Inside Scuba Issue #34

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Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
May 18, 2025

Welcome to Issue #34 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #34 of Inside Scuba. This edition invites us to reflect deeply on our role as divers in ocean conservation. Inspired by David Attenborough’s Oceans, we explore the delicate balance between showcasing marine beauty and acknowledging the pressing challenges our oceans face. Alongside this, we delve into the fascinating world of anemonefish, examine the suitability of the Nauticam EMWL lens for underwater photography, and highlight recent developments in marine science and diving news.

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What’s happening in this edition?

What Can We as Scuba Divers Learn from David Attenborough’s Ocean?

There are few voices in the natural world that carry as much weight — or as much calm urgency as Sir David Attenborough. When he speaks, people listen. Not because he shouts,  but because he educates. He brings the world to us as he sees it today and has seen it over the past 70 years, and he challenges us to rethink how we interact with it.

His new film, Ocean, is no exception. It’s breathtaking, of course — a cinematic deep dive into the blue heart of our planet that we as scuba divers are lucky to be able to see with our own eyes. It’s full of the kind of footage we’ve come to expect from his team—swirling bait balls under siege by dolphins and sharks, time-lapse corals blooming like alien flowers, and ghostly creatures drifting through the twilight zone. But this isn’t just nature porn for TV, instead it’s a call to action, and for us, scuba divers, it’s one we understand better than most.

So let me ask you a hard question: Are we, the people who claim to love the ocean most, really doing enough to protect it?

Because Ocean doesn’t let us off the hook. It celebrates the beauty, yes. But it also exposes the fragility, the loss, the wounds. And it asks, in quiet but undeniable terms — what are we willing to do about it?

In this article the idea is not to convince you to watch the show, you should already want to as divers, nor is it to tell you the fine details of the program, but instead to discuss the lessons we can learn, as divers.

So, let’s break down the lessons from the film—not as casual viewers with no intimate knowledge or firsthand experience of the ocean, but as divers. As people who spend time in the water, camera in hand, eyes wide open. What can we learn? What should we do differently? And are we brave enough to answer that honestly?

In each issue of our newsletter, we will curate some top dive news from around the world. Links to each of the original articles are available.

NPR News: “Humans still haven't seen 99.999% of the deep seafloor. Bizarre creatures like vampire squid and blobfish make their home in the dark, cold, depths of the deep sea, but most of this watery realm remains a complete mystery.”

Alex Mustard (via Facebook): “Exciting news! UPY introducing a new category for photos taken with phones next year - to show what talented photographers can produce underwater with this technology. Open to all photographers and free to enter (and therefore doesn't reduce the number of pictures you enter elsewhere in the contest). We're hoping to attracted entries from both new shooters and established photographers - to showcase what is possible with the technology that most people are already carrying in their pockets.

Phone shots have always been allowed (and have been previously awarded) in UPY, but now have their own category - as recognition as this becoming the way more and more people are getting into underwater shooting.”

Dive Magazine: “Chinese diver dies off Indonesia’s Kakaban Island. The body of a Chinese diver who died off Kakaban Island, one of the Derawan Islands in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, has been recovered after she disappeared while trying to retrieve a dropped camera. The diver, a 30-year-old woman identified by local authorities as Zhang Xiao Han, appears to have dropped her GoPro camera during a safety stop at the end of a dive on the morning of Saturday, 3 May.”

GlobalSeaweed.org: “The state of the world’s seaweeds is an up-to-date review, prompted by an urgent need to conserve and protect the world’s seaweeds in the face of devastating impacts due to human activities and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Bringing together multiple sources of evidence on global seaweed distribution, habitats and ecosystem services, with how seaweeds are threatened, protected and restored, this document provides the evidence for a Seaweed Breakthrough conservation initiative.”

Divernet: “Diver dies as Sicily superyacht recovery begins. A 39-year-old Dutch commercial diver died yesterday (9 May) during preliminary operations to recover the Bayesian superyacht, which sank at a depth of 50m off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, last August.”

Dive Magazine: “Shark fins seized at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. A huge haul of 402 shark fins weighing in at 102 kilograms (224 lbs) has been seized by Thai customs officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The seizure was conducted during a joint operation between Thailand’s Customs Department and Chinese anti-smuggling authorities on Saturday, 3 May.”

Divernet: “Diver dies at Red Sea observatory. A scuba diver working for the Coral World Underwater Observatory in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat has been pronounced dead after being recovered unconscious from the sea onto a beach.”

Deeper Blue: “Could A New Gel Boost Coral Reef Restoration? Scientists have developed a gel that improved coral larvae settlement by up to 20 times.”

Dive Magazine: “Tragedy as diver dies at Belize’s Lighthouse Reef. A 45-year-old American diver has reportedly died by drowning during a dive at Lighthouse Reef, Belize. The man, who has been identified as Sagar Dhanasekhar from North Carolina, was part of a group of 18 divers when he was spotted floating motionless in the water, approximately 40 metres (131 ft) from the dive boat.”

Deeper Blue: “Rork Media Buys Scuba Show and California Diving News. The company that owns scuba diving media brands like Scuba Diver Magazine, Divernet.com and the GO Diving Show, announced this week it has bought the rights and assets of the California Diving News and Scuba Show in Long Beach, California.”

Divernet: “The 2025 International Cave Diving Conference is set to take place in High Springs, Alachua in the heart of north Florida’s freshwater springs cave-diving country at the end of May. The annual event is hosted by the National Speleological Society – Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS). Founded in 1973 by famed cave-explorer Sheck Exley, the NSS-CDS is the USA’s biggest non-profit cave-diving organization and works to boost safety, education and conservation in the sport.”

Divernet: “Divers find missing link to iconic Vasa wreck. Since the early 17th-century shipwreck Vasa was salvaged almost intact from the Stockholm river 60 years ago it has become one of Sweden’s biggest tourist attractions – but some items were suspected to have been left behind at the “Vasa Grotto” wreck-site.”

Why the Nauticam EMWL Isn’t for Everyone—But Might Be Perfect for You

There are a handful of moments in underwater photography when a new tool can create images that have never been seen before. Not in some vague “this lens is sharp” kind of way, but in a shift that alters your creative instincts and how you approach your shooting. For me, the Nauticam EMWL (Extended Macro Wide Lens) was one of those moments.

At first glance, the EMWL looks like something off a science fiction set — a long, almost surgical probe with interchangeable optics and a heavy price tag to match. But this odd-looking extension of my housing is a game changer. Over the last two years, I’ve dragged this lens through my travels around the world, I’ve loved it, hated it, cursed it, and ultimately, come to appreciate the images it offers, but the lens is not without its issues.

This is the story of how I use the EMWL — what it does brilliantly, where it drives me mad, how it can genuinely evolve your photographic portfolio, and whether it deserves a place in your dive bag.

The EMWL offers a fisheye perspective on a macro scene when using the 160 degree optic

The Anemonefish: Icons of the Indo-Pacific Reef

Before I got into underwater photography, I kept a fairly large reef aquarium. One of the first fish I added was a mated pair of clownfish. Their bond, quirky behavior, and constant activity around their host anemone captivated me. That early fascination led me to breed clownfish—a challenging but rewarding pursuit. Years later, I find myself on dive trips across the Indo-Pacific, spotting their wild cousins on coral reefs from the Red Sea to Raja Ampat. And despite all the places I've been and species I've encountered, the anemonefish still holds a special place for me—both as a photographer and as someone who once raised them by hand.

A Family of Many Faces

Anemonefish, also known as clownfish, belong to the subfamily Amphiprioninae, which includes around 30 recognized species. The most well-known among them is Amphiprion ocellaris—popularized by a certain animated movie—but the family also includes A. clarkii, A. percula, A. frenatus, and the striking pink anemonefish (A. perideraion). These fish inhabit tropical reefs across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Polynesia, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Each species has preferred host anemones—large sea anemones with specialized stinging tentacles—and is generally found in relatively shallow depths, often less than 20 meters (66 feet), making them a common sight for recreational divers.

Our friend, Jacob Guy has released a show-reel for 2025 and all we can say is Wow! Check out Jacob’s video below.

Summary

As we surface from this issue, we're reminded that our passion for diving carries with it a responsibility to protect the marine environments we cherish. Whether it's reevaluating our seafood choices, supporting marine conservation efforts, or selecting dive operators committed to sustainability, every action counts. Let's continue to dive with purpose and advocate for the health of our oceans.

Until next time, happy bubbles!

Andy & Byron

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