Winter warmers
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have to come clean and admit I don ’ t like I particularly liked the inner wrist seal wearing gloves . There are several reasons , which minimised water entry . Not only but top of the list is that it ’ s so much easier to providing a surprising amount of thermal access the various knobs , dials and buttons protection , the Dry-Flex also allowed a on my camera system with bare hands . range of movement that gave relatively
Luckily , I ’ m not as prone to the cold as unhindered access to my camera ’ s settings . many divers are , and don ’ t ‘ glove-up ’ until The Pro-Flex 5mm ( also available in 3mm the water temperature really plummets . version ) Commercial gloves were a step-up Even then , I use the minimum of insulation in both thickness and durability . Despite its to retain as much dexterity as possible . greater bulk , the superstretch neoprene still
With winter in full swing , I decided to managed to retain a good degree of flexibility . look at the options with those nice people The Kevlar-reinforced palms and fingers at Beaver Sports offering to send me two felt as tough as nails , and the Velcro strap examples of their Superstretch range to try kept the gloves firmly around the wrist . out . In addition to diving both types as a Although substantial compared with the pair , I also decided to use one of each over Dry-Flex , I didn ’ t feel as restricted as I had several dives to see how they compared . feared , although it did take a little extra
The 3mm Dry-Flex ( also available in 5mm ) effort to operate my camera system . is manufactured from a flexible microcell Side-by-side , it was of course the material that makes donning and doffing thicker of the two gloves which came out the gloves very easy indeed . The exterior on top as the warmest during inactivity . of the glove is coated with a rubberised When actually using my hands , I found textured surface for added grip . surprisingly very little in it . Neil Hope
Dry-Flex 3mm Superstretch Gloves / Pro-Flex 5mm Superstretch Commercial Gloves
COMPANY : BEAVER SPORTS PRICE : DRY-FLEX £ 21.99 / PRO-FLEX £ 42.25 TEL : 01484 512354 WEB : WWW . BEAVERSPORTS . CO . UK
SCUBA SAYS One the one hand , the Pro-Flex are ideally-suited to harsher conditions where their Kevlar reinforcement should stand up to some pretty rough treatment . On the other , the Dry-Flex makes a sensible choice if you need to feel your way around kit or camera when temperatures drop .
DarkTyde Divewear
COMPANY : DARKTYDE PRICE : T-SHIRT £ 18 / HOODIE £ 35 WEB : WWW . DARKTYDE . COM
Dark Tydings
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pawned in the cold , dark waters of the UK and designed by a team of instructors , commercial divers and oceanographers , DarkTyde is the new word in sustainable , ethical British divewear .
That ’ s the spiel from DarkTyde , whose business model aims to be as low-impact to the environment as humanly possible . Their 100 % organic cotton hoodies and t-shirts are made using entirely renewable energy , delivered in zero-plastic packaging and recyclable .
They ’ re even printed to order and despatched direct from the factory to further cut waste and emissions . That ’ s the eco credentials out of the way – but what is the product like ? There ’ s a host of different designs to choose from - anything from a straightforward DarkTyde logo to an octopus , spider-crab or John Dory .
All come in various colours sizes and genders , with kids ’ sizes too . I ’ ve been wearing a ‘ Love the Ocean ’ hoodie ( a percentage of its profits are donated to support ocean charities ) complete with angler fish illustration for a good six months-plus and despite many washes it shows no sign of fading .
A t-shirt that has seen additional under-wetsuit use is also still going strong , albeit with a slightly more weathered , but still attractive look to it . Both garments remain just as comfortable as they were from day one . Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS DarkTyde ’ s planet-friendly t-shirts and hoodies modern , contemporary designs look great , leave you guilt-free and won ’ t break the bank .
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