TESTCENTRE
A pair of trim weight pockets are located at the rear of the jacket ; I used these to split some of the load and also fine tune my balance . Underwater , the Level was very comfortable to use , indeed its wraparound buoyancy gave me a sense of security as I bobbed and weaved along .
Some jacket-style BCDs can suffer with air migrating to one particular spot and being hard to shift , but this effect was minimal in the Level ’ s case , and the numerous dump options gave an instant response .
At the surface I was reminded of the superiority of jacket-style BCs over their backbuoyancy counterparts . The fully-inflated Level ( maximum lift buoyancy 150N , size large ) kept me high and dry in an upright position , with my head well-clear of choppy waves that could have otherwise made for a less than comfortable wait to be picked up . Neil Hope
Swivel pinch-clip and pull dump on the right shoulder strap
Scubapro ’ s excellent Super-Cinch tank band
SCUBA SAYS
Unashamedly aimed at the recreational diver , Scubapro ’ s new wraparound , jacket-style Level BCD offers high-specification allied with comfort and great performance .
How to get ahead , hands-free
Universal Helmet Mount
COMPANY : NORTHERN DIVER TEL : 01257 254444 PRICE : £ 14 WEB : WWW . NDIVER . COM
I
' m not a regular helmet user but they ' re a must for serious exploration of cramped overhead environments such as wreck penetration and cave or cavern diving . They also make the ideal mounting point for hands-free lighting during night dives when your hands may be otherwise occupied .
Of course , there ' s always the option of mounting a torch to a mask strap , but it remains in a single fixed position and can prove to be a blinding experience for buddies when you ' re communicating face-to-face .
Northern Diver ' s Universal Helmet Mount has several added advantages .
The mount is made from a heavy-duty injection-moulded ABS plastic and consists of three individual parts . Fitting is very simple and literally takes a few minutes . I placed the mount in my chosen position on the helmet , marked the positions for its two stainless steel attachment bolts then drilled the holes .
After bolting the two components of the mount to the helmet , I clipped in my torch to the curved base and secured it via the two supplied cable ties . The beauty of the system is that almost any light ( within reason of size ) can be used .
With the torch at the 6-o ' clock / 12 o ' clock position , I simply inserted the base into the mount and twisted into place . Once firmly attached , the light can then be rotated through the whole 360 degree range .
I put the mount through its paces during a visit to a familiar wreck , where I was confident safe penetration was possible . The ability to have the beam of the torch pointing at various angles - upwards or downwards - rather than straight ahead helped enormously to eliminate the fog-like particles that straight-on lighting would illuminate .
Removing the torch to hand-hold during the dive is achieved by rotating to the release position and pulling it away from the helmet . Returning it to the helmet was just as simple .
Another very useful feature of the mount is its ability to be used to house the likes of the Paralenz action camera . Rather than attach the camera to your mask strap and have every head movement accentuated in your footage , this mount allows much more control over what you ' re filming .
Indeed , by rotating the camera on the mount I found it very easy to look in a forward direction while filming below , or even at my buddy directly behind . NH
SCUBA SAYS
Northern Diver ’ s clever Universal Helmet Mount is a bargain buy , compatible with a range of suitablysized torches and suitable cameras for hands-free illumination or filming .
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