We test more diving equipment and collect more data than anyone else in the industry. The annual best scuba regulator test is our team’s favorite test of the year.

Sure, there might be other dive gear deemed more important to basic survival (a reg) or your general well-being (a dive computer) than a BC. But when it comes to being able to comfortably acclimate to being underwater — to the point where you feel like a resident rather than a clumsy topside tourist — the BC is the most important component of your kit.

This year’s undisputed favorite among test divers, the Aquaride Elite is well built with virtually no inherent buoyancy.

What's new in the world of dive gear for June 2012? Let's get that First Look.

Here’s something you don’t usually see on a snorkel: ball-joint connections. On IST Sports’ 3-D Flex Dry Snorkel you have two of them: one at the base of the mouthpiece, and one where the purge body connects to the breathing tube.

15 kickers vie for the top spot in this year's ScubaLab fin tests. ScubaLab’s test team headed to Alexander Springs, Florida, a freshwater site that offers an easy entry, enough space and depth to do some serious kicking, and rock structures and crevices for performing tight turning maneuvers.

This kicker turned in some of the best overall in-water performance scores, earning the highest scores for acceleration. Test divers liked the fin’s exceptional maneuverability, and noted its ability to negotiate turns with minimal foot action.

In water, the fin delivered solid kicking performance. It did take a couple of strong kicks to get it going from a dead stop, but when test divers "turned it on," the fin generated some pretty good power.

The only split fin in this year's open-heel group, the Z3 is easily recognizable by its radical 27-degree blade angle. In the water, the fin racked up some of the best scores of this group in acceleration, stability and efficiency.