Inside Scuba Issue #39

AuthorAuthor

Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
July 27, 2025

Welcome to Issue #39 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #39 of Inside Scuba! This month, we dive into the real stories behind the underwater world—from the hidden challenges faced by scuba instructors to the quirky passions of nudi-hunters. We also uncover one of the Red Sea’s most iconic wrecks, the SS Dunraven, through both firsthand accounts and archival film. As always, we’ve curated dive news from around the globe to keep you informed, inspired, and connected to the wider diving community. Whether you're reading from dry land or a dive boat, we hope this issue brings fresh perspective to your next underwater adventure.

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What’s happening in this edition?

Behind the Mask: The Untold Challenges of Being a Scuba Instructor

We all remember taking our Open Water course. As a committed diver, taking your OW course was likely a life-changing decision—and for many, that initial experience can ignite a lifelong passion for diving. But for some, their diving dreams can be crushed right at the start during that first round of training.

For me, I’m not a natural in the water. I had a few issues during my training, mainly with my ears—and that problem is still with me today, some 4,500 dives later. The challenges we face during entry-level training can be handled in many different ways, depending on the instructor. That person guiding you can shape your entire experience, creating something wonderful—or doing the opposite, leaving you an apprehensive diver for years to come.

But have you ever stopped to think about what instructors go through when training divers? About the challenges they face, and what they really think about teaching? What are the issues and obstacles instructors deal with as they guide people through their courses?

I became an instructor in 2015, and now, ten years later, I hope this article helps shed a little light on what goes on behind the scenes—on the challenges of teaching that many regular divers may never have considered.

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.

Shark Trust: “Shark Photographer of the Year 2025. We are delighted to announce the 2025 Shark Photographer of the Year! Along with all the category winners, runners up and the images that were awarded highly commended. There were 343 images entered, 34 made it in the finals and are being exhibited at Ocean Studios, Royal William Yard, Plymouth until the end of July. One final award will be announced at the end of the month - that of the public choice.”

Dive Magazine: “77-year-old diver dies off Pompano Beach, Florida. A 77-year-old man, said to be an experienced diver, has died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a dive off Pompano Beach in South Florida. According to local media reports, the diver, who has not been named but who reportedly had more than 1,000 dives, was underwater with three other people when he surfaced ‘in distress’.”

Divernet: “Polish divers excited by 1,000yr-old face. A structural timber beam bearing a human face thought to have been carved more than 1,000 years ago has been discovered by underwater archaeologists in Poland. They think it could indicate a continuation of pagan beliefs around the time the emerging state was becoming Christian.”

Dive Magazine: “Ocean Film Festival 2025 UK dates announced! The Ocean Film Festival is a collection of short films celebrating the wonder and power of the sea. This year’s film line-up will be of particular interest to scuba divers as it features Diving into Darkness, a film about Canadian cave diving legend Jill Heinerth. The tour starts in Edinburgh on 6 September and will visit movie theatres around the UK until late November.“

Divernet: “3 divers ‘pass out simultaneously’ in Korea. Three commercial divers in their 30s using surface-supplied air were recovered unconscious from harbour waters in Korea yesterday morning (20 July), but two of them died and the third was said to remain in critical condition. The divers had been working since shortly after 8am to clear barnacles from the hull of a container-ship anchored at Busan New Port in the city of Changwon.”

DeeperBlue.com: “Ocean Foundation Partners With Conservacion ConCiencia To Remove Old Fishing Gear. With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Ocean Foundation is partnering with Puerto Rico-based Conservación ConCiencia to employ local fishers during their offseason (sic) to remove abandoned, lost and derelict fishing gear from their fishing grounds in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically St. Croix.”

Divernet: “Dive instructor lashes out over toppled tank. A Malaysian scuba-diving instructor has been arrested and charged with assaulting one of his tourist customers in the Borneo town of Semporna. The incident occurred on 22 July, as the two men were heading out to an island called Timba-Timba on a tour-group dive-boat. The air tank being used by the guest – who was not named but described as a 34-year-old from Taiwan – was said to have fallen over onto the instructor’s foot, causing him to lose his temper.”

Local10.com: “PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Lemon shark stuck in fishing net bites man trying to help off Palm Beach. Jeff Joel, a shark conservation activist, talked about surviving an attack five days ago off Palm Beach County. Joel, 69, said he was diving about 4 miles from the Jupiter inlet on Saturday, when he saw a lemon shark that was stuck in a fishing net. After removing the shark’s head from the net, Joel said the shark thrashed around and bit him on the forearm, just above his wrist.”

Divernet: “Cornwall gets into National Marine Week spirit. The theme of the impending National Marine Week for 2025 is “the seabed beneath the waves”, says Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT). Running from 26 July until Sunday 3 August, a number of outdoor activities have been organised to help people enjoy and understand Cornwall’s marine wildlife.”

Nudi Love

By Alex Mustard

Underwater photographers usually dream about getting that one stellar photo. A standout image that captures the underwater world in a beautiful, imaginative way, and goes on to win praise and prizes. But there are those that dive amongst us whose dreams are different. And they are some of the most fanatical finned photographers. For them it is not so much about the single image, but about building a collection of photographs. Their approach is not focused on fancy or creative techniques, the challenge, instead, involves shooting precisely to accentuate the inherent beauty and interest in their chosen subject. They are the nudi-shooters.

Actually, there is a bit of them in us all. We may not all want to collect every species, but most photographers struggle to turn down a good nudi. However, getting a really memorable picture remains a challenge. The problem is two fold: technique and opportunity. I know I’d get more splendid sea slug shots, if I could find more of the slimy so-and-sos.

The photographic side is fairly simple to master. Nudis typically offer two standout angles. The head on portrait and the whole body shot are most photogenic. Portraits work best from dead ahead and from right down at rhinophore (the sensory antlers) level. Focus must be on the rhinophores, because if you fill the frame there won’t be much depth of field. Ideally search for a slug on top of something, so you can frame it against open water and get a clean black background. Consider using a single strobe.

The Accidental Discovery of the SS Dunraven: A Red Sea Legend Born from Ingenuity and a "Three Cigarette" Map

I am incredibly thankful to my friend, Howard Rosenstein, for generously taking over an hour of his time to speak with me and for subsequently sending a wealth of supporting material for this article. His firsthand account brings to life the fascinating story of the SS Dunraven, a popular dive site in the northern Egyptian Red Sea, and sheds light on the adventurous early days of diving in the region.

The northern Egyptian Red Sea is home to countless underwater wonders, and among its most popular dive sites is the enigmatic wreck of the SS Dunraven. This upside-down steamship, resting near Sha'ab Mahmoud Reef, holds a captivating history, not least of which is its unconventional "discovery" by Howard Rosenstein, owner/operator of Red Sea Divers out of Sharm El Sheikh, in 1977. But the true story is a fascinating blend of early tourism struggles, clever marketing, and a fortuitous tip.

In the early days of his dive center, Howard and his team ran a very basic operation at the "end of the world in the Sinai." Without traditional advertising budgets, they desperately sought ways to generate interest in what they sincerely believed was a special diving destination. Howard, a pioneer in promoting Red Sea diving, had already embarked on a 1973 marketing trip to Europe and the US, giving slideshows to dive clubs and even connecting with Paul Tzimoulis, the powerful editor of Skin Diver Magazine. Despite these efforts, paid advertising remained out of reach. "We couldn't afford paid advertising," Howard recounts, "we had to get editorial stuff, maybe we could host a journalist for a diving holiday."

The Birth of a Myth: Lawrence, Gold, and "The Deep"

The turning point for the Dunraven's public emergence came from an unexpected source: a brainstorming session inspired by popular culture. Howard and his graphic artist and dear friend, Shlomo Cohen (creator of the revolutionary Red Sea Diver's Guide), were discussing the blockbuster movie "The Deep." This Peter Benchley film, starring Jacqueline Bisset, with its focus on wreck diving, had ignited a global fascination with underwater sunken treasures.

"Shlomo said, 'well you know, we need a wreck.' I said, 'yeah, sure, we need one, but we don't have one.' He says, 'well, let's make up a story,'" Howard vividly recalls. And so, over beers one night, a legendary marketing ploy was born: the fabricated tale of Lawrence of Arabia transporting gold on a ship in 1917, lost somewhere in the Red Sea while he was rallying Bedouin fighters against the Turks at their base in Aqaba (now Jordan).

Shlomo Cohen’s sketch of the SS Dunraven

In this issue, we delve into the fascinating history of the SS Dunraven and its discovery. To give you a firsthand look at this pivotal moment in shipwreck archaeology, we've included a link to a remarkable episode of the BBC documentary series, 'The World About Us.' Filmed shortly after the wreck's discovery, this video offers a unique and authentic perspective on the early exploration of what would become one of the Red Sea's most iconic dive sites. It's a must-watch for anyone interested in the history of scuba diving and the stories behind the wrecks we explore today.

Summary

From the personal challenges faced by scuba instructors to the obsessive world of nudibranch photographers, and the unexpected legend of the Dunraven born from ingenuity and a little improvisation, this issue dives into the heart and history of diving. Whether you're chasing elusive sea slugs, teaching new divers, or exploring shipwreck myths turned dive sites, there's always more to discover beneath the surface. Until next time—dive safe and dive curious.

Andy & Byron

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