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A city of grand scale attractions, Dubai is now planning an Atlantis-like sunken city theme park for SCUBA divers and snorkelers in the shallows off its World Islands development. Los Angeles-based Reef Worlds is behind the design for two sites now on the drawing board under the working title …

Ocean inhabitants traveling Australia’s marine superhighway have made this rest stop a dive site that doesn’t disappoint at any time of the year Text by Lilla Clare Just 1.73 miles (2.8km) off the eastern-most point of the Australian continent, there’s an unassuming little outcrop called Julian Rocks.  By chance …

Text and Photograph by Brandon Cole It sounds like a marine Frankenstein project: Graft coral onto a rebar skeleton, shock it and, “It’s alive!” With reefs besieged on all fronts, the Global Coral Reef Alliance is taking charge. Literally. Their Biorock™ ‘reefs’ – metal constructs of various shapes, even …

Originally Published for DIVER April 1995 By Phil Nuytten So there I was, right at the edge, one foot actually in the water.  I kneeled down to pull on my fin and lost my balance.  Just a little.  My knee moved forward and down, perhaps six inches, no more.  In …

First Published in DIVER Volume 38 Issue 5 By Phil Nuytten The problem: A swillion, or so, years ago, we humans were designed (or evolved, or left here by aliens – please substitute your desired flavour) to function best under a fairly rigid set of specifications. These specs include …

Former Egyptian special forces soldier, Ahmed Gabr has just completed the world’s deepest scuba dive to a whopping 332.35 meters that’s 1090.3 feet! Verified by the Guinness Book of Records, the dive trumps the former official record of 318.25 meters by Nuno Gomes, or the unofficial record by Pascal Bernabé to …

Since we wrote our Netflix for Divers feature, a new, feature length documentary from the Oscar winning producer of The Cove has been released. Mission Blue focusses on famed oceanographer and eco-activist Sylvia Earle, and her mission to educate the world about our oceans and their importance to all life on …

Advances in gear design & technology over 60 years may not make diving more fun, but it is much easier. And, a picture’s worth a lot of words, we think! Text by Phil Nuytten  Bouyancy Compensators Bouée Fenzy / Aqua Lung Axiom i3 The French Navy’s Bouée Fenzy, left, was …

In Orda of priority it’s No.1 Text by Bogdana Vashchenko / Photography by Victor Lyagushkin  – The Orda cave revolutionized cave diving in Russia. In every respect it’s a ‘dream’ compared to other sumps in the Russian Federation, and it also claims some bragging rights on the world stage. Extending more …

Dive Rite O2ptima Rebreather $8,500 This fully closed circuit, constant P02, electronically-driven rebreather features built-in decompression ability. Dive Rite’s O2ptima is great for overhead environments where immediate surfacing is not always possible, and it will appeal to open water and wreck divers too.  Features include 5-litre total loop volume counter …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary Tired of making all those adjustments to restore underwater photo contrasts and colours? If so, you’ll be interested in some new software that we tested recently. No one needs to spend more time in front of a computer screen these days and for …

Pelican iM2050GP1 Pelican Storm Case $TBC Tough as a house, watertight, and guaranteed for life. Keep your GoPro and a range of accessories safe and dry with this padded, lightweight hardcase. Optional shoulder strap. www.pelican.com Nauticam Super Macro Converter 1 $480 The first underwater macro conversion lens that is …

By Jill Heinerth We’ve all seen them: over-under split images that show a dive boat on the surface and a happy diver or colourful marine creature below the surface. These all-in-one images often grace the front covers of dive magazines and featured resort ads. They are compelling shots that …

By Dr. David Sawatzky Cave diving is a very unforgiving activity.  You have to keep track of a large number of variables, concurrently.  If you make a mistake or lose track of one of these variables, you will very likely die.  There is very little margin for error. In …

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has just begun his seven day, sub aquatic  adventure at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The 38 year old from London, Ontario will be leading a crew to explore the ocean floor as part of a simulation to help prepare for future space missions. NEEMO (NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations) …

A new study suggests fish are behaviourally complex and possess a mental capacity that can match or exceed other vertebrates A paper just published in the scientific journal Animal Cognition states that “fish perception and cognitive abilities often match or exceed other vertebrates.” Dr. Culum Brown, a professor in the …

Gorgonian corals become rockfish communities Photograph by Lou Lehmann – Text by Neil McDaniel Gorgonian corals are common in the cold waters off Canada’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but they usually dwell in deep, dark water well beyond SCUBA depths. But on the Pacific coast, a few species are …

In a mission through time Nuytco’s robotic Exosuit is set to dive on an ancient shipwreck in the Greek isles for an uncommon artifact called the ‘Antikythera mechanism’. Used for predicting astronomical events, the advanced mechanical calculator was developed in antiquity and is often characterized as the world’s oldest …

A third generation of diving’s famous family follows in the footsteps of pioneering grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau  ByJean-Michel Cousteau As a proud father, I always look forward to watching the accomplishments of my children and these past two months of May and June proved to be an amazing milestone for …

Streaming video provider Netflix has millions of North American viewers, so we’ve ‘logged the dives’ to bring you the best, and sometimes the worst, of its undersea offerings Titanic – Movie 1997’s blockbuster is well worth revisiting. The opening scenes featuring real dives on the Titanic wreck are superb and …

Wedding magic in the Florida Keys Text and Photography by Adam Opris I grew up in the ocean and to this day there is always sand in my car, an agreeable reality of life in coastal Florida. I became a professional photographer specializing in weddings and family portraits and love …

Clearance divers of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), with a little help from their nimble little ROVs, revisit the remains of HMS Breadalbane during the military’s annual arctic readiness exercise – Operation Nunalivut 2014 A dive into the past serves the future. That’s how clearance divers from …

Text and Photograph by David Fleetham As a rule, waves can be tricky to shoot underwater. In the shallow surf zone it’s not unusual that you’ll take a bit of a beating in the quest for a worthy wave shot, but this image at the Molokini Marine Preserve near …

Site of the country’s largest marine park, Cenderawasih Bay boasts endemic species and biodiversity that make it unique in the world ocean and worthy of your dive site bucket list Text and Photography by Michael AW Rising above an indigo sea, the fog-shrouded Arfak Mountains evoke the image of …

Atomic Aquatics BladeFins $179 Feel the need for speed? Then these new fins designed specifically for a flutter kick will give you a powerful swimming style that will allow you to move through the water fast, even in strong currents. Designed with sweeping curves and a unique two frame structure …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary New photographers often struggle with some concepts, and depth of field is one of them. Learn how to use it creatively. We may be taking digital images today but the laws of physics and optics still apply. One of them relates to depth …

Nauticam FIX Neo Prices vary A new line of lights that have an LCD display, removable battery, 100 degree beam angle, interchangeable heads, remote control and sealed recharging. Wowsers. What more could you want? www.fixneo.com Backscatter Macromate Mini $88.95 This well-priced, flip on and off, lens for your GoPro 3 …

By Dr. David Sawatzky Diving is an activity with some degree of real risk.  You can get hurt while diving and you can die.  You should have some degree of anxiety and apprehension when you are diving.  This ‘appropriate’ level of arousal is reasonable, normal, healthy and actually reduces …

By Jill Heinerth In my last column I provided tips to assist in comparing the quality and brightness of underwater video lights. Most underwater videographers buy a couple of lights and mount them to their camera on arms, illuminating the environment, or a dive buddy at close range. Camera-mounted …

Text and Photograph by Joseph C. Dovala Today the SS Saganaga rests peacefully on the bottom of Conception Bay, Newfoundland, in the cool, clear North Atlantic. The World War II story of how she came to be such a great wreck, and dive, is anything but peaceful, however, and unravels the …

We sincerely hope you don’t, but our intrepid contributor, Stephen Weir, has taken steps just in case, and he’s not alone Text by Stephen Weir If at some point in the future someone who is not my dentist gets up close and personal with me and they see my …

It’s been said that if you want to know why dolphins are always smiling you should join them. Welcome to the world of breath-hold diving! Text by Richard Fleury  One of the world’s top wrecks, the SS Thistlegorm attracts exotic marine life. And today a creature seldom seen on …

Text by Sierra Cardenas History was made in July of 1964, when four U.S. Navy divers successfully lived and worked for 11 days in an underwater habitat called SeaLab I that was submerged in 192 feet (58.5m) of seawater off Bermuda. This man-in-the-sea experiment helped prove the viability of …

You should stay fit to dive, not dive to stay fit. It’s sound advice. Here are some resources to help you make the summer scuba season effortlessly fun! Kettlebells for a Fit Diver Fitness Programme by Coach Izzy An complete fitness programme designed specifically for scuba divers, by scuba divers. The plan comprises a book, online videos …

ByJean-Michel Cousteau and Jaclyn Mandoske Gaze across the glistening sea and watch as the sun’s rays glimmer and bounce off the ocean waves. Water covers more than two-thirds of our planet, and yet the world below the surface of the world’s oceans is still mysterious to us – from …