The test Team
Christo van jaarsveld
SEAXPLORE DIVE LODGE - SODWANA BAY
Who is Christo?
Christo van Jaarsveld started diving in 1978 and currently has approximately 16000 dives. Christo has been operating a dive charter in Sodwana Bay for 25years and is an Instructor Trainer and Technical Instructor as well as a keen marine enthusiast. His life-long dream was to be an explorer and today he lives his dream by constantly exploring new areas to dive and finding marine species new to science. One of his favourite dive spots in Sodwana Bay is Diepgat where he currently holds the record for the shallowest sighting of a Coelacanth in the world at 52m. Christo has explored many of the deep dive sites in Sodwana Bay and discovered other Coelacanth individuals of which one, found at Jesser Canyon, was named “Christo” by Dr Kerry Sink (Scientist working on Coelacanth identification) based on the pattern of a C on its tail. Other favourites include Bikini Reef, Stringer, 7 Mile and Xplore Reef. But as Christo always says: “any site in Sodwana is beautiful.” Although Christo has achieved amazing things during his professional diving career stretching over 25 years, such as the number of Coelacanth individuals he has found, the 145m depth he has achieved, his sheer number of dives – when asked what his proudest diving achievement is he simply says: “diving and showing other people the wonder of diving.” Christo truly has an unparalleled passion for diving and the marine environment.
What he says about DECO Equipment
I need very reliable, durable and functional dive equipment that will not let me down at 12m or at 100m and provides the range of functional features I require. My equipment must be able to withstand a lot of wear-and-tear as I dive more than once a day almost every day of the year. I also need adjustable configurations, since I dive with all types of dive systems, namely rebreather, side-mount, twinset, and normal open circuit configuration with or without stage cylinders. DECO equipment provides for all my specific requirements and has never let me down.
Also, the option to personalise your equipment based on your specific needs offers me the advantage of variable configurations on one system as well as the option of a specific system for specific dive purposes, e.g. I use a DECO side-mount BC for side-mount diving, and I use a DECO backplate BC for twinset, rebreather and normal open circuit diving by making certain adjustments. DECO BCs offer ample D-rings for staging cylinders and attaching other equipment and if you need to store even more e.g. during technical diving with redundant masks, reels, SMBs etc., there are the DECO leg pockets to simplify your life. Weight distribution is even more important in technical diving than recreational diving and DECO weight systems offer a large range of different weight systems to suit the specific needs of an individual diver as well as for the different diving systems (rebreather, twinset, side-mount) which may require different types of weight distributions. I often say to my customers if the buy DECO equipment and they are not happy I will buy it back from them, that is how confident I am that they will love it!
Petri van den Berg
7th Heaven Scuba - Gauteng
Who is Petri?
Petri started diving just shy of 20 years ago. He fell in love with scuba diving whilst on holiday completing his open water scuba diving course at Inhaca island just off the coast of southern Mozambique. He straight after did tons of diving courses and dives, and it did not take him long to reach an open water scuba diving instructor level. Whilst balancing a hectic work schedule, and after-hours always diving and teaching diving for many years, he decided in 2012 to leave the corporate world and be fully submerged in this magical world.
He opened a dive centre in Krugersdorp and the rest is history. Growing and learning, which he always admits to be doing, he worked his way up to instructor trainer level and also specialised in adaptive training. Petri says – “everyday still feels like the beginning of something huge to come and to learn! Diving has been a catalyst to amazing experiences, growth, adventures and I have been blessed to visit amazing diving sites all around the world, no favourites except – anytime under the water – that is my favourite.” The farthest away dive site he has dived – “The Poor Knights Islands – New Zealand.” Proudest moments in diving for him – “every time when a student battles with a particular skill and/or subject matter and to be able to guide them through those struggles, nothing beats seeing smiles when they accomplish and overcome those challenges or let’s call it opportunities.”
What he says about DECO Equipment
I’ve had the great pleasure to dive multiple DECO diving products and be part in BETA testing BCD’s. Was pleasantly surprised by it all. DECO really takes all feedback (no matter how big or small) to heart and if feasible – implements it.
Well done DECO, keep up the great work!
Kevin Dolphin
CMAS South Africa - Committee member
Who is Kevin?
Kevin is one of our “diving pioneers” who is also a DECO Diving Equipment user.
He started diving in 1976 with the Bloemfontein Sub Aqua Club and he was certified as a CMAS Instructor in 1983. During this time he has completed approximately 3 000 open-water dives. He is currently a CMAS Three Star Instructor, CMAS Advanced Nitrox Instructor, and a CMAS Gas Blender Instructor. He is also certified to present several CMAS Speciality Diver Training Programmes such as Rescue Diver and Night Diver to mention a few.
Kevin also holds a TDI Advanced Nitrox Diver, a CMAS Normoxic Trimix Diver, an SSI Technical Extended Range Diver, a CMAS Air Diluent CCR Diver, an SSI CCR DIVING, an SSI CCR Extended Range Diver as well as an IANTD Technical Cave Diver certification.
He has served as the Chairperson of the Recreational Diver Training Committee of CMAS-Instructors South Africa for many years where he has had the opportunity to develop several recreational diver training programmes. He is also the Vice-President of CMAS-Instructors South Africa and currently serves as the Director of Education for CMAS International where he assists with the development of CMAS diver training standards.
Kevin is also passionate about DAN and he is also an Instructor Trainer Assessor for DAN Southern Africa.
When asked about his favourite diving venue, Kevin states, without hesitation, “Sodwana Bay, South Africa”. He says that although he has had the opportunity to dive at several great venues all over the world, Sodwana Bay will always be his “first love”.
When asked about his proudest diving moment he says that was when he taught his children to dive as their excitement about seeing every little thing underwater for the first time rekindled his passion for the underwater world.
Kevin regularly uses a Deco Remora side mount BCD with two Deco Regulators (DIN P90 first stages with T620 second stages) when performing side mount dives. He also uses a Deco Stainless Steel Backplate with the QA Harness System. The backplate is covered with the Deco Moulded Comfort Pad and is fitted with a Deco Thigh Pouch. He uses this backplate system together with the Deco 25 wing (11 kg), as well as a Deco closed DSMB and reel when performing recreational dives. He also uses DECO EPDM stage hose retainers on all of his side mount, rebreather or other technical dives to secure his hoses to his side mount, bailout or stage cylinders.
What he says about DECO Equipment
When asked what he liked about the DECO Equipment he was using, Kevin responded, “It is not only the quality of the equipment which is clear to see to anyone using the equipment, but also the attention to detail. You can see that it was an experienced diver who had a long hard think about that which would meet the requirements of a demanding diver when designing the gear”.
Kevin has no hesitation in recommending DECO Diving Equipment to both recreational and technical divers.
Bradley Wagemaker
DECO Diving Equipment Owner
Who is Bradley?
Bradley has been diving for over 30 years and is the driving force behind DECO Diving Equipment. He is a diving and hyperbaric physician with special interests in diving respiratory, mixed gas and decompression physiology with an insatiable passion for diving equipment, its various configurations and diver efficiency underwater. As a qualified sport diving instructor and technical diving enthusiast, diving equipment development and application has always been at the centre of his real interest, coupled with working with true legends in the sport of technical and sport diving has lead to the development of equipment used in world-record deep diving attempts. Challenging his team, designers and fellow enthusiasts, DECO Diving Equipment has emerged as a premium line of diving equipment that is intended to make every dive a truly great phenomenal experience.
Greatest achievements? ‘Well, the world record attempt using a DECO designed and manufactured buoyancy system has to be a milestone for us. We worked tirelessly to get the lift profile perfect for the massive demand of the depth being attempted. We not only got it perfect but finally the goal was achieved and we took a man to the goal he had set. This is fundamentally what drives our overall objectives as a company.’
From our choice of materials, designs to final production we rely on the passionate inputs of some truly great people in the industry, without whom we would never have been successful. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these legends and will continue to pursue truly phenomenal products for our discerning DECO customers.