Inside Scuba Issue #47

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Andy Deitsch & Byron Conroy
November 16, 2025

Welcome to Issue #47 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #47 of Inside Scuba! This edition is a must-read for every diver, whether you're planning your next competition entry or just looking to stay on top of the latest gear and industry news. With competition season now open, we dive deep into the world of underwater photography, gathering top tips from past winners on how to select and polish your best images for success. Speaking of polish, you'll also find an essential guide to the Photoshop plugins that can truly elevate your post-processing workflow.

We also bring you the latest from the industry-leading DEMA Show 2025, showcasing new product launches that are set to redefine how you dive and shoot, including a new GPS-enabled transmitter and an incredibly bright external monitor. Plus, we explore the dazzling technique of Shooting Fluorescence Underwater and curate important Dive News from around the globe. Don't forget to check out this week’s video highlight for a look into a fascinating white shark research project.

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What’s happening in this edition?

Underwater Photo Competition Guide: Top Tips from Past Winners for Image Selection

We at Inside Scuba decided to ask some of the regular winners of the big competitions for their thoughts on how to select the right photos and enhance your chances of success.

Before we dive in, remember not to get too bogged down with who won and who didn’t, and don’t judge yourself too seriously if you don’t find immediate success. There are many variables you can’t see, and remember that judging is inherently subjective; there is no science to it. This is why competition results always bring out such strong opinions.

Be relaxed and enjoy the process. If you’re new to competitions, also favor those that provide feedback on how far your images got through the rounds. This information is highly valuable—DPG and UPY, for example, now both offer this type of data on your submissions.

Now, let’s hear what some of the heaviest hitters in the underwater photo competition world have to say on selecting the right images.

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: “Missing Wales diver died using surface-supplied ‘hookah’ system. The scuba diver who died off the coast of Gwynedd, Wales, in November 2024 was using a surface-supplied ‘hookah’ system when he drowned, according to new information that has come to light following the inquest into his death.”

DAN.org: Shark Bite While Spearfishing in Abaco. Following a rare shark bite to the head while spearfishing in remote Abaco waters, a freediver contacted the emergency hotline. DAN swiftly organized the medical evacuation and handled all expenses. The patient was admitted to a U.S. hospital within just seven hours of the emergency call.

Divernet: “‘Domino effect’ killed NZ scuba diver. An experienced New Zealand scuba diver died through a combination of faulty equipment and exerting himself under water despite being in poor health, an inquest in Wellington has found.”

Dive Magazine: “Howard Rosenstein’s Dawn of Red Sea Diving is heading for Hollywood. Howard Rosenstein’s personal history of his journey as a Red Sea scuba diving pioneer, as told in his fantastic book Treasures, Shipwrecks and the Dawn of Red Sea Diving, is to be turned into a documentary.” [Note: you can read our review of the book here]

Deeper Blue: “The SS United States is Destined for Destin, Florida. In an ambitious move to expand Florida’s artificial reef program, the historic SS United States is set to find a new home beneath the waves off the coast of Destin, located in the Florida Panhandle.”

Divernet: “CITES saved turtles, but Hong Kong defies shark-fin bans. Much-touted international trade measures designed to protect endangered sharks are being routinely violated, according to a new study. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is a treaty between 185 national governments intended to regulate international trade in wildlife products. In theory, species listed on CITES Appendix I cannot be traded commercially, and those on Appendix II can be traded only if the trade is proven to be sustainable and legal.”

Dive Magazine: “BSAC Annual Diving Incident Report 2024 published. The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) Annual Diving Incident Report for 2024 has been published, with a total of 239 incidents and 12 fatalities recorded throughout the UK. A further 92 incidents were recorded outside of the UK. The data are broadly in line with last year’s statistics, which saw 242 incidents recorded with nine fatalities in UK waters.”

Deeper Blue: “DIVEVOLK Launches New Accessories for Underwater Touchscreen Housing. DIVEVOLK is expanding its lineup of underwater photography tools with several new accessories designed for precision and ease of use.”

X-Ray Magazine: “Flock of Vaquitas Spotted, Raising Survival Hopes. In the sheltered waters of Mexico’s upper Gulf of California, a remarkable sighting stirred conservationists: a small flock of vaquitas, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, was observed together, suggesting that hope for recovery may yet exist. The species, long believed to number in the single digits, appears to have shown signs of resilience—albeit fragile—and the sighting has renewed calls for rigorous protection and enforcement.”

News from DEMA 2025

DEMA was this past week in Orlando, Florida and it is always great to catch up with friends and check out the latest products and services being offered. Here are a few highlights of interesting things that were on offer.

  • In case you didn’t see it, earlier this week we posted on our Facebook page, an interview at DEMA with Thomas Anderson from Backscatter where he discussed their latest lighting products from Backscatter Underwater Photo & Video

  • Our friend Erin Quigley of GoAskErin.com is offering a DEMA special discount on BackscatterXterminator (BSXT). The code is now available to everyone but the offer expires on 11/30/2025 so get it while you can! Eliminate backscatter from your underwater photos with one click! Go here, read the product detail page and make sure your computer meets the system requirements. At checkout, use code dema20off for a 20% off discount. Pro tip: be sure to watch the 30 minute step by step video to get you started. Also, check out our article later on in this newsletter where we include BSXT as an essential Photoshop plugin.

  • Shearwater Announces GPS-Enabled Swift Transmitter and New Companion App.

     

    Shearwater has unveiled an upgraded Swift air integration transmitter featuring integrated GPS technology. This enhancement allows the transmitter to automatically record your precise GPS location just before submerging and immediately after surfacing.

     

     

    Crucially, the new Swift remains fully backward compatible with every Shearwater dive computer that currently supports air integration.

    To leverage this GPS data, the company is launching a completely new smartphone application (Dive Shearwater). The new app will visualize your dive locations by displaying the captured GPS points on a map. Shearwater notes that the current legacy app (Shearwater Cloud) will be retired from new feature development. Users can expect a data migration tool to simplify the transfer of all their existing dive logs to the new platform.

     

  • Nauticam Unveils New High-Brightness 7" External Monitor

    Nauticam has launched an impressive new 7-inch external monitor, designed to enhance both underwater cinematography and still photography. This monitor is available in both HDMI and SDI versions, offering professional-grade viewing and significant operational flexibility.

     

    Key Features and Performance

     

    The monitor is engineered for performance in bright underwater conditions:

    • Extreme Brightness: Boasting a powerful 3000 Nits of brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in sunny, shallow water.

    • Extended Run Time: Powered by four 21700 lithium-ion batteries, the monitor delivers an exceptional runtime of 6 to 8 hours on a single charge.

    • Connectivity: The monitor is compatible with any Nauticam camera system featuring HDMI or SDI output.

      • The SDI version includes both SDI in and out, allowing users to run a surface feed for directors or external monitoring.

      • The HDMI version is input-only.

         

     

    A New Tool for Still Photographers

     

    While high-end monitors are common in video, Nauticam sees a growing adoption among still photographers, especially with the latest mirrorless camera systems.

     

    "With the new mirrorless cameras, the live view delay is far less than what we're used to with DSLRs," Phil Burghard noted. "A lot of people are now starting to use these for still photography as well, for a much bigger viewing area."

     

    All monitors come equipped with a swivel and tilt system, allowing photographers to easily adjust the viewing angle. This is particularly beneficial for macro subjects, where a user can tilt the monitor down and look straight onto the screen while the camera points forward. The retail price for the HDMI version is $4100 while the SDI model retails for $5400.

     

  • Ultralight, maker of arms, clamps, trays and other accessories announced a couple of new products. A new trim weight system allows you to slide a weight of your choosing back and forth to help balance your rig.
     

     

    They now also have quick release adapter for snoots, lights and anything else you may want to quickly remove from your housing.

     

  • Marelux announced their new strobe, the Apollo S Strobe, sitting as a powerful, yet conveniently small and lightweight option in the lineup. Its strength is highlighted by a Guide Number (GN) of 36. Powered by two lithium 18650 batteries, the Apollo S boasts impressive endurance, capable of firing up to 800 full-power flashes and lasting for days of shooting on a single charge (depending on how crazy you get with that shutter button). It supports advanced features like High-Speed Sync (HSS) and features "phenomenal" TTL (Through-The-Lens) accuracy when paired with a specialized trigger (like Sea Turtle or Underwater Technics). For light quality, it features a native 110∘ beam angle and includes a special front coating that acts as a subtle Fresnel, providing a softer light that often eliminates the need for the included diffuser. Finally, its compatibility with the Lumalink remote sensor allows for versatile wireless triggering for creative lighting in wrecks or caves.

Shooting Fluorescence Underwater

By Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan

In this article from The Underwater Photography Show, we'll be diving into the fascinating and often magical world of underwater fluorescence photography, a technique that transforms ordinary subjects into glowing works of art.

Fluorescence photography is different from regular photography because it doesn't rely on reflected light. Instead, it captures a phenomenon where certain pigments absorb light at one wavelength and emit it at another. For instance, a pigment might absorb a blue light and emit an orange one. This process is similar to how certain items, like teeth or white clothes, glow under a blacklight at a disco. You've probably seen this effect already in diving, as many modern diving gear items, like bright pink fins, use fluorescent pigments to look vibrant even at depth. It's a key distinction from bioluminescence, which is light actively emitted by an organism through a chemical reaction, like the sparkling plankton, ostracods, or flashlight fish you see on night dives. Unlike bioluminescence, fluorescence requires an external light source to activate. [0:39]

A boulder star coral shows fluorescent green and red colours when photographed under only blue light at night. East End, Grand Cayman

To capture this effect, we use blue light underwater for stills and UV light for video, since continuous UV lights are easier to find than UV strobes. While UV torches can be used for stills, they require a lot of power for good image quality and depth of field, often resulting in long exposures that produce blurry photos. The best method is to modify strobes with filters. [3:54] We use blue excitation filters on our strobes to convert their light output into a deep blue light that triggers the fluorescent pigments. Examples include filters from Glow Dive and Fire Night Dive, which can strap or mount onto strobes. This makes everything in the water appear dark blue, except for the subjects that are fluorescing. To ensure only the glowing colors are captured, we attach a…

Essential Photoshop Plugins for Underwater Photography: The Pro Editing Workflow

There’s a saying in photography that you can’t fix a bad photo in post; however, as technology develops and AI becomes even more popular, the new programs can do incredible things. I have always been nervous of getting too into Photoshop, though. For me, Lightroom is absolutely essential as the RAW files our cameras generate are very flat and need to be edited to bring all that data to life. Photoshop, however, I have always perceived as for adding and removing components of your photos, something I am not a big fan of, even though I do, of course, use it to remove a stray fin.

As much as we should always try to get the photo right in camera, we shouldn’t let the limitations of the underwater environment stop us from capturing the shot. Sometimes you can’t control the plankton bloom, the surge, or the fact that your perfect composition was disturbed by a diver in the background. That’s where post-processing tools become valuable. Used correctly, they can add real value to your work.

Over recent years, though, I have seen the power of Photoshop become of more interest to my day-to-day photo work. I see the program as a place where I take an edited photo and apply the final polish to it. This can be making the contrast pop, reducing noise on a high ISO shot, or removing backscatter in my images. These final touches can be applied very powerfully in Photoshop, much more so than Lightroom, and almost every photo I edit goes through Photoshop for that final coat of lipstick before I export it.

Over the years, several Photoshop plugins have become essential tools for serious underwater photographers. These plugins don’t replace skill; they enhance the results of good technique. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best plugins currently available for underwater photography and how to use them effectively without losing the natural feel that defines strong marine imagery.

A good edit won't replace technique; instead, it will enhance and reward it.

This week's video highlights a fascinating new short film exploring the intricate interactions between great white sharks, sea lions, elephant seals, and harbor seals in Monterey Bay. Featuring insights from the interdisciplinary Monterey Bay White Shark Project, the film showcases cutting-edge research using electronic tags, drones, and environmental DNA to understand these vital marine predators within the resilient, nutrient-rich California Current ecosystem. By unveiling shark habitats and the complex dynamics of pinniped populations, this research is crucial for informing conservation policies and protecting these magnificent creatures amidst a changing ocean.

Summary

This issue of Inside Scuba highlights the incredible blend of art, technology, and adventure that defines the diving world today. From the strategic selection process for a major photo competition to the cutting-edge gear unveiled at DEMA, the tools and techniques available to underwater enthusiasts are constantly evolving. Whether you’re learning how to make your images glow with fluorescence or utilizing the power of pro Photoshop plugins to finalize your work, we hope this edition has provided valuable insights to enhance your next underwater experience. As always, stay safe, continue to explore, and don't forget to share Inside Scuba with a friend who shares your passion for the deep!

Andy & Byron

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