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St. Eustatius: Diving the Caribbean’s Historic Gem

St. Eustatius, locally known as Statia, is located in the northeastern Caribbean at a stone’s throw from St. Maarten. While its neighboring island Saba is a well-known diving destination, Statia is often overlooked.
 
I have lived on Statia on and off for the past 14 years and have spent a good 6 years of my life on the island. I’ve worked at the local dive center and have organized numerous underwater archaeological projects and exploration dives all around the island. As a result, I know Statia’s marine environment very well. I have also dived on nearly every island between Anguilla and Grenada, so I have plenty of comparative insights.
 
Statia is one of those islands where time has largely stood still. It is not a resort destination. There are no casino’s, clubs, or shopping malls on the island. It’s a very laidback place, 8 square miles in size with a population of about 3,500 people. Everyone waves at each other on the street, people leave their homes unlocked when they leave, and cows, goats, and donkeys roam the streets freely. It’s quirky and not for everyone. If you’re after white sandy beaches and vibrant nightlife, don’t go to Statia. If you’re a nature lover and want to experience diverse diving, beautiful hiking on the dormant Quill volcano, and soak up some fascinating Caribbean history, this is the destination for you.
 
Getting to Statia is fairly straightforward. You have to fly into St. Maarten first, and from there you either take a ferry or an 18-minute flight with Winair on one of their Twin Otters. There are several accommodation options on the island. If you want to be close to the water and right next to the dive center, I recommend the Old Gin House Hotel. If you don’t mind being further away from the water (a 10-minute drive), I recommend Quill Gardens, a Bed & Breakfast with a beautiful view that’s managed by a lovely Dutch couple who make some of the best food on the island. There are two dive centers on the island. The one I can recommend is Scubaqua (www.scubaqua.com). It is managed by a Dutch couple, Mike and Marieke, who have been on the island for 15 years. They are very passionate about the island and just really nice people. They train their staff very well and it’s a very good and safe operation. Check out their website and TripAdvisor reviews.
 
As for the diving, it is very diverse, accessible, and uncrowded. All dive sites can be reached within 15 minutes from the dock. Most dive sites have moorings, but some are drift dives. The island’s main reefs are coral-encrusted lava flows situated on a flat sandy bottom, typically between 50 and 60 feet deep. There’s lots of life on these, typical Caribbean reef life with the odd reef shark and eagle ray passing by. These are very good beginner sites, but also great for photographers. My favorite site is one that I discovered several years ago with a ranger from the local marine park. It’s an elongated lava flow named Lost Anchors, after the five historic anchors that were lost on this reef in the colonial period. They are beautifully overgrown and add some history to the dive. Reef sharks are a regular appearance on the site, and you’re usually surrounded by several dozen big barracudas. It’s a more advanced site as it’s a free descent down to 80 feet and located quite far offshore where it can be choppy.
 
Along the southern part of the island, bordering the dormant volcano, topography gets more dramatic. Here you’ll find steep drop-offs without a bottom, where it’s possible for anything to swim by. This is the most dramatic diving on the island, but not for beginners. Sites like Grand Canyon and Drop-off are not to be missed. If conditions are calm, the northern tip of the island offers some fun dives as well. Here you dive along boulder slides that end in a sandy bottom. Lots of life hides between the boulders, and around the rock called Gibraltar you have a very good place to see sharks as well. This is where great hammerheads sometimes make an appearance (far from guaranteed of course).
 
There are several wrecks around the island as well. Two modern ones you shouldn’t miss: a 330 ft / 100-meter-long cable layer called the Charles Brown and the Chien Tong, a Taiwanese fishing vessel. Both were purposely sunk. The Charles Brown is home to a large school of horse-eyed jacks and provides lots of good photographic opportunities. Some parts are covered in lots of black coral. The Chien Tong is a fun dive during the day, but I recommend diving it at night, when it becomes a turtle hotel. Turtles from the surrounding area use the wreck as a place to sleep, and it is not uncommon to see 10 or more turtles on a dive. In addition to the turtles, there are lots of other critters that make an appearance. I’ve seen sharks, eagle rays, mating turtles, big stingrays, and every crustacean you can imagine on that wreck at night.
 
You can even dive historical wreck sites on Statia. At sites such as Double Wreck and Triple Wreck, you can dive among historical artifacts from the colonial period. The wooden ships these artifacts were once part of have disintegrated due to teredo worms, but all the non-organic parts of the vessels are still there. I have conducted many years of archaeological research on these sites, and have learned a lot about them over the years. At these sites, you always see lots of southern stingrays in the sand, and there’s a good chance for turtles as well. These sites are also great for smaller critters such as sea horses and frogfish.
 
Statia is great for non-divers as well. As I mentioned above, there is great hiking and many historical sites on the island. The black sand beaches are small but uncrowded. Snorkeling is fun, but a bit limited. Very special is to snorkel among the submerged ruins of the 18th-century port district. Throughout the day, there’s lots of life here, and at dusk, you can spot lemon sharks in this area.
 
Statia is a very diverse diving destination. While the island (and the Eastern Caribbean in general) doesn’t have the vibrant reefs of the Coral Triangle, the big animals of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, or the fascinating shipwrecks of Truk or the Solomon Islands, it is one of the most varied diving destinations in the Eastern Caribbean. As a photographer or videographer, you have plenty of great opportunities to get interesting shots in a location that is not overcrowded like some sites on Cozumel or Bonaire.
 
Having said all of that, we also have to be realistic and look at the not so bright side. The island is changing rapidly. There is now a big development on the eastern side of the island, where a large resort has recently opened. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is wreaking havoc throughout the Caribbean, and Statia’s reefs are not immune to it. Moreover, the island experiences the effects of hurricanes, which can cause difficulties getting to the island and can change the marine environment dramatically. Eastern Caribbean reefs are not pristine environments anymore, far from it. There’s a general lack of top predators on the reefs, acropora corals have been decimated, and many species are heavily overfished. But within this context, there is still fun diving on Statia. Here you can get away from the crowds and experience the Caribbean like it was on other islands 50 years ago. Therefore I recommend it for anyone wanting to take a trip to the Eastern Caribbean and go off the beaten path.
 

Bring a fisheye lens to capture expansive reef scenes
 

A frogfish at Double Wreck
 

An 18th-century anchor at the Lost Anchors site
 

Snorkeling among the submerged 18th-century warehouse ruins just offshore
 

The island has a lot to offer topside as well, such as hiking the 2,000-foot-high Quill volcano. You can even hike down into the crater.
RuudStelten

3-D Printed DIY Fiber Optic Connectors

As a DIY Fiber Cable article was just posted, this seems like a good time to share this article on 3-D printing connectors for your DIY cables. The Connectors are really the heart of the cable, as the fiber is simply a manufactured item bought from a supplier. 
 
One of weak points of most of these DIY's is getting the right connectors. The solutions range from buying connectors (at about $10 a pop or $20 per cable), re-using connectors from old cables (which may require drilling them out and gluing fiber) to using random bits of off the shelf hardware which may have poor fit and finish. I've tried all of these solutions.
Early in 2023, I bought my first 3D Printer and have been making a bunch of Scuba/Camera related parts. One of my early projects was a set of custom designed connectors for Optical fiber strobe cables. I think these are at least as good as the OEM cables I've seen from Nauticam, Inon, etc. And it had the added benefit of being really fun to design, print, test, and refine. I've been actively diving these connectors all year as have friends I gave cables to. Collectively we have done a couple of hundred dives with good results.
If you have a 3D printer with some TPU and PETG or PLA material, you can print these out at a very low unit cost. You will need some M3x6mm nuts and bolts and 2mm thick fiber optic to complete. I suggest either 1-meter or 1.5-meter cables depending on your strobe arm configuration. 
I've just uploaded the design and STL print templates to the public sharing site Thingiverse:  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6134211 
Thingiverse Details:
Inon Style Optical Fiber Cable Connectors
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6134211
Make your own optical fiber cables using these connectors paired with 2mm fiber. I used both 613 multi-core fiber cables and cheap TosLink cables. The design assumes 2.2mm OD for the cables.
This design contains two styles of connectors: A 90deg elbow and 180deg straight connectors. The elbow part is printed with PETG. PLA will work but may not stand up as well to the elements. The actual connector parts are printed with TPU. These parts must be soft rubber, so no material substitutes are possible.
The 90deg Elbow part snaps together and is secured with two M3x6mm nuts/bolts. These nuts & bolts can be purchased from many sources like Amazon and are very low cost. (A set of M3 bolts with ~40 sets in several lengths is $10) The TPU connector and strain relief parts fit in the groves of the elbow. Thread the optical fiber through the TPU parts and align them into the elbow before screwing them together.
The TPU parts should be snug enough to hold the cable secure with no adhesive. If it is not secure, you can apply a small amount of silicone-based glue to the cable as you thread it into the TPU parts. Using glue may make it difficult to reuse the connectors should a cable get damaged.
Use the connectors in combinations that work for your camera rig. I like a 90deg connector on the top of my Nauticam housing and a 180deg connector on an Inon or Backscatter strobe. With a Retra strobe a 90deg connector will work better.
I have found these connectors to work well with a firm connection that is installed or removed with appropriate resistance.




Dave_Hicks

Marelux New Soft Lite Snoot

Marelux has announced the new Soft Lite today. This is a redesign using plastic which drops the weight by 190g over the past Soft Pro line which is now discontinued. I have attached the specs and photos.
Smart Optical Flash Tube Lite (SOFT Lite) Patented Product
Product Features
Enables to narrow down beam coverage simply by attaching in front of strobe. The aiming light of SOFT-LITE can be changed between red and white. The aiming light of SOFT-LITE XW/XR is only available in one color(white or red),but the brightness of the aiming light is brighter. Adjustable brightness Aiming light delay off time adjustable · Use one 21700 Lithium battery which can support 10 hours of continuous use（SOFT-LITE XW/XR can be used for 4 hours） (You can use 18650 battery by using a battery adapter) 
Product Specs
Material：Plastic Length : 155mm Weight : 600g (on land) Neutral buoyancy underwater Waterproof depth : -100m Focal length (in water) : 130mm Light spot adjustable range : 3~50mm null
Phil Rudin

GoPro world -The Taiwanese AOI offers its interesting products

In these last months of 2023, underwater photography and video enthusiasts have witnessed a phase of particular excitement in the action cam market with the release of new models of video cameras, cases and other accessories.
If in the camera sector GoPro has suffered an attack from the competition with the presentation of models suitable for 360° shooting or equipped with a larger and more high-performance sensor (the very recent INSTA ACE PRO with its 1" sensor), as regards accessories, GoPro, thanks to its market share, remains the brand most paid attention to by producers.
Particular attention was attracted by the releases of an aluminum case and two additional lenses produced by the Taiwanese AOI.
In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to talk about one of the lenses dedicated to GoPro, namely the wide-angle AOI UWL-03 which follows its "twin" INON UFL-G 140 SD, highlighting its qualities and price.
In this article I would like to make some brief considerations on the case of the same brand for the GoPro 9,10,11,12 and the AOI UH GPX.
Made of aluminum, it is guaranteed for a maximum depth of 60 m (196 ft). It features a housing for the video camera and a battery that is used to power the cam and the 5" rear monitor. It is also equipped with a vacuum system.
In the front part, in front of the lens, the bayonet coupling system is mounted to allow the additional lenses to be applied and removed while underwater. The bayonet connection also allows you to insert colored filters (red, magenta etc...).
The price in Italy will be approximately €1,800.00.
On the body of the case there are some buttons that should allow you to make choices of the various parameters to change the shooting settings during the dive.
Some have expressed doubts about the maximum depth of use of 60 m which, for an aluminum case, seems too limited. I believe that this parameter is indicated according to the use of additional lenses which have their operational limit of 60 m.
I believe that, ultimately, the only real advantage of this case consists in the rear screen which expands the limited view allowed by that of the GoPro.
In my opinion, however, an adjustable screen would have really made a difference as it would have allowed better management of the panning of the camera system.
Of course, should I have the chance to test this product, I will be happy to share my impressions in the field.
Puccio Distefano

Puccio Distefano

Rising Sun, Hidden Depths: A Dive into Japan's Scuba Culture

INTRODUCTION - JAPAN AS A DIVING DESTINATION
The key word for Japanese diving is probably variety, as it is rare for a single country to offer so much underwater diversity.
Looking at maps of Japan offers insights into why this might be the case:  the Japanese islands have a unique profile and geographical position, spanning over 3,000 km across extreme latitudes, with conditions ranging from the subarctic in the north to the strongly subtropical in the far south.
Map of the Japanese islands and submarine contours – Image source: Ryuichi Shinjo researchgate.net

As an island nation made up of almost 7,000 islands, Japan has nearly 34,000 km of coastline exposed to key warm and cold-water currents and a wide seasonal temperature range, which contributes to giving Japanese waters their remarkable biodiversity.
Each area has its own unique underwater fauna, flora and coastal ecosystems, offering rich and varied diving environments and opportunities.
Japan’s diving highlights include coral reefs, wrecks, remote islands, volcanic topography, caves and lakes, and a few specialist activities such as chummed shark dives, ice diving, black-water diving, not to mention world-class macro subjects, schooling hammerheads, marine mammals and a remarkable overall biodiversity, endemism, and more…
School of hammerhead sharks in Mikoto, Izu Peninsula. Image source: Dive-in-japan.com / Mikomoto Hammers
 
No point in the country is more than 150 km from the sea, and over 2000 dive spots are listed across the archipelago. These include numerous shore-diving options - the most commonly found form of local diving on the rocky shores of the main islands - but also some good lake diving options as well as boat diving, ranging from comfortable, dedicated dive boats to very basic converted fishing vessels.
And yet Japan’s reputation as a diving destination has been, so far, largely restricted to a domestic clientele of Japanese divers and foreigners living in Japan.

This is first and foremost because of Japan’s many other strengths as a tourism destination – with so much to see and do on dry land, most visitors – even keen divers – tend to concentrate their efforts (at least on their first visits...) on Japan’s rich land-based culture and highlights.
Mount Fuji, as seen from Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture -  Image source: Wikipedia
 
Practically, Japanese is a temperate country, and diving activities are seasonal, with most if not all locations having a definite off-season in the winter months, and in season regular cyclonic storms (typhoons) sweep across some of the archipelago’s most popular southern diving areas, which can seriously disrupt plans for a few days...

Diving, while not extraordinarily expensive, is also not particularly cheap compared to major Asian diving destinations and some of Japan’s best diving spots are quite spread out across the country (including more distant areas and remote islands), access to which can be further complicated by the scarce availability of English-language information, especially for areas a little off the beaten track.

However, from the mid-2010s onwards, the Japanese government redefined its approach to international tourism, with a deliberate drive to expand the industry, reaching out to neighbouring Asian countries for more “regional” tourism and also well as promoting a broader range of tourism options, including sports and outdoors activities. 

Out of this drive, came the idea of “opening up” Japan to dive tourism  which – with the exception of the subtropical Okinawa region and the Japanese domestic diver circuit – was still very much off the radar.
 

Screenshot of the Japanese National Tourism Organization webpage on diving - Image source: Japan.travel

While initial efforts were aimed at promoting resort-based tourism and introductory level diving in Okinawa, the Japanese archipelago as a whole is now promoted as a solid, world-class diving destination, under a more inclusive and sustainable angle.
 
Scuba-diving is a surprisingly popular activity in Japan, where a thriving, distinct and somewhat self-sufficient dive-culture has evolved over the years, with its own codes, specific interests, publications, equipment brands, and so much more…
Indeed, things are often done a little differently in Japan, and dive culture is no exception. 
One of the most outstanding examples of Japanese diving culture can be found in the remarkable role of the dive-guide, who will normally be guiding in a way local professionals often refer to (not without a hint of pride) as Japanese-style, which we’ll now take a closer look at.
Shore diving on Miyako Island (Okinawa Prefecture). Image source: Japan-guide.com
 



DIVING "JAPANESE STYLE" ?
On the domestic market, you'll sometimes hear Japanese guides, operators and divers refer to a Japanese style of diving, supposedly distinct from diving experiences offered elsewhere. 
This concept has even made it into mainstream Japanese diving publications such as Marine Diving magazine, where articles discuss what is special about Japanese diving, and particularly the Japanese way of guiding divers underwater.

In Japan, picking out differences - whether real or imagined - is something of a national pastime, with books and TV shows dedicated to the subject. While this tendency can be traced back to the once popular theories of Japanese-ness (Nihonjin-ron) or even to earlier historical nativist schools of thought, it is true that Japanese culture often reshapes its objects into forms rarely encountered elsewhere...

Cover of Diver Magazine N.332 featuring actor/diver Taiyo Sugiura in full Japanese-branded dive gear
Image source: Fujisan / Diver Magazine
 
This process is often amplified by a relative linguistic isolation (a limited dialogue with and exposure to non-Japanese sources), and social aspects (such as hierarchical relationships) which can make things slightly more resistant to change, along with a general fondness for a Japanese way of doing things, often seen improved or a little more advanced than elsewhere...

When it comes to scuba-diving culture, this concerns the role of dive guides and services offered (which, as a non Japanese-speaking diver, you might not experience while diving in Japan, as service will most likely be adapted to your perceived preferences and needs) along with specific interests like endemic species and localism.

Guide lighting up a clownfish while showing his slate. Image source: hirasawa-mc
As a rule, Japanese tourism highly values “local highlights”. Underwater, while Japanese divers enjoy the big stuff or macro subjects as much as any other diver, this also translates to an enthusiasm for underwater species which might be more of a specialist interest elsewhere (such as smaller reef fish), and also in variations in colours, patterns or shapes of the local fauna and flora.

It’s also difficult to mention Japanese underwater interests without mentioning the highly popular gobies and blennies, as well as a fondness for “cute” species, ranging from charming, small-sized subjects and juveniles to critters with exaggerated features, ie slightly grotesque-looking fish.

Because of these commonly shared interests, Japanese dive guides will generally have a much deeper, specialist knowledge of all local and endemic species and provide solid information on juvenile forms and the growth/life cycle of the species, as well as behavioural tips on how to approach sometimes-elusive specimens.
 

Screenshot of a Bali-based Japanese dive center's blogpost on damselfish in Menjangan / Bali
Imge source: Facebook post - Actual blogpost: Oceanlifebali

And after diving, most Japanese dive centres will provide a time dedicated to working on logbooks and/or photo with one’s dive guide, which can range from quite formal to informal sessions, and is also where Japanese dive guides’ extensive knowledge of local marine life can really shine.
While this is not exclusive to Japanese diving (worldwide, logbooking/ fish and photo ID’íng expectations are usually quite high in macro-focused destinations for instance, resorts or liveaboards might offer the services of a live-in marine biologist), it is true that outside Japan the practice of collective logging is often linked to some form of dive training, whereas this is more of a standard and expected service in Japan.
As a side note, many Japanese divers are also very creative with their logbooks, with approaches ranging from cute cartoons to high-end naturalistic fish art - examples of such high level logging can be seen in this Oceana.co.jp post or a Google photo search on the subject.

Logbook page with drawings. Image source: Instagram / Diving logbook artist Nosekana
 

 
JAPANESE DIVE GUIDES AND GUIDED DIVING
 
Local ambassadors, naturalists and hosts
To make a broad generalisation, Japanese dive guides are often quite remarkable.
Not so much for diving or safety skills, but for the type service they strive to offer to divers, and also for the local naturalistic knowledge they are required to possess, in order to meet the expectations of the most demanding divers they might be guiding and act as representatives of their local area.
This does not mean that all Japanese dive guides are highly trained marine-biology experts, but they often do have more extensive knowledge about local species and their local environment than most of their non-Japanese counterparts (though there are notable exceptions), which is required and expected in a Japanese diving context.

Dive guides in action：“This snake eel’s head is protruding from the sand”

Highlighting differences between a Blackfin dartfish and a Fire goby – Image source: 4travel.jp
 
It's quite common for guides to do their professional training directly where they will be working, as a form of internship, and dive pros generally stay much longer in one area than their non-Japanese counterparts.

Dive-guide training emphasizes a naturalist approach, with a wealth of knowledge transmission on the local environment, species, marine life cycles and behavioural patterns for instance, aspects which are often lest at the discretion of the dive guide’s personal interests elsewhere.

There are exceptions, of course, but in the global diving industry, it’s common for diving instructors somehow “outrank” dive guides, and in some contexts instructors will mostly be foreigners with language skills while dive guides are experienced locals, with a varying degree of formal training.

This is less common in the Japanese dive industry, where almost all dive guides are instructors themselves, but choose to focus on guiding rather than teaching, as guiding is a highly valued, specialised activity.

In Japan, there is a high respect for what is known as veteran (= highly experienced) dive guides, as specialists of the local area, and also for dive shops who have established themselves as a local authority over time (such operations are called shinise , an important concept extending way beyond the diving industry).
It is a form of official recognition for guides to be employed by well-established dive centres, as is working under / training with / learning from famous dive guides.
 

 

WTP's SORA magazine, Dive Guide Special Issue  features interview-profiles of renowned dive guides
Image source: WTP Official blog / personal archives

In a Japanese diving context as elsewhere, dive guides are expected to offer a good tour of local highlights, actively spotting marine life for the divers (often less inclined to try to find stuff on their own) but also to ID marine life in real time, as we will see, engaging in active, entertaining underwater communication by writing on a slate, and also to lead comprehensive log-book sessions after diving.

Dive professionals’ passion for diving also blends nicely with a sense of local pride, which is something that you’ll encounter quite frequently in Japan – people are proud of local specificities, whether natural or man-made, and keen to share them with visitors.

In this sense, we could say that Japanese dive centres and guides act as true ambassadors of the environment they operate in, and do their best to help visiting divers experience its uniqueness, often with a heart-warming passion and dedication rarely found elsewhere.

Customer service expectations are also generally quite high in the Japanese dive-industry.
Most dive operations will have some kind of dive blog, usually quite thorough and updated daily. And on the social side, operators and guides are generally excellent hosts, and customers are usually offered the chance to socialise later in the day or in the evening, over drinks and/dinner. 

A somewhat formalised “closing celebration”, known are uchi-age in Japanese, is also quite commonly offered to guests at the end of a diving session -especially multiple-day ones, and can be expected as a service from most dive operations.
One thing is certain: Japan has a great after-dive culture and despite minor challenges, the shared experience of diving in a Japanese context can serve as a gateway to a more intimate Japan than what most non-diving tourists typically encounter...
 
Charisma-guides

Ad for a trip led by Kaorita-san, famous "charisma guide", primarily based in the Maldives
Screenshot source: Divenavi Facebook post

In the Japanese context, experienced guides, who have been around for a long time or pioneered a diving area, are highly regarded and sought-after by guests, and sometimes referred to, in publications, as “charisma-guides”, in other words, acknowledged as charismatic figures of the diving industry.
This is somewhat unique. It’s not so much that there are no examples of charismatic dive guides in non-Japanese contexts – dive-guide legends such as Larry Smith immediately come to mind, as do other explorers turned trip leader or operator, divers who pioneered diving in new areas such as Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock or Edi Frommenwiler, Max Ammer and many others, as do specialists/researchers offering trips or cruises dedicated to specific marine life (such as sharks, whales or manta rays…) 

Yet there’s something a little different about the Japanese concept, which is often blended with a strong sense of localism, and good-natured pride in being experts and ambassadors of a given area.

Another interesting aspect is the existence of an official Japanese dive guides’ association, the Guide-Kai or Japanese Scuba Diving Guide Association, which includes many of Japan’s charismatic and respected guides (most of them dive-shop owners themselves), which is not something common elsewhere.

Screenshot of the Dive Kai's English-language homepage - Screenshot source: Guide-kai.com

As an example of such cultural specificities, in Japan, you might encounter a Marine Diving magazine article where active dive guides are asked to recommend… other dive guides, while duly mentioning each guide’s “lineage” or filiation, i.e. who they worked for in the past.

Another curiosity would the existence of actual rankings of dive professionals.
Hierarchy does play an important role in Japanese society, and with it comes a certain fascination for rankings (Edo-period visitor guidebooks already ranked local highlights such as soba noodle shops and more..)
While this is something of a commercial gimmick (also found in non-Japanese publications such as PADI’s Undersea Journal’s, or Scuba Diving Magazine's survey-based rankings of diving areas and operators), in Japanese diving publications, rankings extend to slightly more unusual categories, such as:
most popular dive guides in Japan
most popular Japanese dive guides working abroad
most popular diving instructors
 

Screenshot of the Marine Diving 2021 Awards page, Dive Guide category winner for the Okinawa area
Screenshot source: Marine Diving 2021 Awards
 
Photography specialists
Another important aspect of Japanese-style guiding is underwater photography. 
Japan is still one of the world’s photography hotspot for both topside and underwater images, and the vast majority of cameras to this day - including the world-leading brands such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic or Olympus / OM Digital Solutions - are still produced by Japanese makers.
Underwater, Japan is also well placed on the light and strobe market, with brands like Inon, Sea&Sea as well as RGBlue or Fix, and the ubiquitous Olympus TG series has successfully led a small revolution in making macro photography much more accessible.
 

Underwater photo guide services offered by Okunoerabujima's MugaMuga dive center 
Screenshot source: Mugamuga.com

Many Japanese dive guides are also underwater photography specialists.
Some are photographers themselves, and guide photographers according to their specific interests and local highlights, while providing technical tips in informal to informal master-classes.

Others guides are simply highly experienced with working with photographers, and can of course efficiently spot subjects, but also offer high-level tips for shooting specific animals, covering behavioural aspects and positioning, timing, water conditions and ambient light, and more...

The level of photography-specific service offered by guides is rarely found outside specialist macro destinations, where dedicated macro spotter  / photographer guides can spot critters but also assist with shooting (snooting for instance), or are actual acclaimed photographers themselves.

Underwater slate use in guiding

Dive guide, ready to dive -  Image source: Diver-online

Underwater writing slates are nothing new, yet if there’s one aspect that really stands out and symbolizes the so-called Japanese-style of guiding, it would be the rather systematic use of underwater slates by dive guides, which has developed into what could now be called a distinct cultural tradition.

Since the beginning of scuba diving, while the main underwater communication method remains basic and conventional diving hand-signals, slates / written communication has been around as an alternative means of communication, as an easy and rather fool-proof way of efficiently conveying more complex information underwater (with the notable exception of audio coms systems used in commercial diving).
Diving instructors will often have agency-provided / self-designed training slates, used as memory backups and to keep track of progress for courses, and underwater slates are also commonly used while conducting research in scientific diving.

Guides and fun-divers will often have a small pencil or magnetic slate tucked inside a pocket somewhere, just in case something happens that calls for clear and rapid communication of more complex and unplanned-for ideas.

Technical divers, while making use of an extended range of signals (including touch codes for instance) often rely on some form of written medium as a complement to advanced signalling and also as personal memos – having clear, visual check-lists, dive plans, run-times, gas switches is a basic requirement, which makes sense, given the level of exposure, conditions and complexity of the dives undertaken.
 

Underwater slate use in action -  Image source: Marineartcenter
 
Something else… the big slate
Japanese dive guides almost exclusively use magnetic slates, which can be erased in one swipe, and allowing for more fluid communication, and outside areas with strong currents or rougher conditions, the slates used are generally quite large, since the guide will be showing his writing to all of the divers she or he is guiding.
The most commonly used slates are large plastic contraptions, designed for children use, the most commonly used model being a large magnetic slate called Sensei by the toy-brand Toby, very sturdy and with an easily recognisable design. Recently smaller magnetic slate models, including purposely designed slates, are also gaining in popularity.
 
 
The Toby Sensei slate, very commonly used by guides underwater
Image sources: diveoneroad.com  / oceana.ne.jp / facebook.com/sora-iro / sotoasobi.net / oceana.ne.jp
 
In the average recreational diving context, outside of teaching scenarios, slate use will usually be limited to “emergency” communications, as a back-up or extension of hand signals, which are accepted as the primary mode of underwater communication.

However, this is often a little different in Japanese guided diving, where underwater slate mirrors a specific approach to guiding and underwater interactions.
Broadly speaking, the dive-guide is expected to communicate actively during the dive, in writing, with the divers she or he is guiding.

From personal discussions with operators and guides themselves, this is justified by safety considerations (which is debatable), but also primarily as a form of underwater customer service.

Active underwater slate use / communication by the dive guide is perceived as offering guided divers a superior - and now standard and expected - experience during the dive.

In a guided situation, hand-signal use seems somewhat less common in Japan than elsewhere, where written communication is now becoming the norm.

All divers learn fundamental diving hand signals during their training, but Japanese guides will often – if conditions allow - write things down, including full sentences covering basic dive leading indications in situations where non-Japanese guides would use scuba diving’s universal hand signals.
It is not rare to see a guide write indications that would normally be conveyed by a couple of hands signals, sometimes complete sentences such as “Let’s end the dive now, and go to the safety stop”, which will be written on the slate, and shown to all the divers in the group.

Leading the dive... in writing

The other main purpose of the big slate use is (Japanese-style) fish identification.

This is not only found in Japan – Indonesian guides in Lembeh and elsewhere also carry slates, and can write, for reference, both the common and Latin scientific name of the rare critters have spotted while photographers shoot away – an approach this Lembeh Resort post explains quite well.

And let’s face it, slates are indeed great for fish ID, as there’s only so much you can do with fish hand-signals, which are not standardized and mostly suitable for basic fish ID’ing / communication purposes, and slates allow guides to share a lot more information.

Systematic underwater slate use is not only the norm when guiding in Japan, it is also a necessity, because Japanese divers, on the other hand, rarely learn fish ID sign – and why should they, since guides use magnetic slates to give the Japanese name (which, by convention, is always written in katakana script) of species encountered.

“It’s going to lay its eggs in the cracks of the rock...“ - Image source: personal archives

And beyond actual dive leading indications and fish ID, there’s all the rest…
It’s undeniable, having a slate underwater opens up a whole world of underwater possibilities…
Small jokes, comments or even anecdotes, and everything a guide is now able to tell guests underwater but couldn’t be without a slate (which does beg the question, should you?)…
Over the years, we’ve seen pretty amazing things written on our Japanese colleagues’ slates, ranging from comment such as “this fish looks delicious!” , “the current is a little tiring, don’t you think?” “I’ve never seen so many here!” ,  "It’s super cute” or even “Manta poop. (Pink)” (which does make you smile when you happen upon this at 6 am, on a slate your boss left lying around…), along with riddles, advice on camera angles, comments... Some guides will even draw underwater!
 
  
As an example of underwater slate communication, the three slates above read:
"Super cute! Bluestriped fangblennies always have a smile on their face ^o^" - Source: oceana.ne.jp
"Divers are being swept away by the current" - Image source: personal archives
"It’s super warm – it’s like being in a bath!" - Image source: sunslog.blog42.fc2.com

Thanks to the magnetic slate, Japanese dive guides can communicate (even politely) and share knowledge directly underwater rather than after surfacing, and also generally entertain guests underwater.
This type underwater customer service is becoming part of the job, along with safety and orientation.

On a slightly critical note, one could say that this type of approach, when pushed to the extreme, profoundly changes the approach to a dive, which tends to become a more passive experience, and reinforces reliance on the dive guide, which is not ideal for safety.

Overall, underwater slate-use is all about communication, and in Japan, this takes place at different level from what is encountered and expected in guided diving elsewhere in the world.

This decision to favour the use of underwater slates (which mostly came from Honshu’s Izu Peninsula, an area combining forgiving diving conditions and a wide range of endemic or rare critters) and the type of extended verbal underwater communication they allow is probably the key factors behind the development of a so-called Japanese-style of guiding and, ultimately, of diving.

Unfortunately, non-Japanese-speaking guests will rarely get to experience the big slate use as such, unless diving in a mixed Japanese/non-Japanese group led by a Japanese guide.

This is not seen as useful or necessary for non-Japanese style divers (which are happy with seeing octopus and moray eels, as a slightly contemptuous - yet often repeated and sometimes printed - comment goes...).

And interestingly enough, many Japanese guides seem quite happy to do away with the big slate whenever they’re not guiding Japanese divers…
 

“Manta poop (pink)“ - Image source: personal archives
 

 
REFERENCES

Japanese diving publications and online resources

In the world of print, Marine Diving is, by far, the largest, most influential and oldest diving publication in Japan.
Its network includes a main monthly magazine publication, which is now over half a century old, special guidebooks and also a women-oriented dive publication, LaScuba, “a travel magazine for women in love with the ocean and the islands”…
Marine Diving also organises one of Japan’s biggest dive expos, the Marine Diving Fair.
 

Covers of Marine Diving's 50th anniversary edition and of a LaScuba magazine
Japan’s other major publication is the more recent (first edition dates back to 1980), and slightly more lifestyle-focused Diver Magazine and Diver Online.
Oceana is currently one of the most active Japanese-language blogging / info platforms on diving related activities and the sea is covering diving of course, but also the “blue economy”, environmental issues and many more.
 


English-language resources

For  English-language information, we would strongly recommend the Japan National Tourism Association (JNTO)’s JAPAN DIVING website, a fantastic and official resource aimed at promoting diving in Japan with a very extensive guide, as well as the NPO Japan Diving Experience’s Dive In Japan’s website, one of the most extensive references on Japanese diving, and offering support to help non Japanese-speakers organise dive trips in Japan.

For a slightly different approach, we recommend our own non-profit reference site, Bluejapan.org, which also offers many other links to English-language and Japanese resources on this reference page.
 

Lost in translation? Image source: noris-okayama.jp

Japanese photographers and videographers  
 
While this is a broad generalisation - as there are plenty of active photographers and personal styles in Japan - it's hard to avoid noticing that to be something of a budding Japanese aesthetic in underwater photography, especially with the use of vivid colours, vibrant close-ups and blurring (bokeh was born in Japan after all…), almost a form of underwater expressionism or abstraction...

That said, a similar photographic trend is perhaps also catching-on worlwide, as illustrated by the growing use of motion blur techniques and coloured filters, for instance.


Image source: amazon.co.jp sample page for Sunday Morning – A Day-Off With Nudibranches, by Yasuaki Kagii
 
Some examples of publications by well-known Japanese underwater photographers:
辺野古ー海と森がつなぐ命  by Takuya Nakamura
美ら海 きらめく by Ikuo Nakamura
unknown (未知の海) – 不思議の国の海  –  夢色の海 and  海中散歩 by Yasuaki Kagii

Here is a short and non-exhaustive list of active Japanese professional photographers and videographers (in alphabetical order):
Hideki ABE
official site
Kazushige HORIGUCHI
official site
Kyu HURUMI
official site / Youtube channel
Yasuaki KAGII
official site
Keigo KAWAMURA
official site
Sachi MURAI
official site
Ikuo NAKAMURA
official site
Takuya NAKAMURA
official site
Takaji OCHI
official site
Tamaki OZAKI
official site
Kirin SEKITO
official site / Youtube channel
Yuta SHIGENO
official site /Youtube channel
Jun SHIMIZU
official site
Hiroyuki TOMURA
official site
In addition, Nauticam also has a dedicated crew of Japanese ambassadors active the domestic market.

Edo Period artist’s rendition of hammerhead sharks - Image source: dl.ndl.go.jp
 

bghazzal

DRT Show - The Largest Diving Expo In Asia

The new edition of the DRT Show will be held in Hong Kong from 15 to 17 December 2023.
DRT SHOW (Diving and Resort Travel Expo) stands as the premier diving expo in Asia, hosting events in various cities and regions such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Taipei, the Philippines, Okinawa, Malaysia, Singapore, and India.
To date, the DRT SHOW has successfully organized 44 exhibitions worldwide, drawing a crowd of 450,000 professionals and enthusiasts from the dive and travel industry, representing 65 countries. Regarded as the largest assembly of diving enthusiasts and marine conservationists, it serves as a hub for individuals passionate about the wonders of the underwater world.
The schedule is packed with activities of interest to underwater image enthusiasts.
Davide DB

Bored with Bonaire? Try Sint Maarten

I’ve been to Bonaire 7 times over the years and logged 235 dives there. I like it for the shore diving and, generally, for the macro critters. I love the laid-back feeling.
But, for me, the reefs are not what they were and marine life now seems a bit limited: reef fish, shrimp and arrowcrabs. Slight exaggeration I know but no big things (yeah, the odd tarpon, some turtles) and even the macro life now seems to take some hunting. Very little, if any, schooling fish.
Yes, I know it usually wins all the prizes for diving in the Caribbean. But, frankly, I had to admit to myself I was getting bored diving there. 
By the happiest turn of fates my partner, bless her, was seconded to a job in Sint Maarten and I felt obliged to join her (NB: British irony). Almost three very happy years followed and 436 dives.
Sint Maarten is another of those curious Dutch outposts in the Caribbean. Although not part of the Netherlands (Bonaire is actually a city in the Netherlands), Sint Maarten (or SXM as it’s known) is in the Kingdom of the Netherlands so similar in status to, say, Jersey or Bermuda. It has a significant international airport and is a stone’s throw from the British hold-out of Anguilla. I read that Anguilla to Sint Maarten is the world’s shortest international flight.
In addition, the northern part of the island is actually an area of metropolitan France and as such part of the EU. One island, two cultures. Best part: two cuisines – the Dutch part slightly more American plus Heineken; the French part, oh la la, French. Think top quality pain au raisin or croissant for breakfast, patisserie for afternoon tea. Excellent inexpensive wines, good restaurants, great supermarkets and entrecôte……  
Unlike Bonaire, Sint Maarten is hardly known as a dive destination. But if you are into macro, there are all sorts of shrimps; you can trip over arrowcrabs; lots of reef sharks, turtles, gobies looking out of crevices, loads of morays, SCHOOLS and I mean serious schools of grunts, blackbar soldierfish, snappers…. I was teaching the West Atlantic REEF fish identification course there and the place is a Caribbean fish spotter’s dream. Plenty of wrecks covered in marine life and schools of fish….. and some intriguing coral mazes which are playgrounds for divers.
Yes, you must boat dive which means, probably, a max of 3 dives a day. Shore diving is, sadly, minimal verging on the negligible. 
If I don’t get bored after 436 dives this place has to be good, right?
So if you dive in the Caribbean and you fancy a change from Bonaire, check out Sint Maarten. Pack your camera, charge your GoPro, pack your snoot. You won’t regret it. 
I can recommend diving with Ocean Explorers ([email protected]) run by a super Brazilian couple, Lu and Jef. Jef knows the reefs there like the back of his hand and he and Lu have been running Ocean Explorers for decades.
 




TimG

Underwater Photography Workshop in Marsa Shagra

By: Martin Pachmann
The Egyptian coral reefs near Port Ghalib were my first contact with the beautiful underwater world with mask and snorkel. And because I have always loved taking photos, I wanted to capture this world on sensor and memory card and be able to look at it again at home. After a mobile phone case, actioncam and a crappy plastic housing with an acrylic dome (awful!), I wanted something "Now it's all the photographer's fault". Thanks to you forum members , (!) I ended up with Sony A7 IV, Nauticam and WACP-C and I'm totally thrilled. 
My favorite dealer here in Germany offered a photo workshop in Marsa Sharga in one of his mailings, not far from our first underwater experiences. "Unlimited diving" on the house reef and learning how to use the camera better - wouldn't that be great? When it came to buying the underwater equipment, the contact with Roland from PanOcean was pleasantly calm and competent, so off we went. We were a little worried that this might drift off into technical discussions about diving and camera equipment rather than help in taking better pictures. But you can't judge what you haven't tried.
Unfortunately, the nearest airport to Marsa Shagra, Marsa Alam, has hardly had any flights since the coronavirus pandemic, so we flew to Hurghada and from there took the bus to Marsa Shagra. The airport has the charm of a railway station waiting hall, and there is nowhere to buy food or drink after customs control. During the unfortunately somewhat longer wait for the bus, we Actually found something - the kiosk where the Egyptian bus and taxi drivers cater for themselves. Not aimed at tourists, but cheap and tasty. The bus journey was slightly adventurous due to darkness and wrong-way drivers - which is there probably not unusual. 
Marsa Shagra itself was originally a very barren tent city for divers only, but has been built up into an Eco resort in recent years and offers good comfort and very good food. You can choose between spacious bungalows and sparse tents. A special feature is that after a short check dive at the diving centre, you can put together your own or rented equipment at any time you wish and then explore the reef either from the beach or from the Zodiac (runs at any time as required) by yourself. Of course, the usual excursions such as Elphinstone are also offered for a fee. 
The workshop was very enjoyable. During the day either in the group or individually but always with the camera in the water, in the evening a few hours sitting together and discussing theoretical basics and doing practical analysis of pictures taken during the day. Of course, we always sat together at mealtimes and talked about diving experiences and photographic techniques in a relaxed and good-humoured atmosphere. Roland helped us with the equipment and gave us tips. I finally tried out macro and the EMWL with 160° optics live on the A7IV - thanks again for the uncomplicated opportunity! "Take this and try it out" - just like that. Great! (but I won’t buy one – too big and looks somewhat “interesting when holding the camera between the legs on the Zodiac – whoever has seen this knows what I mean) 
In addition to the usual reef inhabitants such as turtles and normal life, the pleasantly healthy reef also offered us a large school of barracuda directly under the jetty: 


nullAnd a few schools of mackerel, which of course make excellent photo subjects. It's absurdly difficult to photograph them from the front and up close. A big compliment to Alex Mustard - his picture is really unbelievably good, even if he didn't achieve perfect symmetry. 

At the workshop, I learnt really a lot in that short time. Two of the most important messages are: "Include the water surface in the pictures, sun rays due to backscatter and natural light are your friends" 

and: "Don't go too low, the most beautiful motifs are often close to the surface." 
 

But of course, I was also lucky enough to have my conscripted model with me. Thank you me beloved wife! Again, the best pictures were taken while freediving, but then you have to be able to hold your breath a little.
However, admittedly, there are also motifs deeper that would not have been possible without scuba diving. We were particularly taken with an octopus that had made itself comfortable on a coral block in an unusual manner.

All in all: unreservedly recommendable. To quote Roland once again: "I was particularly pleased that at the beginning we only talked shop about diving, but as the workshop progressed, photography moved more and more into the foreground of the discussions". 
 
 
fruehaufsteher2

Leak Sentinel: V6 now available

I installed my first Leak Sentinel vacuum valve, a V3, in my Subal ND800 housing in 2014. Over 700 dives, changes of camera housing and upgrades to the Sentinel system, I’ve moved through V4, V5 and now the newly available V6. As the slogan goes, I’d never leave home without it. Why?
The Sentinel provides a unique extra level of security and reassurance to an underwater camera and has saved me from my own stupidity a couple of times…… So what is it?
The Leak Sentinel is a small valve which screws into a spare bulkhead on an underwater camera housing to monitor for leaks even before the housing goes into water.
A small hand-pump of the type used in the Vacuvin wine bottle corks then draws the air through the valve and out of the housing. (A small battery-operated pump is also available). This creates a vacuum indicated on the Sentinel by a green, “Good to Go”, blinking LED light. If the housing has not sealed properly because of a fault or, more likely user-error, the valve warning light will flash green/red or red indicating a problem.

 
Vacuum valves are great devices particularly to help avoid user-errors and, more importantly, warn of an issue before the housing gets wet. It is this feature which makes them even more valuable than a housing leak detector which only works when water is already in the housing.
Given the cost of the housing and its contents, installing one of these handy leak warning devices is money extremely well spent. I would argue it is one of the two best investments I’ve made in my system. (the other being a 45-degree viewfinder!)

The Leak Sentinel system is simple to install. The valve is screwed into an empty bulkhead on the housing so that the blinking warning light is visible when diving. In earlier models (V1 to V4) the battery was part of the Sentinel’s valve assembly. In the V5 “XB” model the battery was fitted on a printed circuit board fitted inside the housing with a wire connection to the valve. This avoided the need to disassemble the valve to change battery.

The V6 has just been released. Like the V5, the battery fits inside the housing. However, the cable is now fitted permanently to the battery circuit board and a connector has been added (see photo) linking the battery to the valve assembly. This is a big improvement as removing the V5 required disconnecting the wires at the printed circuit board – which could be problematic.
In addition, gone is the square of Velcro which was supplied to hold the printed circuit board to the top of the housing. Now there’s a magnet! This should make battery changes even easier.

Like the V4 and V5, once a vacuum is established and the LED stays green for a reasonable length of time (I usually wait an hour), the Sentinel can be switched off by pressing the LED and left until dive time. This saves battery life. Switch it back on pre-dive and the green, Good-To-Go LED should reappear and blink steadily.
The Sentinel electronics allow for an element of temperature variation. It will cope for example if the camera is setup in the housing in an air-conditioned room – and then moved into a higher ambient temperature before diving.
The system uses an easily available and inexpensive CR2032 battery. Battery life is certainly into the dozens of dives and many hours.
On the very rare occasion when I’ve had a question, the Leak Sentinel’s producer, Miso Milivojevic of Vividhousings, has being unfailingly helpful at finding a solution in response to my emails.
So, easy to install, easy to maintain and relatively inexpensive…. is it worth installing one on your system? No question. Who doesn’t want to reduce the risks of a flood and enjoy the additional reassurance a vacuum valve provides. Never leave home without one.
 
TimG

Swimming With The Manta Rays - Maldives at a moderate price

Travel report August 2023
By : Martin Paceman
 
Three years ago, we learnt to dive for the first time at Reethi Beach Resort https://www.reethibeach.com/ in the BAA Atoll in the Maldives. The incredibly relaxed diving school Ocean Fanatics offered a very affordable taster dive in the usual manner, which opened up a world to us that we had never known before. 
From Reethi Beach, the Ocean Fanatics also offer snorkeling trips to Hanifaru Bay, which is known for the accumulation of manta rays during the rainy season. The excursions are not quite cheap (160.- + various taxes per person) as is typical for a resort, but the incredible experience made us want to repeat the experience even more intensively. 
As we had already had good experiences of staying on a local island in the Maldives, we chose Dharavandhoo - an island established as a relay station with a small airport, about 1 kilometer from Hanifaru Bay. There is a selection of hotels and guesthouses for almost every budget and several diving schools, the best known being Liquid Salt Divers https://www.liquidsaltdivers.com and Dharavandhoo Divers http://www.dharavandhoodiving.com/ . We opted for Kiha Beach Hotel and Dharavandhoo Divers. Overnight stay with breakfast in the region of 150.- for 2 people, dinner in the restaurants approx. 15-20.- for 2 people. 
The island itself shows the real life on the Maldives, not the artificial world of the resorts. Unfortunately, there is a lot of plastic waste, even though the beaches are often cleaned. The locals are incredibly friendly, unobtrusive and helpful. 
Attention: There is no alcohol, in any form. 

The house reef is rather sobering. The island has been well fortified because of the airport and is surrounded by breakwaters made of large, imported stones. Turtles, moray eels and rays as well as the usual reef inhabitants can still be found. There is no point in scuba diving on the house reef. 
You can only snorkel with the manta rays in Hanifaru Bay. There is always an alternating day for the resorts and for the "locals" - monitored by a ranger, who also makes sure that the 45 minutes in the water are not significantly exceeded. The rangers always report when the manta rays swim into the bay and how many there are - they regularly fly the drone. 

When the resort guests are there, they splash and splash about in the water, which the manta rays don't like so much and sometimes leave again. On other days, guests who can swim and even freedive predominate. The best time is June to September, and the plankton is thickest at full moon, when up to 250 manta rays come into the small underwater bay (approx. 50 x 200 metres). We travelled with the hotel's boat, at a very moderate cost compared to the resorts (most recently 65.-/person). 
The manta rays themselves are an experience you will never forget. If you wait calmly for the majestic giants to make their move and don't swim after them, you will at best be perceived as a piece of driftwood - you have to tighten your legs to avoid being brushed against. Visibility in the water is limited due to the plankton, but when a group of 10-15 manta rays suddenly appears out of nowhere, it is a magical experience. 

In order to catch as much as possible of the densest and presumably tastiest plankton, the giants do loops, swim like a whirlpool and do various laps. 

But divers don't miss out either - the diving schools usually do two dives before heading to Hanifaru Bay and ending the day with the manta rays. The usual coral reefs can be found here, although there is almost always a current. Sharks are more common in other areas, but there are always reef sharks here too. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In August this year, a large population of whale sharks passed by for the first time - they were regular guests until well into October. We had three encounters during our 14-day stay: Twice in Hanifaru Bay, where they shared the plankton with the manta rays. 
Once, however, a smaller specimen swam along a nearby reef edge and we were allowed to accompany it for a quarter of an hour. A gigantic experience.  


Conclusion: If you get involved with the local islands and don't set your standards too high, you can have a wonderful holiday at an acceptable cost and see more manta rays than you could ever believe. Pack your longblades! 
fruehaufsteher2

Grand Prize Winner of HIPA 'DIVERSITY' Season Photo Contest

The winners of the HIPA Diversity 2023 photography competition have been announced.
Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) is an international photography award, founded in 2011 under the patronage of the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Grand Prize was won by Massimo Giorgetta with an underwater photograph.
Congratulation to Massimo!
Protected Lives
A night dive encounter with a magical 5 cm Jellyfish Tunicate in Lembeh Strait - North Sulawesi, Indonesia. This mysterious sea creature is so transparent, it's almost invisible. Filled and covered by other marine life, it is like a miniature diverse ecosystem, floating through the night sea.

Davide DB

GoPro Hero 12 Black announced

(image credits: Gopro)
GoPro Hero 12 Black announced with external mic and dual-channel audio plus 1/4” tripod mounting
GoPro has announced the Hero 12 Black, and this year, the ubiquitous action camera maker has its sights set on sound. The 12 Black’s headline upgrades include external microphone support and dual-channel audio capture, so you can record both camera and external mic tracks and then mix them in an edit. The latest GoPro also sports a handy ¼-inch thread between its flip-out feet, giving you even more ways to mount it, and the addition of HDR video, plus 8:7 capture in all modes, boosts the imaging credentials too.
It's no secret that many were hoping this would finally be the year GoPro improved its low-light performance and upped camera sensor size nearer to that coveted 1-inch mark, like DJI with its 1/1.3-inch Osmo Action 4. But it looks like GoPro’s bringing back its 1/1.9-inch sensor introduced on the GoPro Hero11 Black for round two.
Despite this Hero 11 Black sensor encore, there are still plenty of meaningful updates introduced for the 12 Black. Here are our highlights:
 GoPro's finally stepped up its wireless audio game with support for Bluetooth microphones – either in the form of earbuds or dedicated solutions.
Voice commands and external audio are all heard by the Hero 12 Black's Bluetooth input, so hands-free control over the camera at a distance should be easier than ever, and with dual-channel capture, both camera and microphone audio are recorded. Whether using it with a helmet or mixing down in-car and out-of-car audio, this should unlock freedom never before available in the GoPro ecosystem.
This dual-channel capture isn't just useful for wireless microphones. If you have the GoPro Hero 12 Black paired with a GoPro MediaMod, it can simultaneously record front and rear microphone audio, and you can mix both in the edit – ideal for interactions or vlogging in a bustling location.
The Hero 12 Black also introduces Timecode sync, making it much easier for editors to switch between multiple cameras and manage clips.
he headline video feature this year is HDR, pulling back blown-out skies and drawing extra detail from shadows in high-contrast scenes. 
Like its predecessor, the Hero 12 Black captures video at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps), or 4K resolution, 120fps in standard video mode. If you're happy to switch to slo-mo, this caps out at 2.7k at 240fps.
The headline video feature this year is HDR, pulling back blown-out skies and drawing extra detail from shadows in high-contrast scenes. 
Like its predecessor, the Hero 12 Black captures video at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps), or 4K resolution, 120fps in standard video mode. If you're happy to switch to slo-mo, this caps out at 2.7k at 240fps.
Video editors and fans of log capture and LUTs – explained in our color grading introduction – will appreciate GoPro’s new GP-Log mode and custom LUTs. This should make it easier to tune footage from your Hero 12 Black and splice it into a multi-camera workflow. 
The Hero 11 Black introduced GoPro's 27MP, 8:7 sensor, and it's back for round two, this time introducing HyperSmooth 6.0, which adds a new feature called AutoBoost. This analyses the field of view and automatically adjusts stabilization accordingly while bringing back 360º horizon lock.
Photos can be pulled from full-res videos at up to 24.7MP or captured natively at 27MP. The Hero 12 Black has also been upgraded with a new light painting photo feature, which creates an time-bending image in addition to the stylized light painting video mode introduced on the Hero 11 Black.
We loved the versatility GoPro's 8:7 sensor brought to the Hero 11 Black, and the Hero 12 Black extends its capabilities, introducing a vertical video mode for dedicated portrait capture and adding an 8:7 aspect ratio recording option to all shooting modes.
the Hero 12 Black looks almost identical to the 11 Black, though sports a speccled rubberized banding around the front and frame. Look a little closer at its design, though, and between the flip-out feet – which extend to form a traditional action camera mounting system – is a 1/4" thread for even more mounting options.
Otherwise, the camera has the same shape as past GoPro 11, a front and rear screen, a removable lens guard and battery door, and a microSD card slot and battery cavity.
While the battery spec of GoPro’s latest cam hasn’t changed ­– the Hero 12 Black still ships with an Enduro battery – you can expect longer capture times from a single charge, with GoPro stating 70 minutes at 5.3K 60fps, and 58 minutes at 4K 120fps. If you're happy to drop the resolution right down, you can even get 155 minutes at 1080p, 30fps.
The 12 Black also enjoys updated Easy Controls, adding more features and simplifying the language to make it even more accessible.
 
 
Davide DB

Sony Alpha9 III - World’s First Global Shutter Full-Frame Camera

(image credits: Sony)
Sony has unveiled the Sony A9 III, a full-frame mirrorless camera boasting a 24.6MP resolution and a global shutter. The global shutter functionality ensures simultaneous readout of information from each pixel on the sensor, eliminating distortion in both still images and videos of moving subjects.
Employing a stacked design, the 24.6MP CMOS sensor, in conjunction with the latest Bionz XR processor, guarantees swift operational performance. The Sony A9 III, also recognized as the Sony Alpha 9 III, achieves continuous shooting at an impressive 120fps, devoid of blackout, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/16,000 sec. In single-shot mode, the maximum shutter speed reaches an unprecedented 1/80,000 sec.
Introducing a Pre-Capture function, the Sony A9 III allows the camera to capture up to 1 second of images at 120fps when the shutter release is half-pressed. These images are saved to the memory card upon full depression of the shutter, enabling continuous shooting.

(image credits: Sony)
Furthermore, the camera supports shooting with a compatible Sony flash at any shutter speed, eliminating the need for a high-speed sync (HSS) mode and enabling flash use even in bright sunlight with a wide aperture.
To address diverse shooting scenarios, the A9 III features a speed-boost option assignable to a button. This allows for a quick transition from a slower shooting rate, such as 20fps, to 120fps.
Sony asserts that the A9 III incorporates its most advanced autofocus system, featuring 759 phase-detection AF points covering 95.6% of the frame with precision down to -5.0EV. Equipped with an AI processing unit, the camera ensures rapid and accurate subject recognition, supporting Real-time Subject Recognition AF and Real-Time Tracking even at the high frame rate of 120fps.
Additionally, the A9 III boasts a 5-axis 8-stop image stabilization system. The global shutter contributes to distortion-free video, allowing the camera to shoot in 4K at 60p with 6K oversampling. Notably, it is Sony's inaugural Alpha camera offering 4K 120p video without cropping, complemented by 10-bit 4:2:2 color, S-Cinetone, and S-Log 3 modes.
The rear of the A9 III features a 3.2-inch 4-axis multi-angle LCD with 2,095,000 dots, accompanied by a 9.44-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder boasting a 120fps refresh rate at the highest image quality, extendable to 240fps with a slight reduction in resolution.
Priced at $5999 / £6,100 / €7,000, the Sony A9 III is slated for release in spring 2024.
 
Davide DB

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