My Mares equipment – Introducing Noam Kortler

As a beginner diver who had just finished his Open Water course (back in 1995) my first set of equipment was Mares.

Over the years I fell in love with the underwater world and became an instructor and a well-known underwater photographer.

Now, 23 years later, I am still in the water almost every day and I am back to my source as a Mares ambassador. I feel like I am closing a circle.

At the moment I dive with my XR Red Devil Single Backmount Set. It is a masterpiece: lightweight, ideal for traveling, comfortable and very reliable. For me, as an underwater photographer, I need freedom of movement, and this is what I feel when I have my Red Devil on.

My breathing system is the Fusion 52X. When deep diving, or when current is present, or even during the excitement of facing big action in the blue, it is very important that my regulator provides me with enough air and ease of breathing. This great regulator is equipped with the VAD/VAD+ system and it never fails me.

My exposure suits: diving in different water temperatures all year long in different parts of the world I need the right suit for the job. If I'm in the cold waters of winter and on long dives I use my drysuit which keeps me dry throughout the dive with extreme comfort and freedom of movement. I also wear the warm Extreme Undergarment. As for wetsuits, for me the Flexa suits are the biggest winner of them all. They are so stretchy and easy to put on and off. Spending so many hours in the water it is very important to have a front zipper, so if I am in tropical water or in low temperatures I have the right Flexa to do the job.

Working with a model underwater is always a challenge, it was always difficult to find colorful suits or equipment to mach - NOW with Mares its super1 I LOVE the Photosuits in different colors. They bring life to the photos, and matching fins and masks just make everything so easy and fun again.

Tek Gloves, or as I would like to call them 'Photographers Gloves'. For years I was looking for gloves just like this with fingers free to operate the camera with ease...what a great idea!

Computers: For me it is very important to have a user-friendly interface and the Smart and Quad Air have just that. What I love the most is when I get to the safety stop and I have the 3-minute countdown in seconds - what a great idea.

As a conclusion, I have fallen in love again with Mares after using this equipment for about 4 months (almost every day). I love the fact that Mares covers so many fields in the diving categories (Recreational, Tec, Freediving...) so I can find everything I need under one umbrella!