Just add water
Temperatures are dropping and the cool Arabian Gulf lies temptingly close. James Fryer has a pick of gadgets set to make a splash this winter.
Swimp3 Goggles
www.finisinc.com
Let’s be honest, doing laps of the pool can get a tad boring. Enter the revolutionary Swimp3 underwater MP3 player goggles – a novel new way to listen to your favourite tunes while you swim. Whereas previous underwater music devices relied on the transmission of sound through water which resulted in a muffled sound quality, these goggles will broadcast the Beach Boys in their true glory by using bone conduction. It sounds a little scary but is totally safe – sound directly transfers through (good) vibrations on the cheek bone to the fluid in the inner ear. Genius.
Sea Scooter
www.seascooter.net
Whether you’re diving or snorkelling, this Bond-style aqua scooter is the perfect way to get up close and personal with the fish without using up all your energy and air. All you need to do is start it up and hang on tight to the handlebars while the scooter pulls you through the water at an impressive 4 km/h. Controlling direction comes as easy as manoeuvring a bicycle and the battery lasts for two hours – slightly longer than you’re likely to be able to hold your breath for, but a real luxury for divers. It will even work at 30m depths and is light enough to be carried in one hand once you’re back on dry land.
Underwater Camera
www.pentax.com
Underwater cameras rarely give you the snaps you want. Pictures develop as a murky blue blur – no surprise given the inch-thick plastic casing. But this Pentax Optio W10 model is a 6 megapixel bargain and is waterproof to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. Not so good on long dives, but the perfect choice for snorkelling. The 3x optical zoom should get you closer to the hammour and a movie mode has a shake-reduction feature in case of sharks.
Aquadock
www.mfagifts.com
How do you avoid your precious MP3 player getting all wet and covered in sand? The Aquadock features a tough shell that’s water resistant and will fit any kind of MP3 player with a headphone socket and/or your iPod. And it packs an AM/FM radio and digital clock too.
Radio-Controlled Hovercraft
Toys ‘R’ Us
Forget radio-controlled cars and boats, this nifty amphibious gadget will conquer virtually any surface at an almighty 15km\h. Its dual propellers are positioned as far as possible from each other to give maximum directional control and the lift fan is controlled separately so it can be stopped in an instant. It looks and sounds impressive as it hurtles along the ground, and even more so as it skims and glides along the water’s surface. What’s more, this stealth hovercraft is the perfect way to cause havoc in the sea while you sit back in a deckchair and relax.
Walk on Water Ball
www.iwantoneofthose.com
Abra drivers watch out, there’s a new mode of water transport in town. This giant, six-foot wide inflatable ball is the most head turning of inventions to hit beaches since men’s Speedo trunks in 1956. The ball is made from a heavy duty plastic to reduce the risk of puncture and has inset domes on its outside so it grips the water. Once inside, you automatically propel it along the water’s surface, surprisingly fast. Buy two for bags of competitive fun. If nothing else you’ll be able to empathise with the pet hamster.