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Hello Everybody, With my wife and my 5 years old daughter, we went to Marsa Alam in May. It was very nice for a first snorkeling trip with my daughter. Nevertheless, we tried a day trip to see the dolphins but we very disappointed : far away (about 1,5 hours by car and then another 1,5 hour by boat and the same for the return), no dolphin on that day (that is nature...) and not very friendly staff... So, we still feel that we missed a very nice trip and the chance to see wild dolphins. And it seems that the diving center took us to Samadai and not sataya... So, we are planning to go back to Marsa alam region in late august and we would like to be more "prepared". For a 2 weeks trip, I think that 3 hotels could be good : 1 next to the airport when we arrive , a second as close as possible to Sataya and a last one near to the airport to finish with. My post is more about the second hotel : I think that it could be a good idea to stay a few days in a hotel as close as possible to Sataya reef in order to avoid the very long trip by car from Marsa Alam. Lahami bay beach resort seems to be the closest hotel to sataya and seems quite nice : do you have any feedback on this hotel? or would you recommend another hotel in this area? Nevertheless, the diving center inside Lahami bay resort is Barakuda diving and when I check on google, the feedbacks are quite bad Do you know this diving center? Would you recommend another diving center? Our main goal is to see wild dolphins in a convenient way (with a 5 year old kid). In addition, we are searching for a place with easy snorkeling , very comfortable hotel and a diving center (in order to be able to dive a couple of times without my wife and daughter). Thank you in advance for your help

Hey guys! My name is Tom Park and i'm a Dive Master and Pro Underwater Photographer from Australia. I get asked this all the time so I made a video with my top 5 tips and tricks to improve your UW photos. I hope you all enjoy and learn something from this Happy shooting! Tom

Similans National Marine Park is home to some of the most famous dive sites in Thailand. The park is open from October through to May each year, with the monsoon winds keeping it closed for diving the rest of the year. This short promotional video contains footage from 3 trips during the 2020/21 season onboard the MV Deep Andaman Queen, one of the premiere liveaboards in Thailand.

Free in February! The ebook Polynesia ~ An Ocean Realm by Pete Atkinson available for download from this Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g8jkf4yz82jyqep/Polynesia - An Ocean Realm EBOOK.pdf?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR0eu0D-3r7t7ZM9pNxVlN35WZWhE6n0VHo5EhJiOjhkctcltYzl5bpeJgY Inspired by the underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, Pete Atkinson bought an old yacht on the south coast of England in 1982 and sailed to the South Pacific. He had no experience, relevant qualifications, life-raft, radio, GPS (or insurance) but he says, "I had read a lot of books and I had a plastic sextant I had bought at a jumble sale..." He also had a degree in marine zoology. For 20 years he sailed 45000 miles all over the South Pacific having the life of which he had dreamed, diving with whales and sometimes too many sharks. He found adventure above and below the sea aboard a beautiful, but somewhat marginal, wooden yacht! Escaping the rat race is the dream of many, but few achieve it. This book shows that with passion and determination anything is possible, even on a limited budget. Pete made ends meet by shooting pictures underwater - using home-made acrylic camera housings - and writing articles for diving and sailing magazines. The twelve chapters cover French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga and Pete's favourite, remote Beveridge Reef, where there is no land at all. But it has what he loves most, exceptionally clear water and lots of sharks! Two appendices look at the Moody-built cutter Eila and underwater photography. This is a book not only for those interested in adventure in the ocean, Polynesian life, marine biology, sailing and diving but also those who aspire to escape a humdrum life and become a pirate! About Pete Atkinson. Award-winning Getty Images photographer Pete Atkinson studied marine zoology at Bangor University in North Wales where he learned to dive. His articles have appeared in Cruising World, Classic Boat, Tauchen, Diver, Sportdiver, Dive New Zealand etc and his photos have won many awards, including the Innovation Award at the the 2004 Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the award for "Best British Underwater Photographer" in 1999 and 2001. He now lives in Phuket, Thailand with his wife, photographer Darin Limsuansub.

Hi, I am about to use this light to produce a short caving film. The light will be used both topside and UW (on a 4k camera rig) in an underground lake. Not at any deep depth. The torch itself is supposed to be good to 100m (it's got a double O-ring seal, magnetic switch etc). Anyway I just wrote some blurb and did some quick initial tests for temperature (not as in K) for how hot it gets if used topside. The build quality looks good. But why I got it is because it has a UV function (un filtered 365nm) and I want to use this to highlight some basic fluorescence within this particular cave system. It's hot off the press from these guys at Xtar. Not sure what others think about their dive/video lights but this one appears initially quite good (ask me again after taking it underground for a while LOL!). For this project I needed to use a more powerful light than my old TUSA's and I had to have a magnetic switch The front optic/port is coated (can't be seen in this image) There is of course a sturdy 1/4 inch 20 tripod mount. I'd like to see a bigger charger for this type of 26650 battery but the supplied charge does work, one just has to make sure the battery doesn't "jump up" due to the springiness of the charger's contact at the -ve end. Anyway here is also a link to more details about this light. https://hardcorecampingtools.blogspot.com/2020/09/xtar-d30-1600-scuba-divers-video-light.html

Most of the best dives are in a location where you are likely to meet strong currents. Take as example our beautiful Mergui Archipelago: currents bring nutrients and therefore lots of underwater life. But, it can be tricky to navigate, especially if you can't drift with it because the underwater topography doesn't allow it. Below you will find a few tips to make your immersion more comfortable and safe! 1) CHECK THE CURRENT FROM THE SURFACE If there are any marker buoys at the surface, have a look at them. Usually if there is some current you will see it splitting at the marker level. It will give an indication of the direction and the speed. Check the tide timetable, it could give you indications of whether the tide is going down (you have more chance to have a North to South current), or up (South to North current). Currents are weakest when its at its highest or lowest point so depending on the dive site you want to explore, this can be a great time to dive. Ask the diving professionals or the captain of the boat. They might know how to read the water movement from the surface and can even give you tips to be able to understand it yourself. 2) USE AN APPROPRIATE ENTRY / DESCENT Depending where you want to dive, you will have to chose the best and safest entry. if you can find shelter at the surface: (a rock or island rising out of the water) If you are diving from a big boat, it might be easier for the dive group to jump into a dinghy. This can allow you to get as close as possible to the entry point where you can be protected from a strong surface current which could make you drift away from the dive site before descending. Thereby, especially for beginners, you can still go into the water positively buoyant and take your time to go descend slowly. If you dive a pinnacle (underwater mountain) : From a big boat or a dinghy, the best way to enter will be with a negative entry (with no air in your BCD). You will not be affected by the surface current and will be able to go straight down and meet the group at the bottom. 3) BE STREAMLINED If you have to swim against the current, you have to maintain a horizontal position in order to reduce water resistance. Proper weighting is the key of being streamlined! Moreover, make sure all your equipment is streamlined. Any alternate air source hose, torch or pointer dangling off your gear can get stuck in the reef or make your movements more difficult. If you are photographer, diving into current with very big cameras can be tricky. If you have the option to take a smaller device for strong current dives, don't hesitate! If you find yourself out of breath or too tired to kick against the current, stay close to the bottom and find a piece of rock or dead coral to rest. You can also pull yourself with one or two fingers to help you reach the point of interest. Obviously do this while staying respectful to the environment; Don't touch anything alive, and limit contact as much as possible. 4) WATCH THE FISH! Watching how this fish move can give you an idea of how to deal with the current. For example, if you see a fish close to a rock staying still, you would want to seek shelter in the same place if you want to rest. If you see a fish swimming in a vertical head up position along a wall or a slope, you understand that you will have to face a down current; don't panic and adjust your buoyancy. Schools of barracuda or trevally hunt swimming against the current so seeing this behaviour can give you an indication of current direction. You can also observe how strong they are swimming to have an idea of the strength of the current. 5) ALWAYS THINK ABOUT SAFETY FIRST - You will use more gas fighting the current, so check your air gauge more often. - You might have to stay in deep areas to find shelter or to observe the underwater life revolving around you. Be careful to watch your No Decompression Limit closely! - If you get caught in an uncontrollable current and have to end the dive, deploy your Surface Marker Buoy as soon as possible so the captain can follow you from the surface during your safety stop. It will avoid surfacing far away from the boat and long swims. - Dive with a professional or experienced diver who can give you advice on your technique and guide you around the dive site safely. - If you don't feel comfortable, end the dive! Your well-being is the most important thing to consider. SEE ALL OUR MOST POPULAR BLOGPOST

I had the chance to travel to French Polynesia and dive the tiputa pass with the bottlenose dolphins of Rangiroa. Some of the best scuba diving in the world, topdive ! Bottlenose Dolphins of Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Have you ever seen a Diver Narcose And Go Crazy? Narcose Diver Go Crazy!!!

Hi everyone, you want to discover new diving destinations? Enjoy some of the most beautiful marine life encounters? Take a seat and get prepared Bruno

At night, the creatures of the Deep behave differently. The black atmosphere is broken by the rays of lights which reveal the amazing colors of life. Night Dive, Similan Islands, Thaïland

I had the chance to travel to Thaïland in the Similan Islands and dive with the whale shark. Some of the best scuba diving in the world. Scuba diving whale shark

Here is my second project using FCPX: https://youtu.be/6u1IIMjMOWA I will greatly appreciate your constructive criticism and recommendations. In this video, I was trying to capture a beauty and abundance of marine life in Raja Ampat during our 9-day stay at Misool Eco Resort. My camera is Sony A7Rii with a 28mm and 28mm+fisheye lens. I used two Keldan Video 8X lights (11000 lm, 92 CRI), which are fantastic video lights. Thank you very much.

I get asked this question very often, so here goes, here is my Beginner and Intermediate gear advice. I've been shooting as a pro underwater photographer and videographer for a few years now so hope this helps! Happy shooting! 🤟

2019 PHILIPPINES SUPER TOUR - ONE SPACE LEFT Male co-share room WHALE SHARKS, THRESHER SHARKS, INCREDIBLE MACRO - This trip HAS IT ALL Join Tim & Simon for an amazing Journey through the BEST of the Central Philippines!! Sadly one of our guests has had to cancel due to health reasons. This opens up a spot for one male guest. Join Tim Rock, Lonely Planet author and photographer and publisher of The 50 Best Dives in the Philippines and Simon Pridmore, author of the Scuba Confidential book series, as your hosts for an amazing trip to some of the top sites the Philippines has to offer. Excellent for both macro and wide angle photography. CENTRAL PHILIPPINES SUPER TOUR JULY 1 THRU 13, 2019 Read all about it here. https://timrock.photoshelter.com/p/2019-philippines-tri We will board from the beautiful Atlantis Dumaguete Resort "AZORES" the Atlantis first class liveaboard. Diving that once took a month by land to see can now be experienced easily by liveaboard ship through our first class 12-day charter to several beautiful Philippine dive locations. WHALE SHARKS, Oslob, Sumilon Island, the huge Sardine School at Moalboal, Pescador Island & Malapascua’s Gato Island. Also Monad Shoal, known for frequent sightings of thresher sharks as well as manta rays.The dramatic walls of Balicasag, then Apo Island and the world-famous slopes of muck diving heaven at Dauin. This is an itinerary is hard to beat if you want a wide variety of locations as well as incredible diving.

Hey guys! My name is Tom Park and i'm a Dive Master and Pro Underwater Photographer from Australia. I'm starting a UW workshop on youtube with regular uploads and tips to improve your shots underwater. My first tutorial video is up with my top 5 tips and tricks to improve your UW photos. I hope you all enjoy and learn something from this I have plenty of other UW content you may also be interested in Anyways happy shooting! Tom

Hi Everyone, I wanted to share my latest short film. This is a followup to my award winning 'Stay With Us' film. The story will have a total of three parts. This is a film you will want to have the volume up, with some bass if possible, and watch in full HD. It was shot with the Canon 1dx with 100mm macro lens. Curious to know what feedback you all have. I hope you enjoy it. -Dustin

Have you ever dreamed about diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia? Don’t let this opportunity pass you by! We are giving you a 25% discount in diving and accommodation packages for the upcoming months of May and June! Offer details: 1) This offer is valid for bookings made this month March 2017. 2) Minimum stay: seven nights diving and accommodation packages, full board accommodation (x2 dives, x3 dives or x4 dives per day) Please check our website, we offer flexible packages, no fixed check-in/check-out and our very own personal service in an intimate resort. You can now (finally) dive in Raja Ampat with Biodiversity Eco Resort! Don’t let this opportunity go! You only need to go to our site and contact us saying you are a wetpixel user!! For more info, visit our website or contact us. www.rajaampatbiodiversity.com

Hi everyone, posting in from Monterey Bay, This video features the excitement of diving in a world class destination like Monterey and Carmel. Divers here go to great lengths to squeeze in that perfect dive, but it's all worth it to experience all the amazing things we see down there.

Hi, Some clips of diving around Tobago, visibility wasn't that great but still some nice dives including turtles, eagle rays, stingrays and a wreck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL1QlbH0DsA. Enjoy.

Hello everyone, I just finished up episode #10 of my 'Rolling in the Deep' series. This time we are seeing an overview of the diving around Bali Indonesia. Let me know what you think Enjoy! Dustin Or Youtube

IKELITE + CANON 700D + LENS + STROBES 3000 € UNDERWATER PHOTO SETUP Canon 700D + tokina 10-17 + canom 100mm + Ikelite case for Canon 700d + inon 45 viefinder + wide port +macro port + 2 strobes = 3.000 € Equipment is 100% correct... Canon 700d - 400 EUR Canon 100mm f2.8 macro - 400 EUR Tokina 10-17mm - 400 EUR 3 battery for Canon Charger Ikelite housing for Canon 700d - 1000 EUR Inon viefinder 45° - 550 EUR Ikelite super doom for tokina 10-17 - 250 EUR Ikelite mini doom for 17-50mm - 100 EUR Ikelite macro port for Canon 100mm - 150 EUR Ikelite 200 flash + 2 batery - 600 EUR Ikelite 125 flash + 2 battery - 400 EUR Wireless sensor for flash - 50 EUR Battery charger ikelite - 2 pics Cable for 2 flash - 130 EUR Sending to EU - 50 EUR to world - 80 EUR

I have been a photographer for quite a while and absolutely love the water. I want to get into diving. I would be starting from the bottom and would need to start working on my diving certifications. Where do I start? What do you recommend? I know I have a long way to go before I can actually start shooting underwater, but I would like to start heading in that direction and get comfortable in the water before making underwater equipment purchases.

As foretold, or perhaps threatened, I've found my hundred favourite images to reflect on the things that I've seen as a diver. My best shot?

Hi all, After 20 festivals around the Globe our award winning short movie is online now and ready to be watched! Share it as you like and happy new year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mkROP5wWjM Synopsis: A boat and its working crew in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. a father, a captain, never wanted his boy to work on the sea. The boy finds work in another boat a result of his affection of the sea. The boy learns diving from the cripple Omer, a famous diver working on that boat whom was healthy without a bend then. Time passes the cripple and the boy ends up working on the captain’s boat. There is sponge shortage, dives passes no sponge! Crew is upset and there is frustration among the crew. The tension between the trilogy (captain, the boy & the cripple), drives the viewer into a desolation in the middle of the sea and its bottom. Festivals: * 51th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival Official Selection 10-18 October 2014 Antalya, Turkey * 41th Addition Festival Mondial deI'Image Sous-Marine Official Selection - October 30-November 2, Marseille France * Viewers Choice Award 2nd International Bosphorus Short Film Festival,14-28 November 2014, Istanbul, Turkey * 2nd BEST FILM 2nd Seattle Turkish Film Festival 2nd Best Film 23 November 2014, Seattle, USA * BEST FILM 16th Belgrade Underwater Film Festival December 2014 * 2015 Selection Beneath the waves Film Festival (20 cities around the globe) * ANZAC 100 Years celebration film festival - Melbourne, Australia ACMI- April 2015 * Official Selection, Roma Turkish Film Festival September, 2015 * JIFFEST - Indonesian Film Festival November 2015 * Official Selection, International Ankara Film Festival 25 April - 3 May 2015 * Special Jury Award Dogaka Short Film Festival, 22 July 2015 Hatay-Turkiye * 11th Holy Shorts Film Festival, Special Selection, Los Angeles-USA * Official Selection Blue Ocean Film Festival-Monaco 6-9 November 2015 * selection izmir Short Film Festival 2015 Cheers, Mert Gokalp www.mertgokalp.com

I know I can't be the only one with the following challenge Been diving with a camera & housing (one form or another) for the last 15+ years, and outside of diving at places like Wakatobi, Lembeh, etc. (with a camera room close to dock) or on a live-aboard I'm still looking for the best way to carry a fully put together housing (currently for a D7100) & arms from hotel room to boat, many times with a significant walk/transit in between. Example: On the plane to the Big Island (HI) right now (WiFi at 30k feet & WetPixel to help pass the time) for a week of diving with the family. As we usually do, staying in a resort, diving 25+ min away down near Kona or up near Puako. I'll put together my camera gear the night before, and then end up carrying it from the room to the car, then from the car to the boat (along w/the rest of our dive gear). I've been on an unending search for a backpack wide & tall enough to comfortably carry the housing (preferably w/the arms collapsed (but attached). The best I ever found was actually a free backpack from the old Microsoft PDC developer conferences (got one at one at the conference, then started buying them on eBay as they wore out, which was fairly quickly given the environment). After I couldn't find any more of these, I switched to an Akona backpack that was slightly narrower (very tight fit, but was a little more ruggedized (material was resistant to salt water, heavy duty zipper, small waterproof compartment). On my 2nd one of these backpacks now, so thinking about what's next when this one wears out (it's a very tight squeeze [side to side] for the housing). This may only be an issue for those of us who still occasionally tolerate multi-dive day boats (most have limited capacity to carry on larger camera bags), but I've found myself even wanting this during longer excursions off of liveaboards (last year in Raja Ampat we did a 3 dive long range trip with 1 being a shore dive - wanted to carry some gear & my camera in a way that kept it out of the sand). Both hands end up being for dive gear, so really like the option of carrying the rig on my back (also have a wife and 13 year old daughter diving so I seem to be carrying more gear than before - even though they do claim they carry their own gear). So I'm looking for ideas, or better yet, a recommendation for some mythical backpack-like, rugged, salt-tolerating bag big enough to comfortably carry a full housing (and a few odds n ends). Does such a beast exist? - Matt