Dive Rite First Stage "bulletproof"

As a new diver you will eventually start buying your own gear. Walking into a store can present endless options ranging from more affordable options to not so affordable. We want, as always, to provide an honest guide to help your decision making when it comes to those purchases. The cost, in the end is not really the issue, it is the longevity and performance of the gear that is.

For the last seven years Coconut Tree Divers has been using the Dive Rite 1200 series first stage. In the words of Tree, the equipment manager, it is bulletproof. To date we have 27 in service on the rental rack. They are regularly maintained which includes; taking them apart, cleaning them, replacing O-rings, lubricating and putting them back together. It is all easy to do, although the recommendation is to let a qualified person take care of this for you. If you work in the industry and you do not have access to a "certified tech" they are simple to work on. You need to have the tools to take them apart
and the service kits.

The shop offers four dives a day. The morning boat leaves at 9:00 AM for a deep dive (30m/100 ft. or more) followed by a second dive at around 11:00 depending on the previous dive time. Usually they last anywhere from 45 minutes to 70 minutes. The morning boat gets back to the dock at around 12:30 pm with the next boat going out at 1:00 and 2:30 pm respectively. Afternoon dives are usually limited to 18m/ 60 ft. The point of all this is that the regulators get used constantly. At times, they go from the hands of one diver to the rinse tank and then another diver or student. Usually we add to that a couple of night dives. The Dive Rite first stage is a work horse. They are not very expensive and they are very reliable. When a particular piece of equipment works reliably, the staff ends up adopting it. Several of us have switched to Dive Rite first stages. Coconut Tree Divers has a total commitment to the safety of its divers. A quick read on TripAdvisor will show among several common themes, safety. With that in mind, we stand behind the Dive Rite first stage.

Monty our commercial diver and  Tec Instructor also uses these first stages for Tec dives and as rental gear for the Tec courses.

Bottom line, the Dive Rite first stage receives double OKs.

For a product description visit DiveGearExpress.com. 

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS

Some divers love taking underwater pictures as do the staff at Coconut Tree Divers. The question arises time and time again as to which camera and housing to buy. We were looking for an entry level camera for the new underwater photographer. Also, for a solution to use as a rental camera that would not break the bank. With that mentioned, we also wanted a camera that took good quality pictures. Finally we wanted something that was easy to use.

Enter the 12.1 mega pixels Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital Elph. As of this writing the Camera can be purchased via eBay for $150.00 or less. It is a small and compact point and shoot, likely the standard these days. The housing we selected for this camera is a Canon WP-DC36. It retails on Amazon for $190. There are several waterproof cameras but as of late they are limited to about 33 feet. There is plenty of life at that depth, but our morning dives are generally down to 100 feet. The afternoon dives max out at 60 feet. Until these depths increase we will continue purchasing housings for our cameras.

Originally we were thinking of purchasing the Canon PowerShot G12. That is an excellent choice, but quite more expensive. Jose, our in house photographer started searching and purchased an SD1300 for himself. It has worked superbly. It is extremely easy to use and provided you put a big enough SD card in it, video is also available. As part of our Divemaster program we have started to get DMts who are further along in the program to take pictures. We want them to experience taking the pictures and uploading them to social media sites. Also to be able to put together movie clips which may also be shared online or on a flat screen at the shop. Many of the shots on our Facebook page come from this little camera. We are not implying that the more expensive solutions do not work, simply that this one does. As someone trying to purchase all your gear, the dollars add up quickly.

It has an underwater setting. The flash can be turned on or off with ease, macro mode is available and the video mode is also accessible underwater. Some cameras don't let you switch. This camera gets a double OK.