Inside Scuba Issue #41

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Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
August 24, 2025

Welcome to Issue #41 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #41 of Inside Scuba. In this edition, we take a closer look at the often-overlooked role of mangroves in sustaining healthy reefs and what their destruction means for the future of diving. Alongside this deep dive, we’ve gathered the latest dive news, shared insights from Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan on developing a focused mindset in underwater photography, and highlighted techniques to elevate your close focus wide-angle images. We also feature a video tackling the controversial role influencers play in shark conservation.

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What’s happening in this edition?

The Impact of Mangrove Destruction on Scuba Diving

Mangroves are usually that tangle of roots you speed past on the way to the reef. But the more I travel and dive, the more I realise that mangroves might be one of the most important ecosystems for the future of scuba diving. They are the hidden foundation stones of the reefs we love. And when they are destroyed, the impact comes straight back to us as divers—in fewer fish, murkier water, and reefs that feel like the colour has been drained from them.

I have dived mangroves in Raja Ampat, snorkelled their channels with manatees in Mexico, shot juvenile shark species among them in the Bahamas, and photographed crocodiles on their edges in Cuba. Each time I came away with the same thought: how can something so unassuming above the surface hold so much magic below it? Now, every time I hear the word “mangrove” on a dive trip, I jump at the chance to shoot them—it’s always going to provide a new and unique encounter.

Yet everywhere I go, I also hear the same story. Mangroves are disappearing, cleared for shrimp farms, hotel views, or simple short-term gain. As divers, we need to ask ourselves a blunt question: what does it mean for our sport if these forests vanish?

A healthy mangrove forest in Indonesia sheltering Juvenile Batfish

To understand why divers should care, we need to see mangroves and reefs not as separate habitats but as two sides of the same coin. Reefs are the stage where the main show happens, but mangroves are in the background, providing the reef with all it needs to flourish.

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: “Diver gets 10yr sentence for cocaine plot. A Norwegian man described as a professional diver has been sentenced to nine years and eleven months in prison, for his role in a failed attempt to retrieve 80kg of cocaine from a ship in the Australian port of Newcastle.”

The Guardian: “Buoyant, the size of a lentil and almost impossible to recover: how nurdles are polluting the oceans. When a Liberian-flagged container ship, the MSC Elsa 3, capsized and sank 13 miles off the coast of Kerala, in India, on 25 May, a state-wide disaster was quickly declared. A long oil slick was partially tackled by aircraft-borne dispersants, while a salvage operation sealed tanks to prevent leaks. But almost three months later, a more insidious and persistent environmental catastrophe is continuing along the ecologically fragile coast of the Arabian Sea. Among the 643 containers onboard were 71,500 sacks of tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles. By July, only 7,920 were reportedly recovered.”

X-Ray Magazine: “Western Australia’s Reefs Suffer Worst Coral Bleaching on Record. For divers exploring Western Australia’s reefs, the underwater world has changed dramatically. A record-breaking marine heatwave – the “longest, largest and most intense” ever documented in the region – has left vast stretches of coral bleached or dead, from the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Coast all the way to the remote Ashmore Reef.”

Divernet: “Diver dies after exploring Tawain bat cave. A scuba diver in his 50s died on 10 August following a dive at Ruifang Bat Cave, a popular dive-site on the coast near New Taipei City in Taiwan. The incident occurred at around 11am, shortly after the man had completed an underwater tour of the site. According to reports, he had lost consciousness soon after surfacing. His buddy brought him to shore and administered CPR in an attempt to revive him.”

Dive Magazine: “Kissing killer whales caught on film! Two orcas (Orcinus orca, aka killer whales) have been recorded demonstrating what appears to be kissing-like behaviour for the first time in the wild. The interaction between the orca pair, known as ‘tongue-nibbling’, is described in a recently published study as a rare form of ‘affiliative’ behaviour – one that represents a social or emotional bond – and has only previously been recorded in orcas held in captivity.”

X-Ray Magazine: “South Australia Doubles Whale-Watching Distances. From 1 September 2025, two of South Australia’s key calving grounds for southern right whales will have formal Whale Nursery Protection Areas. The new zones at Fowlers Bay on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula and Sleaford Bay on the Lower Eyre Peninsula will standardise a 300-metre vessel buffer, giving mothers and calves more space during the nursery season.”

Divernet: “Diver prop death: ‘Reckless’ captain gets 8 years. The owner and captain of a scuba charter-boat in Florida has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison following the gruesome death of diver Mollie Ghiz-Flynn five years ago. In March this year a federal jury had found 50-year-old Dustin McCabe guilty of seaman’s manslaughter (both as the vessel’s owner and captain) and lying to the US Coast Guard, as well as fraudulently obtaining Covid-19 pandemic relief funds.”

Deeper Blue: “Rare Pillar Coral Bred For The First Time On Bonaire. The Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB) for the first time recently collected spawn from the critically endangered pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) and raised young corals through its breeding program.”

Dive Magazine: “UK swimmers warned to keep clear of Reggie the dancing dolphin. Swimmers encountering a wild bottlenose dolphin in waters off the south coast of England, believing it to be ‘friendly’, have been warned to keep away from the animal if approached. ‘Reggie the dancing dolphin’ was spotted earlier in August playing with swimmers in Lyme Bay, Dorset. Video footage of the encounter went viral online.”

Divernet: “Cetacean strandings soar in Scotland. Annual rates of marine mammal strandings have risen over the past 30 decades, with all native species of dolphins, whales and porpoise affected. For the first time scientists have been able to quantify the scale of the increase, in a study led by University of Glasgow researchers. Using 30 years of data collected by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) between 1992 and 2022, they analysed distribution and trends in the strandings of the 5,147 cetaceans recorded.”

The Recipe For Success: A Focused Mind, Camera and Dive

By Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan

In a recent episode of The Underwater Photography Show we called "Diving For Images", we emphasized that a focused approach to underwater photography is the key to both better images and a more rewarding diving experience. We've found that trying to capture every subject on a single dive is not the path to success. A more specialized, goal-oriented approach is what truly yields superior results.

We’ve seen it time and time again: the diver with a camera who tries to photograph everything they see often ends up with a collection of mediocre pictures [0:45]. This "scattergun" method, driven by a desire to document everything, ultimately results in a portfolio of uninspired photos. Instead, we believe that as a photographer, you should shift your mindset from being a "diver with a camera" to a "photographer who dives" [2:53]. This means actively seeking out a specific type of shot, working the subject thoroughly, and being patient enough to wait for the perfect moment.

The Power of a Focused Mindset

For us, a focused mindset is the most crucial skill an underwater photographer can develop [7:14]. These aren't technical skills, but rather behavioral ones, such as knowing how to approach a subject without startling it, developing an eye for a great shot, and the patience to wait for the right moment. This deliberate, thoughtful approach is the opposite of the rushed feeling of trying to capture every subject. By concentrating on a single goal for a dive, you can hone these behavioral skills, leading to a much higher hit rate of truly stunning photos. This approach also makes the dive more enjoyable, as you aren't constantly battling a complex gear setup or the pressure of having to capture everything.

Being Comfortable Getting Close

By Alex Mustard

We all know the mantra for successful underwater photography: “Get close. Get CLOSER!” This is such essential advice, that some photographers even have it written on the back of their housings. Getting close helps us produce pictures that have more colour, contrast and detail, because however clear the water is, the underwater world is always murkier than air.

Things get most interesting when we get super close with a wide angle lens as we reap another benefit. Short camera to subject distances force the perspective of the picture, so that the main subject appears larger than it is and it seems to pop out of the background creating an almost 3D image. The resulting photos are particularly eye catching, with a high impact, especially when the foreground subject is colorful or a charismatic creature. This is the classic technique of Close Focus Wide Angle (CFWA) photography.

CFWA is a very popular sub-division of wide angle and, as the name suggests, refers to images taken at camera to subject distances of less than about 50cm (20”), often as close as possible. This close working distance creates unique challenges in approaching subjects and particularly lighting photographs.

Our Video of the Week dives into a timely and controversial topic: how influencers are contributing to an increase in shark bites. My (Andy) Facebook feed has been full of friends commenting on how damaging Ocean Ramsey’s approach is for shark conservation—a sentiment I share. This video, presented by a shark scientist, does an excellent job of breaking down the issue and explaining why these practices may be doing more harm than good.

Summary

As divers, we see firsthand the changes happening in our oceans, from the health of reefs to the wildlife that depends on them. This issue has highlighted how much is at stake, but also how much we can do—through awareness, photography, and the choices we make about where and how we dive. Thanks for being part of Inside Scuba, and for sharing a passion that goes deeper than the dive itself. Until next time, dive safe and stay inspired.

Andy & Byron

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