My original expectations for the Hollis Prism 2 were not high, however I was pleasantly surprised at how well this unit handled under some heavy usage. For those who remember the Prism Topaz, the new Hollis Prism 2 is a newer, refined version of the old work horse. Hollis has made it clear that they have wanted to keep the main design of the original Prism Topaz as it was such a reliable and hard wearing unit.

Rebreathers have become an arrow in the quiver of leading Australian cave divers to push the boundaries of Australian cave systems. In this article some of Australia's leading cave and rebreather divers compare and contrast some of the rebreather technology currently available for cave diving.

This review of the APD, Halcyon, KISS, Megladon and Mk15.5 rebreathers has now been updated with the addition of four more models: Optima, Poseidon, rEvo, Sentinel.

A Comprehensive Guide to to Cave Diving and Exploration

This textbook of cave diving published in 2008, with 56 chapters by 35 authors filling 320 pages, offers a wealth of information to the newly certified or experienced cave diver alike. It is the most up-to-date and complete collection of practical and technical information currently available.

Chapters include history, geology, biology, conservation, equipment, DIR, accident analysis, team diving, fitness, psychology, hypothermia, women and technical diving, decompression, dive computers, DPV use in caves, photography, expedition diving, mapping, landowner relations, side-mount diving, mixed-gas diving, rebreathers, and sump diving.

Caverns Measureless to Man is the story of the passion of an extraordinary individual who spent his life exploring underwater caves. For nearly 30 years, Sheck Exley was the leader of the explorers. He set the records, he developed the techniques, and he maintained the highest standards of excellence. Sheck lived a life of adventure, danger and excitement of a degree that few people can even dream of, or, if they do, those dreams are nightmares.

But just what does the word "explorer" mean. Bill Pogue was the Command Pilot for the Skylab 4 mission, a test pilot and spent a tour as an US Air Force Thunderbird pilot. He once said, "Basically, I believe that since the turn of the century (1900) the (American) population has selectively bred out the 'explorer gene' and replaced it with the 'adventurer gene'."

For many years I used jet fins when cave and wreck diving, that was after all what all my mates were using. When cave diving in Florida I was faced with some big currents and it became obvious very quickly that my little jet fins were no match for the huge flow in caves such as Devil's Eye. I decided to try out the Dive Rite fins, although I must admit I was reluctant to make a change at first. Initially they felt very weird in the water as they just felt so different; they were a lot longer and lighter than my jets. In time however they became my fins of choice as I swam hundreds of metres on each dive inside various cave systems, more often than not battling strong flow. They don't call fins the poor man's scooter for nothing!

Dive Rite have recently released the Nomad Weight Plate. Designed to hold about eight kilos of weight in four separate pockets, the Nomad Weight Plate attaches to the back of the Nomad side-mount rig using the existing grommets in the backplate. Formed in the shape of the backplate, the outside of the plate is covered with SuperFabric ®, a flexible, yet abrasion and puncture resistant material. The grommets of the plate measure 11.5-inches center-to-center, giving an extra 0.5-inch of spacing as compared to the grommets of the Nomad backplate. This allows the plate to align once it is filled with weight as the extra length is absorbed as the plate "thickens".

Deep Diving Adventures In South Africa and The Gulf Of Aqaba
by Joseph Emmanuel

"Why would anyone go underwater into an uncomfortably tight squeeze, just to get into another rock chamber that goes nowhere?" That's the question Joseph Emmanual poses early on in his remarkable new book "Into The Deepest And Darkest." This is, says the author, the nature of the cave diver, to go somewhere just to see what is around the next corner. It's this drive to explore, he suggests, that far outweighs the crave for the adrenaline rush that comes with going deeper and farther than anyone before. Emmanuel should know, as he was a support and safety diver in four world record deep dives, and "Into The Deepest And Darkest" represents a record of his experiences and recollections of those incredible accomplishments.

Halcyon Tek Shorts allow you to easily add two thigh pockets to your wet suit or dry suit. The shorts are donned over the exposure suit you are wearing. The shorts are made of neoprene with a draw string to hold them up. The pockets are well designed and velcro tabs allow the pocket to lie flat when not in use, but expand into a spacious bellows pocket when opened with shock cord loops to clip gear to.