When I stopped by the Bonica Precision booth, Kenneth Ho showed off the Snapper-XP and Snapper DV.

The Snapper-XP system includes the Snapper 5.0 5MP digital camera and is easily paired with the Neon-XP underwater strobe. The Snapper-XP features the Bonica “double-protection system,” designed to reduce shock and increase water resistance of the camera in the housing, and is rated to 55m…

DiveTech is a Grand Cayman-based dive operator that works with Cobalt Coast Dive Resort to offer daily boat and shore diving.

DiveTech is hosting the upcoming Digital Jam 2008 Photo and Video Contest, a shootout contest which has previously been presented by Wetpixel’s own Alex Mustard. The event runs from January 12-19, 2008, and the winners will receive dive travel prizes as well as photo and dive gear.

Princeton Tec is known for its line of inexpensive but rugged dive and focusing lights. On display was the Torrent LED, a single 3W LED dive light featuring a locking on/off switch and four o-ring seal.

The Torrent LED runs on 8AA for 30 hours with 47 lumen output and is rated to 100m/330ft depth.

NiteRider (Dive Lights International) had on display their lineup of full facemask and helmet-mounted HID headlamps and a new LED-based video light. Using (3) 3W high-intensity LEDs, NiteRider CEO Thomas Carroll specified light output nearly 20% brighter than a 10W HID lamp.

The LED light will be available with 90° diffuser for video applications or 10° spot reflector for general diving purposes, and will burn for approximately 5 hours with the included NiMH battery pack.

Gates Housings displayed their popular line of fully-mechanical video housings. They recently started shipping a housing for the Canon XH-A1 (which fits the XH-G1 as well), which can be fitted with their superwide lens. A RED camera housing (announced last month) is still under development, but it will likely be the end of next year before it is shipping.

Gates also had on display their new vacuum seal check system (called Seal Check), a packaged version similar to the one that Howard Hall, Bob Cranston, and Norbert Wu have been using for years. 

Hello, DEMA attendees!  The Wetpixel Happy Hour event is still on for Friday night at the Rosen Center Hotel.  We won’t actually be in the lobby lounge bar.  Rather, we will be 50-100 feet down the lobby in a private nook.  Walk to the bar, turn left, walk 50-100 feet, and look to the right.

[UPDATE] See photos from the happy hour.

People pictures from roaming around the DEMA floor on November 1, 2007, including shots of the DiveNewsWire staff, Norbert Wu at our booth, Aqua Trek Beqa, Ocean Geographic, Antonio Moreano, and others!

Sea & Sea’s large booth was merged with TUSA, their parent USA distributor. They had quite a few new products on display.

Kevin McDonald showed me their new housings, which included housings for the Canon 1D Mk III, 40D, and Digital Rebel XTi, and for the Nikon D300. Sea & Sea has so far been the only booth with a D300 housing prototype on display…

Ikelite had a few new products on display in addition to their popular line of SubStrobes. Jean Brigham took me on a tour of their new dive lights, housings, ports, and more.

Ikelite’s PCm LED is a compact little dive light that now uses a single super-bright LED. It uses 4 AA batteries, which will power the light for 3 hours…

Jeffrey Gallant was showing the 2008 edition of the Diving Almanac & Yearbook, which markets itself as the only almanac, yearbook, book of records, and who’s who of the international diving community. The first edition was launched last year at DEMA.