Wetpixel offers an editorial about the fire and subsequent sinking of the dive boat Conception on 03 September, which resulted in a terrible loss of life. Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy. The primary goal is to update the Wetpixel community to the process of the ongoing investigation and to show solidarity with the Californian dive community in their time of grief. A secondary goal is to try and dispell many of the incorrect rumors about the cause of the tragedy and to prevent any knee jerk reactions.

Continue Reading

The results of the 2018 DEEP Indonesia imaging contest, co-hosted by Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide have attracted significant numbers of comments. As a result, an exhaustive investigation was launched, soliciting the knowledge and opinions of leading scientists, active underwater photographers and local experts. This editorial presents a synopsis of the results of this investigation.

Continue Reading

In the second part of our editorial series “The Ethics of Octopus Imagery,” Lauren Siba, the dive center manager at Critters@Lembeh Resort, relates her frustration with the methods used by National Geographic in obtaining a series of images for an article about octopus, and the magazine’s subsequent refusal to enter into a debate about this. During the shoot, wild octopus were removed from their habitat and photographed in tanks on land in order to obtain a white background.

Continue Reading

I’m being asked about the kid who rode a whale shark recently, and I have mixed feelings about it. I am, however, sad that there is a witch hunt by so-called conservationists and animal lovers whenever something like this happens.

Continue Reading