Mary Lynn Price, producer of DiveFilm, has posted a 5-minute video preview of her recent trip to Clipperton Island, which includes an interview in Spanish with Roberto Chavez Arce, one of the Mexican divers and explorers on the trip.  Arce talks about the need for protection of the island and surrounding reefs (no subtitles—I hope your Spanish is good).  There is plenty of underwater video footage that accompanies the interview, which shows the beauty of the reefs around Clipperton.

The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS) will be presenting a free showing of Sharks: Stewards of the Reef on Friday, May 11, 2007 in Millbrae, CA. The 30-minute documentary film, by David McGuire of Trillium Films, details the relationship between reef sharks and their environment, and the danger of forever losing both:

From over-fishing and the economics behind shark finning, to the escalating threats of habitat destruction, Sharks: Stewards of the Reef, examines the forces causing shark populations to plummet.  Humans are now the top predators of the oceans and we are removing a critical link in the oceanic ecosystem.

Continue reading for the press release from NCUPS…

The organizers of the DEEP Indonesia 2007 Exhibition have posted coverage of the event, and they include a look at the very spacious display area for the prints of the winning images from the Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide DEEP Indonesia Competition.

The photos received excellent exposure - nearly 7000 visitors attended over the show’s four-day run. Continue to view the images…

Wetpixel conservation moderator and videographer Shawn Heinrichs attended the recent National Association of Broadcasters show held in Las Vegas from April 16-19. He came back with thoroughly researched impressions of some of the items on display, including the Sony XDCAM EX, Apple’s Final Cut Pro 6, and Color.

”This is a big show with every serious company engaged in broadcast and post production in attendance.” Continue reading for information and photos of many new or updated products, and Shawn’s feedback from some of the developers…

The new owners of the M/V Solmar V (the boat Wetpixel is taking to the Socorro and Revillagigedos islands in February of 2008) have launched a new website, designed by Wetpixel member Bonnie Pelnar. 

As part of the celebration, they are offering several incentives to help everyone get as excited about the upcoming year as they are.  Solmar V is giving away four free trips (and more)!  Continue reading for the full release…

ADEX is this weekend and quite a few Wetpixel members are going to be attending, Barring any other event, Wetpixel will be hosting a meet-up at Admaker Bar, 51/51 Lang Suan Road. at 8.30pm on Saturday, April 28, 2007, for drinks. The first round will be on Wetpixel, and Drew Wong will be our man on the ground with the credit card.  Jason Heller will also be there, representing DivePhotoGuide, and will be sponsoring the second round of drinks.  Please see the discussion topic for final place and time.

Check out photos from ADEX 2006 and see a photo of Wetpixel member Peter Mooney falling out of a bar window onto the sidewalk (well, a re-enactment, anyway—I was laughing too hard to photograph the actual event).

Join Wetpixel and photographers Eric Cheng and Dr. Alexander Mustard on an expedition aboard the M/V Solmar V to the Revillagigedos Islands (also known as the Socorro Islands), 250 miles south of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, from February 2-10, 2008. 

On a single exploratory trip in December of 2006, we had hours in the water with multiple manta rays, who repeatedly approached within touching distance to play in our bubbles. The manta rays are there to be cleaned by clarion angelfish, and are what the islands are best known for.  We also had underwater encounters with schools of tuna and jacks, whale sharks, white-tip reef sharks, friendly groupers, and much more. The underwater topography of the Revillagigedos Islands is an incredible site to behold…

Fantasea Line, distributor of popular and affordable underwater photographic products, has announced the release of the FD-40X waterproof camera housing for the Nikon D-40/D-40X.

The Fantasea FD-40X is a compact, lightweight, injection molded polycarbonate housing with ergonomically designed handles, making it easy to hold and use, and the purchase of a Fantasea housing includes one year of pre-paid flood insurance built into the cost. Continue reading for additional details…

Jason Bradley wrote in last week to let us know that he has posted images from a recent trip to Playa Grande, Costa Rica, to document Leatherback turtle research. His images are being used in part for the Great Turtle Race, a unique conservation effort that tracks turtles as they leave their nesting areas and “race” toward feeding areas south of the Galapagos Islands.

The Great Turtle Race is currently on day 7, and is well worth checking out!

The 8th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition, scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, October 12 & 13, 2007 at the Qualcomm Hall in San Diego, has issued a call for entries. Each evening will feature a different program consisting of 14 to 16 short underwater films from locations all over the world.

”Here is your chance to see your work in a large-format, state-of-the art, digital theater, and to share your adventures with others.” Submission deadline is August 15, 2007. Continue reading for the full press release…