Equipment

At Mar Scuba, we are dedicated to providing good, sound advice regarding scuba diving equipment.  We have a special focus on technical diving equipment.  We don't make recommendations based upon just slick marketing literature or for the reason that the product has the highest profit margin.  Recommendations come from our own extensive research and experience as well as an analysis of the needs of you as the diver and your diving circumstances. We won't recommend something that we don't or won't use ourselves.

Equipment Selection Philosophy

Our philosophy is that every piece on an item of equipment has to be justified with a reason and have a specific purpose or function, not just put on for cosmetic appearance.  We believe that this way of thinking applies to recreational as well as technical scuba diving equipment.  It is called "Doing It Right" or "DIR"  for short.

Interested in learning more?  Come talk to us.

Our Promise to You

If you are looking for scuba diving gear, recreational or technical, why don't you let us help you make your selection?   Our advice is free.  We make the following promises:

     We will give you our advice on the equipment that is best suited for your wants and needs.
     We won't pressure you into buying something that you don't want or don't need.

     We will advise the equipment representing the best possible value for your money.
     We won't try to make you buy something out of your budget range.

     We will recommend the best equipment according to our extensive research and personal experiences.
     We won't make recommendations solely based upon our own profit margin.
     In fact, we often make recommendations for equipment or brands that we don't carry!
     (Why would we do this?  Explanation follows.)

The Reason Why We Sell Equipment

Most people think that we sell equipment to make money.  Well, after you subtract all the overseas air cargo/courier shipping costs, import duties, transportation expenses, storage costs, insurance, etc. (you get the idea), there just isn't a whole lot left over.  We believe in pricing our equipment fairly, and offer the best prices in Japan.  But the real reason why we sell scuba equipment is that most of the technical diving gear that we sell simply isn't available through the regular Japanese retail dive shops or distribution channels.

We are one of the only sources in Japan for technical scuba diving gear from manufacturers such as Halcyon.  We are an authorized dealer/reseller for Halcyon.

We also recommend brands that we don't carry, such as Scubapro, which has an exclusive distributorship arrangement with Scubapro Asia and their own sales network in Japan (and corresponding high prices).  However, we can recommend a few good dive shops in Rota, Saipan, or California if you want to purchase any Scubapro equipment.

Regulators
Recommended brands are Apeks, made in the U.K. (also sold in the U.S. under the Zeagle brand name and just recently acquired by Aqualung/U.S. Divers and sold through the Seaquest distribution channel), and Scubapro.  For Apeks, the new 200 and 100 series represent  the top of the line, environmentally sealed first stage with an easy breathing, adjustable second stage.  For Scubapro, the Mk20 1st stage and G250 2nd stage have been proven over time.  The 3 top regulators used by technical and cave divers are Apeks, Scubapro, and Poseidon.  We don't recommend Poseidon because of their difficulty to tune and lack of Poseidon-experienced technicians in Japan.  We are currently using Zeagle (Apeks).  We invite you to try a regulator out before you make any purchasing decision; we have Apeks/Zeagle regulators for rental during one of our diving tours if you are interested.  We now offer Apeks brand regulators for sale.
BCDs
For Buoyancy Control Devices, we recommend either the Halcyon or the Zeagle Ranger.

For single tanks, and the ability to expand the system to technical diving, the Halcyon Pioneer is perfect with 36 or 45 pounds of lift.  It  is a backplate/harness/wings setup with a single tank adapter.  This is the most versatile setup because the wing can easily be changed to accomodate doubles by simply changing the wings.  The 36 or 45 pound wing is the best for single steel or aluminum tank in cold water (5-7mm wetsuit or drysuit) and carrying extra gear such as a camera/video housing or cannister light.

If you are looking for a non technical, recreational BCD, i.e. single tank only, we recommend a weight integrated BCD, such as the Zeagle Ranger.  Diving in colder areas such as Izu, we know that it takes a lot of lead to neutralize the buoyancy of the thick 5 or 6.5mm 2 piece wetsuits.  It is much more comfortable using a weight integrated system rather than placing all the weight on your hips with a weight belt.  We prefer their patented Ripcord release rather than the ZipTouch velcro release system which only releases one side at a time.  The Concept is a great travel BCD due to its lighter weight, great for carrying to Izu on dive trips.  

For technical diving with doubles, please see the next section for backplate/harness/wing recommendations.

Backplate/Harness/Wings
For a great solution for a backplate/harness/wing combination, there are excellent factory configurations from Halcyon which are much better than offerings from Dive Rite or OMS.  The backplate is 304 Stainless Steel, and the harness is the standard WKPP configuration.  The wings are extremely well made with a special lining covering the bladder to prevent any sort of punctures.  

For individual components, we can also supply hardcoated aluminum backplates (or plain aluminum) from Halcyon.  These are a great lightweight alternative if you don't want a steel backplate.  The steel backplate is 6 pounds negative (2.7kg) and the aluminum backplate is 1 pound negative (about 450 grams).

The backplates come factory rigged with the harness in WKPP configuration by Halcyon.  On request, we can supply the harness webbing and hardware only, or bare backplates.

For wings, the Halcyon wings are unsurpassed.  Some other companies make economical wings, but Halcyon makes the best wings with incredible attention to the small details that make the difference, such as an internal double lined bladder.  We advise divers to avoid the bondage type wings with bungie cord such as those from OMS.  Dive Rite makes similar gear, but with nonstandard releases and they use plastic buckles in critical areas such as for shoulder straps.

Contact us for the current package recommendations; the size of the wings depends on the size of the diver, the size and  type of tanks (steel or aluminum) and the type of diving (single, doubles, doubles with multiple stage bottles).

Wetsuits
We have standard, off the rack suits from an American company (Action Plus) at incredibly low prices.  You won't be able to find the same type and thickness suits at this price anywhere in Japan.  We are an authorized dealer/reseller for this company.

Custom, order made wetsuits are also good for staying warm in the water.  There are some good prices on wetsuits custom hand made here in Japan using the finest Yamamoto neoprene.  The delivery time is usually only 10 days from order and that if any alterations need to be made, they can be done within a week.  This service is done through an affiliated dive shop.

Drysuits
There are many types of drysuits, including neoprene, compressed neoprene, and shell (trilaminate or rubber).  We recommend trilaminate shell type suits because they are much easier to transport, dry quickly, and are much more flexible to use because the insulation depends on the undergarments.

Compressed  neoprene is also a close second choice, the weight and longer time it takes to dry are considerations that lead us to recommend trilam suits.  Compressed neoprene suits are sometimes favored when diving in wrecks with a lot of sharp metal edges protruding.

We are now a stocking dealer for  Diving Concepts for trilam and compressed neoprene drysuits.  There are stock sizes available or suits can be custom made and shipped directly from the factory in the U.S. after we take custom  measurements.

There are two types of seals, latex or neoprene.  We recommend latex neck and wrist seals because they are easier to don and fit better than neoprene seals.  A little extra care is needed for latex seals to ensure that they last.  One nice feature of the Diving Concepts suits is the special optional wrist rings that make replacing the latex seals a 1 minute procedure, instead of having to send the suit back to the factory, as in the case of neoprene seals.  Also, they have dry gloves as an accessory for these rings.

Mask, Snorkel, Fins, Booties, Gloves, and Bags
This one is last because we think that most divers already have these personal items.  For those who don't, we offer a starter set of mask, snorkel, fin, and booties that are made by Action Plus.  The factory that makes these items also make the same goods as OEM products for some major brands.  You get the same high quality without having to pay for the brand name.  For bags, Action Plus has a neat mesh bag which folds up into a little carry case when not in use.  They also make a very sturdy duffel bag that you can carry all your gear in, as well as a roller duffel.
Buyer Beware
There has been a trend in the emergence of what some recreational scuba gear companies are calling "technical" equipment.  For example, some companies are marketing a "Tech" BCD, which is just actually a standard recreational BCD repackaged with more D rings!  See our explanation of our philosophy regarding diving gear, and you will see why these companies are marketing a lot of hype and thin air to an unsuspecting buyer.  Let us explain why, point by point and item by item, why certain equipment is better for your type of diving.

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Revised: May 25, 2003