SeaLife is introducing a new compact and lightweight underwater housing for Apple’s iPhone.  The new SeaLife SportDiver housing will allow divers to take photos and video with their iPhone down to 130 feet (40 meters).  The SportDiver can encase iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, Xr, Xs, …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary Underwater photography is made up of many ingredients. Besides technical and behaviour knowledge, dive site information and patience make the perfect shot. Last year, we had the privilege to dive one of the most pristine areas in the world, the Tubbataha Atolls in …

By Jill Heinerth Sadly, the global community lost a stalwart pillar of strength when the B-15 iceberg, known to scientists as “Godzilla” passed away from natural causes. After 18 years adrift in the southern extremes of Antarctica, the final shards were reported as “no longer large enough to be …

Text and Photo by Tobias Friedrich Sometimes you just get lucky. We were diving on the Red Sea wreck, Chrisoula, when good fortune came my way in flash. I was waiting for a fellow photographer inside the wreck, filling up most of a small hatchway when this moray eel …

By Jill Heinerth Gliding along with the precise synchronicity of a flight demonstration team, scuba divers piloting radical-looking scooters maneuver into the frame. As viewers we are transformed, drawn into the dimly lit cave of indescribable beauty. If the Director of Photography has done his job, we are engrossed …

A chance meeting on a Florida beach became a lifetime friendship between contributor Ellsworth Boyd and 1950s pinup favourite Bettie Page Text and Photography by Ellsworth Boyd The year was 1957. I was lifeguarding in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, one of a dozen Ocean City, Maryland, beach patrol nomads who …

By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary We use a Swiss Army knife on ALL assignments. First, the plastic toothpick of this old companion is the best O-ring removal tool ever made. Second, other components such as the screwdrivers, scissors or tweezers always come in handy. As Michel was unscrewing …

Text and Photography by Andy Murch Just after midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef near Port Fidalgo, spilling more than 260,000 barrels of Alaskan crude oil into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. Oil bled from the ruptured hull for three days until emergency …

Bluewater Photo’s 5th Annual SoCal Shootout September 18-20th, 2015 • Over $20,000 worth of prizes Bluewater Photo is excited to announce the 5th annual SoCal Shootout, happening September 18-20th, 2015. This weekend long competition brings together underwater photographers of all levels throughout Southern California. Starting Friday morning and spanning through Sunday …

At 30, Becky Kagan Schott’s already an Emmy winner but the over achieving cinematographer believes the best is yet to come Interview By Michael Menduno – First published Volume 38 Issue 2   Talent plus personality. That’s how clients and colleagues explain 30-year old Becky Kagan Schott’s rapid ascent in the …

Text and Photography by Andy Murch You would think that a large, globally occurring species like the great hammerhead would be a relatively easy shark to encounter but until a couple of years ago that simply wasn’t the case. Shark diving operators in the Bahamas and elsewhere raved about …

Text and Photograph by Eiko Jones Every fall Coho are among four species of salmon returning to spawn in Vancouver Island’s Campbell River. The next spring Coho ‘fry’ emerge from the gravel spawning bed upstream to spend a year or so along the banks and side channels of the …

Covered the world of diving for decades Text by Phil Nuytten Holy Cow! These old Skin Diver Mag covers bring back a lot of memories. Hard to believe that the person who shot so many of these is still a freelance professional underwater photographer and diving journalist today! Based in …

Hitchin’ a ride on the Red-eye Medusa By Jett and Kathryn Britnell Named for the telltale ‘red eyespots’ ringing the base of its tentacles, the Red-eye medusa (Polyorchis pencillatus) is one of the prettiest jellyfish in British Columbia’s Emerald Sea. These ocelli are actually tiny light-sensitive receptors that help …

Text and Photograph by Andy Murch While hunting for skates on a featureless sea floor around Madrona Point on southern Vancouver Island, B.C., I came across this sunken tree trunk with its cover of  gigantic orange plumose anemones. These anemones are usually white, but under certain environmental conditions (like …

Lowepro DryZone 200 US$283.86 ‘A drysuit for your gear’ claims the world’s first waterproof soft-sided camera backpack. TIZIP zipper system, rubber covered sealed seams, adjustable dividers, mesh pockets and a lifetime warranty. www.lowepro.com Ikelite RX100 III housing $550 Sony’s RX100 III is a first rate compact camera that produces …

Canadian manufacturer Aquatica has taken the plunge (no pun intended) into the MFT market and introduced the AE-M1, an enclosure tailored for the Olympus OM-D E-M1 (the more potent version of the legendary M5). This is a big step considering the resources needed to develop an entirely new housing …

Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses promise a bright future By Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary With modern featherweight carry-on allowances and large, tendinitis-inducing camera housings, many people opt not to shoot large DSLRs. If you don’t care about the status symbol associated with the bigger/heavier ‘pro’-look cameras, there are …

Behind the Scenes we talk to the diving duo behind TV’s Descending TO WIN A DVD OR BLU-RAY DESCENDING BOX SET – CLICK HERE!!! DIVER: For those unfamiliar with Descending, tell us a little about the show. DESCENDING: At its simplest, Descending is an underwater travel documentary. The destinations and specific locations …

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 …

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 …

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 …

September 12th ‐ 14th, 2014 Over $14,000 worth of prizes Bluewater Photo is excited to announce the 4th annual SoCal Shootout, happening September  12th‐14th, 2014. This weekend long competition brings together underwater photographers of all levels throughout Southern California. Starting Friday morning and spanning through Sunday night, photographers have the opportunity to shoot photos in the Pacific …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …

The Nauticam Super Macro Converter (SMC) is the first underwater macro conversion lens that is fully optimized for in water use.  This unique and innovative lens claims to change the way that underwater macro photography is done. There are three key advantages to this internationally patent pending new optical design: …

The University of British Columbia’s Project Seahorse just announced a rare documented sighting of a seahorse in Canadian waters. The sighting comes to light as a result of iSeahorse.org, the new citizen science initiative created by Project Seahorse. Two divers recently uploaded a photograph of the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) that …