Simon Rogerson

Thank you for the comments guys. All very helpful and much appreciated.

I have an opportunity to buy a Zen DP100 minidome to fit my Aquatica housing. It's a great port in terms of its optics, and the price is very competitive, but I have one concern. The port is a snug fit, but the bayonet will not lock, as it was designed prior to the introduction of Aquatica's port locking mechanism. The manufacturer has sent a message via the vendor that the port should not work itself free... their exact words: "Since there is no leverage on this port the likelihood of of a problem is basically non-existant." So what should I make of this? To an extent I think Zen has a fair point. It's a very snug fit and it doesn't move around easily. But I'd be interested to hear from any other Aquatica owners who have tried this port. Cheers, Simon Rogerson

For Sale: Nikon D200 and Aquatica A200 housing Housing was kept as a back-up so seldom used and is in good condition. This Canadian rig is bomb-proof and has never flooded, or for that matter let in so much as a drop of water. Camera is in near-mint condition and comes with charger, two batteries and a 4mb memory card. Will sell the pair for £1,000 ono, plus P&P. Enquiries/offers to simon@scubamagazine.co.uk The sell: This is a wonderful opportunity to start off a quality dSLR underwater system for less than a third of the original price. You'll need to invest in additional ports and strobes, but there's a good second hand market in Aquatica accessories if you don't want to buy new stuff. This camera was used to take images used in upper end magazines and newspapers, including double page spreads in the Sunday Times magazine and BBC Wildlife.

What a lovely film. Lovely editing and humour..

As always, some great photos from everyone. It was a quiet year for me, my diving schedules being messed about by a few contretemps in the world of diving magazines. Even so, I managed to squeeze in a trip to Cocos back in March Although I got some decent hammerhead shots, this trio of whitetips surrounded by tiny cardinalfish was my favourite.

So why did you go back to the D200 John? I think they are more than adequate for most tropical underwater photography, so I've been keeping one of mine as a backup. Would it be a mistake to sell, do you think?

For sale: Nikon D200 camera body and Aquatica Housing with handles (no ports). Great condition, never flooded. I took hundreds of published photos with this indestructable system, including double page spreads in Sunday Times Travel magazine. Offer includes zoom gear for Tokina 10-17mm lens, 8 gig memory card, camera strap charger and two batteries. Cost: £1,200 ono, plus p&p. UK sales only. Contact: simon@scubamagazine.co.uk

My current favourites, in no particular order... Alex Mustard... a wonderful all-rounder, as we all know. Charles Hood... a natural problem solver with an eye for the original. At his best on wrecks or with basking sharks Nigel Motyer... an Irish photographer who brings incredible vitality to every project he embarks on. Great with temperate reefs and big animals Douglas Seifert... a natural history purist, the best shark photographer ever Jordi Chias... a Spanish photojournalist with a wonderful eye for colour and form Steve Jones... another great UK photographer who can turn his hand to anything Doug Perrine... the ultimate obsessive with big animals. His sardine run set was the best portfolio I have ever seen Yeah... seven. Sorry. I have omitted some obvious 'grandees' on purpose. I decided to pick people based on the last five years of work. It's just my opinion. It might change tomorrow! Simon

I've always been fond of eagle rays - fascinating faces, if you can swim fast enough to get in front of them.

Dean, you might want to chuck a 'not' into that post mate.

Some lovely work there. The Galapagos is my joint favourite dive destination, but it isn't easy for photographers. You don't get those subjects on a plate; more often you have to work for them, battling currents, thermoclines and other varying conditions. you certainly seem to have put the effort in, and reaped the rewards. These pictures convey your obvious liking for the challenges presented by these enchanted isles.

Bit of a sparse year for me, but this great barracuda provided a lot of excitement when it chased away a silvertip shark and briefly struck a triumphant pose in front of my camera. This was taken with a Tokina 10-17mm lens at its widest. Not technically that good, but you've gotta love the 'cudas in PNG.

A haunted house?

Hmmm. Perhaps Wetpixel attracts a broad church of stills photographers, whereas most of the videographers here tend to the more advanced, and so give the impression of cleverness/wisdom in their posts. That said, does an inclination to bang on about technology necessarily betoken intelligence as such?

I'm always a bit wary of amateur local advice on malaria, especially when it is prefixed by "... anyway, malaria's not that bad really...". I consulted my GP, who looked up the current NHS advice (that's National Health Service. We're essentially socialists in the UK, don't forget) and gave me a choice of three drugs. One would make me super-susceptible to sunburn, one would likely awaken deep-seated psychosis, and the other... was expensive. I took Malarone, went diving, took photos, didn't get malaria. A triumph for medical science. And socialism.