The following is an abridged version of an extensive ten page feature interview in the Fall 2019 issue of DIVER magazine, written by Michael Menduno. Kirk Krack is one of the most prolific and innovative trailblazers in sport diving, yet ironically, most divers (DIVER readers excluded) have never heard of …

Tobias Friedrich explores a place where the laws of nature don’t apply, where mountains appear in monochrome and where continents move and lakes are alive… My journey begins in Reykjavík, the capital of the least populous country in Europe. It is cold, although the sun is shining. Even in …

Words and Photography by Jill Heinerth   Rebreathers offer an entirely new way to enjoy the underwater world. Whether it is the technology that attracts you or the potential to swim free without making bubbles, the decision to enter the domain of rebreather diving is a significant one. You …

Eric Vohr takes a private jet to explore Indonesia’s Eden – Wakatobi   Sometimes, you have to travel to the end of the world to find spectacular diving; Wakatobi Dive Resort is one of those places.  The name Wakatobi is a portmanteau of the four main Tukangbesi Islands in …

By Michael Menduno   RAID’s co-owner is on a mission to make diving sexy again. He’s passionate, experienced, and brings a fresh point of view. Don’t underestimate Paul Toomer… By creating a new market for diving, PADI co-founder & former CEO John Cronin—reportedly the first person to rack up …

Text by Russell Clark Panasonic and Aquatica bring professional underwater video tools to the masses with the GH5, GH5S and AGH5 housing. Get ready to be more creative!   Every few years a camera comes along that helps to evolve photography and video. The GoPro, the Sony RX100, the …

The Four Kings have produced a legacy of warm water, abundant sea life and pristine diving in the Indonesian paradise of Raja Ampat Text and Photography by Wayne Brown* (Printed in Volume 41 Issue 8, mistakenly under the name Wayne Hasson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jznaI2X1wHs Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is …

Text and Photography by Jill Heinerth Originally published in Volume 40, issue 7. Click here to subscribe. Pioneering Scuba diver Marjorie Bank never made it to my age. She died prematurely, the result of a massive heart attack. As a younger diver, I was inspired by her career and charisma. She …

The brand new Red Sea Aggressor cruises down the southern Egyptian coast to dive sites remote and iconic, and they do it in style Text by Michele Westmorland When I told friends and family here in the United States I was headed to Egypt to dive the Red Sea, …

New Zealand’s Mikhail Lermontov reveals a tragic tale of duels, death and poetic injustice, but it’s a helluva sunken ship to explore Text by Kevin Davidson and H.E. Sawyer Photography by Kevin Davidson This tale comes from Soviet Russia, so naturally it’s a tragedy. And a tragedy born out …

Text by Bret Gilliam Photography by Andrey Nekrasov Let’s clear the air – You can get bent while breath hold diving. Sam Espinosa parked his battered pickup truck full of yellowfin grouper, snapper and a smattering of big pelagic fish in front of my office and, with obvious difficulty, climbed the …

Underwater archaeological preserves reveal history of this sunny, seafaring state Text by Franklin H. Price For a landmass almost completely surrounded by the sea, it’s no big surprise that maritime history figures prominently in its story. It’s certainly true of Florida, southernmost of the continental United States and with …

Volunteer payoff as turtle hatchlings high tail it for the sea On a quiet Little Cayman beach this July 5th, a small group of excited – and lucky – turtle watch volunteers witnessed the hatching of the island’s first turtle nest of the season. It was a rare event …

By Jill Heinerth These days, it seems that most divers own a GoPro or similar small sport camera. These little devices are awesome for traveling light and capturing great underwater moments. Yet, sometimes unavoidable small and large disasters get in the way of bringing home the best possible footage. …

Read an EXCLUSIVE interview with TV show Descending’s Scott Wilson and Andre Dupuis, then enter to WIN a copy on blu-ray!   Your Contact Descending can be purchased online at: www.departuresstore.com    

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Recalls pioneering Conshelf experiments At press time the saturation diving component of Fabien Cousteau’s Mission 31 had just  completed. The son of DIVER columnist Jean-Michel Cousteau, and grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Fabien spearheaded the initiative, underscoring the human-ocean connection through the lens of exploration and discovery. Along with two …

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 …

Scientists have recently revealed the true champion of the deep Even the whale watchers among us are impressed by the scientific revelations released recently by cetacean researchers at the Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) in Olympia, Washington. They’ve been studying Cuvier’s beaked whales over the past few years and what …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Want to work on a science diving project? Good news. You don’t have to be a scientist. And for you non-divers out there, here’s another good reason to get certified and help Planet Ocean  Text by Evan Kovacs & Chad Smith  The family is out. You alone have dominion …

Announced a week ago at the TekDive USA show in Miami, the new Edge / Hog Gear sidemount system created a wee bit of interest to say the least. Little is officially known at this point, but that hasn’t stopped people getting excited at the prospect of a new, …

Documentary airing May 28th 9pm ET/PT on PBS Our new issue’s cover story on the mapping of D-Day wrecks along the Normandy shore is focus of a new PBS documentary airing May 28, with a DVD release set for June 10. D-Day’s Sunken Secrets recalls that historic WWII invasion, and reveals the unseen battlefield …

Most people have at least one phobia and some can can be dangerous for you and your buddy. Know what triggers your fearand how to stay in control in spite of it  Text by Madeline Ricchiuto When you first hit the water, either taking the Great Leap off the …

Tonnes of fuel oil were recovered from the aging wreck but the Coast Guard says it will monitor the remote site for leakage Text by Robert Osborne Grenville Channel is the very epitome of west coast beauty. Rugged, heavily forested mountain slopes plunge precipitously into the deep, dark water …

In dark depths rarely visited by scuba divers, subs explore hectares of sponge many storeys high that form British Columbia’s ancient Sea of Glass By Sabine Jessen and Alexandra Barron The Aquarius submersible plummets through the depths, the light fades and darkness surrounds the small white vessel. Through the …

Text by Lynnette Ang Photography by Aaron Wong  South Korea’s aging sea women still dive for the ocean’s bounty  On this chillymid-July morning we arrive in Udo, bristling with anticipation. The tiny speck is just two miles (3.5km) off the eastern side of Jeju Island, South Korea, due south of the …

By Jill Heinerth Maintenance mitigates daily wear and tear; insurance covers the unexpected   When you pursue the art of underwater image making you will eventually experience a loss from flooding. After crying over my first flooded camera, I bathed the afflicted gear in rubbing alcohol and sent it …

Text by Michael McAllister and Ian Kerr-Wilson Following publication of Civil Disobedience Wreck Diving in DIVER Volume 38 Number 7 the City of Hamilton expressed interest in outlining its initiatives and future plans for the Hamilton and Scourge historical site in its charge. This post is the FULL City …

An industry and training veteran says a poorly trained diver is a dropout statistic waiting to happen. Are you one of them? Do you agree? Text by Bret Gilliam   Diving is a sport that is complicated. Not adversely so… but just like snow skiing, hang gliding and spelunking, …