How much do we know about our dive gear?

We all use our dive gear on a regular basis, but how much do we really know about each piece? I attended a SCUBAPRO Product Knowledge Seminar hosted by Joe, who is the Northwest Regional Representative, and an Intro to Tech Workshop hosted by René, who is the SCUBAPRO Technical Training Manager. The seminars were both incredibly interesting and valuable. They were animated, informational, and efficient, and Joe and René kept our attention using the occasional interjection of humor. I really enjoyed that both of these very knowledgeable professionals made staying in my chair rather challenging during parts of the seminar because I was laughing so hard.

The Product Knowledge Seminar gave SCUBAPRO dealers and their employees an opportunity to learn more about SCUBAPRO products and policies, as well as obtain resources for their dive facilities. We got to see the new SCUBAPRO MK25/S600 with the deep blue PVD finish, which is a gorgeous, balanced regulator with guaranteed high scratch and corrosion resistance, as well as other new products such as SCUBAPRO’s Evertec LT drysuit and Litehawk BC. Joe passed these items around the room so we could all take a closer look. Everyone chuckled when Joe warned us that everything, even the mask, fins and wetsuits, were all “non-working display models.” It was very exciting and interesting to see and learn more about the new gear released in 2014 and to get a preview of some new equipment for the upcoming year of 2015.

The Intro to Tech workshop gave anyone in the dive industry who is interested in dive technology the opportunity to disassemble the components of a regulator system and an Air II and then reassemble them. We were also educated about the technical features and care for dive equipment such as the assorted valves and connectors present on the BC. It was an excellent chance to better understand how the gear operates and see if you might want to pursue a job as a technician in a dive shop. For every technical piece of information René gave us, he also added in a story to illustrate his point. The most memorable anecdote was one to demonstrate that every piece of equipment is tested rigorously to be sure it will not malfunction, even under the most bizarre conditions. René recounted his visit to a SCUBAPRO factory in Italy; he was walking through and came across a man testing a first stage on a motorized apparatus. The machinery was secured to the hoses, spreading them apart and lifting the tank attached to the them into the air. When René came into the room the tank was pulled up to a height above his head. Taken aback by this abusive test of the gear, he asked why it was being tested in this way. The man replied in a thick Italian accent (René does great impressions), "we must think of all of the stupidities of the diver" and he was testing it because this is how divers drag their tanks from the ocean onto the boat. René told us to this day he has never seen anyone drag a tank by the hose onto a boat. Regardless, it is nice to know our gear is tested against stupidities. 

I highly recommend the SCUBAPRO Product Knowledge Seminar and Intro to Tech Workshop not only because it is fun and interesting, but because Joe and René are fantastic instructors and very entertaining