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Inside Scuba Issue #35
Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
June 01, 2025
Welcome to Issue #35 of Inside Scuba
In Issue #35 of Inside Scuba, we take a fresh look at the appeal of wreck diving—how sunken ships can be both fascinating historical sites and thriving marine habitats. This edition also introduces the adventurous world of kayak diving, a unique way to reach dive spots off the beaten path. Plus, we dive into tips for photographing anthias in the Red Sea, share the latest dive news, and highlight a standout YouTube channel you won’t want to miss.
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What’s happening in this edition?
Why Wreck Diving Is More Than Just a Dive: Missions, Emotions, and Underwater Stories
There’s something undeniably magnetic about wreck diving. It’s the human story—sometimes about the violence of war, the force of nature, or tragic accidents. When paired with the silence of the underwater world, each wreck takes on a mood, an atmosphere. Every wreck becomes a monument—not just of metal, but of memory. The ocean transforms these remnants into stunning underwater gardens and memorials, and as wreck divers, we get to witness this firsthand.
The first wreck I ever dove was off the eastern coast of Africa, in Kenya. I’ll never forget the first glimpse of it as I descended into what, at the time, felt like a bottomless blue. The wreck appeared like a ghost. I was wildly under-qualified—it was only my sixth dive ever, and the site was far too deep for my level of experience. It was a short dive, probably less than 20 minutes. But since then, I’ve dived over 100 wrecks around the world. That first experience ignited a passion that has stayed with me ever since.
In this article, we’ll explore the appeal of wreck diving, its history, the training it requires, some of the world’s best wrecks, and the top destinations to dive for rust.
The power of shipwrecks, giving lasting memories
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.
Divernet: “Fishing boat prop injures divers in Tawain. Two scuba divers were seriously injured in Taiwan on the afternoon of 17 May after being struck by a fishing-boat propeller. The incident occurred more than 1km south-east of Houbihu beach, on the Hengchun peninsula on the southernmost tip of the island.”
Deeper Blue: “Whale sharks off St Helena Island featured in award winning film. One of the world’s most remote inhabited islands is causing a stir on the international stage, with “Bone Shark Island” showcasing St Helena’s unique marine life — specifically whale sharks.”
Dive Magazine: “Shearwater expands Journeys Edition line with Perdix 2. Following the successful 2022 launch of its Teric Journeys Edition, the new computer continues to draw inspiration from the history of diving helmets and tools, with the flagship Perdix 2 now available with a bronze-coloured titanium bezel.”
Deeper Blue: “The new documentary film “Diving Into The Darkness” about renowned cave diver Jill Heinerth will begin streaming on Apple and Amazon in North America on June 6.. Heinerth has been involved in some — if not all — of the most legendary and demanding cave diving expeditions of all time, from surveying the world’s longest caves in Mexico to discovering giant iceberg caves in Antarctica.”
Divernet: “Sipadan diver dies after jumping the gun. A scuba diver who jumped into the sea apparently without the go-ahead or knowledge of the dive professionals present died off Sipadan island in Malaysia yesterday morning (19 May). The 37-year-old Chinese man was on holiday with his wife, who was reported also to have been on the dive-boat at the time. He was with a group of seven other divers of various nationalities and a team of five instructors and guides on a resort-organised boat-trip out to the world-famous dive location.”
Dive Magazine: “Paul Toomer announces departure from RAID. Paul Toomer has announced that he has parted company with scuba training agency Dive RAID International (DRI). Toomer, an accomplished technical instructor and former Director of Technical Training for Scuba Schools International (SSI), became RAID’s co-owner and Director of Diver Training in 2014, and was appointed as president in 2019.”
Divernet: “Second Underwater Awards Australasia Imaging Competition Launching in June 2025. The Underwater Awards Australasia—the premier underwater imaging competition focused on the Australasian region is back. Like the hugely successful inaugural edition, the 2025 competition is a three-way collaboration between the long-established Underwater Australasia, DPG, and underwater imaging equipment and dive gear distributor UW Images. The competition opens on June 1 and closes on July 20, 2025.”
Dive Magazine: “Diver dies following ‘medical incident’ in West Palm Beach. A scuba diver has died following a ‘medical incident’ off the coast of Riviera Beach in Florida, close to the Ana Cecilia shipwreck. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that they received reports of the incident shortly before 10am on Sunday, 25 May.”
Divernet: “Doubliet heads 2025 Wildphotos lineup. David Doubilet, the National Geographic photo-journalist who reckons to have spent more than 26,000 hours shooting beneath the waves, is to be one of 14 influential nature photographers speaking at this year’s WildPhotos one-day nature photography symposium in London.”
Go Diving: “Trump pardons divers convicted after shark release. US President Donald Trump has made a gesture of support for the ocean environment by issuing a presidential pardon to two Florida shark divers who were convicted of theft after releasing a fisherman’s longline catches in 2020. The pardon has erased the men’s criminal records in a case that their lawyers had argued was “government over-reach.”
Deeper Blue: “New Dive Center Debuts At Fatboys Resort in Solomon Islands. Fatboys Resort on Mbabanga Island in the Solomon Islands has announced the opening of a new dive center on the property. The resort’s location in Gizo in the destination’s Western Province is in an area renowned for some of the most diverse and exciting diving to be found anywhere in the world. From World War II wrecks to numerous offshore reefs, spectacular coral formations, plummeting walls, manta rays and abundant marine life, diving enthusiasts are beyond spoilt for choice and divers can choose from a plethora of amazing locations.”
Calgary Herald: “Scuba divers confirm rumours of car swallowed up by Lake Minnewanka nearly a century ago. It took only a few minutes of diving time for John Ryan and his team to confirm a decades-long rumour of a car resting on the bottom at the middle of Lake Minnewanka. A week ago, the Airdrie resident and his companions donned wetsuits and fell off an inflatable boat to scour the Banff National Park’s lake for a car that had supposedly fallen through the ice in the late 1920s or early 1930s.”
Shooting Anthias in the Red Sea: A Photographer’s Guide to Color, Chaos, and Character
Anthias are the Red Sea’s most striking fish—you see them before you see the reef. They swirl, dart, flicker, and vanish in a microsecond. They’re tiny, especially compared to the vast reef, but when I think of the Red Sea, I think of the Anthias. They are its symbol, its story. And if you want to come back with a portfolio that truly showcases the destination, Anthias should be high on your shot list.
There’s one major reason they’re so appealing to shoot: their color. Anthias are bright orange—a hue that sits opposite blue on the color wheel—so they look spectacular when set against the deep blue waters of the Red Sea.
They also add movement to a scene. Corals, especially hard corals, don’t move, so these schooling fish bring a dynamic energy to your reef shots. They dart in and out of the frame, allowing you to use their motion to enhance your images.
But for me, it’s when you switch to a macro lens that you really begin to see their character—and just how stunning they are as individuals. They make incredible fish portrait subjects and are surprisingly cooperative for both wide-angle and macro shooting once you understand how to work with them.
Let’s dive into what makes these fish so special, how to find them, and how to finally do justice to them.
A school of Red Sea Anthias covering the reef
Kayak Diving: Reach Dive Sites Beyond Shore Without a Boat
For adventurous scuba divers looking to explore new dive sites without a boat charter, kayak diving offers an exciting, flexible, and cost-effective way to reach the underwater world. It’s especially appealing in coastal regions, lakes, and protected marine environments where launching a kayak is easy and dive sites lie just offshore.
My dive buddy and I often search for shark teeth on shore dives—but the larger, more exciting finds are usually just beyond comfortable swimming distance. One day, he asked if I’d be interested in taking kayaks out to deeper water and diving from them. He had experience with kayak diving and even had an extra kayak for me to use. We gave it a shot—and had a fantastic time. That dive sparked my appreciation for kayak diving as a practical, self-sufficient way to reach dive sites that are otherwise inaccessible without a boat.
This article covers why you might consider diving from a kayak, what gear is required, and how to plan and execute a kayak dive safely and efficiently.
Kayak setup with dive flag and dive gear secured in the tank well.
Channel Spotlight: Alex Mustard
In addition to co-hosting The Underwater Photography Show, Alex Mustard runs a separate YouTube channel where he shares informal reviews of his own recently processed images. These short videos offer a behind-the-scenes look at how each photo was created, including technical details like settings and lighting, along with insights into the creative process. It’s a fantastic resource for seeing what’s possible in underwater photography—and a great source of inspiration for your own portfolio.
Check out Alex’s channel: @Alex_Mustard
Summary
This issue took us from the haunting stories behind shipwrecks to the hands-on freedom of kayak diving. You’ve also seen how to tackle those fast-moving anthias with your camera in the Red Sea, caught up on some of the latest diving news, and hopefully found a new favorite YouTube channel to follow for underwater inspiration.
Until next time—keep your fins kicking and your mask fog-free.
Andy & Byron
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