Running Clean
Remember the old days, when we blissfully enjoyed our sport not realizing that our activities were damaging the quality of the water. This year, the world's top marine manufacturers have introduced products that will go a long way to making diving a non-polluting pastime.

While the actual act of using scuba is environmentally benign, what has caused serious harm to our water bodies are the very vehicles that we use to get to the dive site. The majority of outboard boat motors made in the 60s, 70s and early 80s are not particularly friendly towards the aqueous environment in which they operate. Using a simple two-stroke technology that requires mixing oil and gas, the outboard engines of yesteryear work well, are relatively inexpensive and are easy to repair­p;they also have a nasty habit of leaving a film of spent fuel and unburned oil in the water.

Ever come out of the water near the stern of a boat and found yourself surrounded by a rainbow? That rainbow is pollution that has come from the motor. Since there are four million Ontarians taking boat rides every year in the province, those rainbows have started to take their toll­p;spawning beds have been damaged, water fowl have died and in one wacky instance a city river has actually caught fire (Well, it was Cleveland and there was an awful lot of industrial waste in the water system).

World governments, most notably the US Federal Government, have started to legislate clean water acts. Motor manufacturers are being told that they have to build products that burn clean. Those rules are now coming into effect and a motor boat owner now has the option of buying environmentally friendly motors. In years to come, that choice will become mandatory as emission standards continue to be tightened.

This column is not meant to be an obituary for two-stroke technology. Millions of outboards have been made in the last half century, a whole industry has grown up to sell and service the "two banger". Mercury Marine (Mercury, Force and Mariner) the world's biggest producer of outboard engines isn't quite ready to close the door on an old friend. For the past two years Mercury has had its own family of four-strokes available; however, they are also spending significant R&D money to make the two-stroke a non-polluter. The fruit of their labour is there for the picking, this spring Mercury Canada began shipping its new high performance, non-polluting 200HP direct Fuel injection outboard. The 200 DFI is based on a modified two-stroke technology. Open up the cowling and you will see the same driveshaft, housing and gearcase that is in the old standard outboard. However, this is an engine that not only reduces emissions into the water but also is designed to keep the air clean. There is a reduction in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions in the 200 DFI that exceeds the US government's proposals for the year 2006. (In late 1994 the United States government released a set of proposals controlling emissions from all marine engines. There is industry agreement for a reduction in hydrocarbon emissions from outboards of 75% by the year 2006. The change is proposed to take effect beginning with the 1998 model year and manufacturers are expected to start reducing the amount of emissions by just over 8% per year.)

Put simply, the new 200DFI is an outboard that has been designed to be eco-friendly. By utilizing a new computer controlled fuel injection system run in tandem with a newly designed piston, the engine will perform without spewing smoke into the air or spitting oil into the water. By eliminating misfires, smoke at idle and by creating an engine that is both power and fuel efficient, Mercury Canada has a product that divers will want. It is easy on the environment, runs well and costs substantially less than an old style two-stroke to operate.

"The crazy thing is that we are finding that not only is the DFI very fuel efficient, it is also showing an increase in power. The engine's orbital system (direct fuel injection technology) is incredibly efficient, " explained Bob Paterson, head of Mercury Canada's marketing team. "With this engine we have, in '96 met the standards (US emission laws) required for 2006."

The 200 DFI is based on a modified Mercury Marine 3.0 litre, V-6 block. The power plant has been outfitted with the electronic fuel injection system. Using a mini-computer built into the motor's electronic control unit, it is able to ensure that there is a precise measure of fuel and air delivered in the correct configuration, at the right time, to the proper place in the cylinder.

"We have already shipped 500 units of the 1997 DFIs. These units have already been sold. As consumers begin to buy the engine the cost of the DFI technology will dramatically decrease and we will be able to modify our smaller engines (using DFI)" continued Paterson. "Tomorrow's engines will all be fuel efficient, powerful and clean."

Available from both Mariner and Mercury, the 200 DFI was selected for production because of its versatility in application, This is product ideally suited for dive boats, ski boats and offshore craft.

What does this all mean to the diver? Well lots really. Dirty waters means dirty diving. To keep our lakes, rivers and oceans clean, we as divers must make sure that our boats and motors are running clean. When it comes time to buy a new motor, divers should seriously consider what sort of engine they want to use: one that kills the water or one that befriends it. We all now have the opportunity to make a diving day out on the lake a time where we take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but wake (oh yeah, and bubbles too!).

Dive Shorts
A missed flight kept the DIVER Magazine reporter away, however, the Scarborough Dive Club went in the water anyway! Early in May the Toronto area club entered the near freezing waters of Lake Ontario to conduct an underwater clean-up. The hardy club members were working in the shadows of the Scarborough Bluffs, a stretch of coastline east of the city of Toronto.
· Meanwhile, in Chatham, Ontario, one of the province's most active clubs was celebrating a milestone. The Kent Divers gathered at a local high school to watch a slide show, listen to speakers (including Brian Meisner, the executive director of the Ontario Underwater Council) and talk about old times. The Kent Divers have reason to be nostalgic­p;they were marking their 20th anniversary. The club was formed in 1976 and there are still a few of the original members active in the group today!
· Two well known Ontario underwater photographers and frequent DIVER Magazine contributors, Jim Kozmik and Paul Janosi will be telling all in Cuba this summer. Janosi will be conducting an underwater photography course July 27 to August 3rd and Kozmik will be in the water teaching underwater videography skills August 3rd to 10th. The low-cost courses are being run by Dive Adventures in Mara del Portillo along Cuba's southeastern coast.
· Headquartered in Canada you say? That's right, a California surfing guru, who was the driving force behind the Body Glove is now the chief designer for Mica Sportswear, a Bracebridge, Ontario firm. Mica is best known for turning out wet suits for wakeboarders, surfers and personal watercraft users. In 1996 the company began turning its marketing eye downward. Mica now sells a step through dive suit.