Ardent drysuited divers will probably all agree that there are many joys of diving in a wetsuit. A wetsuit is quick and easy to don and you are most likely to be diving in warm(er) waters. What a treat! Kit up goes really smoothly until you hit that horrible moment of 'bother, I miss my drysuit cargo pockets. Just where do I put all my stuff? Spare mask, wetnotes, reel, line markers or delayed surface marker buoy and cuddly toy'?

There are two solutions. Get cargo pockets added to your suit or go for the quicker, easier option - wear a pair of diving shorts. Currently there is a choice of diving shorts on the market. Most of them keep the shorts secure with a drawstring at the waist. This works, but it is not an optimal solution.

I was therefore curious to see at the 2014 Las Vegas DEMA Show that Apeks have looked at this product with fresh thinking and walked a different path. Their solution for securing these Tech shorts? An adjustable waistband augmented by an adjustable belt.

How does this work? Think nappies! Simply pull on the shorts and get them comfortable. Then grab the left hand back flap and wrap it around your left hand hip and over your left stomach area. Next you grab the front left hand flap and velcro it on top before repeating the same process over your right hand hip. Finally you clip the belt home and your shorts are nicely secure. The waist band is wide and there is velcro aplenty on the flaps so that you benefit from great adjustability and a snug fit.

The two large cargo pockets have been designed to reduce flap whilst providing flexibility of use to the diver. Each pocket has an 'expansion system' fitted to the outside of the pocket. Basically velco tabs that allow you to velcro down or release the pocket, so that you can use the pocket just for wetnotes, or truly stuff it to full capacity. Time to explore inside a pocket and you will be pleased to know that you can clip off and secure your pocket contents to the stainless steel integrated D-Rings. The pocket should be quick to drain courtesy of 4 large grommets and the pocket itself is secured and closed by a large velcro pocket flap that keeps everything in place.

In summary, Apeks have designed and manufactured quite a sophisticated pair of unisex diving shorts. With a choice of 5 sizes - small through to extra large - I can see they will quickly become the dive short of choice for many divers. And for drysuit divers who don't have cargo pockets, this might be an economical solution to your storage issues.