Be on the lookout for an announcement from the TSA this Friday, which may loosen the rules on objects allowed on airplanes in the States.  Underwater photography is both gear and travel-intensive, and allowing scissors and other small tools on board would definitely be a good thing (I’ve lost quite a few allen keys to the TSA...).

Due to last-minute cancellations, our good friends over at Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures are offering four, half-price spots for a Bahamas shark expedition this December 12-21, 2005.  I’ve been on three of these trips so far (2003, 2004, 2005), and they’re really fantastic.  A warning, though: you should be comfortable around sharks and expect rough conditions in winter Bahamian waters. Contact JASA and let them you know you’re a Wetpixel member, if you’re interested!

There have been some reports of a mysterious D2X syndrome whereby photos would inexplicably go missing.  Apparently it only happened underwater, and the situation was that an image would shoot, appear on the LCD, but never write to the CF card.  Wetpixel readers will have seen posts relating to the issue.

For Seacam users, there is an easy fix.  First, look at the hotshoe connector…

PADI, the world’s largest training organization for divers, is set to launch its new PADI digital underwater photographer specialty in January 2006. The course is structured in two parts, with the first part concentrating on encouraging photographers by helping them achieve successful results quickly, and the second teaching techniques in more detail. Interestingly, new techniques made possible with digital cameras, such as filter photography, are taught from the outset. Encouragingly, this new speciality has been designed from new, and is not just a standard underwater photography course with digital bolted on afterwards. 

Wetpixel Member Rand McMeins aka Randapex has taken first place in the Turks and Caicos Stamp Contest.  Rand’s photo and biography will be posted in the local Turks and Caicos newspaper and his photo of a rough-head blenny will appear on a T&C postage stamp.  Winning photos have not yet been posted on the contest website, but Rand has sent us a copy of the winning entry. 

The CNVFS (National Confederation of Underwater Photograph and Video) has just posted the winners of the Brazilian Underwater Photography Championship that took place from November, 11 through 14 in the city of Cabo Frio / Rio de Janeiro. 

Currently the Championship is the only opportunity for Brazilian photographers to join the Brazilian Team that represents the country in the CMAS World Championships (Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques). Three Wetpixel members were among the TOP 5…

Winners have been announced for the NCUPS Sea 2005 underwater photo contest.  As usual, Wetpixel was well-represented in the list of winners.  Congratulations, everyone!  There are some really beautiful shots in there.

Also, it’s apparent that in general, the quality of slide entries is starting to suffer as a result of the mass migration to digital.  The last time I judged the NCUPS Sea competition, the Best of Show for slides ended up being a digital image printed to slide.

*UPDATE* Continue reading for comments from the judges…

New York, NY – (November 9, 2005) – To help the victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) has announced the launch of www.DEMAauction.com.

This DEMA-sponsored website will enable members of the diving community to donate items to be auctioned to the general public, with 100% of the winning bid of each auction item sold through the site from November 14, 2005 to December 16, 2005, to be donated to the American Red Cross to support the organization’s Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Wilma relief efforts…

Wetpixel administrator James Wiseman has been elected Member of the Year by HUPS - the Houston Underwater Photographic Society.  HUPS is one of the largest and most active uw photo societies in the US, hosting a photo gallery and presentations at Seaspace, offering quarterly photo workshops, and a monthly digital and slide photography contest.  Congratulations, James!