I can almost touch the SeaLife DC500..

But not for another 4 days :(
SeaLife have been dragging it out for sometime now but it's finally arrived in the UK. The DC500 and related kits will be available from the last week in August, after the UK bank holiday.
Unfortunately the DC500 Elite kit is delayed until October while they make a 'special bag' for it. It would need to be special with an extra two months to wait on top of the already one month late arrival of the camera!

Staying on the 'delayed by the manufacturer' front, Fuji are yet to even announce a release date on their strobe despite a launch date of July/August. At the moment it's looking more and more like late September but the demand is high so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

On happier notes, Fantasea are shipping their new Coolpix 8800 and 7900 housings plus the FD70 has had a slighty upgrade with an improved hot shoe interface.
Previously teamed up with Epoque, Fantasea are switching to SunPak flashes, currently under going tests in the Red Sea. The results will be reviewed next week with production beginning immediately afterwards. Hopefully these will be ready by Christmas creating a stunning new FD70 packge or add-on option to give users iTTL.

Epoque are not replying to e-mails regarding UK distribution and are not supplying strobes of any kind at the moment. In light of this we are bringing in additional Sea & Sea strobes to ensure demand is matched with an appropriate range of alternative options.

Dive Ireland 2006 is looking particularly good (not just because we have a stand there) but because a full range of speakers are now confirmed including diving and watersports photographers, technical divers and underwater explorers!
Full details are on the Dive Ireland website: www.diveirelandshow.com

Finally for Big Blue Squid, I've got new Sony housings. The latest cameras and housings are now available plus our new Sony page layout makes it easier than ever to see and choose the camera you're looking for.