It is with great regret that I have to inform the Wetpixel community that another of the great image making pioneers has drifted off into the great blue. Chuck Nicklin died peacefully in his sleep earlier today. Chuck was a pioneer diver, photographer, and cinematographer. He will be sorely missed by the image making community and our love goes out to his family and many friends.
It is with great regret that I have to inform the Wetpixel community that David Salvatori died in a diving accident off Sicily last weekend. David was a talented underwater photographer, universally liked, admired, and respected, who freely and generously shared his knowledge and experience within the Wetpixel community over many years. Our thoughts go out to his wife, Maria Cristina di Palma and to his family and many friends. The world is a darker place today, and our hearts are heavy. God speed and rest in peace David.
It is very sad to report that David Cheung, doyen of the underwater imaging scene in Singapore, has died after an illness. David, with his shop Scubacam, was a fixture for both residents and those passing through the country and was well known as an inventor, innovator, and inveterate tinkerer with underwater camera gear and systems. Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends around the globe. Please feel free to add your thoughts and memories of David to this thread. Rest in peace David, we miss you.
On the morning of Wednesday, 15 July 2020, Max Benjamin, the founder and owner of Walindi Plantation Resort passed away in Cairns after a battle with cancer. Jayne Jenkins and Don Silcock, both of whom knew Max well, kindly share their memories and experiences with one of the pioneers of diving in Papua New Guinea. The Wetpixel community’s thoughts are with his family and many friends around the globe.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Samuel “Doc” Gruber, founder of the Bimini Biological Field Station on Thursday 18 April. Doc was a shark biologist and founder of the American Elasmobranch Society. He was a Professor at the University of Miami and a recognized authority on shark science, having completed 49 Atlantic research cruises and over 170 scientific publications. The Wetpixel community sends our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends
It is with tremendous sadness that I share the news that Wetpixel member and contributor Dean Burman (DeanB) suddenly passed away over the New Year’s holiday. Dean was a filmmaker, with numerous film credits including a film featuring some amazing behavior footage of pike in an award-winning short film called “Lair of the Water Wolf.” He is survived by his daughter and parents, and our hearts go out to them along with his many other friends at what must be a devastating time
Douglas Seifert has kindly shared a moving tribute to author, musician, photographer, scuba pioneer and explorer Bob Halstead who has died after an illness. Bob qualified to dive in 1968 in the Bahamas and moved to Papua New Guinea in the late 1970s, becoming the first person to promote dive tourism in PNG. Widely credited as having invented the genre (and coined the term) of “muck diving,” Bob was well known for exploring areas that other divers had not visited, in a quest for new species and unique environments.
Professional and underwater photographer Dan Auber died at his Oceanside home last Thursday. Well known among the Californian underwater photography scene, Dan had a photographic career spanning over 40 years. The Wetpixel community send its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
It is with great sadness that we announce that underwater photographer, marine biologist, swimmer, fine art photographer and champion of the marine world, Art Haseltine, has died unexpectedly after contracting pneumonia. Our thoughts go out to Art’s family and friends.
After an intensive search, Rob Stewart’s body was found by an ROV close to the wreck that he and his team was diving on late on Friday afternoon. The Wetpixel communities hearts are heavy today and our thoughts and prayers go out to his many friends and family.