Articles
Ocean Views Photo Contest 2010
Nature’s Best Photography and Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) host the 3rd annual Ocean Views photography competition. As one of the largest and most prestigious underwater photography competitions, you won’t want to miss this one!
A selection of winning images will be published in Alert Diver and Nature’s Best Photography magazines as well as several online galleries. Prizes include $2,010 cash and a 9-night trip to Papua New Guinea with Peter Hughes Diving. Entries are accepted from now until March 1, 2010. Entry forms and more information are available at the Ocean Views Photo Contest website.
Dry dock fire destroys several Red Sea dive boats
Several Red Sea dive boats were damaged or destroyed while in a Suez dry dock over the weekend. The fire appears to have broken out in the dry dock on January 30th and was fueled by high winds in the area. According to a Wetpixel reader, the boats affected were the Aquators Hyatt, the Tornado Marine Fleet’s Typhoon, MY Sweet Dream and VIP-One.
In the meantime, dive operators are accommodating booked passengers onto alternative liveaboards in the meantime.
7th annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival
Take a dive into the seven seas – without getting wet – at the 7th annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, February 3-7 at Theatre 39 on PIER 39. With more than 50 films divided into 12 programs, including new surf and shark film programs, this year’s Festival is set to be the most action-drenched yet.
Local and international filmmakers will be on-hand to lead discussions during film screenings, and festival goers also have the opportunity to meet filmmakers – and the San Francisco Bay Sharks – at the Friday night reception located in the Aquarium of the Bay. Visit the SFOFF website for tickets and the full festival lineup.
Amphibico’s pre-production, 95-degree EVO port review
Wetpixel’s Paul Wags was sent a pre-production 95 degree port from Amphibico to try out. The port is designed to go on Amphibico EVO housing, or any others that have the same bayonet type connection.
Wags flew over to Tulamben in Bali, taking along an EVO Housing, Discovery G3 HID light and 16.9 HD external monitor to try them all out in the field together.
Head over to his review for a read along plus an underwater video of what he shot.
Underwater escape artist seeks photographer
Reminiscent of Harry Houdini, underwater escape artist Alexanderia the Great is looking for an underwater photographer to film her escape.
Alex has a performance coming up this next month at Northeastern University and is looking for someone to film her underwater. This would be a very thrilling (nail biting) opportunity for an underwater photographer in the Massachusetts or Rhode Island area looking to get his/her name on an event. Please contact Alex through her website to arrange!
Socorro Island, Mexico, closed to dive boats until mid March
According to a Wetpixel reader who just returned from a trip to the Revillagigedos Islands in Mexico, the Mexican military has temporarily closed Socorro Island to dive boats. The island will be closed for diving due to “naval exercises” until mid March. There was no advanced warning of the closure, which caught liveaboard dive vessels Nautilus Explorer and Solmar V off guard.
Note that San Benedicto and Roca Partida remain open, and are fantastic places to dive. Socorro Island is not generally considered to be the main attraction of the Revillagigedos Islands, and divers in our forum discussion do not seem to think that it is a big deal to skip out on it. If you are currently booked on a “Socorro” trip, we recommend that you go anyway—spending more time at sites like Roca Partida and the Boiler (at San Benedicto) probably makes for a better trip, anyway!
2nd issue of Underx magazine now online
The second issue of the free Brazilian underwater photography magazine, Underxmag, is now available for download in PDF format.
This issue highlights Raja Ampat, Brothers Islands in the Red Sea, Bonito, Brasil as well as the portfolio of our very own publisher and editor, Eric Cheng! Head over to the Underx magazine website to check it out.
Lembeh Strait diving entrance fee starts on January 15, 2010
Effective as of January 15, 2010, the Bitung government has instituted a new entrance fee of 50,000 Rupiah (approximately $5 US) for all divers entering Lembeh Strait. The fee is good for the duration of stay, and may be re-assessed if divers leave the area.
Have questions? Head over to the conversation started in the forums.