Cover all
Skuva
COMPANY: SKULL SCUBA PRICE: £ 29.95( INCLUDING POSTAGE) WEB: WWW. SKULLSCUBA. CO. UK
This inexpensive diving kit cover from Skull Scuba is the brainchild of BSAC diver Chris Bearblock. His Skuva( an abbreviation of Skull Scuba and Cover) is an elasticated and waterproof cover, designed to offer protection from wind, rain, sun, envious eyes, seagulls, as well as passing dogs, and is suitable for a multitude of different kit configurations.
As a member of Totnes BSAC and Mauritius Underwater Group, Chris found he had need for some type of cover that would work equally as well at home and abroad. He found nothing available on the market, so came up with this strong but lightweight polyester design, manufactured in his home county of Somerset.
The Skuva is probably best described as an open-ended bag with an elasticated opening, around which is affixed a removable and adjustable bungee strap. Two pinch-clips, with a breaking strain of 70kg, keep whatever’ s inside securely ensconced and it can also be used to secure your kit to a cylinder rack or any other solid anchorage point on a boat.
Its benefits and uses are wide-ranging. It nicely accommodated my APD Evolution, plus a side bailout with no problem at all, doing the same for my taller, although nowretired APD Inspiration. The Skuva easily gobbled up my twin sevens, wing and regs but despite its cavernous proportions the Skuva folds away into a compact 15cm x 20cm drawstring bag when you’ re done.
There are many advantages to the Skuva. As it’ s waterproof, there’ s no danger of any water-activated kit such as computers or CCR handsets inadvertently turning themselves on when coming up against sea spray, big waves or rainfall.
For tropical diving( or in the midst of a UK-wide heatwave as I write) the cover will prevent your beloved kit from cooking in strong sunlight, also protecting it from harmful exposure to ultraviolet light.
In fact, I discovered the Skuva has another string to its bow, which inventor Chris hadn’ t envisaged during its conception.
As an underwater photographer, the last thing you’ d want to do is leave your camera rig at the mercy of the midday sun. The possibility of condensation inside your housing, or harmful salt particles drying on ports and controls on its exterior can be disastrous between dives. On a camerafriendly hardboat there may be a fresh water dunk tank( less likely in the UK), but particularly on a RIB where space is at a premium, cameras just tend to lie in the open and suffer the consequences.
I found the Skuva easily covered my large DSLR housing and associated arms, strobes and accessories. The strap also allowed me to keep it from bouncing about when underway. On my own RIB this proved ideal, but on a crowded club boat covered in this manner I’ d be extra vigilant for the potential of accidental damage from buddies who may not be aware of the cover’ s expensive contents. NH
SCUBA SAYS
Scull Scuba’ s Skuva is a great idea for divers both UK-based and travelling. This cavernous waterproof kit cover will swallow-up a humungous amount of dive gear and protect it from the excesses of sun, wind, rain and spray on RIB or hardboat. Its heavy-duty elasticated bungee strap also provides a great way to keep it securely attached to the boat itself.
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