STEVE WEINMAN, EDITOR

DO WE ALL TAKE OUR DIVING TOO SERIOUSLY, and do we expect others to do the same? Is the sport's entry level too high?

Nine years ago, I was chatting to Red Sea diving instructor Rob Hart at the divEr Awards, held in those days at the Savoy, listening to him enthuse about his great idea that was going to sweep the world. The Mini-Breather, as it was known before being shortened to Mini-B, was an all-in-one, lightweight scuba kit in a backpack. It made quite a splash, and divEr readers had voted it Innovation of the Year.

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Mini B is pleased to announce the availability of its scuba products in three new locations, Iran, Israel and Turkey.

You can now purchase the complete range of Mini B products through these outlets, details of which are below, or you can visit the where you can buy the Mini B page

Iran

Contact: Mr Teymour A Rad
Offshore Fisheries Research Centre
Shilat Squire
Chabahar
Iran
Tel: 00 989 1199 148 58
E-mail: Offshore Fisheries Research Centre

Turkey

Contact: Mr Sertan Untut
Performax Marine
Panayir Mah Bursa Cad No:20
Bursa
16250
Turkey
Tel: 00 90 224 235 0810
E-mail: Performax Marine
Web: Performax Marine

Israel

Contact: Mr Rich Sport
Hativat Givati 3/1
modin
71721
Israel
Tel: 00 972 897 18703
E-mail: Rich Sport

Microdive puts boat owners in the swim

It's not often someone asks you if you want to be a guinea pig, says Peter Nash. And in this case, it meant donning fins, a wetsuit, breathing apparatus and mask and going underwater for the first time in his life (intentionally, that is).

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Seaside holidays as a kid had me snorkelling before I could even swim properly and I have been doing it at every opportunity since then. Because of this I think I am pretty experienced and have snorkelled in places ranging from the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii to the Seychelles and the underwater caves of Mexico.

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Mini-B . . . the tank buster

Compact and convenient, the Mini-B is the perfect solution for the occasional diver . . .

If we handed out awards for 'Marine Gadget of the Year' then the Mini-B would certainly be a strong contender. This ingenious piece of kit just makes you slap your forehead and wonder why you didn't think of inventing it yourself. Space is always at a premium on board and bulky, heavy kit rolling around on a rough sea always has the potential to damage both itself and your boat. By wrapping up a full scuba kit in one handy backpack, the Mini-B overcomes pretty much all the issues.

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TRIED & TESTED

Mini B C-Pro

Neale Byart tries a shallow-water dive system designed to help sailors free props, scrub hulls and set anchors

There are numerous models available from Mini B, but the C-Pro is aimed at yachtsmen. The beauty of the kit is in its packaging. Conventional scuba gear is bulky, but the C-Pro rucksack contains the lot – air bottle, buoyancy control device, regulator, high and low pressure hoses and the connectors. It doesn't have a depth gauge, though – and you'd be foolish to dive more than a couple of metres without one.

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TRIED & TESTED

Mini B dive kit

Neale Byart tries a shallow-water dive system designed to help sailors free props, scrub hulls and set anchors

Diving would make it so much easier to free a fouled propeller, scrub the hull, check the anchor set or the condition of a swinging mooring, or inspect for damage after grounding. And on idle summer days at anchor, you can explore the world below the waves.

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