June 2017

Miss Scuba Netherlands dives for a cause with Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire

Together with the Coral Restoration Adventure Dive Jessica was given the opportunity to see a diversity of dive spots on the island of Bonaire by using Buddy Dive Resort’s Diver Propulsion Vehicles. “Diving with the underwater scooter was astounding! This technology made me able to see most of CRF’s restoration sites just in one dive. And I felt safe all the time.” During the Coral Restoration Adventure Dive Jessica learned how to conduct a restoration site survey and participated in the site maintenance activities by removing algae, which can damage the corals and affect their growth.

2nd Annual Solomons Dive Fest Set for October 2-7, 2017

The Dive package in US dollars is priced from $1,355 per person:

http://www.solomonsdiving.com/solomons-dive-fest-2017/

This year will mark the 75th anniversary of the battle for Guadalcanal and the event will hold even greater significance for the people of the ‘Hapi Isles’ who take immense pride in the knowledge their home is the place where freedom for the Pacific was hard fought for and ultimately won.

Derek DeYoung Portfolio

4 Panel Parrotfish, oil on four canvases, 26x48in, by Derek DeYoung

American artist Derek DeYoung creates unique and spell-binding paintings of fresh and saltwater fish, which spur viewers to see and appreciate marine life in a different way. X-Ray Mag interviewed the artist to find out more about his work and his perspectives.

Emperor Divers Marsa Alam and El Gouna awarded TripAdvisor ‘Certificate of Excellence’

Emperor Divers El Gouna has won this for the second year running whilst Emperor Divers Marsa Alam has won the award for the fourth year in a row.

The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

Pushing the Altitude: The Quest to Document the SS Tahoe

Historical photo of SS Tahoe, courtesy of the US National Park Service. (Public domain)

June 2017 — Fifty-six-year-old explorer Martin McClellan is determined to revisit the SS Tahoe to conduct an extensive photogrammetric survey of the wreck. The 169ft (52m)-long 19th century steamship, which was scuttled in 1940, rests intact on a steep underwater slope at a maximum depth of 470ffw (144mfw) beneath Glenbrook Bay in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA.

Vivid-Pix reviews phones, cameras and underwater housings to help get great underwater and vacation photos

Alpharetta, GA (June 20, 2017) –   Vivid-Pix, a software company with a focus on photography, and  Sandy Sondrol, a professional photographer and instructor, took more than a dozen smartphones, cameras, and underwater housings to help consumers get better vacation photos.  

 Click here.

UPDATE: Shark Fin Sales Bill Gains Additional Sponsors Thanks to YOU!

Over 170 members of the dive industry have already joined DEMA's campaign and contacted their elected representatives in Congress. By sharing how this bill could protect the shark population as well as how YOUR business and the recreational diving industry are made stronger by divers' opportunity to see these creatures in the wild, you have made a difference!

Interview with Lilian Koh: Lens Beyond Ocean Portfolio Winner

Lens Beyond Ocean 2017 Portfolio category winner, Lillian Koh's image (1 of 4): Keyhole. Costasiella kuroshimae, affectionately known as the “Shaun the Sheep” nudibranch, at Malesti, Tulamben, Bali.

A close encounter with manta rays in 2000 inspired Lilian Koh of Singapore to take up scuba diving and underwater photography. Also drawn to tiny critters, her macro photography has won top awards.