The Next Scuba Dive revisits Durell Software’s 1983 ZX Spectrum game with a remake for the ZX Spectrum Next. Developer roman126 released the game on 8th October 2026, followed by updates adding presentation features and correcting enemy behaviour.
The latest download is version 1.3, dated 14th October. Its main change addresses sharks pursuing the diver through solid rock, continuing chases indefinitely and moving too quickly in later rounds.
A player’s report prompted the correction. The creator confirmed sharks previously reacted to the diver’s distance without checking whether rock blocked the route, leaving enemies waiting against cave walls rather than swimming away. The revised behaviour checks for a clear line through the water before a chase begins. Sharks also abandon a pursuit when rock blocks their path, with a delay before they seek the diver again.
Chases now have a maximum duration of roughly four seconds. The update also reduces pursuit speed, addressing the earlier situation where sharks matched the diver in the opening round and became faster than the player thereafter.
New scenery and sampled sound
The remake retains the original game’s pearl-collecting premise, with a dive boat above an underwater world populated by oysters, sharks, jellyfish and octopuses. Roman126 has expanded the presentation through full-screen 320×256 graphics, scrolling scenery and animated sea life.
Day and night versions give the stages different appearances. Moonlit dives include glowing reefs, stars and anglerfish, while the named locations range from coral and kelp environments to volcanic vents, submerged ruins and an abyss.
The game also includes the Sunken Galleon and Pearl Clam Rush bonus rounds. Treasure objects extend beyond pearls, with crowns, rubies, gold rings, amphorae and messages in bottles among the items described on the release page.
Version 1.2, dated 10th October, introduced individual full-screen stage backdrops. Coral gardens, kelp silhouettes, smoking volcanic chimneys and wreck-filled seabeds give the different locations their own scenery and palettes, with the night variants retained.
The same update also added sampled sound through the Next’s digital-to-analogue converter. Its effects include splashes, clam snaps, sonar echoes and a shark warning, supplementing the existing sound-chip audio.
A sampled announcer accompanies stage openings and events including low air, bonus rounds and game over. Sampled kick, snare and hi-hat sounds also appear where the music calls for drums; the creator says the night tunes remain drum-free.
The release page credits an original TurboSound soundtrack, with separate roles for music, echo and effects across the Next’s three sound chips. An animated title screen adds swimming creatures, kelp and a day-to-night change.
The Next Scuba Dive is available as a downloadable NEX file from roman126’s itch.io page.
