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Prepping for Print

Prepping for Print. Simulation image by Rico Besserdich.
For large prints, the increased viewing distance plays an important role when it comes to DPI resolution and thus maximum possible print size. The larger the print, the less DPI is necessary. Simulation image by Rico Besserdich.

The final stage of creating an image is printing it. Despite the fact that we are living in an increasingly screen-oriented world, a printed image still proves the old saying, “If it’s not printed, it does not exist.” This is 100 percent right. As a matter of fact, only a good print can reveal the full magic and spirit of your image. This is what you, and your images, deserve, and this is what we are going to discuss now.

The USS Johnston off Seattle, Washington (USA), on 27 October 1943

USS Johnston, world's deepest known wreck, identified

The 115m-long US Navy destroyer is widely known for her bold action in the Battle off Samar, the Philippines.  The actions of the relatively lightly armed Johnston—sunk after a fierce battle with a large fleet of Japanese warships—helped stop the Japanese Admiral Kurita's Center Force from attacking vulnerable U.S.

Their apparent problem-solving ability has led cephalopods to be recognised as intelligent.

Do octopuses dream?

Scientists used to think that only mammals and birds experienced different sleep states. More recent research, however, has revealed some reptiles and cuttlefish -- another cephalopod and relative of the octopus -- show non-REM and REM-like sleep.

A new study has found that the octopus has ‘quiet’ and ‘active sleep’, with different episode duration and periodicity, and experiences active sleep after a long episode of quiet sleep.

My Favorite Underwater Photo Technique: Contributors' Picks

Photo by Kate Jonker
Photo by Kate Jonker: Blue and yellow gasflame nudibranch, South Africa. Exposure: ISO 160, f/18, 1/250s. Gear: Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera, Canon 60mm macro lens, Sea&Sea MDX housing, Inon Z240 strobe with Iardino’s Snooty, OrcaTorch D900V for spotting light

We asked our contributors what their favorite underwater photography technique was and they sent us images and insights into a range of intriguing techniques from close-up wide-angle to use of reflective cylinders and Snell's window to circular fisheye and snoots to using sunballs and sunrays for backlighting as well as how to create black backgrounds.

Ten Commandments of Tech Diving Ops, Part II

Cave diver. Photo by Andrey Bizyukin.
Cave diver. Photo by Andrey Bizyukin.

In part one of this series, which appeared in issue #103, I suggested a few commandments to consider in order to ensure, as far as possible, that your technical dives are safe and successful. These were: First commandment: Prepare paperwork; Second commandment: Nominate a supervisor; Third commandment: Deploy safety divers. In this sequel, I deliver a few more tablets of stone.

Photo courtesy of Diveheart Malaysia
Diveheart Malaysia Ambassador Syed Abdul Rahman (third from the right) flashes the “OK” signal with participants in a Diveheart and adaptive diving program he conducted on Mabul Island, Malaysia. Photo courtesy of Diveheart Malaysia.

Diveheart partners with Tourism Malaysia for Moscow Dive Show 2021

The exhibition is an excellent opportunity to connect with divers in Russia and Eastern Europe and widen the adaptive diving community, according to Jim Elliott, founder of Diveheart.

“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the life-changing power of scuba diving. There really are no boundaries to what we can achieve, and we have seen time and time again how educational scuba therapy has built confidence and transformed the lives of people with disabilities all over the world,” said Elliott.

Exploring UJ-2208: The WWII Battleship in Genoa

Diver explores the port side of UJ-2208, located off the coast of Genoa in Italy. Photo by Marco Mori.
Diver explores the port side of UJ-2208, located off the coast of Genoa in Italy. Photo by Marco Mori.

This is the incredible story of the French trawler that was turned into the German submarine fighter UJ-2208 during WWII and sunk by a British submarine off the coast of Genoa in 1944. Nowadays, the UJ-2208 lies on the seabed at a depth of 108m, covered in Mediterranean mud, fishing nets, shrimp and oysters.

Emperor Divers’ Awards 3rd Covid Diver Hero

In February Emperor Divers launched the Covid Diver Heroes initiative, where we aim to recognise 8 people who have stepped up in the pandemic with free liveaboard trips in the Maldives and the Red Sea.

We are delighted to share with you the story of our third hero Megumi Gotada, who wins a free Red Sea liveaboard trip. Megumi was nominated by two different people showing the effect she has had in her community, and so here we have the nomination from her friend and colleague Katharina Berger:

Our water did not come from space

Where did the oceans really come from?

Most scientists think they came from water-rich asteroids and comets raining down on the planet in its youth. Just after the Earth formed, it was very hot and dry. Prevailing theory suggests that millions of water-rich comets and asteroids bombarded our planet around 3.8 billion years ago, neatly explaining why oceans later appeared.

Also, the ratio of deuterium—or “heavy hydrogen” because it contains a neutron in addition to a proton—to hydrogen in our sea water matches the value found in water-rich asteroids, suggesting a common origin.

Scuba Diver License Plates Are Coming to Texas!

Texas vehicles can soon sport this recently approved SCUBA diver license plate.

The plate design will be offered for sale by My Plates, the official TxDMV-approved private vendor for specialty license plates in Texas.

Development of the plate was sponsored by CHUM – Houston’s SCUBA club, but there was broad grassroots support for the concept from SCUBA divers, dive clubs, and dive shops from every corner of the state.