Inside Scuba Issue #52

AuthorAuthor

Andy Deitsch & Byron Conroy
January 25, 2026

Welcome to Issue #52 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to the 52nd edition of Inside Scuba! This week, we’re bridging the gap between extreme exploration and essential safety. We kick things off with an incredible conversation with Emmy-winner Becky Kagan Schott, who takes us from the dark quarries of Pennsylvania to the ice of Antarctica. But as we push our limits in cold water and technical diving, we also have to mind the gear that gets us there. From a deep dive into cold-water photography tips to a sobering look at lithium-ion battery safety and the latest global dive news, this issue is packed with the insights you need to stay inspired—and safe—on your next adventure.

What’s happening in this edition?

Deep Water Storytelling: A Conversation with Becky Kagan Schott

Photo courtesy: Becky Kagan Schott

Few people can say they’ve spent their lives exploring the most inhospitable corners of our planet, but for Becky Kagan Schott, the "deep, dark, and cold" is where she feels most at home. A five-time Emmy Award-winning cinematographer, photographer, and technical diving instructor, Becky was recently honored with the prestigious 2025 NOGI Award for Arts—often referred to as the "Oscar of the ocean world"—for her career-long contributions to underwater imagery. As the co-founder of Liquid Productions, her work has been a staple on National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel for years.

I recently spent 12 days with Becky in Antarctica and had the chance to sit down with her to discuss her journey from a 12-year-old Pittsburgh diver to one of the world’s leading underwater storytellers.

Photo courtesy: Becky Kagan Schott

Inside Scuba: Becky, most people associate you with Florida’s springs or the Great Lakes, but you actually started in a very different climate, didn’t you?

Becky Kagan Schott: It surprises people, but I was actually born in Pittsburgh! I started diving in cold, dark quarries there after doing a resort course in Florida with my dad when I was almost 12. I knew immediately I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I got certified at 12, and shortly after my family moved to Orlando.

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: “Marine megafauna sightings off charts in Scotland. 2025 was a record year for marine megafauna sightings in Scottish seas, with more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, porpoises and other species reported to the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust (HWDT). “

Dive Magazine: “Search ends for missing cave diver at Font-Estramar in southern France. Search operations have ended for a cave diver who went missing at the Font-Estramar cave system in southern France. The 45-year-old man, described by authorities as an experienced cave diver, disappeared on Sunday after entering the system, located near Salses-le-Château in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. Relatives raised the alarm at around 4 pm when he failed to re-emerge.”

ABC News: “Authorities confirm body of French diver missing in Antarctica has been found. Gérald Malaussena had been diving under the ice near Dumont d'Urville Station when he went missing earlier this month. His body has now been found after a search effort that involved the support of a US Coast Guard team from McMurdo Station.”

Divernet: “US Marine scuba divers rescued from rocks. Two US Marine personnel who had been out on a night dive were reported to be stranded on a rocky cliff in Okinawa on the evening of 18 January – but the local fire department had to call in the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) after proving unable to rescue them.”

Dive Magazine: “One rescued, 14 missing after boat capsizes off Davao Occidental, Philippines. One person has been rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard Search and Rescue teams as 14 remain missing after a boat carrying 15 people, including divers and crew, capsized in waters off Davao Occidental, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).”

Deeper Blue: “Solmar V Liveaboard Ceases Operations. Solmar V, one of the major liveaboard vessels that frequented the Socorro Islands southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, recently announced it had ceased operations. The 112-foot by 23-foot (35-meter by 7-meter) vessel accommodated 22 guests and would run 9- and 11-day trips that include 5 to 7 ½ days of diving with 20-22 to 27-29 dives, respectively.”

Divernet: “KISS Sidewinder 2 gets CE approval. Today marks a major milestone in the history of rebreather diving. After months of extensive work with the DEKRA team, the long-awaited CE approval of the KISS Sidewinder 2 has officially become a reality.”

Dive Magazine: “British couple die after reported scuba diving incident in Maldives. Aretired British couple have died following a reported scuba diving incident while holidaying in the Maldives, according to UK media reports. Elaine Richmond, 70, and her husband Malcolm Richmond, 71, from Inkersall, Derbyshire, were visiting Ellaidhoo island in the North Ari Atoll over the Christmas period when the incident is believed to have occurred.”

Deeper Blue: “Boston Sea Rovers Unveils Film Festival Speakers. The Boston Sea Rovers this week unveiled the speakers who will be taking part at the film festival during the organization’s annual International Ocean Clinic. Author, shipwreck hunter and storyteller Jennifer Sellitti will be the emcee. In her work, she weaves complex and intriguing tales of lost ships, the passengers who traveled aboard them and the explorers who uncover their secrets.”

The Scuba News: “Fire Destroys Golden Dolphin 3 Liveaboard Off Hurghada. A fire has destroyed the Red Sea liveaboard Golden Dolphin 3 after breaking out in the early hours of 21st January off Hurghada. According to information circulating within the regional diving community, the fire started at around 3am and spread rapidly through the vessel. The blaze continued into the morning, with the boat ultimately considered a total loss.”

Cayman Compass:  “Submarine collides with 110-foot yacht off Grand Cayman. Down Under Submarines was involved in a collision, days after the Compass reported on a previous incident involving the company. In this latest incident on 7 Jan., its submarine came up underneath and struck a 110-foot-long liveaboard dive boat, the Cayman Aggressor IV. The 64-foot-long, 65-ton submarine was diving on the Doc Poulson dive site, where the liveaboard yacht was already tied up to the mooring ball.”

Antarctica and Beyond: Top Tips For Successful Cold Water Photography

I recently completed a dive trip to Antarctica, a place where the water can’t get any colder without becoming ice. For me, this trip was second nature; my home dive site sits at 35°F (2°C) all year round, and I dive it week in, week out. But when I met some of the other guests on the trip, it became apparent how nervous they were about the cold, and how much it was affecting their image-making. I tried to help out with a few tips, and many told me they wished they knew a few of these secrets before the trip so they could prepare. So, for those of you interested in improving your cold water diving, or for those beginning their journey, here are a few of my top tips for successful cold water photography… Oh, and when I say "cold" here, I’m not talking about California… I mean water temperatures of 40°F (4°C) and below.

Me diving in 29F water, taken by Maxwell Hohn

State of Mind

The number one tip for success is state of mind. If you’re sat in your house in Florida deciding that you’re going to freeze to death in Antarctica, then guess what… you’re going to struggle. This is because you’ve already decided you will. So wake up and realize you’re not the first person to dive in ice-cold waters, and all the other people before you managed just fine. Nobody died of hypothermia or frostbite just from getting in the water.

Equipment has come so far, and it’s never been easier to dive in cold water than it is today. Stop deciding something is hard before you try it; embrace the cold water with warmth and positivity. At the end of the day, when push comes to shove, even if you do get a bit cold after 20 or 30 minutes of diving, guess what… you can just come to the surface.

The Flash Debate: Are We Harming Marine Life?

By Alex Mustard and Matthew Sullivan

In this article from The Underwater Photography Show, we'll be tackling a critical question often asked by divers and non-divers alike: Does the use of strobes harm the critters we photograph?

The concern usually centers on whether flash stresses animals, temporarily blinds them, or even damages eyesight. While as photographers we rely on flash to restore color that is lost at depth, it is vital to ask ourselves if it could be causing stress or harm.

What We See

As underwater photographers with a passion for marine life and love of capturing natural behavior, we would never want our photography to be causing undue stress to marine creatures. And that is generally what we see. Most underwater photography takes place in shallow, tropical waters, which are naturally very bright. Furthermore, light levels where we dive are not constant like on land, but constantly flickering as the sunlight plays through the surface of the sea. What every underwater photographer will tell you is that it is very, very rare for any underwater animal to show any reaction at all to flash. Importantly, if they do, you should stop shooting them and move on. This will benefit the animal, but it will also benefit your photos, because a stressed subject will never yield good images.

What the Science Says

As well as our own experiences, we are aware of two marine scientists (and their co-authors) who have set out to study this scientifically and have published their results in peer-review literature. Both David Harasti1 and Maarten De Bruawer2 have studied this issue on a variety of species. Their peer-reviewed studies have led to several consistent conclusions:

  • Negligible Effects: Flash itself has almost no discernible impact on an animal’s behavior, movement, or feeding success.

  • No Physical Damage: Even in laboratory conditions with light much brighter than standard underwater strobes, no permanent damage was found in the eye anatomy of the subjects.

  • Natural Adaptation: In shallow water, marine life is already adapted to "flickering" light levels caused by sun rays playing through the surface, which is very similar to an instantaneous flash.

The Real Impact: Physical Contact

The most important takeaway from this research is that physical contact is far more damaging than light. While using a flash is generally okay, prodding, poking, or touching a subject with your fingers or a pointer stick causes measurable changes in behavior and stress levels.

A pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) on a sea fan (Muricella sp.) Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.

Whether it’s our primary dive lights, high-end camera rigs, or even the scooters we use to cover distance, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the lifeblood of modern diving. They pack an incredible amount of energy into a tiny footprint—which is exactly why we need to treat them with respect.

This week’s video comes from Adam Savage’s Tested, and while they aren’t suiting up for a wreck dive, the lessons they share are vital for every diver. They take a deep dive into the internal construction of these cells, revealing why "cheap" alternatives are often a recipe for disaster.

Why This Matters for Divers

We’ve all seen the headlines about liveaboard fires. In a confined, salt-air environment with limited exits, a battery failure isn't just an equipment "oops"—it’s a life-threatening emergency.

Here is the reality for our community:

  • The "Spider-web" Risk: On dive boats, we often see "daisy-chained" power strips and dozens of devices charging at once. One bad battery in that mix can trigger a chain reaction.

  • Salt & Stress: Underwater housings protect our gear, but moisture ingress or physical drops can compromise a battery's internal stability.

  • The Price of "Cheap": Knock-off batteries often skip the Battery Management System (BMS)—the "brain" that prevents overcharging and overheating.

The Takeaway

Don't put your life (or your boat) at risk to save $20 on a battery. Stick to known, quality brands and original manufacturer equipment. As you watch Adam and his guests inspect these cells, think about the gear sitting in your dive bag right now.

Pro Tip: Never leave your gear charging unattended in your cabin. Use the designated charging stations on the boat, and always inspect your batteries for "bloating" or heat before and after a dive.

Summary

As we wrap up this issue, the common thread is clear: preparation and quality are everything. Whether you're upgrading your thermal protection for an Antarctic expedition, rethinking your strobe technique to protect marine life, or simply auditing your gear bag for high-quality batteries, the choices we make on land define our success in the water. We hope these stories from Becky, Byron, Alex, and the Tested team give you plenty to think about before your next splash. Until next time, dive safe, buy quality, and keep exploring.

Andy & Byron

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