Issue # 38: Hidden treasures

DIVE’s Summer ’25 magazine is here! Packed as always with brilliant photography and great writing – subscribe quickly so you don’t miss out on a copy!

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A DIVE INTO THE UNKNOWN

Raja Ampat is one of the world’s most sought-after diving destinations but it’s far from being completely explored. Award-winning photographer Jenny Stock dives into the unknown as she visits some previously undiscovered spots on board the Raja Ampat Aggressor, accompanied by some of her fantastic photography of never-before-seen reefs.

SAVING MEXICO’S MANTAS

The Caribbean Coast of Mexico is home to one of the world’s largest aggregations of whale sharks – and a gathering of giant manta rays follows them. Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell talks to Karen ‘Manza’ Fuentes about her determination to make sure their populations are preserved, and why they may well be the long-awaited third species.

OCEAN PHYSICS

Helen Czerski began studying the science of bubbles at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography when she realised she needed to learn to scuba dive – and fell in love with it. She talks to Jo Caird about combining her passion for the underwater world with a background in physics in her award-winning science book Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World.

MULTI-DISCIPLINE DIVING

Some underwater photographers prefer macro over wide-angle; others big fish or landscapes. Each takes time to learn and perfect, but diving under the Cement Plant Pier in Barbados provides photographers with a single site to practice them all. Award-winning photographer Catherine Holmes gives us her top tips for study and some stunning results of her own.

UNDERWATER EARNINGS

Lots of people love taking pictures underwater, and there are some super-talented amateurs out there. Most people will only ever see their pictures shared among social media friends – but can you earn an income from sharing them with the world? Colin Marshall shares tips from his 30-year history as a stock agency photographer.

SPEAKING OF PHOTOGRAPHERS…

While there some talented amateurs out there among the underwater photo pros, many, many divers pick up a camera and turn into nightmares with bubbles. Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell shares some of his experiences from his time a full-time dive professional, and what steps divers need to take before ever even thinking about taking snapshots!

BIG SHOT TOGETHERNESS

DIVE’s latest Big Shot underwater photography competition called for images of underwater animals living together – in harmony or, as the case might be, not. Check out the best of the entries from our Big Shot Living Together photo competition as they were meant to be seen – on the pages of a glossy print magazine.

More DIVE Magazine previews:

• DIVE Magazine Spring 2025 – Ocean Colour Scenes
• DIVE Magazine Winter 2024/25 – Never Stop Learning
• DIVE Magazine Autumn 2024 – a giant stride for mankind
• DIVE Magazine Summer 2024 – exploring the depths
• DIVE Magazine Spring 2024 – the Magazine with Bite

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Todd Thimios has what many would believe to be the perfect job – he travels the world on private yachts, searching out the very best dive sites for his clients. His 20 years of luxury wandering has resulted in Ultimate Dive Sites – a glossy book listing his 50 favourites dotted around the globe. Here are three to whet your appetite…

Words and photographs by Todd Thimios

MILFORD SOUND, NEW ZEALAND

Dive below mountains and waterfalls into an environment you’d usually find 200 metres deeper

The South Island of New Zealand – Aotearoa, in the native Māori language – is world-renowned for its dramatic mountainous scenery, and there are few places more dramatic than the Milford Sound. For divers, black coral is the main attraction, but the Sound has much more to offer, and the magic begins with the drive in.

According to Māori legend, Aotearoa’s fjord lands were carved out by the demi-god Tu-te-raki-whanoa, who, upon reaching
Piopiotahi (Milford Sound), did his best work before ending his journey. Undoubtedly, this is one of the prettiest landscapes on Earth, but if you think Milford Sound is otherworldly, wait until you see what’s below the surface.

While technical diving and the discomfort of wearing a drysuit deters many divers, the fun of exploring the ethereal world beneath the fjords is absolutely worth the effort.

Known as New Zealand’s ‘coral capital’, some of the interesting coral trees that you’ll find here are those of red and black corals. Despite their name, black corals are actually white in appearance, thanks to millions of miniscule white polyps in a thin layer of tissue covering the coral’s black skeleton.

Finding these usually deep-water corals in shallow water is a novelty, made possible by the murky surface layer of freshwater run-off blocking out the sunlight. The existence of deep water animals surviving at shallower depths is called ‘deep water emergence’.

With nearly 6,800mm (267in) of annual rainfall, this is one of the wettest places on Earth. As the rain falls onto the mountains, it pulls nutrients from the forest floor down into the sea, creating a blanket effect on the water’s surface.

The result of this murky, tannin-stained water is an incredible marine environment that is starved of light – an ecosystem typical of 200m (656ft) depth is found within only a depth of 10–20m of water.

There’s an eerie feeling for the first few metres as you descend into the murkiness, but once you’ve reached the bottom of that freshwater blanket, the visibility and scenery opens up to dramatic walls hosting large branches of snow-white coral, stingrays, octopuses, nudibranchs, dog or carpet sharks, and clusters of crayfish, all enjoying the protection of the 690 hectare (1705 acre) Piopiotahi/ Milford Sound marine reserve.

If you’re lucky you may spot a New Zealand fur seal or some bottlenose dolphins. A day with local operator Descend Diving (currently taking a break from diving) will have you zipping through the Sound and out to the Tasman Sea, with scenic stops for waterfalls and wildlife spotting.

Two dives are offered and those without prior drysuit experience can pay extra to get training and a certification while on the tour.

With the dive boat setting off from the boat ramp at 9 am, I recommend that you stay close by, rather than driving the winding road (which is prone to rockfalls) in the dark.

There are chalets and a campground at Milford Sound Lodge (milfordlodge.com), but they book out far in advance. If you can’t stay there, the next option is the town of Te Anau, 118 km (73 miles) away; allow about an hour and a half for the drive as the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel can get congested sometimes.

If you’re driving a campervan, there are also some great, cheap Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites, which are positioned in scenic locations along the drive in (doc.govt.nz).

Best time to dive: October-April.

Gear: it’s cold and dark, so drysuit, gloves, hood, socks, thick undergarments and a good light.

Photography tip: Showcasing the landscape both above and below the surface was my main focus, so I felt that shooting wide was the best option. I used an 11-24mm zoo,m which yielded good results of both marine life and divers among Milford’s cold-water reefs. Ensure your strobes are reliable, as even though visibility can be good, it gets dark real fast.

SS COOLIDGE, ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU

Dive deep into an underwater museum of WWII relics mixed with 1940s opulence

Whether you’re a relative newbie to deep water diving or a seasoned deep-sea technical diving adventurer, the SS President Coolidge on Vanuatu’s stunning Espiritu Santo Island offers a fantastic wreck diving experience.

The SS Coolidge isn’t just any shipwreck, at 198m (650ft) long and roughly 22,000 tons (24,000 tonnes), it’s arguably one of the best wreck dives in the world, and you can walk straight off the beach to access it.

Once a luxury passenger liner with elegant cabins and plush restaurants and bars for more than 1,000 people, it was transformed into a troop carrier during World War II when 40,000 troops were stationed on the rapidly converted Espiritu Santo, making it the second largest American base in the Pacific.

It was here in 1942, while entering Santo’s harbour, that Coolidge collided with its own US mines. The ship’s sailing orders had omitted vital information about safe entry into the harbour, and with fears of Japanese submarines looming large, the captain attempted to navigate through the most obvious of channels.

A mine struck her in the engine room, followed by another near her stern. Over the next 90 minutes, 5,340 men from the ship got safely ashore, with only two lives lost. However, the captain’s attempts to beach and save the ship were shortlived.

Coolidge listed heavily on her port side, sank stern first, and slid down the slope into the channel. Today her stern sits in 72m of water and her bow in 20m, creating a sanctuary for deep wreck diving and one of the most unbelievable shore dives imaginable.

Gearing up on the beach, divers take a short walk to the tide line, and after swimming only 40-odd metres, the bow comes into view, marking the beginning of the colossal structure that is the wreck of the Coolidge.

Diving Coolidge is like entering a time capsule. Back in 1980, when Vanuatu gained independence from its French and British colonisers, it was declared that no artefacts would be allowed to be salvaged from the wreck. So today, with the ship still largely intact, divers can swim through its holds and decks, encountering an array of relics from guns, cannons and Jeeps, to helmets and personal supplies left behind by the troops.

Then there’s relics like ‘The Lady’ (a porcelain bas-relief and divers’ favourite), chandeliers, a mosaic tile fountain, elegant baths and grand staircases, which all add to the charm.

While Coolidge is a labyrinth of corridors, rooms and cargo holds, this shouldn’t deter new divers. To truly appreciate the ship’s magnitude and majesty, I recommend at least 10 to 15 dives. After all, she stretches almost 200m in length. But even with just a few dives you can get a taste of her grandeur.

For me, a return to Santo 20 years after I lived here allowed me to see how the wreck has fared over the years (particularly since Vanuatu gets its fair share of cyclones and earthquakes). While a few structures have collapsed (the promenade deck, mainly, and the swimming pool which popped out and fell to the ocean’s floor), overall, the wreck hadn’t changed much. It’s still solid and safe to explore, with the right guides.

Diving in Luganville was pioneered by the legendary Allan Power back in the ’80s. Allan operated a dive centre here right up to his death in 2018. He had made over 15,000 dives on the Coolidge and had taken more than 20,000 divers to the Lady alone.

His legacy is carried forward by Pacific Dive, situated within Luganville’s Espiritu Hotel, which runs daily dives. Its local Ni-Van staff take great pride in the Coolidge. They are incredible guides, accruing tens of thousands of dives between them on the wreck over the years (pacificdive.net).

Best time to dive: year-round, but the May-October dry season is best for sea conditions, temperature and visibility.

Gear: 3mm wetsuit over summer and 5 mm over the colder winter months.

Photography tip: Pack your favourite wide-angle lens and dive Coolidge several times to capture the bow and the full length of the ship when shooting her from outside. Inside, strobes are turned on to focus on the many different chambers and artefacts within.

MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO, MYANMAR

For decades sea gypsies have had this region all to themselves… until now

Off limits since World War II, the Mergui (pronounced mer-gwee) Archipelago in southern Myanmar (formerly Burma) opened to liveaboard dive boats in 1997 and, since then, word-of-mouth about the region has started to spread through the diving world.

Their relative isolation and history of being closed to tourists due to Burma’s military regime have helped them maintain their pristine and undeveloped state.

Known to the outside world by their British colonial name of Mergui (the indigenous name is Myeik), these 800-plus islands are scattered across 400km (248 miles) of the Andaman Sea, down the coastline of Myanmar.

Devoid of hotels and beach front bars, the jungle-clad islands, some of them still unnamed, are inhabited only by a few thousand Moken ‘sea gypsies’, the indigenous people of the Mergui Archipelago.

These semi-nomadic people have traditionally spent their days fishing or boat-building and are known for their incredible freediving abilities. For the Moken, the only tourists that they see are a small number of divers or adventure cruise ship passengers, passing through.

On our expedition, we set sail from Kawthaung (Myanmar’s southern gateway to the archipelago), though commercial liveaboards also depart from Ranong across the Thai border. Most of our trip was based around several well-known sites, with the rest of our trip visiting unknown sites for exploratory dives.

Our captain’s favourite dive was Black Rock, one of the Mergui’s most westerly islands. Standing solitary in the sea with a steep wall dropping down to over 100m (328ft), this pinnacle is a magnet for marine life, giant mantas, vast schools of barracuda, trevally, snapper and fusiliers clouding the waters.

Underwater, this limestone rock is covered in soft corals and anemones; the reef’s crannies and crevasses a haven for scorpionfish and other benthic critters.

At night, the dive site transforms as colourful corals bloom and nocturnal creatures emerge to feed in the nutrient-rich waters.

Another favourite spot was Western Rocky. The island is known for its sharks, including whitetips and blacktips, grey reef sharks and some large nurse sharks, which can be spotted inside a tunnel dive that cuts through the island’s core.

Just north of Western Rocky, a dive site aptly named Shark Cave is also good for spotting nurse sharks, plus whip rays, blotched stingrays and the odd whale shark, and then there are smaller cuties such as seahorses and anemonefish.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip, for me, was the huge gorgonian sea fans found in numerous locations, with a dive site named Fan Forest Pinnacle (also known as Rocky Peaks) being especially populous with wonderful gorgonians. To this day, I would say that the largest and most impressive gorgonian fans I’ve ever seen were in the Mergui Archipelago.

While the Mergui Archipelago has many amazing dive sites to explore, the visibility can be a bit all over the place. Cold-water currents bringing nutrients (commonly called ‘the green monster’) can rush through dive sites unexpectedly.

Some areas have been fished hard, while others have been decimated by dynamite fishing. Then, on some dive sites, ghost nets litter the reefs.

While the archipelago is just beginning to find its feet as a world-class destination for divers, it’s crucial that the government protects the region, not just for the future enjoyment of divers, but also for the Moken people who call it home and depend on these waters for their food, lifestyle and income.

The MV Smiling Seahorse has been running liveaboard dive trips to Mergui since 2012 and offers several scientific and exploratory itineraries. Trips on this small boat, which takes only 16 divers, depart from Ranong in Thailand (thesmilingseahorse.com).

Best time to dive: late October to mid-May for calm seas, blue skies, better visibility and a steady water temperature of 27°C (80°F), which aligns with the migratory patterns of large pelagics, including mantas and whale sharks (Feb–May is prime season for the big stuff).

Gear: 3mm wetsuit for water temperatures around 27°C (80°F) from late Oct to mid-May.

Photography tip: Mergui has a bit of everything: megafauna that needs a wide-angle lens, coral garden seascapes that suit a wide-angle zoom and incredible critters for your macro lens. If possible, pack it all, particularly your wide-angle.

More great reads from our magazine

• Painting with light – an interview with Catherine Holmes
• Artificial Intelligence – good or bad for underwater photography?
• Liveaboard safety – how divers can change it and when to walk away
• Luxury resort versus budget homestay in Raja Ampat
• DIVE’s Big Shot Portraits – THE WINNERS!

Click here to take out a regular yearly subscription

The post Searching for the best – an extract from Todd Thimios’ Ultimate Dive Sites appeared first on DIVE Magazine.

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. Jenny Stock considers its impact on the world of underwater photography, and how she uses it to create perfect pictures.

By Jenny Stock

Long gone are the days of the photographic darkroom. In that otherworldly space, prints would slowly emerge on photographic paper, dimly lit by red lamps while surrounded by trays of intriguingly smelly chemicals.

Today, this archaic practice is rare; the machines have taken over, and AI is everywhere.

Given our additional challenges as underwater photographers (backscatter, low light and a dive buddy who gets in every shot), we need all the help we can get. So, what is available to us? And is AI a force for good or evil?

One of the first things to consider is the purpose of our image. Regular uses for my images include competitions, magazines, documentation, art, conservation messaging and memories. The destination of my image will dictate how I handle my photographs.

When I’m submerged and snapping away, I rarely obtain a flawless image. If it does happen, these perfect pictures are gifts from the underwater gods, and I submit them to competitions that don’t allow any image manipulation. Wildlife Photographer of the Year and GDT, for example.

Conversely, competitions such as Ocean Art and DIVE’s Big Shot allow much more interventionist creativity. Underwater Photographer of the Year allows manipulation, however, I feel their judges are veering towards natural history images of late.

Tragically, most of my images are imperfect and need tinkering with. Luckily, there is a wealth of tools at my disposal. The basic edits provided by Lightroom and Photoshop had their origins in the darkroom – dodging and burning evolved into digital brushes that can raise and lower shadows and highlights.

Software provides an array of interesting AI tools, and after a quick selection with a lasso, I can use a content-aware fill to remove and replace my pesky photobombing dive buddy. Programmes such as Topaz assist me with noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling images.

Most underwater photographers will have heard of the plugin for Photoshop called Backscatter Xterminator. With one click the software identifies and removes backscatter – but is it worth it?

Perhaps not for entries to purist competitions, but for photos that exist to remind us of an incredible encounter, and maybe mount on the wall – absolutely!

Removing backscatter can take hours, so it’s a great time-saving AI tool. But the question must be asked: do we want our photos to be sterile? Backscatter exists in the ocean, always removing it perhaps creates an unrealistic depiction.

Speaking of unrealistic, I must confess I love some of the bizarre images produced by AI, particularly portrayals of horrifying monsters of the deep. I dream of discovering creatures like this on a dive.

A popular image creator is Midjourney and I’ve been greatly entertained playing with it. However, fun as these images
are, they do blur lines between reality and fiction while raising ethical concerns about authenticity.

IS IT ETHICAL?

There is a worry that AI is a weapon of misinformation. Today, social media is filled with images of underwater animals that don’t exist.

Critics also bemoan AI for copying our original work. When commercial organisations choose to use AI creations instead of our photographs, it takes jobs and money away from hard-working photographers. Last month, some artists took action.

One thousand musicians, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Damon Albarn, released a silent album in protest against the UK’s planned changes to copyright law, arguing that it would allow companies to easily duplicate their style, vocals and ideas without paying them.

Should we, in turn, join ranks by producing some blank images? I’ve taken quite a few when I left the lens cap on… maybe I will donate them to the cause.

There is no doubt that AI is problematic. In 2023 a surreptitiously entered AI image won digiDirect’s photography competition.

The picture was created by Sydney-based company Absolutely Ai. It was entered as a publicity stunt to prove ‘machine is now the superior artist to man’.

SPOT THE GENUINE IMAGE

One of the images below is a genuine photograph, the others have all been generated by various AI systems (answer below)

On the underwater circuit, I’ve heard a tale from one judge that an entry, a stunning image of a manatee, got very far in the rounds before it was noticed the animal had an extra flipper. On further investigation, the creator was revealed to be an AI artist, so in the bin it went.

It’s still very difficult to fake RAW files, so a close examination of RAW files should be expelling the fakes.

Conversely, and remarkably, Miles Astray won an AI competition with a genuine photo of a headless flamingo. He named his image Flamingone. This authentic photograph was placed by a panel of judges and it also won the People’s Vote Award before it was revealed the image was genuine, and therefore disqualified.

Miles Astray hoped it would show that ‘nature still outdoes the machines in terms of creativity and beauty’ and that today we can ‘hardly distinguish between real media and AI-generated content’.

Cheating in photography competitions is nothing new. I always chuckle thinking about Wildlife Photographer of the Year having to withdraw an award. The image had won the ‘animals in their environment’ category, and was a dramatic capture of a snuffling anteater, reaching around a glowing termite mound.

However, it was determined by independent scientists that it was actually a photo of a recognised stuffed animal, stolen from outside a visitor centre at the entrance to Brazil’s Emas National Park. Brazilian wildlife photographer Marcio Cabral was disqualified for attempting to deceive judges.

On a more workaday level, AI has significantly improved the focus capabilities of cameras and subject detection. Other innovations have also allowed us to create novel media with cameras such as the Insta360 X4 that can be used with AI software to create an intriguing ‘tiny planet’ view of the world. Even your selfie-stick is ‘disappeared’ from the final image.

I was lucky enough to win third place in this year’s Underwater Photographer of the Year in the compact camera section with one of these striking images, demonstrating that this new and relatively inexpensive technology can compete with more expensive and complicated setups.

Finally, I just used an AI text generator to write a conclusion to this article. I quote: ‘No matter your opinion, AI is here to stay and will continue to be a significant part of your lives, impacting various industries and aspects of daily life. Its rapid development and integration into various sectors indicate its lasting presence.’

There’s no escape, the robots are taking over!

More great reads from our magazine

• Liveaboard safety – how divers can change it and when to walk away
• DIVE’s Big Shot Portraits – THE WINNERS!
• How to become a better diver: never stop learning
• The National Lobster Hatchery – giving lobsters a helping hand
• The Young Dive Ambassadors of Atlantis Dumaguete

Click here to take out a regular yearly subscription

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The loss of eleven lives when Sea Story capsized in November 2024 once again brought liveaboard safety to the fore – but what can we, as divers, do about it? Read this before you book your next trip

By Mark 'Crowley' Russell

In February 2025, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued a safety bulletin concerning Egyptian liveaboards, pointing out several similarities between recent incidents in the Red Sea:

• The boats were poorly constructed and often substantially modified, both of which resulted in some exhibiting inadequate stability.
• Lifesaving equipment was defective, out-of-date for service and, in some cases, missing.
• The rapid spread of the fires was indicative of poor structural fire protection, and essential items of fire safety equipment, such as alarms and extinguishers, were either missing or defective.
• Emergency escape routes were via lockable doors, had no emergency lighting and were unmarked.
• Safety briefings to passengers were of a poor standard or not conducted at all.
• Crews appeared poorly trained and were unfamiliar with their vessels.

It’s important to note that it’s not just Egypt where such problems have occurred. At least three Indonesian liveaboards and one Thai vessel were lost during the same time frame.

Since this article was first published in our print magazine at the end of March, there has been another accident in Egypt and a Thai liveaboard burned to the waterline off Khao Lak – both, fortunately, without loss of life.

It’s also important to note that while it’s easy to blame sub-standard attitudes to safety often observed in developing nations, the worst liveaboard disaster of all time occurred in the United States – in 2019, the MV Conception caught fire at anchor overnight off the coast of California, resulting in the loss of 34 lives.

Some will argue that with so many boats, there are inevitably going to be losses, and while it is true that not every disaster is preventable, the loss of most of these vessels – and the fatalities involved – almost certainly was.

We assume that basic safety is taken care of by operators and overseen by appropriate authorities. We don’t walk around a jet we’re about to board to check if the engines are working and the tyres are properly inflated. But in the case of the latest liveaboard tragedies, raising a few concerns at appropriate times may well have saved some lives.

This is not to blame the passengers who boarded these vessels. However, we can no longer assume that the dive boats we board are up to code.

Since some authorities do not appear to be enforcing what codes there are, it falls to us, as divers, to call them out.

Once unscrupulous operators start learning that poor safety practices lead to poor profits, they will fall over themselves to tout vessel safety as a selling point.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Liveaboard safety starts at the point of contact with the booking agent. Ask questions about the boat you’re booking: Does it have an up-to-date safety certificate? What fire alarm system is on board? Does it have emergency position indicating beacons (EPIRB) and emergency radios installed? Where are they located? Is there a charging station? What capacity are the life rafts? Is the crew trained in emergency management and firefighting? How is the safety briefing conducted?

You might not get answers to everything, but if you ask questions, a reputable booking agent or operator will answer them. If they don’t, then pick another boat or another booking agent.

Check online reviews and pay attention to the negative ones. A lot of them are going to be from unpleasant people with an axe to grind, but well-written reviews with multiple people in agreement are clear warning signs.

Once you arrive at your destination, if the boat does not match the information from the operator, then red flags should be raised. You might be mistaken, though, so check with the guides and the crew to see if they can address your concerns. Always ask; always expect answers.

WHERE DO WE LOOK?

There is a limit to what we can reasonably expect to inspect when boarding a boat. We can’t ask the crew to open up the life rafts to check everything works, but we can ask them to go through the operating instructions – which, by international law, must be present and visible on the exterior of the life raft’s container – during the muster drill.

Similarly, we can’t poke through every cabin to check every life jacket is present, correct and functional – but we can check our own jackets and those of our buddies during the muster drill – during which we will be shown where to find them, wherever we happen to be on the boat should we need them.

We can’t check every fire extinguisher, but we can note if some are not present, and we can expect that the crew will test the fire alarm and emergency warning during the muster drill, so we know what noise will be made if we need to get off the boat.

It’s important to remember, however, that wear-and-tear is not necessarily a safety issue. Cracks in the paintwork, dings in the woodwork and a bit of rust in the shower are the signs of a well-used boat that has worked its way through a busy dive season. Bear in mind that the crew only have a few hours between the last lot of divers disembarking and you boarding to get the vessel ship-shape and ready for your holiday.

WHY DO WE NEED A MUSTER DRILL?

The muster drill is an international requirement for any vessel carrying passengers who will be on board for more than 24 hours – yet many divers will never have heard of it, nor experienced one.

They’re not relevant on small day boats where all the passengers and crew are always either visible or within earshot, and where abandoning ship in an emergency means grabbing a life vest and hopping overboard where, in all probability, other boats will be nearby to assist.

Out at sea, however, muster drills are essential. They give everybody the chance to go through safety equipment and procedures together, as a team, and ask questions or discuss potential problems with the crew.

Although international standards require the muster drill to be given within 24 hours of embarkation, it is widely accepted that they should happen before you leave port or retire for the night, whichever comes first.

If you’re told it will happen the next morning, insist that it is made before then. Be reasonable – you can’t expect individual drills, and it’s better to have one with a full complement of passengers – but do not let them postpone it.

During the muster drill you will be guided around the boat and shown the location of emergency exits and how they operate. If they have a method of operation that is unfamiliar then ask to have a go at opening them yourself.

There are likely to be two muster stations – fore and aft – and you should be taken to both. It might seem obvious that you would be at either the front of the boat or its rear, but how do you get there in an emergency? And which deck? Dive platform or lounge?

In preparation for the drill you should have been told to bring the life jacket from your cabin with you. At one of the muster points the guides or crew should take you through donning and doffing the jacket, how its light operates and where to find the whistle.

You should be shown the location of the life rafts, asked to read the instructions and given a brief overview of what to do if you should ever have to use them.

The crew should sound the alarms for fire and – if different – for abandon ship, together with a briefing covering the abandon ship procedure.

Nick Hibberd, principal inspector of marine accidents for MAIB, says that we don’t need to be expert seafarers to gauge the level of safety on a boat, but a proper briefing will give us a good idea of where we stand when we board an unfamiliar vessel.

‘They can show you anything,’ he says, ‘but unless you’re a life raft maintainer, you probably wouldn’t have a clue, so there is an element of feeling comfortable that the basics, such as the muster, the escape, are covered. Is it well-lit? Are you told not to charge electronic devices below deck? Is there a plan to get off? Is there access to life jackets?

You can’t produce an exhaustive list but checking basic competency and provision of equipment is a good idea.’

SURVIVOR’S ADVICE: DANILO RÖẞGER

Danilo, from Germany, was trapped inside his cabin for an hour after Sea Story overturned. He escaped and was later picked up by a rescue helicopter.

• It’s hard to spot safety issues beforehand, especially when you’re in vacation mode. Sea Story looked impressive at first glance – luxurious, with a knowledgeable crew, and new equipment. But underneath were serious safety issues that only became obvious during the emergency.
• My general advice is to do your research. Check the operator thoroughly on forums, Reddit, Google or Tripadvisor. Negative reports should be taken very seriously, particularly those mentioning safety – even if they’re outnumbered by positive reviews. What appears to be an isolated negative review might actually be highlighting systemic problems.
• We all want to trust dive operators to provide a safe and enjoyable experience in exchange for our money, but this trust needs verification.
• If I could go back, I would have asked more specific questions about emergency procedures. Rather than accepting a basic safety briefing, I’d request details about emergency exit routes from specific cabins, location of emergency lighting systems, and ask to see where life rafts are stored and how they are deployed.
• During the capsizing, the most valuable asset would have been a waterproof flashlight secured to my person. In the pitch darkness of a flooded cabin, orientation becomes nearly impossible.
• Also, important documents (credit card, passport, etc) in a waterproof bag could save a lot of trouble afterwards.

WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY?

‘First of all, there has to be a way of raising the alarm and making people aware that there is an incident,’ says Hibberd. ‘That could be continually sounding the ship’s horn, or even banging pots and pans, but there has to be something to recognise that this is serious – we need to get up and get ready to go.’

Keeping a waterproof ‘go-bag’ containing any necessary medications, glasses, passport, mobile phone and a small torch next to your bed is a great idea, ready to grab if you need to leave your cabin in a hurry.

‘The next thing you should do is proceed to the muster station – there need to be at least two, so if you can’t get to one, you can get to the other,’ continues Hibberd. ‘Be aware of what happens when you get to that muster station: is it donning your life jacket or getting ready to get in a life raft?

‘Make sure that you know where everybody is – the captain should have a muster list so they know who’s who and where they are on board.

‘What happens next all depends on the situation – we’re not trained firefighters, so if it’s a fire you’ll be getting ready to get off, and you need to think about how to get into the life raft. Are you going to need to get into the water to do that, or can you safely keep it alongside the vessel?’

SURVIVOR’S ADVICE: SARAH MARTIN

Sarah is a Lancaster-based doctor who escaped her lower-deck cabin on Sea Story. She found herself drifting for nearly two hours before being picked up by the crew in a RIB and transported to a life raft.

• If changes are being made to the vessel/route, ask questions and find out why.
• Avoid operators and even geographical areas with repeated poor track records and safety failings.
• Ensure you have good travel insurance! Take time to read the fine print and choose a policy that provides the cover you need.
• Having a dive torch with me would have made a big difference.
• I would consider travelling with a personal locator beacon where it is legal (though this still relies on emergency services in the area responding, so it’s unclear how much help it would have been for us).
• Stay with the boat after escaping the interior – we didn’t realise this was the safest option, and initially swam away from the boat because of debris falling from it and being worried about it pulling us down.
• Take photos of all important documents – passport, cards, ID etc and save your insurance policy info. Send to yourself and someone else. I had all this info saved to my own drive but was not able to access it without my phone because of the need for dual-factor authentication.
• I spent a lot of the time in the life raft really wishing I’d worn some leggings to bed so I wasn’t just in a t-shirt and underwear and wishing my watch was on and charged.
• If the worst happens and you lose all your possessions, get a letter from your embassy in your language and the local language to explain what has happened. I found this very useful as airport officials wouldn’t recognise my temporary passport.

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU NEED TO ABANDON SHIP?

It’s important to remember that the call to abandon ship is a last resort. Fire can spread very quickly, but it can’t spread instantaneously, and even a badly damaged boat may remain at the surface for some time – Sea Story, for example, remained afloat for at least two days after capsizing.

The boat is a valuable resource for as long as it remains afloat. If it has an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) then that will be the emergency response teams’ first point of contact. If it doesn’t have EPIRB, the boat is the largest available target for search operations.

Other valuable resources such as fresh water, food supplies, clothing, flotation aids, dive gear and perhaps mobile phones and radios might be accessible and – importantly – everybody can remain together.

The International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations stipulate that life rafts should be tethered to the boat with a rope known as the painter line.

Since a life raft thrown overboard into strong winds and currents becomes instantly useless, it should remain tethered once deployed, keeping it close to the boat and more easily accessible if needed.

Some painter systems have a hydrostatic release, a pressure-activated mechanism which will deploy the life raft if it is submerged. Once deployed, the raft is inflated by pulling on the painter – a minimum of 15-metres long by international standards, so there can be a lot of rope to pull – but it will eventually activate a cylinder of compressed air to automatically inflate the raft.

Painters are commonly secured through a specially designed clip known as the ‘weak link’, which will break under strain and prevent the life raft from being dragged underwater should its parent vessel sink. If there is no weak link, then the tether needs to be manually managed and detached if it becomes necessary.

‘You can’t prescribe exactly what to do because it depends on the situation,’ says Hibberd, ‘but you should stay with the vessel as long as you can, because that’s probably the biggest and best thing you’ve got. But you will need to go if it becomes clear that it’s untenable to remain.’

WHEN DO WE WALK AWAY?

Hindsight always makes it easy to spot red flags that may not have been obvious at the time, and it’s important to note that there are many fantastic operators who do their utmost to enforce the best safety standards possible. One broken life jacket does not make the whole boat unsafe.

Nevertheless, if you board a boat and it’s clear that the standards do not match the information provided by the operator during the booking process, then questions need to be asked. First impressions are not always accurate but if you really feel that your safety has been compromised, then it might be time to step up and say you want off the boat.

It’s a tough decision to make. No insurance firm will compensate you for abandoning your holiday in this manner, and if you want to claim for a replacement hotel from the tour operator you will need to have a lot of evidence to back you up.

Liveaboard safety should not be a unique selling point, it should be universal, and our best course of action is to call out substandard practice where we see it – and loudly.

The best time to walk away is when we’re making our bookings, so if, for any reason, you do not have confidence in your booking agent or liveaboard operator, find another.

Eventually, they will get the message and improve their safety standards, or go out of business – and both of those outcomes are acceptable.

More great reads from our magazine

• The Young Dive Ambassadors of Atlantis Dumaguete
• DIVE’s Big Shot Portraits – THE WINNERS!
• Inspiring Hope – an interview with Cristina ‘Mitty’ Mittermeier
• Shark and Jolanda Reef – Howard Rosenstein on the day it all began…
• Are work-for-training scuba diving internships worth it?

Click here to take out a regular yearly subscription

The post Liveaboard safety – how divers can change it and when to walk away appeared first on DIVE Magazine.

Check out the winning and highly commended images from our Big Shot Portraits underwater photography competition – as featured in our Spring ’25 print magazine

The secret of a great portrait is the instant connection it creates with the viewer. You feel you know the subject.

Some, such as this issue’s Big Shots winner – Ralph Paprzycki’s striking blenny, stop you in your tracks. They impose upon you. Others, such as Marcia Riederer’s, highly commended dwarf minke whale beguile and seduce.

The vast majority of the 200 or so stunning entries to this Big Shots competition all shared one common element – the eye is clearly the window to the soul. Looking into the subject’s eye (or eyes) is what draws you in.

Ralph wins a an Aggressor Adventures’ liveboard trip in Thailand. The highly commended receive a print and digital subscription for a year and the other entries published receive a year’s digital subscription. Thank you all for entering!

For our summer issue, the theme is Living Together. Life underwater is often in complex interdependent communities – some relationships are mutually beneficial, others strictly predatory.

We want to see images which reveal the connection between marine species. The winner, selected by DIVE’s editorial staff, will receive a trip on an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard in Raja Ampat worth $3,745. The other entries published in DIVE win a year’s digital subscription.

Stick your address in the newsletter sign-up box below* to make sure you stay up-to-date!

WINNER – DIVE’s Big Shot Portraits

‘Blenny With Attitude’ by Ralph Paprzycki

A sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) on a night dive at Veterans Park, Redondo Beach, California.

Shot with: Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 lens at 35mm, Ikelite housing, Sea&Sea YS-D3 strobe with snoot; f8, 1/125, ISO 500

SECOND PLACE

‘Eye to Eye’ by Marcia Riederer

This encounter happened during a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, in Australia. This curious dwarf minke whale came so close that I could only see her eye, even through my wide-angle lens.

Shot with: Sony A7RV, 16-35mm, Isotta housing; f/6.3, 1/250, ISO 1000

THIRD

‘Portrait of a Dragon’ by Rowan Dear

Having spent several days shooting the leafy sea dragons and their habitat, I decided to switch to the Sony 90mm macro lens for a night dive. While shy at first, this male leafy – who was also carrying eggs – eventually became more comfortable in my presence.

Shot with: Sony A7IV; 90mm macro lens, Red Video Focus Light, INON Z330 strobes; 1/80 ,f18, ISO 320

FOURTH

‘Toothy Grin’ by JillAnne McCarty

This large American saltwater crocodile, in Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina, swam over to see our boat. I slipped into the water and waited with my eye in the viewfinder. As the crocodile came towards me, he suddenly jerked his head and snapped his jaw. I captured the image with his teeth nearly on my camera’s dome port.

Shot with: Nikon D850, Nikon 16-35 mm lens, 240 mm dome port, Nauticam housing, ambient light; f20, 1/200, ISO 800

HIGHLY COMMENDED

‘Playtime’ by Rowan Dear

Taken at Montague Island, Narooma, Australia. This playful sea lion was zipping through the seagrass. It made for a perfect
image of contrasting colours showing these playful animals in their environment.

Shot with: Sony A7IV 16-35mm 2.8 lens, INON Z330 strobes; f8, 1/200, ISO 320

‘Seacow’ by Romeo Bodolai

This dugong was feeding on seagrass at Marsa Shagra in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Shot with: Sony a7R4, Canon 8-15mm fisheye, Nauticam housing, Ikelite strobes; f10. 1/250, ISO 100

‘Trigger Happy’ by Michael Gallagher

Titan triggerfish are notoriously aggressive around their nests during breeding season, and this one was no exception! I snapped this photograph while hurriedly retreating, and it was not until after the dive that I realised that I had captured the
potent beauty of this special fish and its formidable teeth.

Shot with: Canon 5D3, Canon 50mm macro lens, Hugyfot housing, dual Inon Z240 strobes; f11 1/125, ISO 400

‘Spotted’ by Michael Gallagher

I encountered this magnificent male parrotfish dozing on the reef during a night dive in Lhaviyani Atoll in the Maldives.

Shot with: Canon 20D; Canon 60mm macro lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS-125 strobe x1; f16, 1/100, ISO 100

‘Hair Ball’ by Michael Gallagher

Frogfish must be one of my favourite fish of all time, and this hairy frogfish must be one of my personal favourite underwater sightings.

Shot with: Canon 50D, Tokina 35mm macro lens, Hugyfot housing, Inon Z240 strobe with snoot; f22, 1/200, ISO 200

‘Nobility’ by Imogen Manins

I regularly visited this individual during freediving sessions at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, Port Philipps Bay, Australia. The rocky reef was covered in a lush carpet of green seaweeds of the Caulerpa genus, providing rich feeding rounds for the bigbelly seahorse.

Shot with: Olympus TG6, Backscatter Air Lens, Olympus housing, video light MW4300; f3.2, 1/160, ISO 100

‘Prince of the Waterfall’ by Romeo Bodelai

Traunfall is a breathtaking waterfall in Austria with excellent visibility (10-15 m) and underwater rock formations, along with plenty of large pike.

Shot with: Sony a7R4, Canon 8-15mm fisheye, Nauticam housing, Ikelite strobes; f22, 1/2, ISO 100

‘Embedded’ by Christian Horras

At the end of a dive around Anilao, I saw this little blenny and decided to try a different take for a picture. I used a slow shutter speed, a snoot and a little camera movement to create the effect in the picture.

Shot with: Nikon Z8, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Seacam housing, Seacam Seaflash 150D strobes; f16, 1/10, ISO 64

‘Playful Calf’ by Vanessa Mignon

Every year, humpback whales travel to Tonga, to mate and give birth. During that time it is possible to swim with them. That day we saw a small fin break the surface, and start swimming in circles, a sign that it was a calf coming up for air while its mother was resting below.

Shot with: Canon 5D Mark IV; Canon 16-35 mm lens, Nauticam housing; f6.3, 1/160, ISO 320

‘The Pinch’ by Fabi Fregonesi

An anemonefish with a shrimp delicately perched on its head with the anemone as a frame, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.

Shot with: Canon 5D Mark IV; 100mm Canon lens, Nauticam housing, 2 Inon Z330 strobes; f18, 1/250, ISO 100

‘Orange Beauty’ by Miguel Ramirez

While diving in Wakatobi, Indonesia, I was lucky enough to see this beautiful and rarely spotted spinecheek anemonefish (Premnas biaculeatus).

Shot with: Nikon D500; Nikon 85mm lens, Hugyfot housing, Inon Z330 x2; f/25, 1/200, ISO 100

‘Shining Sea Horse’ by Stefano Colombo

I had my buddy backlighting while I used a snoot for filling in the front of the seahorse during a muck dive in Tulamen, Bali.

Shot with: Canon EF 5DMKIV; Canon 100mm macro lens, Isotta housing. Inon Z330 strobes, Snooty Snoot; f/13, 1/200, ISO 320

Previous competition winners:

• DIVE’s Biggest Shots – best of 2024
• DIVE’s Big Shot Bright & Beautiful
• DIVE’s Big Shot Caves, Caverns & Overhangs winners
• DIVE’s Big Shot Cephalopods winners
• See all our Big Shot winners here

Click here to take out a regular yearly subscription

The post DIVE’s Big Shot Portraits – THE WINNERS! appeared first on DIVE Magazine.