We will also keep you updated with individual trip releases – either via the Trips board in store, email or our Facebook page

To hear about our trips as soon as they are released, you can subscribe to our RSS feed to make sure that you are right in the know.

PLEASE NOTE:

Your trip deposit or full payment secures your space.
Any outstanding balances are due a week before departure.
International trips pricing does not include flights.

Generally trip payments once made are non-refundable, but most trips have a waiting list and we will do our best to find someone to take your space in the event you need to pull out.
You can help us, and improve your chance of a refund, by finding your own replacement.

If a trip is cancelled by us due to weather or for safety reasons, a full refund or store credit will be given.

Hanging around in Blue Maomao Arch, photo by Andrew Simpson

That’s a pretty big claim, yet, in every market, there has to be a best.  Global Dive strives to be the best dive store in New Zealand, so it makes sense for us to offer the best equipment available.  So what sets Atomic apart and why in particular, has the Atomic titanium regulator been given the title as the best regulator in the world?

The answer lies in their uncompromising philosophies, that only the best design, best materials and best manufacturing process will do.  It all started when renowned designers Dean Garraffa and Doug Toth decided to leave their positions working for a major scuba manufacturer and start their own company in 1995, the company was Atomic Aquatics and they set out to create diving equipment of the highest caliber.

Their first breakthrough was to manufacture a regulator out of the space age metal – Titanium. Titanium is the perfect material for the ocean environment, it is as strong as steel, yet weighs half as much and does not rust like steel. It does not pit like aluminium and even brass will turn green and corrode if it’s unprotected.  The difficulty is that titanium is expensive and more difficult to fabricate, however, Atomic refused to be held back by cost and extra work, so they produced a process that allowed them to manufacture parts using titanium in a much more cost effective way than was previously available.

The first Titanium reg, the T1 was a huge hit, it showed that divers really appreciated quality and that there was a market for superior products.

Over the following years, Atomic put huge amounts of effort into further R&D and developed their signature titanium alloy – Ti-6AL-4V. This is mixture of Titanium, Aluminium and Vanadium. All Atomic titanium parts are now made from this alloy, a metal that can survive 300 years in sea water without showing any signs of corrosion!! The T2 was a refined version of the T1, with weight saving. The version we have here at Global Dive, the T2x, is the latest refinement on the design.

The first stage is a balanced flow-through piston design, with a unique high pressure piston seal system that reduces maintenance and prevents the intermediate pressure from creeping. This system has no sharp edges that damage the seat over time. This is part of the reason why the required service interval with this regulator is so long, Atomic recommend a service every 2 years or 300 dives!!  We have serviced many of the early models and each time, the service technicians are amazed at the condition of the internals. Even after 2+ years the internals are spotless.  We wish the service interval was more often because they truly are a pleasure to service!!

The first stage has 5 LP ports arranged on a swivel turret, with 2 high pressure ports. This configuration is the most versatile, with our other brands of regulator also offering first stages  with this configuration. This Atomic first stage is available in both Yoke and DIN configurations.

The T2x second stage is again an engineering piece of art. A pneumatically balanced design with titanium Valve body, demand lever and Kevlar pivot sleeve.  This combo offers the very best in breathing performance. I would describe the breathing characteristics of the Atomic T2x as being on par with the very best from Apeks, Aqualung and Scubapro. The difference lies in the materials, again, by using titanium, the performance remains as good as new for the duration of your 300 dives or 2 years.

Finally, a couple of nice innovations on all Atomic 2nd stages is the AFC – this is a device that reduces the friction inside the reg as you go deeper. This is similar to the venturi control on other regs, except the switch from pre dive to dive is done automatically.  The second nice feature is the patented Seat saving Orifice. This is a device that brings the sealing surface of the seat and orifice apart when the reg is not under pressure (ie when not being dived). The result is far reduced wear on the seal.

Pros and Cons?

The Pros for this reg are numerous, in my opinion some of the most important are:

-  Non corrosive materials so if you are somewhere where fresh water is not readily available, such as a tropical island or a yacht, you are not causing any damage.

-  Extremely light weight – great for travel and also for in water comfort.

-  Amazing attention to detail by the designers – the longer you spend with this reg, the more you appreciate this detail.

-  300 dive service interval, thats a lot of dives, so the long term costs of ownership are going to be less than an alternate high performance reg.

-  Exclusivity, it might be vain, but I love the fact that when you are breathing from this reg, you are in an exclusive club of divers who have the very best. I would describe this as the Ferrari of regs, many of us will never own a Ferrari, but if you are a diver, most could have the diving equivalent.

-  Designed, Manufactured, assembled and Quality controlled in California, USA.

Cons are limited to the not unexpected:

-  Cost. You get what you pay for, and from personal experience, you rarely regret paying for quality. I remember originally baulking at the price of Atomic’s masks, they were approximately double the price of our mainstream masks, yet when I dived with one I knew I had to have one and the cost is not considered when you experience the quality and comfort.

Review by Andrew

NZRRP$2649

Global Dive Price $2199 (incl GST)

This is not the case with the UK SL3 eLED torch.  This style of torch shares many features with the best in the world models costing over 4 times as much.

The light is sized so that it can be used as a back up, yet the power of light it gives out means it can be used effectively as a main torch.  At 19cm long and approx 45mm at its widest point, the SL3 is a comfortable size for its performance.

The light uses 3 “C” sized batteries, giving around 30 hours of burn time.  The 125 lumen light beam is concentrated so makes for a good signaling light, or for looking into cracks and crevices.  The light has a handy stainless steel loop that allows you to clip your light to your bcd.

The design has no complex switches, instead relying on a simple twist On/Off mechanism. The double O-ring seal reduces the chances of accidentally unscrewing the light to flood point underwater.

Underwater Kinetics are still proud to make their lights in the USA, providing a great quality product. The simplicity of the design allows them to make a light that is extremely good value for money.

Global Dive carries the SL3 eLED in both Black and Safety Yellow.

Price is $125 including batteries.

The Ikelite AF35 is an out of the box solution for your compact underwater camera system. The system includes a base tray that can fit most compact housings, a grip (handle) with a built in sensor that transmits data from your cameras flash to the AF35 strobe. This allows the strobe to vary its flash power automatically to replicate the cameras flash.  This enables consistent exposures and utilises your cameras Exposure Sensor.  You can even over ride the auto settings by quickly adjusting the thumb dial to add or take away exposure, giving you greater artistic control.

For the more adventurous, you can also drive the strobe manually with a simple dial at the back of the strobe.

The flexible arm system joins the sensor to the strobe and allows the photographer to position the strobe in a variety of  angles to help control the light on the subject and also minimise backscatter in the photos.

The strobe runs off 4 AA batteries with a full power recycle time of 3.5 seconds, the battery compartment is sealed from the rest of the strobe so in the event of a failure, the strobe would be saved.

The design of the Ikelite AF35 is tried and tested, with the flash housing linked back to film days with the S50 strobe. It is also the same body as the digital DS50 and later DS51 strobes that are still used by professionals around the world today.

This system not only offers great performance, but also great value at just $649

The light is powered by 3 AA batteries, you can use either standard Alkaline’s or rechargeable batteries. The 350 Lumen light will burn for approximately 165 minutes underwater with a beam angle of 30 degrees.

This light can be used as a standard dive light, or a focus light for photographers. It is possible to mount the LE350 onto your camera rig with an optional adaptor.

Supporting its role in photography is also the included red filter, which is used at night time to prevent small critters from being spooked. The red is not visible to the critters, but can be used by the diver to see the wildlife and your camera to gain focus. (the cameras flash will usually overpower the red light in the exposure so your image will have true colours – if red is still visible, the easiest way to remove it is by using a faster shutter speed)

If you prefer a wider beam, you can use a wide angle converter on the light, this increases the beam angle to 60 degrees.

The LE350 is depth rated to 120m

Priced in store for only $199

The 2nd stage is pneumatically balanced giving superior ease of breathing. This is fundamentally the same second stage as the previous Legend model – Aqualungs top of the range regulator.  The LX 2nd stage has a venturi control knob and Aqualung’s patented Comfo-bite mouthpiece along with a reusable mouthpiece clamp.

The newly designed Titan 1st stage is an evolution of the old US Divers Conshelf. This latest incarnation gives us a much lighter weight 1st stage, making this a great option for traveling divers.

The reg is nitrox compatible up to 40% straight out of the box. Available in both Yoke and DIN configurations. The 1st stage has 4 MP ports and 1 HP port.

RRP $749

Also available as part of a package with LX Octi and Apeks Depth & Pressure Gauge for $1199

This very popular harness is extremely versatile, with divers using it in many different applications, from a light weight travel BC, through to twin cylinder set up with side mounted stage cylinders.

The Harness is made up of 4 pieces of webbing, that connect at both sides of the chest with large quick release buckles and then at the waist via a belt buckle. The “version 2” of the classic Comfort Harness adds a stainless steel plate that allows greater Oblique strap adjustability to gain the perfect fit. The Harness has 2 large stainless steel D-rings on each side of the chest, along with 2 hip D-rings and a crotch strap that incorporates a Scooter ring.  The Comfort harness has shoulder pads that are both adjustable and removable.

The Comfort Harness 2 is available with either an OMS Stainless Steel or Aluminium backplate.

The most popular set up for single tank diving is a Comfort Harness with Ali plate, then a 32lb OMS wing and single tank adaptor with dual cam straps.  If you wish to add integrated weight pockets, this is simply achieved by adding a pair of OMS Compact weight pockets. The weight of the ali plate and harness is just 3.6kg including all D-rings.

If you progress to twins, this system is quickly and easily converted by removing the single tank adaptor via two wing nuts, then exchanging the small singles wing for a doubles wing such as an OMS 45lb wing.

The individual price of the Comfort Harness 2 with Ali plate is $430 or as a package with wing, single tank adaptor, cam bands and weight pockets for just $1249

We have these systems in our school and Elite rental department so if you wish to try before you buy, we can refund your rental fee off the purchase price.

We run our Scuba Saturdays at Goat Island (weather permitting). This is when we take our Open Water classes out for their training dives and we invite certified divers to head up on the same day. Our instructors are training but can give certified divers briefings on the best way to navigate the site, and can assist with organising buddies amongst the other certified divers who may be attending on the day.

Certified divers generally meet at the dive shop for 9am on the Scuba Saturday morning to sort out any gear that they need to hire before heading up to Goat Island. Alternatively you can collect your hire equipment on the Friday and meet at the Goat Island beach at approx 10.30am.  As this is shore diving there is no cost other than any equipment hire you may require. Scuba Saturdays are free dives. All you pay for is any equipment rental, air fills and the gas you need for your car and tummy.

If you want to come along – make sure you give us a call or send us an email – or even better still, pop in and see us.  We will get you on the list for more information as soon as it comes to hand.

If we need to alter our arrangements for our training group due to adverse conditions on site we would make a call on Friday and let those certified divers who have registered for Scuba Saturday know then.

If you have any further questions regarding our Scuba Saturday please don’t hesitate to contact us here at the dive shop.

The XP-H shares many of the features of the popular XP-10 computer, with the addition of integrated air tank contents display, along with a half tank and reserve tank warning.

The computer shares the same popular Uwatec algorithm ZH-L8 ADT with many of the computers in the Uwatec range. Nitrox divers can choose mixes between 21% and 100%

The battery is user changeable via the user friendly battery access hatch.

This great value computer has an RRP of just $999, yet we have negotiated a Special Price of $699 including hose.  (There is also a Quick Disconnect version for an extra $150)

The reason for DST4′s versatility is in the hose layout. The Turret design has 4 standard Low Pressure Ports plus the option to have a 5th port on the end. This means the reg can be comfortably configured for standard single tank hose set up, as well as for use in Sidemount, twins and also as a stage reg.

The simplicity of the design and quality of engineering make the DST4 a popular choice for Technical Divers around the world. The reg works well at all depths and all temperatures.

This popular hose routing is also available in 1st stages such as Scubapro’s legendary MK25 and Atomics T2x and B2 regs, the difference being the Apeks is a Dry Sealed (hence DS in the name) Balanced Diaphragm design which seals out all corrosive water from the internal parts.

The 1st stage is suitable for nitrox up to 40% straight out of the box or can be Oxygen cleaned at service to allow for 100% O2.

Supplied as standard in DIN but also available in Yoke

Global Dive Price $499