Garmin Descent S1 Buoy

This advanced communication buoy integrates with the Garmin dive ecosystem.

Garmin Descent S1 Buoy
Safety
Garmin

The unit allows surface crews track up to eight divers via SubWave sonar and exchange preset messages via the Garmin Dive smartphone app, which also lets networked divers view their distance and direction back to the buoy, as well as monitor depth, tank pressure and location. It offers multi-GNSS, secure 60m connectivity, 15-hour battery life, post-dive heatmaps, and a rugged, impact-resistant design, water-rated IPX8 to 10m. 

Divers Rescued After Drifting 36 Hours at Sea

A couple's harrowing experience at sea underscores the importance of safety measures and preparedness while diving in open ocean.

Dive Industry News and Matters

A couple from Texas recently endured a terrifying 36-hour ordeal at sea after being swept away by strong currents while scuba diving in the Gulf of Mexico. Their dramatic rescue highlights both the perils of diving in unpredictable waters and the critical need for effective safety protocols.

US Navy is working on dive suit that prevents decompression

The US Navy is developing a diving suit that will free the diver from decompression anxiety.

Navy Experimental Diving Unit
Dive Industry News and Matters
Equipment

The Navy Experimental Diving Unit tested the Deep Sea Expeditionary with No Decompression (DSEND) Suit underwater last February.

The Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS) used by the Navy at the moment is cumbersome, unmaneuverable, and requires relatively large sea craft for deployment. With this new project, it will be improved in a number of ways, including the rotary joint design that it now uses.

RescueX

How do you lift a heavy injured diver out of the water? With RescueX—a light stretcher that also stabilizes the injured.

RescueX was developed by some professional American firefighters (who were also divers) who realized the boards, which lifeguards on beaches were equipped with, were not well-suited for rescuing divers.

Safety
RescueX

It is only a frightening experience to have to rescue an injured diver, but in many cases, it can also be physically difficult, or even impossible, to lift the stricken diver out of the water.

How do you, for example, lift a heavy diver into a boat, onto a dock or up a steep shore? Those who have tried it, either for real or during exercises, will know what I am talking about.

Unless there are many people to help in the event of an accident, it can be almost prohibitive, or take too many precious minutes.

Dive Gear Express Bundle - Garmin inReach Mini 2 with Dive Case + Bolt Snap

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a palm-sized satellite communicator; the Dive Gear Express bundle of the Garmin inReach Mini plus the inReach Dive Case and bolt snap is the perfect pair for diving anywhere in the world.

Safety
Accessories
Travel kit
Dive Gear Express

Instead of relying on cellular network or marine radio coverage, your SMS text messages, SOS alerts and location tracking are transferred via the Iridium satellite network allowing you to communicate with 100% global coverage.

Though the satellite communications won’t work under water, the Dive Case included with this DGX Bundle allows you to take your Garmin inReach Mini communicator down to { 330 feet | 100 meters } with you so you have peace-of-mind whenever and wherever you surface.

Ear Pro

Ear Pro is the world’s top preventative remedy against water-related ear problems.

Safety
Ear Pro

Ear Pro is now available to consumers in the U.S. via select online outlets and local retailers. Made with natural ingredients, including liquid paraffin oil and oregano oil, Ear Pro is safe for water enthusiasts of all ages to prevent issues like “swimmer’s ear”, which currently results in an estimated 2.4 million health care visits every year and nearly half a billion dollars in health care costs in the U.S. alone.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Emergency Transmitters for Divers: What You Know Could Save Your Life

As a diver, how does one rescue oneself when in distress? Call rescue services? How do the different emergency frequencies work? Which one is the most efficient for divers?

Words:
Christiane Linkenbach
Images:
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Equipment

Diver in distress?

Yes, divers get into sticky situations too, and more frequently than one might think or read in the media. In particular, it happens whenever divers surface too far away from the dive boat, because they got caught in a current. Adrift alone, or with a buddy, divers find themselves in the same life-threatening predicament as sailors falling overboard from a boat that just keeps sailing away.
 

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Personal Safety at Sea: Communicating with the Dive Boat

One of the things close to everyone’s thoughts is diver safety. We spend good money on quality dive gear and prudently have it frequently serviced and maintained, as this equipment will be sustaining our lives while underwater. But what about when we are on the surface? Just how many of us really do think about getting lost at sea? We assume that the dive boat will be there when we surface but do not really think much about the consequences if it is not.

Words:
Pete Mesley
Images:
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Equipment

Here’s just a small story to put things into perspective:

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Annual cylinder inspections are not that bad

The article, “UK under pressure to test cylinders annually,” published in the previous issue (#79) was informative, but appeared to be unfairly attacking standards in the United States.

Without getting into some of the specific arguments, since they are subjective, I would like to address the misinformation on how annual cylinder inspections are conducted in many countries.

Words:
Don Kinney
Images:
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Equipment

I understand in the United Kingdom, a scuba cylinder undergoes a visual inspection every 30 months and a hydrostatic requalification every five years. The UK dive industry was upset that the ISO (International Organization for Standardization in Europe) was looking at an annual visual inspection standard for cylinders.

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