On Tuesday 31 August the international dive community lost one of the photography greats; Brian Pitkin passed away. Linda Pitkin wrote on her Facebook page: "My darling Brian died this morning, in hospital after suddenly becoming worse, but such a gentle and peaceful death, with no apparent distress for him."
We asked our contributors what their favorite underwater portraits were, and they sent us photos and tales of intriguing marine life. From sea lions to hammerhead sharks, manatees to sea turtles, dolphins to pilot whales, lemon sharks to pufferfish, wrasse and seahorses, and even kids, X-Ray Mag contributors share their favorite images showing a range of faces and personalities found under the waves.
With premium amenities onboard such as the SCR Horizon by Mares and the latest underwater scooters by Divertug, you will get much more out of your Blue Force experience.
Make your reservation now and enjoy it!
While the Central Atolls Route is the best-known route in the Maldives it also offers the best and most varied dives. This itinerary, which also goes by North and South Male Atolls, Vaavu and Ari, is served by our premier liveaboard Maldives Blue Force One every week from August to May.
The 7-night itinerary with embarkation and disembarkation at Male Airport includes six dive days with 18 dives and two night dives.
Leaving aside the question of why shark scientists would work to undermine shark conservationists, its simplistic assertion focuses on just two unrelated subjects: the efforts to ban the shark fin trade, and the existence or not, of sustainable shark fisheries.
A monitor for photographers and designers
The new NA-GFX100S housing for the FujiFilm GFX 100S medium format mirrorless camera.
• DAN seeks a safety services coordinator to support its educational, safety-development, and outreach programs. Duties include monitoring and developing injury-prevention initiatives and fielding risk mitigation and training inquiries. This person will communicate with dive operators, dive professionals, and the public about mitigating risk and promoting operational safety in diving.
The updated YS-D3 Mark II underwater strobe by Sea&Sea has all the same specifications as the original (Mark I) model but adds compatibility
and improved TTL accuracy with Sea&Sea and third-party strobe triggers.
Final Call
The University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is accepting entries for its annual Underwater Photography Contest. Since its inception in 2005, the contest has drawn several thousand entrants from across the globe and a collection of beautiful images.
In a region already woefully short of adequate hyperbaric emergency services for divers, chambers from Mississippi to Northwest Florida are reportedly now filling up with Covid-19 patients fighting for their lives.
As reported earlier on this site, the closest decompression chambers to the popular Oriskany dive site and Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail are in Mobile, Alabama which is out of state—or in Fort Myers, more than 600 miles away.
Dutch Springs has been the location for sport, technical, and public safety divers to gather for the last 41 years. Divers travel to Dutch from all over the Northeast for training, socializing, or underwater fun.
Dutch Springs is crowded with open water students, technical divers trying new gear, and photographers practicing their art every summer weekend. Owner Stu Schooley and his staff have done a remarkable job filling the lake with attractions, including various boats, trucks, airplanes, a school bus, and helicopters.
Drawing on profound experiences underwater, as well as shark and reef conservation work in Belize, Hawaii, Puget Sound, Bahamas and Australia, American artist and James Madison University professor Lisa Tubach creates exuberant, dynamic and compelling paintings inspired by underwater forms, creatures and ecosystems, as well as the perils facing the ocean’s fragile reefs.
