Welcome to Issue #51 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to Issue #51 of Inside Scuba! Whether you’re currently defrosting from a winter dive or daydreaming about your next tropical getaway, we’ve got a packed edition to fuel your obsession. This month, we’re challenging the idea that a 'pretty' dive has to be a coral reef—instead, we’re diving headfirst into the silt to find the ocean’s most bizarre treasures. We’re also getting technical with a masterclass on subtle lighting, surviving those grueling long-haul flights with your gear intact, and catching up on the latest headlines from the global dive community. Grab a coffee, off-gas for a bit, and dive in with us. If you enjoy this issue, please consider sharing it with your favorite dive buddy!

What’s happening in this edition?

• Who Gives a Muck?
• Dive News
• Whispering with Light: Moving Beyond Traditional Snoot Photography
• Surviving Long-Haul Flights to Dive Destinations: Tips from Underwater Photographers
• Video Highlight
• Summary

Who Gives a Muck?

Muck diving is awesome; however, on the surface, it rarely sounds inviting. I adore it. I dive "the muck" all the time, and despite traveling all over the world, it remains my favorite style of diving. But when you describe it to someone who has never been, it’s a hard sell. In this article, I aim to give you the full lowdown so you can catch the muck diving bug yourself.

So What is Muck Diving?

Essentially, it is a gently sloping bottom of dark sand or silt—often close to harbors or river mouths—with little obvious structure and none of the postcard appeal of a coral reef. At first glance, it appears to be a muddy wasteland with few signs of life and, unfortunately, is often covered in more debris than coral. Doesn’t exactly sound appealing, does it?

And yet, for those who take the time to understand it, muck diving becomes addictive. It shifts your perspective on the underwater world, changes how you dive, and redefines what makes a dive truly "great."

Muck diving is all about the specialized creatures that call this environment home. Many of the most famous macro subjects are found in these silty stretches: octopuses, seahorses, and crabs; specialized fish like frogfish; and incredible crustaceans like harlequin shrimp and pom-pom crabs. You’ll also find flamboyant cuttlefish and a seemingly endless variety of nudibranchs thriving here.

At its simplest, muck diving refers to exploring seemingly barren substrates—usually sand, silt, or fine rubble—where life hides rather than displays itself. These environments are often found in sheltered bays, volcanic slopes, or areas influenced by sediment runoff. Unlike coral reefs, where the structure provides obvious shelter, muck habitats rely on camouflage, burrowing, and mimicry. These animals have evolved to disappear, and that is precisely what makes finding them so fascinating.

Diving, at its best, rewards curiosity more than spectacle, and nowhere is that truer than in muck diving. This is not a style of diving built around wide vistas or instant gratification. It is about slowing down, paying attention, and learning to see what most people swim straight past. Once that shift happens, muck dives stop feeling empty and start feeling alive.

Read more…

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.

Whispering with Light: Moving Beyond Traditional Snoot Photography

I hear a lot of photographers saying they don’t like snoots, but I believe that, like all tools, they are great when used wisely. I don’t like condemning a technique or a tool just because there are images out there where the technique has been butchered. Snoots done poorly are a bad look; a wide spotlight of light around a subject against a black background creates a boring and artificial image. However, for many of my snoot images, most people wouldn’t even be able to tell a snoot was used.  

In underwater photography, there is an old saying: the best lighting is often the lighting you can’t see. Your lighting should be subtle and gently fade into the image instead of coming in like a wrecking ball. This is true no matter what technique you use, yet snoots often over-dramatize inefficiencies in technique.

Traditional snoot use creates a theatrical spotlight effect, isolating a subject with such force that subtlety is lost. Hard-edged spotlights, obvious cones of illumination, and pools of brightness surrounded by darkness—these images can feel impressive at first, but they rarely age well.

While that forceful approach has its place when learning, it represents only a narrow slice of what snoots are capable of. Used more thoughtfully, snoots can become one of the most refined lighting tools available to underwater photographers, shaping light in ways that feel natural, intentional, and almost invisible.

The problem with obvious snooting is not technical, but aesthetic. When the light is too direct and too harsh, the image starts to feel artificial. The underwater world rarely presents itself in perfect circles of illumination, and when our lighting does, the illusion breaks. Viewers may not consciously understand why an image feels staged, but they sense it immediately. Subtle lighting, on the other hand, draws attention without demanding it. It guides the eye gently, allowing the subject to exist within its environment rather than being cut out from it. This is where snoots, used wisely, begin to show their real strength.

Using a snoot can be frustrating, especially when you first start out. In the beginning, you’re just happy to get the light on the subject, and the initial impact of achieving your goal can overpower any impartiality you might have when reviewing your own images. But after you have achieved this a few times, the shots can become stale and start to look the same: a centered animal with a spotlight of light around it and a black background. This article aims to show you that it’s not the snoot’s fault… there are much better ways to use them.

Read more…

Surviving Long-Haul Flights to Dive Destinations: Tips from Underwater Photographers

By Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan

In this article from The Underwater Photography Show, Alex Mustard, who has unwillingly become an expert in long haul travel, discusses with Matthew Sullivan, who hates flying, how getting to those world-class diving destinations often requires hours of flying, which is why surviving long-haul flights is a learned skill. This article covers practical tips for managing fatigue and stress, ensuring you're not an exhausted mess, but instead, feeling refreshed and ready to jump straight into the water for your first great shot.

As underwater photographers, we often find ourselves chugging along on airplanes for long-haul travel to reach the world's best diving destinations. It's an important topic because being fresh and well-rested when you arrive will make you more effective as a photographer. However, standard advice for long-haul flying doesn't always apply to us, as our carry-on luggage is typically packed with camera gear, limiting the space for comfort items.

Here are our essential tips for surviving long-haul flights while balancing the needs of an underwater photographer:

Read more…

Most people visit Cozumel for the beaches, but Jonathan Bird and his team are heading somewhere much darker. In the latest episode of Jonathan Bird’s Blue World, the crew dives into Aerolito Cenote alongside expert biologists to hunt for new life forms.

It’s a fascinating look at a fragile, alien ecosystem hidden right beneath the Yucatan Peninsula.

Summary

That’s a wrap for Issue #51! We hope this edition inspired you to look a little closer at the sand on your next safety stop or to finally try that subtle 'whisper' of light on your macro subjects. At the end of the day, diving is about that simple, quiet act of observation—whether you’re in a Mexican cenote or a silty slope in Lembeh. We’d love to hear about your latest 'muck' finds or your tips for surviving those middle-seat flights to paradise. Hit reply and let us know what’s on your dive radar for 2026.

Andy & Byron