(DiverWire) The DEMA 2013 Show in Orlando may have just ended, but the sights, sounds, and exciting new additions to the diving world are still coming to light. Though the Vegas DEMA show is often known to draw a larger crowd, Orlando was no slouch this year. The traffic on the floor was impressive, with show-goers flocking to booths to get their hands on the newest equipment.
1.) Sea Dragon by SeaLife
Sealife Cameras, one of the go-to names in underwater photography, was offering a hands-on demo of their new Sea Dragon lighting packages. Show attendees were able to see how the flex-connect system attaches easily, even while operating with gloved hands or in icy water.
DC1400 Camera with Sea Dragon 1200
One of the models up for demo was the flex-connect “Cold Shoe Mount” on a DC1400 camera, with the Sea Dragon 1200 Photo/Video/Dive light attached. The Sea Dragon 1200 offers 1200 lumens of brightness, and uses cutting-edge, ultra-bright LEDs that produce a whiter light to capture a wider range of colors. Sealife also showed off a DC1400 camera attached to the flex-connect “Flex Arm” with the much brighter Sea Dragon 2000 Photo/Video/Dive light. The Sea Dragon 2000 or produces (you guessed it), 2000 lumens of high-intensity white light. The Flex-Arm seems suitably bendy, allowing a diver to comfortably find the perfect angle. With its shock-resistant casing and bulbs, the Sealife Sea Dragon is looking to be an easy decision for any undersea shutterbug.
Sealife Cameras announced they’re also including a GoPro adapter that will come free with most Sea Dragon packages.
2.) Amphos Air by Sherwood
The Sherwood Scuba booth had dozens of products on display, all of them easily accessible by people walking the floor. The Sherwood booth staff fielded questions from attendees, and took the time to explain key product details.
Amphos Air at the Sherwood booth
With the Amphos Air, Sherwood throws its hat into the air-integrated computer ring for the very first time. The Amphos Air offers a watch mode, a dive mode, an air-integrated mode, and a free-dive mode, creating the kind of versatile watch you can wear on the dive or off. There’s an Amphos Air model with a wireless transmitter, and a model without one, meaning you’ll be able to set up exactly the right level of tech that works for you. The watch itself has a simple, functional, elegant look to it, with a large face and a solid, snug band.
The Amphos Air is already out and available, according to the Sherwood rep we spoke to at their booth.
3.) GO Mask by XS Scuba
XS Scuba showed off the Go Mask, which is a dive mask that comes integrated with a camera mount for a GoPro HERO2 and HERO3. An integrated steel sub-frame helps support the weight of the camera, but looks to be designed for unobtrusive comfort.
XS Scuba Go Mask
The design of the mask itself is based off the popular XS Scuba Metal 2 Mask, and is equipped with the same tear-drop lens shape and “Everclear” tempered glass. No chest straps, no helmet – the logic behind the Go Mask seems to be that you already have to wear a dive mask, so why not get one that can also mount a camera? Less equipment is always a good thing, and XS Scuba also looks to be taking advantage of the explosive popularity of the nearly ubiquitous GoPro HERO2 and HERO3 cameras.
Other Highlights
At the Beatles-themed 2013 DEMA Awards Party, Doctor Lee Somers and Stuart Cove were recognized for their lifetime contribution to the diving community. They both received the DEMA “Reaching Out” award and were inducted to the DEMA Hall of Fame. The “Reaching Out” award is given to leaders and pioneers who’s contributions have improved the entire industry. Somers is best known for creating the Research Diving Program at the University of Michigan, and Cove is being awarded for working against the public misconceptions about sharks and their impact on humanity, and for his work helping underprivileged children.
