Jonathan Ross to leave BBC

Jonathan Ross has just announced he won't be renewing his BBC contract. Probably because they won't pay him a billion pounds.

Does this mean our license fee goes down?

Jonathan 'Woss' Ross is 49.

More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8445581.stm

Product Recall: Mares Nemo Air Quick Connector

Mares this month issued a safety recall of their Nemo Air Quick Connector, due to a quality issue on the O-ring used in the assembly of the connector.

Under certain circumstances the O-ring can fail and consequently Nemo Air may start leaking through the Quick Connector. As a result, there is a continuous, albeit slow, loss of breathing gas. This situation could potentially lead to an accident, hence Mares has decided to issue a product recall. The solution already exists in the form of an O-ring of different material and hardness which can be retrofitted onto the Quick
Connector of your current Nemo Air.

Please note that the event of an uncontrolled loss of breathing gas from the high pressure hose is regulated by the EN250 Norm, which requires a 0.3mm opening in the high pressure fitting. As a result, the loss of breathing gas is very slow and a diver should always be able to complete a dive safely, NONETHELESS FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY AND TO AVOID POSSIBLE DANGEROUS ACCIDENTS:

STOP DIVING WITH A QUICK CONNECTOR SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL UNTIL THE EXISTING O-RING IS REMOVED AND SUBSTITUTED WITH THE NEW ONE.

Affected products and codes are:
1. Finished goods
414158 – DIVE COMPUTER NEMO AIR
414159 - DIVE COMPUTER NEMO AIR W/COMPASS NO

2. Spare parts
44200771 – HP HOSE W/QUICK CONNECTOR NEMO AIR
44200770 – QUICK CONNECTOR ASSY. FEMALE NEMO AIR

PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST AUTHORIZED MARES SERVICE CENTER TO SCHEDULE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE O-RING IN YOUR QUICK CONNECTOR.

NEMO AIR QUICK CONNECTOR O-RING MUST BE REMOVED AND SUBSTITUTED WITH THE NEW
ONE.

Here is a copy of the original Mares recall notice.

Product Recall: Mares Drysuits

Mares have announced an immediate safety recall of several of their drysuit ranges.

The issue affects the low pressure inflation hose (which are actually made by a company called Sitech), although Mares have said that as well as ceasing use of the hoses, you should stop using any dry suit or equipment which has been connected to the hose as well.

The Mares products involved in this recall, sold from 2006 thru 2009, using the SITECH LOW PRESSURE INFLATION HOSE, are the following:

- 412012 DRY SUIT POLARFIT TLM
- 412014 DRYSUIT DRYFIT 3.5 LX UNI
- 412015 DRYSUIT DRYFIT 3.5 NP UNI
- 412016 DRYSUIT ICEFIT 4.0 LATEX MEN
- 412017 DRYSUIT ICEFIT 4.0 LATEX WOMEN
- 412018 DRYSUIT ICEFIT 4.0 NEOPRENE MEN
- 412019 DRYSUIT ICEFIT 4.0 NEOPRENE WOMEN
- 412010 DRYSUIT DRYFIT 3.5
- 412011 DRYSUIT ICEFIT 4.0
- 480094 DRYFIT 3.5 LX MAN W / RADIAL BOOTS
- 480095 DRYFIT 3.5 LX LADY W / RADIAL BOOTS
- 480096 ICEFIT 4.0 LX MAN
- 480097 ICEFIT 4.0 LX LADY
- 480098 POLARFIT TLM LX MAN

Contact your local Mares Service Centre for more information.

Mares also say (and they put in the capitals): ALL AIR FLOW RESTRICTION INSERTS, REGARDLESS OF COLOUR, MUST BE REMOVED FROM SITECH LOW PRESSURE INFLATION HOSES.

Here is the Mares Safety Recall notice, and here is a guide on how to identify your hoses by code.

If you are in any doubt whether your hose, dry suit or equipment is affected, contact your authorised Mares Service Centre.

PADI Specialty of the Month: August

PADI's Specialty of the Month for August is Wreck Diver, and there's still time to be counted for inclusion in the competition this month!

Wreck diving is a fascinating part of diving, and you may surprise yourself if you think of yourself as someone who only likes seeing fish! Many fish are drawn to wrecks as they become artificial reefs, and there is something very different about wreck diving - a connection with a historical event and the technical achievement of navigating makes for an inspiring dive.

PADI's Wreck Diver course teaches you how to dive wrecks responsibly.

During the course, you'll:

• how to safely dive wrecks, including common hazards and how to avoid them
• get an introduction to how to research wrecks, which can enhance a dive into a walk through history
• cover the special equipment needed for wreck diving, and how to use it
• discover how to safely approach and enter wrecks
• plan, organise and dive at least 4 wreck dives with your PADI Instructor.

Before you can enroll onto the course you'll need to be a PADI Adventure Diver and be at least 15 years old.

Interested? Of course you are! Have a look at the full course details and get signed up!

Just a reminder, the Specialty of the Month runs all through the year.

Each month, one lucky diver will be picked to receive a £50 voucher to spend on PADI products or courses (redeemable at your local PADI shop), a PADI Beach Mat and a certificate. In addition everyone who enters in 2009 will be in with a chance of becoming the 2009 PADI Specialty Diver, picking up over £500 in PADI products!

To enter, complete the specialty, then fill out the entry form and send it off to PADI.

Good Luck Everyone!

PADI Enriched Air Diver Course: now online

The popular PADI Encriched Air (Nitrox to the rest of us!) Diver Course has been run by PADI for quite a while now, and continues to evolve. A while ago, compulsory dives were removed from the course - meaning that you can complete the entire course without having to get away and dive anywhere.

Now, there's a new online programme to enable you to complete the knowledge development portion of the course. This means you can do it when you want to do it, which is great for busy people. Once you've done this, you then meet with a PADI Instructor, as normal, to complete the practical section and assesment.

There's narrated presentation, videos, exercies and a knowledge review to complete. You'll be guided through the whole process, with the usual excellent standard of PADI teaching. If you get stuck, you can make contact with your instructor: they're just a click away.

You can visit PADI's e-Learning Portal to sign up, or see your local PADI Dive Centre for more information.

PADI Speciality of the Month: June

If you're very quick you can still get in on the Specialty of the Month for June, which is Peak Performance Buoyancy.

This is a really important and worthwhile course. Having neutral buoyancy means that you'll move through the water easier, you won't risk damaging coral, you'll even find you're using less air, leading to longer dive times! Also, perfectly neutral divers look pretty good as well when their slicing through the water, seemingly without any effort at all.

You'll learn about the weight you use, how much you need, where to put it and how to trim it. Your equipment choices also affect your weight and buoyancy in the water, so these are covered too. Finally you'll also be coached into perfect hovering, both vertically and horizontally.

You won't even need any extra equipment!

Having good buoyancy is a really important skill for a scuba diver, and this specialty is one of the single best things you can do to improve yourself as a diver.

To find out more about this course, and sign up have a look at the Christal Seas Scuba Specialty Page, or the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy page.

Full details about the special offer from the PADI Specialty of the Month page.

PADI Specialty of the Month: April

April's Specialty of the Month for April is Digital Underwater Photography.

If you're looking for a new specialty to enhance your diving, have a look at the Digital Underwater Photography (DUP) course.

The course get you up and running with modern digital photography equipment, meaning you can share you love of the underwater with your land-bound friends and family. Who knows, with some of your photos you might even be able to to tempt them into the water!

During the course you'll:

* Find out about choosing the underwater camera system that's right for you
* Discover the PADI SEA method for getting great shots quickly
* Learn the primary principles for good underwater photos

And... if you complete your certification in April then you could be picked to win a PADI Laptop Backpack.

To find out more about this course, and sign up have a look at the Christal Seas Scuba Specialty Page.

Full details about the special offer from the PADI Specialty of the Month page.

You can download the entry here.