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Ghost Diving establishes a new chapter in the UK

The international volunteer diver organisation—formerly known as Ghost Fishing—was founded in 2012 to locate and remove lost, snagged and entangled fishing gear or "ghost fishing" equipment from our oceans and seas, across the globe.

From day one this important role has always been conducted by groups of highly experienced, specially skilled, volunteer technical divers who are used to team diving on standard gases, using a set equipment configuration. The divers involved understand and appreciate the hazards of these dives.

Correction Notice

Dr Rich Walker, Chairman of Ghost Fishing UK advised us in writing on the 15 February 2021. 

"In addition GF-UK focuses on writing and selling removal courses to non-technical divers.

"Our course was written years ago, and we categorically do not "sell” them. The course is free of charge to all that are selected to attend. Delivering courses is not a primary focus of Ghost Fishing UK. It is a necessary component of maintaining a safe and effective team." Rich Walker

Ten Commandments of Tech Diving Ops, Part I

An excellent strategy to guard against complacency and protect you and your dive team from becoming too casual about your diving is to establish set operational procedures for all your technical dives.

Today, technical diving is well into its fourth decade. We now have better tools, technology and systems than we did in the past and we know far more about which methods, decompression strategies and gear configurations work well and which do not.

Adventure & Archaeology

Underwater archaeologist working on a site of amphorae on the shipwreck of the Mazotos, in Cyprus
Underwater archaeologist working on a site of amphorae on the shipwreck of the Mazotos, in Cyprus

On opposite sides of the planet from each another, two historic shipwrecks sit in a constant state of change. Both bear historical witness to the story of their day, yet they are very different: One is a Mediterranean cargo vessel from over 2,300 years ago, the other a Norwegian tanker that sank off the coast of New Jersey in 1964.

Proper Export of Underwater Images in Postproduction

Lionfish, the image to be used for this tutorial
Lionfish, the image to be used for this tutorial

In this series of articles on postproduction of underwater images, we have worked a lot on white balance settings, basic and advanced exposure corrections, contrast and curves, advanced techniques of removing colour casts, basic and advanced retouching, final colour boost, cropping and sharpening. Finally, our image is ready! And now, we arrive at the question: What do I do with it?

Vanessa Barragão Portfolio

Geri Coral, by Vanessa Barragão
Geri Coral, by Vanessa Barragão. Created with 100% recycled wool, 120 x 230cm

Portuguese textile artist Vanessa Barragão creates beautiful, exquisite artworks inspired by the textures, shapes and forms of corals and invertebrate life found on ocean reefs. Employing handmade ancestral crafts, she uses only sustainably sourced upcycled materials.

Dan Orr has been re-elected to the DEMA Board. He is pictured here with fellow industry consultant Betty Orr.

DEMA announces the 2021 Board of Directors

The following individuals will serve three terms.

A1: Manufacturing

Jenna Meistrell, Body Glove (elected 2021)

A2: Diver Certification and Training Agencies

Tom Leaird, SEI Scuba

Jeff Mondle, PADI Americas (elected 2021)

A3: Dive Publishing, Media, Consulting and Non-Retail Service Providers

William Cline, Cline Group Advertising

Dan Orr, Dan Orr Consulting (elected 2021)

A4: Retailers

Two more dive shows postponed

On Friday 29 Jan and only a few hours apart, we received similar updates from the organisers of the New Jersey-based Beneath the Seas dive show and the Swedish Dive Show, Dykmässen, which in recent years have been taken place in Gothenburg in the Swedish West coast. Both announced that they will be postponing their respective events until next year due to the restrictions being imposed because of the pandemic.

Beneath the Seas writes:

Press Release

North Atlantic right whale
North Atlantic right whale

Good news for north Atlantic right whales in southeastern US

As at the end of January 2021, 68 north Atlantic right whales have been spotted in the waters off the coast of southeastern United States, a number that wildlife officials in Florida describe as “encouraging.”

Three of these are young calves that have been spotted for the first time.

The mothers of these calves are a 12-year-old whale named Champagne, a 19-year-old named Infinity and a 14-year-old with no recorded name (but is known simply as Catalog #3720).

The Maldives' Deep South Atolls

Snorkelers can swim with whale sharks at Gaafu
Snorkelers can swim with whale sharks at Gaafu

We were in Addu, the second largest “city” in the Maldives and capital of the southernmost atoll. Located 45 miles below the equator, and 540km south of Malé, this is the most remote of the 26 atolls that, scattered along almost 900km of the Indian Ocean, make up the archipelago of the Maldives.

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Triples in Size

Photo credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA

Moving forward, this expansion means increased protections for important species and habitats. The expansion areas will be home to future conservation work and support resource protection, recreation and stewardship for local communities and the country. In particular, the sanctuary’s expansion provides an excellent opportunity to: