By John Brumm

Photography by Joseph Byrd

Aqua Lung SolAfx 8/7 Wetsuit

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| Cold-water divers need lots of thermal protection, but they also want flexibility. The SolAfx offers both. Rated for water temperatures from 48 to 68 degrees, the SolAfx, with its attached hood, is made of Aqua Lung's four-way-stretch Aqua Flex neoprene. In the torso, the neoprene is 8mm thick for maximum core warmth, while in the arms and legs, the neoprene is 7mm. The comfortable and super stretchy material makes the SolAfx an easy suit to climb into, and the horizontal chest zipper can be solo-zipped with only minor body contortions. Once zipped in, there's no binding or constriction and the range of motion is excellent. The SolAfx also comes with a top-drawer sealing system. Arms and legs use smooth-skin gasket seals, also called flip seals, located four inches up from the wrists on the forearms, and about five inches up the ankles on the lower legs. This allows you to pull the wetsuit's cuffs over the tops of booties and gloves without breaking the smooth-skin seals. The hood is lined with a band of smooth-skin neoprene too, for a good seal against the face. It also comes with a one-way vent on top to allow trapped air to escape without letting cold water in. The across-the-chest zipper is what Aqua Lung calls a "Plasmaloc" zipper that has a slightly offset integrated tooth design for reduced water seepage. The suit also comes with lumbar padding for increased comfort, and pliable rubber kneepads that offer decent leg coverage. Available in 13 men's sizes in black/red and 10 women's sizes in black/aqua; all suits come in long and short versions.

Price: $499

Contact: aqualung.com

Oceanic Pioneer Mask

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| Expansive, deep-dip dual windows made of ultra-clear glass, a comfortable, black silicone mask skirt and a lightweight metal frame make the new Pioneer a mask that not only looks good but that also gets the job done. The mask fits a variety of face shapes, offers a good seal, even against facial hair, and provides an unbeatable field of view: An impressive 90 degrees horizontally, and 75 degrees vertically, with 45 degrees of that devoted downward to make it easier to see gear at chest and waist level. The large strap buckles loosen with a squeeze of the easy-to-grab indents and they attach to reinforced tabs on the skirt enabling you to fold buckles and skirt into the mask for a low-profile package. The standard mask comes in red, blue, yellow and titanium. It will also be available in a Pioneer Limited Edition series with a special black metal frame laser-engraved with a number and certificate of authenticity.

Price: $109.95 for standard models, $129.95 for the Limited Edition model.

Contact: OceanicWorldwide.com

Tusa Geminus M-28 Mask

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| The extra-large and super soft silicone skirt on the new Geminus mask lets you achieve a comfortable, leak-free fit, and its low-volume dual-lens design provides above-average visibility at depth. We measured 80 degrees horizontal field of vision, and 65 degrees vertical field of vision, 40 degrees of that on the downward view where it's needed most. The lightweight polycarbonate frame is overlaid with strips of soft TPE rubber, creating a nonslip surface that makes the mask easier to handle with wet hands. A new feature for Tusa: The Skirt-Mounted Quick-Adjust Buckle System, efficient squeeze-button strap buckles that attach directly to the skirt rather than the frame, allows you to fold the buckle/skirt assembly into the lens well for storage. Available in two frame colors with a black skirt, and four frame colors with a clear skirt, the Geminus also accepts Tusa's MC-7500 Rx Lenses. These corrective lenses come in 0.5 diopter increments from -1.5 to -8.0 for left and right lenses.

Price: $70 for the Geminus; $38 for MC-7500 lenses.

Contact: tusa.com

Scubapro 2mm Hybrid Socks

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| For warm-water divers, Scubapro's lightweight 2mm dive socks might not be "must-have" gear, but they sure are nice. Thin enough to be comfortably worn with full-foot fins, the socks provide a thermal layer, which can be much appreciated on that chilly third dive of the day. Plus, they protect your feet from stinging critters and barnacled ladder rungs. The socks slip on easily, come with skin-in seals at the cuffs and don't cost much, making them a nice addition to your gear inventory.

Price: $26.

Contact: scubapro.com

Riffe Mantis 5 Mask

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| This newest-generation Mantis mask has been updated to fit a wider range of face shapes. But what hasn't changed is its low-volume, dual-window design. We measured a respectable in-water field of view of 80 degrees horizontally and 70 degrees vertically--30 degrees upward, 40 degrees downward. The very pliable black silicone skirt covers a lot of face area and comes with double sealing surfaces to make it both more comfortable and better at keeping water out. A large nose pocket has deep indents to accommodate gloved fingers for equalizing. Also included in the new design are drain channels to direct any water that seeps into the mask away from the eyes. An efficient buckle system mounts onto the skirt rather the frame. This helps fine-tune the fit plus presents a lower profile for stowing and traveling with the mask.

Price: $80.50.

Contact: speargun.com

Scubapro Instructor Bag

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| This sharp-looking, soft-sided case was designed to give dive instructors an efficient way to transport their teaching tools, but it also works great as a general-purpose briefcase or carry-on bag. Measuring 16 inches x 14 inches x 5 inches and weighing only 3 pounds empty, the bag comes with lots of storage space. The easy-access main compartment offers a thin layer of padding, plus comes with a removable laptop case, also padded, that holds a 15-inch computer. A built-in divider lets you slide the laptop case in one side, leaving the other side for folders, files or study materials. The front of the case features one large zippered sleeve with a built-in organizer for calculators, pens and the like, plus two smaller zippered pouches for miscellaneous items. On the back side there's another large zippered sleeve as well as three slip-in pouches for storing stuff you need quick access to. The case comes with an over-molded rubber carry handle and a removable shoulder strap.

Price: $78.

Contact: scubapro.com