Pterodactyl Winner!

Hello again...Gary A. Cresswell here. The Beneath The Sea dive show at The Meadowlands Exposition Center, Seacaucus, New Jersey went incredibly well. Critical Aspect Inc. was in a stronger position this time than when last at this show (2003)...it's products are now patented and also endorsed by John Chatterton (which were not the case then) plus I have a year of advertising in Wreck Diver Magazine behind me. I made quite a few good business contacts...owners of dive shops in the New York/New Jersey area that are interested in putting the Pterodactyl Backplate/Harness System in their shop. I got to meet countless interested divers who stopped-by my booth (#329) to see the products. In fact, my booth was rarely without visitors throughout the weekend and, at times, was quite busy. I sold several Pterodactyls and STAs (single tank adapters) at the show. Several more went "out the door" during the week following the show from divers who visited my booth. It was really enjoyable hearing all the very positive comments about my products from these many visitors. One diver contacted me at home after the show and expressed his aggravation in having somehow missed my booth during the show...only to hear all about it from his companion as they drove home! During the show I conducted a raffle to win a Pterodactyl. I sold tons of tickets and did not require the winner to be present during the drawing in order to win. This aspect of the raffle certainly encouraged many more to buy tickets who, otherwise, would not have bothered because they knew they weren't going to be there then. Obviously, to pull this off, I had to write-down names, e-mail addresses, etc. Well, the winning ticket was #19...John Pourciau from Manchester, CT. John is pictured above holding the Pterodactyl that I shipped to him the next week. John plans on diving with the Pterodactyl soon and will forward his comments to me which I will share with you here. Well, that's all for now. I had a great time at the show talking with all of you and I certainly plan on returning next year!

Infinately-Adjustable Harness

The problem with all the "conventional" backplates out there when it comes to making adjustments to your harness when changing to an exposure suit of different thickness is...they just don't adjust! Certainly, not without a great deal of hassle. This is because of the lack of movement between the "waist belt" part of the harness and the "shoulder strap" part of the harness. Obviously, the problem stems from the narrow slots in the lower corners of the "conventional" backplates that just do not allow for any free movement between these two parts of the harness. Well, the Pterodactyl's harness rollers are all about free movement! Changes in one's exposure suit are easily accommodated simply by tightening or loosening the belt buckle...that's all it takes! END THE TERENNY! A Pterodactyl customer, Greg Voyles of Texas, writes that recently he went diving with a friend (away from his gear) and used his friend's DSS backplate and harness. It took Greg some time fussing with the harness to get it to fit him, only to have it loosen-up when compression-at-depth caused his wet suit to shrink. Greg writes, "I'm so used to the Pterodactyl and being able to just cinch the belt up a little more and tighten-up my whole kit. Not so with the DSS. Tightening the belt does just that...tightens the waist belt. It does nothing for the shoulder straps. Don't get me wrong, DSS makes some good stuff but their backplates can't beat the Pterodactyl for functionality. In fact, I haven't seen one out there yet that could." So there you have it! Straight from the mouth of an experienced diver who dives with a Pterodactyl and knows what he's talking about. Of course, I don't mean to single-out DSS...their backplates are no different, or better, than all the other "conventional" plates. If you want a backplate and harness that really perform for you...you want Pterodactyl. Otherwise, if just anything will do...you have a lot of "conventional" stuff to choose from! Take care for now...Gary A. Cresswell.