Inside Scuba Issue #43

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Andy Deitsch & Byron Conroy
September 21, 2025

Welcome to Issue #43 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #43 of Inside Scuba. This edition takes a deep dive into two often challenging aspects of underwater exploration: mastering currents and capturing the perfect macro shot. First, we tackle the apprehension many divers feel about currents, moving beyond fear to a place of confidence and respect. We discuss why currents are not just a challenge to be overcome, but a gateway to some of the world's most spectacular diving. Then, we venture into the world of underwater photography, exploring the unique benefits of using a curved port for macro photography and unlocking the secrets to photographing the notoriously camera-shy pygmy seahorse.

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What’s happening in this edition?

Beyond the Fear: Diving with Confidence in Currents

I have a very healthy respect for currents, especially deep currents in blue water. A lot is going on during a dive like that, especially for photographers carrying big camera rigs that act like a sail. But the more I dive, the more I realize that in the past, I didn’t fear what I didn’t understand. These days, I still dive in currents; they are an essential part of high-quality diving, but I have an understanding and respect for them that allows me to tackle them in the safest way possible for me. I understand how to read them before and during a dive, what to do when things go wrong, and how to prepare with the right techniques and equipment so that I can approach these dives with confidence.

Currents lead to huge fish aggregations and abundant marine life

Why Do We Dive Currents

Some of the best dives in the world are defined by currents. They bring in rich nutrients, gather pelagic species, and create dynamic environments. Learning to understand and handle currents is therefore not just about safety but also about unlocking the very best that diving has to offer.

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.

Dive Magazine: “Synthesising crown-of-thorns starfish ‘scent’ may aid GBR outbreak management. Scientists in Australia and Japan have potentially discovered a new way of controlling outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) on coral reefs, using a synthetic version of their own ‘scent’. Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), which are found throughout the Indo-Pacific region and the Great Barrier Reef, eat coral at a rate of up to 10 square metres per year.”

Divernet: “Tethered whale freed in SA + rare strandings in UK. When fishing-boat crew reported a large whale entangled in fishing rope south of Cape Recife in South Africa on the morning of 2 September, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was quick to respond. Two of its rescue craft were dispatched from Gqeberha carrying South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN)-trained crew equipped with specialist cutting and other equipment. The fishing-boat remained on-site to guide them to the scene.”

Santi: “We invite you to the XIVth edition of the international SANTI PHOTO AWARDS. Attractive prizes await: vouchers worth €500 to €2000, Afterdive sets and more surprises! The submission deadline is September 24th, 2025, 23:59 CEST”

Deeper Blue: “New ‘Sea Change’ Book Describes Successes In Solving Overfishing. For decades, overfishing seemed an inevitable tragedy. Fish stocks were collapsing, coastal economies were failing and policymakers were trapped in a cycle of ineffective bans and short-term fixes. The new book “Sea Change: Unlikely Allies and a Success Story of Oceanic Proportions” by Environmental Defense Fund Executive Director Amanda Leland and James Workman is the story of what happened instead, not just at a policy level, but in the lives of the very people on the front lines of this crisis.”

Diving Talks: “The Diving Talks International Diving Show is an event designed to bring together diving enthusiasts from all around the world, including professionals, experts, and amateurs. It features a wide range of activities and presentations, such as talks by renowned divers, workshops, exhibitions of the latest diving equipment and technology, and networking opportunities. Join us! 17-19 October ~ Lisbon, Portugal.”

Dive Magazine: “Great British Beach Clean 2025 is almost here! The Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean takes place this year between 19 and 28 September. The marine charity’s programme is one of the largest citizen science activities of its kind across the UK. Each year, thousands of volunteers help to not only clear the UK’s beaches of litter, but also assist MCS scientists in gathering data about the types of litter items most prevalent across the UK’s coastline.”

X-Ray Magazine: “Oil Spill Emerges from WWII Wreck in Chuuk Lagoon. Authorities in Chuuk have confirmed an oil spill from the World War II wreck of the Rio de Janeiro Maru in Uman, Chuuk Lagoon. The leak, first noticed by divers on 11 September and confirmed on 13 September 2025, has released oil near one of the lagoon’s most popular wrecks. Officials warn the incident highlights the wider risk posed by the 63 wartime wrecks scattered across the lagoon.”

Dive Magazine: “Insta360 raises the game with new X5 Invisible Dive Case Pro. Insta360’s successful 360° X5 action camera is getting an additional tool for content creaters with the launch of its new Invisible Dive Case Pro. The new housing is built using advanced optics that reduce distortion by refraction, delivering images with sharper details and truer colours, especially in clear water and close-up shots.”

Deeper Blue: “Science Sheds Light On The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. Researchers have managed to shed new light on how to manage the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. The discovery comes after the team looked at four decades of changes in Pelagic Sargassum. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is a huge bloom of sargassum that recurs and stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of America to the west coast of Africa. The belt first appeared in 2011 and has returned every year except 2013.”

Divernet: “Britannic operation recovers host of artefacts. More than a century after the mighty ocean liner HMHS Britannic sank in the Aegean Sea after hitting a mine, a complex operation involving a team of highly trained technical divers has recovered a host of artefacts, including the ship’s lookout bell, binoculars, ceramic tiles from the Turkish baths, items from the first and second class cabins, and a portside navigation lamp.”

Shooting Macro With A Curved Port

By Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan

In this episode of the Underwater Photography Show, Matthew Sullivan and Alex Mustard discuss the use of curved macro ports for underwater photography, a topic they received a lot of questions about lately. While it’s not a common piece of gear, it offers some significant advantages that are worth exploring.

Typically, underwater photographers use a domed port for wide-angle shots and a flat port for macro photography. The curved port falls somewhere in the middle. While a few manufacturers like Nauticam and Subal have made these ports, they were not designed or promoted for macro lenses. Instead, they were intended for semi-wide lenses that are too wide for a flat port but don't require a large dome port. Essentially, a curved port is a narrow, macro-like port with a small section of a dome at the front. We've both found success by repurposing these ports for macro use. [1:40]

Curved port attached to a Subal D850 housing.

There are two primary reasons we recommend using a curved port for macro photography. The first is that it significantly improves image quality, especially with wider macro lenses. When a lens like a 50mm or 60mm full-frame equivalent is used behind a flat port, the image is sharp in the center but becomes slightly blurry towards the edges of the frame. This happens because the lens is looking out through the flat port at an angle, which introduces chromatic aberration. You can see this in your shots, such as where a white speck near the edge of the frame is not sharply defined, but has blurred edges in a rainbow of colors. While many photographers may not be concerned with this, a curved port can provide sharpness all the way to the corners of the frame, which is ideal for specific types of shooting. For example, if you want to capture a goby on a piece of coral and want the coral to be sharp across the entire frame, a curved port is an excellent solution. We've found that this benefit also allows us to shoot at wider apertures, like f/3.5 or f/4, without sacrificing image quality across the frame. [2:24]

Photographing Pygmy Seahorses: Unlocking the Secrets of Hippocampus bargibanti

Among all the subjects an underwater photographer can encounter, few inspire the same sense of frustration and challenge as the pygmy seahorse. These tiny, secretive creatures are among the most difficult to shoot, and capturing them on camera has become a rite of passage for photographers visiting Indo-Pacific reefs. Of the pygmy seahorse species discovered so far, none is more iconic than Hippocampus bargibanti, the very first to be scientifically described and still the one most commonly associated with the idea of a pygmy. This article will explore where to find these elusive animals, what makes them so unique, and the technical and artistic approaches that can help you do justice to these extraordinary little fellows.

The diminutive little species packs a powerful punch

The World of the Pygmy Seahorse

Pygmy seahorses are distributed across the tropical Indo-Pacific, with Hippocampus bargibanti most famously found in regions such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and parts of Northern Australia. They are almost exclusively associated with gorgonian sea fans of the genus Muricella. The discovery of this relationship came about when a diver in the 1960s collected a sea fan specimen and only noticed the seahorses once it had been brought back to the surface. Their camouflage is so exact that it can be nearly impossible to notice them even when staring directly at the host coral.

The Muricella fans themselves are often found between 15-40 meters (49-131 ft) deep, though these days, due to warmer seas and diver pressure, they are usually found on deeper sea fans. These sea fans thrive in areas of current where plankton is abundant, which also suits the pygmies well since they feed primarily on tiny drifting organisms. Finding a healthy Muricella fan is the first step in locating Hippocampus bargibanti. Once the sea fan is spotted, patient observation reveals the presence of the seahorses, usually clinging to the fan with their tails wrapped tightly around the polyps. Due to the red color of both the fan and the seahorse and the loss of red underwater, it can be hard to see them under ambient light. A focus light allows us to see the slight differences in color between the sea fan and the seahorse, the seahorse usually being slightly brighter.

Our Video of the Week is a look at the Gombessa Expedition's pioneering exploration of the deeper ecosystems of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its shallow reefs, but its mesophotic depths—from 120m (394 ft) and beyond—remained a mystery until now. The Gombessa team, led by Laurent Ballesta, spent 13 days completing deep dives, revealing eight major new ecosystems and documenting a wealth of previously unrecorded species.

Summary

Whether you’re looking to master the art of diving in currents or seeking to capture the perfect pygmy seahorse shot, this issue of Inside Scuba is packed with insights to enhance your skills and your enjoyment of the underwater world. We hope this edition inspires you to approach new challenges with confidence and to see the subtle, hidden beauty of the reef with a photographer’s eye. Don't forget to share this issue with your diving buddies, and we'll see you in our next edition!

Andy & Byron

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