkel. Well worth the read.

Scuba Diving Magazine reviews some popular backplate buoyancy systems. While I was impressed with the number of systems reviewed I was surprised that they chose not to review anything from the Halcyon line of scuba products. Halcyon is one of the best known and most used backplate systems so it’s absence leaves one to wonder exactly why Scuba Diving didn’t include them. Regardless, they do a pretty good job explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the products they review and it’s well worth the read.

Bias Alert: I own a Halcyon backplate and wings which I have used pretty much as my main BC for the last few years. I’ve always had good experiences with their products and recommend Halcyon to anyone thinking of going backplate.