Greetings fellow Swampers.
I returned from a 4 day trip to DEMA in Orlando and wanted to let you know how it went.
The DEMA show floor was much smaller than it has been in recent years. My guess is that it was about 1/3rd the size of past years. Many of the larger brands had much smaller booths than usual. For example, Oceanic's booth was about 1/4th of what they used to have. Obviously, the economy had a huge impact on people decision on their DEMA show participation.
All in all, the show was great. There was not near as many peole there as in previous years, so you could get around easier and spend more quality time with vendors. Not surpisingly, the tough economic times made it difficult for the vendors to offer many great deals. However, there were some to be had.
There are some great new products that are either available now, or in the near future. Here is a taste of what was seen:
Many of you have a Dive-Alert, or some variation of it. Now there is a new model that works under water as well as above water. The Dive Alert brand makes you flip a switch to change between the two. I ordered in another brand that has two buttons. One for the above water horn and another for the underwater noise maker. It sounds like a duck, so I know one Swamper that HAS to have one.
I also bought several pairs of a new fin design. It is a hybrid between a split and a blade. According to the manufacturer, it performs better than a blade and requires less energy than a split. I'll be doing a test dive this Thursday to decide for myself.
I also bought several new bags from a vendor that I started using recently. No radical new design here, rather good quality and a better price point. This will allow me to make bags a more affordable item for folks.
I got some really cool lights in. Intova came out with a new 4.7 watt LED that is only about 3 inches long. It is a wide angle light that will make a nice back up. It also works well as a background light for macro. They had a working sample fed-exed in for the show and I bought one of the samples. I also bought oa couple of their Super Nova lights. These are 25 watt, 500 lumen hand held lights. Comperable in size to a C-4. You can cheange them from 100% to 30% to strobe, with a push of the power button. More expensive than a UK or Princeton tec, but more affordable than any can light of comperable power. Plus, as a hand held, you don't have the cable to get tangled.
A product coming on the horizon is an underwater GPS. There are two parts to this product. First is a transponder that is hung off the boat or attached to the float line. This unit receives the GPS signal and communicates with the wrist units on the divers. Through a series of calculations, the unit determines the divers position relative to the transopnder. If a map of the area is available, the unit worn by each diver displays the map and each divers position. This product is scheuled for release in February / March time frame. I think it will be a great tool for public saftey dive teams and other dive groups, such as live aboard operations. It might be a little pricey for a single diver to have their own set.
There is another new product coming out that is going to revolutionize the dive industry. I'm not allowed to give any details right now, but I hope to have a BETA test unit this spring. I'll let you know more as things progress.
I returned from a 4 day trip to DEMA in Orlando and wanted to let you know how it went.
The DEMA show floor was much smaller than it has been in recent years. My guess is that it was about 1/3rd the size of past years. Many of the larger brands had much smaller booths than usual. For example, Oceanic's booth was about 1/4th of what they used to have. Obviously, the economy had a huge impact on people decision on their DEMA show participation.
All in all, the show was great. There was not near as many peole there as in previous years, so you could get around easier and spend more quality time with vendors. Not surpisingly, the tough economic times made it difficult for the vendors to offer many great deals. However, there were some to be had.
There are some great new products that are either available now, or in the near future. Here is a taste of what was seen:
Many of you have a Dive-Alert, or some variation of it. Now there is a new model that works under water as well as above water. The Dive Alert brand makes you flip a switch to change between the two. I ordered in another brand that has two buttons. One for the above water horn and another for the underwater noise maker. It sounds like a duck, so I know one Swamper that HAS to have one.
I also bought several pairs of a new fin design. It is a hybrid between a split and a blade. According to the manufacturer, it performs better than a blade and requires less energy than a split. I'll be doing a test dive this Thursday to decide for myself.
I also bought several new bags from a vendor that I started using recently. No radical new design here, rather good quality and a better price point. This will allow me to make bags a more affordable item for folks.
I got some really cool lights in. Intova came out with a new 4.7 watt LED that is only about 3 inches long. It is a wide angle light that will make a nice back up. It also works well as a background light for macro. They had a working sample fed-exed in for the show and I bought one of the samples. I also bought oa couple of their Super Nova lights. These are 25 watt, 500 lumen hand held lights. Comperable in size to a C-4. You can cheange them from 100% to 30% to strobe, with a push of the power button. More expensive than a UK or Princeton tec, but more affordable than any can light of comperable power. Plus, as a hand held, you don't have the cable to get tangled.
A product coming on the horizon is an underwater GPS. There are two parts to this product. First is a transponder that is hung off the boat or attached to the float line. This unit receives the GPS signal and communicates with the wrist units on the divers. Through a series of calculations, the unit determines the divers position relative to the transopnder. If a map of the area is available, the unit worn by each diver displays the map and each divers position. This product is scheuled for release in February / March time frame. I think it will be a great tool for public saftey dive teams and other dive groups, such as live aboard operations. It might be a little pricey for a single diver to have their own set.
There is another new product coming out that is going to revolutionize the dive industry. I'm not allowed to give any details right now, but I hope to have a BETA test unit this spring. I'll let you know more as things progress.
