DEMA 2018

As the saying goes, better late than never. Without further ado, here is a brief review of the 2018 edition of the world's largest diving exhibition: the DEMA Show.

Omnipresent in the world of sport diving for nearly 70 years now, Mares continues its momentum in the world of technical diving with the XR range.

Regulators designed specifically to facilitate installation on double cylinders, for deep diving or for cave diving, backplate assembly and balloons, reels, spools, primary and secondary lamps complete the entire XR range.

Sports divers are not left out, Mares is introducing several new regulators, BCDs, fins and computers this year.

The 72X and 82X first stages form the basis of several new regulators, both operating using a balanced diaphragm, the 82X opts for a port configuration featuring five low pressure ports on a rotating turret and two high pressure ports at orientation optimize to favor the placement of the pipes. The 72x as long as it adopts the classic four-season configuration of low-pressure outlets and two high-pressure outlets evenly distributed on each side of a first stage. Several new second stages are also making their appearance in 2019: the Epic, the Ultra and the Dual. All being pneumatically balanced, these second stages differ in their materials (metal or polymers) and adjustment systems.

Two new dive computers have appeared: the Genius and the Smart Air

The Genius replaces the Icon HD at the top of Mares' computer line. Similar in size to its predecessor, the Genius adds trimix compatibility through a new decompression algorithm (for Mares) the Buhlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors as well as a new screen improving display quality.

The Smart Air embodies the evolution of the Smart by adding the possibility of using up to three transmitters thus making it possible to display the pressure of the cylinder on the computer.

Recognized for its custom-made dry suits with multiple options, DUI has also marketed for several years a range of ready-to-wear dry suits aimed at divers on a more modest budget. This line of drysuits is expanding to welcome its third member, the Cortez. The latter maintains many features of the Yukon, but is made using a fabric that is more resistant to punctures and wear.

The Yukon, which is in its second generation, can now be ordered in three different colors. To blur the lines between the two suit lines, the Yukon can now be custom ordered.

The Coronado remains unchanged.

Garments of the upper range have seen several options added such as color accents at the seams, the pockets of the hood and the fabric itself.

For man's best friend, it's now possible to order a dog coat that perfectly matches your drysuit.

For 2019, OMS has decided to brighten up your dive by adding several new colors. Adding to the traditional red, gray or black, is pink, white, orange, green and blue. Masks, fins and vest now feature these colors.

The Slipstream Continuous Webbing Adjustable Harness is now available with steel or aluminum hardware. This harness combines the simplicity of the standard harness with the ease of adjustment of a compensating vest. The Comfort harness exchanged its plastic fastex buckles for stainless steel cobra fasteners.

Shearwater Research created a lot of excitement in 2018 with the launch of their first watch computer: the Teric.

Departing from their traditional two-button interface, the Teric is equipped with four. Navigation is however carried out in the same way as in other Shearwater computers with the same sequence of buttons being used to carry out important tasks such as the selection of a gas. In addition to the modes offered on the other products of this Canadian company, the Teric is offered with an apnea mode for free diving enthusiasts. Despite the display being smaller, the readability of the screen is excellent thanks to the quality of the AMOLED display and several screen layout options. Like the Perdix, the Teric can be used with two pressure transmitters. And on top of all that, it tells the time!

True to the sources, Light Monkey has presented us with some new features to light up your dives.

The 12w 3Ah lamp now comes in two versions, the existing version being convertible to a cannister type lamp and a second version having a rotating magnetic switch at the base, as well as external charging ports.

A strobe light also debuted at DEMA. The emitter lights the same 32w LED found in dive lights, with a light intensity of 4000 lumens. The case, identical to that of the “Handy” lamp, houses a battery providing 10 hours of autonomy.

New to the store, the Ocean Technology Systems (OTS) product range is centered around underwater communication systems and full-face masks. Offering wired communication systems between divers and surface personnel, OTS stands out for its wireless communication systems. With a range of up to 1 km in good conditions, these systems allow two-way communication between divers or operators on the surface. The Guardian full face mask is designed to easily accept the installation of a microphone, headphones and the communication system control button. A product recently added to the OTS catalog, the Spectrum full face mask, in addition to being compatible with all communication systems, is designed to use almost any second stage of regulator allowing to offer in full face mask quality at a very affordable price.

Synonymous with high-performance lamps in several fields, Light and Motion refines its SOLA Video Pro and Stella range by adding hybrid cinematic lights allowing to illuminate without risk of overheating subjects both below the surface and above it. -this. For divers wishing to illuminate the underwater world rather than to observe it in person, the SOLA Dive range of main lights continues to fill this need by offering outputs from 800 to 2500 lumens. Complementing it in the role of a secondary lamp, the GoBe range continues to offer excellent value for money and new this year is now offered with a higher recharge speed on certain models and increased power.

Having made a lot of noise last year by being the first to marry tool batteries and underwater thrusters, thus circumventing the flight restrictions imposed on lithium batteries and simplifying battery acquisition logistics, Dive-Xtras continues to make improvements to the Pirhanna by introducing the "Smart Slice" a device integrating an electric consumption indicator, a 12 Volt output to power external accessories, a vacuum pump socket for testing the tightness of the thruster and a rapid current interruption device to shut down the thruster quickly in an emergency.

Drones have become relatively common, having conquered the air, they are now attacking the underwater world.

The Trident is a drone within everyone's reach that offers a simple interface, running on any Android platform. Having a range of 3 to 4 hours during normal use, this drone can move at a top speed of just over 7.2 km/h. A 100-meter umbilical connecting it to the transmitter buoy is available, allowing the drone to reach the maximum approved depth of 100 meters. The wireless communication between the user and the buoy is done via WiFi.

The Deep Trekker is a Canadian-designed drone aimed not only at commercial users, but also at sport users. Able to record videos in 4K, this drone can also be equipped with auxiliary lamps for diving in darker environments.

Coming from France, the iBubble has the distinction of being the only drone that can be controlled both from the surface and underwater during the dive. This is made possible through the use of a submersible remote control carried by the diver. Much like its aerial cousins, the iBubble can be used to take pre-programmed shots. Several cameras can be installed on the drone, including those of the GoPro family.