February 2010

Cozumel is a (drift) diving paradise, and you want to be as close to the great dive sites like the Santa Rosa Wall or the Palancar reefs as possible. ScubaDiverInfo.com spent a week at the Wyndham Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive 3-1/2-Star resort. Read about our experiences with the Wyndham resort, the food, the accommodations, the facilities, and, of course, the diving with Sand Dollar Sports. [Read detailed review of the Wyndham Resort and Spa, Cozumel]

Pentax releases waterproof Optio W90 camera


With the competition raising the ante in the waterproof/shockproof digital camera market, Pentax has announced the Optio W90. It's a 12.1-megapixel camera with a nice 5X optic zoom that starts wide (28-140mm equivalent), can handle 4-foot drops, freezing temperatures, has a "digital microscope" mode with LED illuminator, and can record 720p high-definition movies. Unfortunately, the US$329 W90 is still only waterproof to 20 feet (most of the competition can now handle 33 feet) and chances for a review are slim as Pentax never answers our emails. -- Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by chb

Scuba diving price fixing in Catalina?!
It appears that an antitrust and price fixing case came before the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. It involved accusations of price fixing for scuba diving tours on Catalina island. The case was settled, but it's sad to learn this kind of thing is going on in our industry. -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Sony unveils waterproof touch-screen DSC-TX5
Sony unveiled the US$350 10-megapixel DSC-TX5 Cyber-shot digital still camera with 4X optical zoom that Sony claims is the world's thinnest and smallest certified waterproof (up to 10 feet deep) digital still camera with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization and touch operation. It is also Sony's first digital camera with a CMOS sensor that is also freeze-proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shockproof up to about a 5-foot drop and dust proof, and it can record HD video. -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb

Bonaire resort puts bounty on lionfish
If you've been diving in the Caribbean the last two or three years, you probably saw something that wasn't there before: the beautiful but apparently destructive lionfish. A Bonaire resort -- Captain Don's Habitat -- has now announced a "bounty" award for divers who spot a lionfish during a special weeklong Marine Park Lionfish "Wrangler" event March 6-13, 2010. -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb