Celebrating 60 Years of Dive-Gear Innovation

SCUBAPRO is the world's most iconic brand of dive equipment, built by and for those whose passion is found below the water's surface. Founded in 1963 by Gustav Dalla Valle and Dick Bonin, SCUBAPRO remains the industry's gold standard for innovation, performance, reliability and durability. The company's products blend advanced technologies with intuitive, sophisticated designs, allowing divers to focus on their dive experience, not their gear. For the hobbyist to the professional, SCUBAPRO's portfolio features industry-leading regulators, dive computers, BCDs and thermal protection, along with a full line of scuba masks, fins, snorkels, gear bags, scuba accessories and divewear. A Johnson Outdoors, Inc. company, SCUBAPRO employs more than 400 diving enthusiasts spread across 10 countries on four continents. Learn more by browsing our website or join the global SCUBAPRO community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Famously created “for divers, by divers,” the SCUBAPRO name has become synonymous with quality and innovation for 60 years and counting. Since the brand’s debut, SCUBAPRO has garnered a well-earned reputation for cutting-edge engineering, research, and product development that has — on occasion — revolutionized the way we dive.

To celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are looking back on the iconic innovations that helped divers enjoy a better diving experience and looking forward to what’s in store for the future.

THE REGULATOR THAT STARTED IT ALL

In 1963, SCUBAPRO released one of the most successful and reliable piston 1st stage scuba diving regulators in history: The MK2. The new design featured a single low-pressure port and one high-pressure port, and the only moving part of the first stage was its piston. The innovative-yet-simple design provided higher airflow and reliable breathing, setting a performance standard unseen in the industry thus far. Fast-forward 60 years and the MK2 EVO 1st stage regulator is still in production today with minor modifications.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROPULSION

Two years later, SCUBAPRO revolutionized the way divers swim with the Jet Fin. Until 1965, the accepted fin design actually opposed propulsion instead of enhancing it, leaving divers quickly fatigued after descending below the surface. The team at SCUBAPRO introduced a solution to the problem with the innovative Jet Fin: ventilation. A wide, overlapping blade design created vents in the Jet Fin, resulting in reduced drag, increased thrust, and improved efficiency overall. This flagship product is still in production today and is a favorite among military and technical divers.

STABILIZATION, SIMPLIFIED.

In 1978, SCUBAPRO set a new standard for BCD design with its Stabilizing (AKA “Stab”) Jacket. This revolutionary wrap-around BCD combined the heads-up flotation of a jacket-style BCD with the diving ease of a back-flotation backpack, providing unequaled stability regardless of the diver’s position. It also featured three strategically placed dump valves, which allowed divers to dump air in any position.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

The 80s marked the next iconic moment in SCUBAPRO innovation with the introduction of the Sea Wing Fin. With a shape inspired by airplane wings, the hydrodynamic Sea Wing was the first fin designed to utilize lift force instead of displacement to propel divers through the water, minimizing turbulence and maximizing lift. The result? Powerful-yet-effortless propulsion in every kick. As technology advanced through the decades, so did the Sea Wing. The evolution to Seawing Nova and ultimately Seawing Supernova set new standards for high-performance fins while maintaining maximum comfort and minimal kicking effort.

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

Just before the turn of the century, SCUBAPRO released the Aladin Air X dive computer. Improving upon the design of the Aladin and the Aladin Pro, the Air X was the first dive computer to calculate bottom time while measuring tank pressure with a radio transmitter instead of a hose.

CUSTOM COMFORT

Fast-forward to 2017, when SCUBAPRO researchers combined style and technology to create the HYDROS PRO, the most comfortable and customizable BCD on the market. Using innovative Molded Monprene® that conforms to your body for superior comfort, the BCD creates a perfect fit for divers of all shapes and sizes. Add to that the option to change the color, fit, accessories, and even the weight system, and the HYDROS PRO far surpassed industry standards for back-inflated BCDs.

SEEING THE FUTURE

One of the first of its kind, the revolutionary mask-mounted, hands-free Galileo HUD dive computer places all of the necessary dive data at eye level. Released in 2019, this innovative take on traditional dive computers provides divers with a floating, full-color display of all their data, providing unmatched freedom during bottom time for recreational and technical divers alike.

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

Innovation in dive gear means nothing if it harms the ocean that we love to explore, and we are committed to developing environmentally conscious solutions whenever possible: from the products we develop, the packaging in which they’re delivered, and the organizations we support. In 2022, SCUBAPRO released the next-generation of Everflex wetsuits to embody our ocean ethos with the all-new Everflex YULEX® line of divewear. Everflex YULEX® offers the award-winning comfort, features, and thermal protection that made Everflex our best-selling wetsuit, now made better for the environment. The next generation of Everflex is the first full-line of exposure protection made with YULEX® dive – a revolutionary plant based foam specifically designed to withstand compression at depth. Lined with polyester made from recycled bottles and assembled with solvent-free glue, Everflex YULEX® delivers incredible performance you can feel good about.

THE EVOLUTION OF SCUBAPRO INNOVATIONS:

1963 – MK2 is introduced and is considered one of the most reliable 1st stages in Diving
1965 – The Jet Fin is introduced, bringing a new approach to efficient underwater propulsion
1971 – SCUBAPRO releases the dive industry’s first Stabilizing Jacket, known as the “Stab” Jacket, which combines front- and back inflation for superior comfort
1972 – The Quick Disconnect Inflator enables divers to use the air from their tanks to fill their BCDs
1974 – Buoyancy Control Pack combines the buoyancy compensator, automatic inflator, tank, backpack, and regulator into one functional, easy-to-handle system
1979 – AIR2, the first alternate inflator regulator, integrates the BCD inflator with the octopus regulator
1981 – Super Cinch Tank Band cam action buckle system redefines tank security
1986 – The aviation-inspired Sea Wing Fin is the first of its kind to utilize lift force vs. drag and displacement for propulsion
1986 – G250 enters the diving scene, and quickly becomes one of the most imitated 2nd stages in diving
1987 – SCUBAPRO/Uwatec’s first dive computer, Aladin Pro, becomes a favorite with convenient wrist-mount design & easy-to-read screen
1990 – Diving’s first Frameless Mask becomes a favorite with professionals the world over
1996 – Seahawk becomes SCUBAPRO’s first weight-integrated BCD
1998 – SCUBAPRO introduces the Venus, its first back-inflation BCD designed specifically for women
2007 – Galileo line of technologically advanced wrist-mount dive computers is introduced
2009 – A700 2nd stage is introduced, offering effortless inhalation & easy exhalation in a precision-crafted full-metal package
2010 – Award-winning Seawing Nova fin quickly becomes the industry standard for fin performance
2015 – Patented Extended Thermal Insulating System (XTIS) along with other freeze inhibiting internal components & coating transform the MK25 EVO into diving’s premier high-performance cold-water regulator
2017 – HYDROS PRO, diving’s most modern, innovative BCD, is introduced. Full-color G2 wrist-mount computer marks the birth of a new generation of advanced dive computer technology
2018 – G2 Console offers advanced G2 technology in a streamlined console design. SCUBAPRO launches its first wetsuit made with Naturalprene, a neoprene blend that comes primarily from renewable rubber trees
2019 – Galileo HUD, our most innovative mask-mounted, heads-up display dive computer radically transforms the way the world goes diving
2020 – The HYDROS X is our first front-adjustable BCD to offer a fully injected Molded Monprene® thermoplastic back pad and shoulders that conform to the body like a tailored fit
2022 – Seawing Supernova is introduced as an innovative step up from the popular Seawing Nova in design, performance, fit, and versatility. Everflex YULEX® line of divewear is an environmentally friendly upgrade to the best-selling Everflex wetsuit, offering award-winning thermal protection that’s 100% neoprene-free

THE FUTURE OF SCUBAPRO INNOVATION
As we look back at our 60-year history and look toward the future of SCUBAPRO, one thing remains unchanged: Our divers are our inspiration. Every product. Every enhancement. Every decision. Everything we do is designed to make your dive experience the best it can be. Because without this blue planet of divers eager to explore, our innovations mean nothing.

Thank you for being part of our journey, and for being our inspiration for the future. We are so excited to share our latest innovations with you – the best is yet to come.

SCUBAPRO Americas
1166 Fesler Street
El Cajon, CA 92020

SCUBAPRO Asia-Pacific & Japan
608 Block B, MP Industrial Center
18 Ka Yip St.
Chai Wan, Hong Kong

SCUBAPRO Australia
Unit 21 380 Eastern Valley Way
Chatswood NSW 2067

SCUBAPRO France
France - BENELUX - Spain - Export
Nova Antipolis, Les Terriers Nord
175 Allée Bellevue
06600 Antibes

SCUBAPRO Germany
Germany - Austria - Eastern Europe - UK - Scandinavia
Johnson Outdoors
Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH
Bremer Str. 4
D-90451 Nürnberg Germany

SCUBAPRO Italy
Via Tangoni, 16
16030 Casarza Ligure (GE)

SCUBAPRO Switzerland
Bodenäckerstrasse 3
8957 Spreitenbach