Inside Scuba Issue #13

AuthorAuthor

Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
July 28, 2024

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Welcome to Issue #13 of Inside Scuba

Welcome to the 13th issue of Inside Scuba. We are thrilled to bring you another edition packed with the latest insights, tips, and highlights from the underwater world. In this issue, we embark on a journey to rediscover the Thistlegorm, share essential photo editing techniques for underwater photography, review the renowned Shark and Yolanda Reef, and feature an exclusive interview with renowned underwater photographer Brian Skerry conducted by Alex Mustard and Matt Sullivan on their YouTube show, "The Underwater Photography Show.". Whether you're a seasoned diver or just starting out, there's something here for everyone. Dive in and explore with us!

What’s happening in this edition?

Rediscovering the Thistlegorm: A Journey from the Depths to 3D

In May 2023, I led a dive trip to Israel and Jordan for Blue Green Expeditions. Our itinerary included both diving adventures and land-based tours. During the Israeli leg of our journey, we were guided by Ronen Levy, a former boat captain and diver in the Red Sea. We quickly bonded over shared diving stories, and it was during one of these storytelling sessions that Ronen revealed a remarkable chapter of his past: his rediscovery of the wreck of the Thistlegorm in 1993.

The stern of the SS Thistlegorm with her 4.7-inch (120 mm) anti-aircraft gun

The Thistlegorm, a British armed Merchant Navy ship, was sunk by German bombers in 1941 near Ras Mohammed in the Red Sea. It was carrying a cargo of military supplies, including motorbikes, trucks, and other wartime materials. Discovered in 1955 by Jacques Cousteau it was lost again for nearly 40 years. Since that time, it has become a popular site for divers and underwater photographers. I have personally done nearly 50 dives on the Thistlegorm, capturing its haunting beauty from numerous angles. We covered this dive site in an article in Issue #11.

Ronen's tale fascinated me. Not only had he rediscovered the wreck, but he had also salvaged some pieces, including the helm, which now sits proudly in his living room. After returning to the US, Ronen sent me a photo of the helm, and I knew it needed to be shared with a wider audience.

The helm as it sits at the base of Ronen’s stairs in his living room

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.

BBC: “Man in his 50s dies while diving off Donegal coast (Ireland)”.

PBS: National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry is the executive producer of a new three-part series called Sea Change, focused on the effects of climate change in the Gulf of Maine.

BBC: “Sharks off Brazil coast test positive for cocaine.”

Scuba Diver Magazine: “Cases of champagne found on 19th Century wreck. Polish diving group Baltictech have discovered a 19th Century shipwreck containing more than 100 bottles of champagne, as well as wine, mineral water and porcelain, lying in 58m some 20 miles south of the Swedish island of Oland.”

ABC News: “NatGeo and David Attenborough join forces for new documentary on the world’s oceans. The documentary, currently titled 'David Attenborough: Ocean" will premiere in 2025”

USA Today: “Scuba divers rescued after 36 hours thanks to beacon spotted 15 miles off Texas coast”

Photo Tip of the Week - Mastering Lightroom for Underwater Photography: A Workflow Guide

When I first started in underwater photography, I looked at other people’s images a lot. They seemed more “polished” than mine; that was the best way I could describe it. At the time, I wasn’t really editing photos. I would say I was one of those shooters who always said you should be able to do everything in-camera, and that I wanted to learn to take photos, not learn how to create them on a computer.

I learned over time that you can’t be a serious photographer without editing your photos. It’s not cheating; it is a fundamental step in completing your images. Time and time again, I see images on Instagram that could be enhanced with a good edit. Consider Lightroom to be the finishing school for your images where you polish and refine them. When I teach workshops, I tend to tell people that it’s 85% underwater and 15% of the work needs to be done in Lightroom. RAW files that come from modern cameras actually come out of the camera as very flat images. All they are doing is trying to capture as much data as possible, ready to be finished. When a camera displays a JPEG file on the back of your camera, this file has already had internal editing done by the camera’s software. The RAW files you load have not had this done, and therefore, you need to do it.

It is imperative that you shoot all of your images as RAW files. These images contain the most data and therefore give you the most “dynamic range,” allowing you to push the files further in the editing process.

Underwater photography presents unique challenges and opportunities, with distinct lighting conditions, colors, and clarity issues that are different from land-based photography. Adobe Lightroom offers a robust set of tools to help photographers enhance and perfect their underwater images. This guide will help you realize which of the tools are more useful for us as underwater shooters.

Post and pre edit of an ambient light shot

Dive Site Review: Shark and Yolanda Reef

Shark and Yolanda Reef, located in the Ras Mohammed National Park in Egypt, is one of the most renowned dive sites in the Red Sea. This unique site features a dramatic underwater landscape that includes a wall dive at Shark Reef, which plunges steeply into the blue abyss, teeming with vibrant marine life such as schools of unicorn fish, batfish, and a summer bloom of snappers in the blue water. Shark Reef is home to some of the best soft coral walls and bommies to be found in the whole of the Red Sea, teeming with incredible swarms of bright orange anthias.

Just a short swim away lies Yolanda Reef, named after the wreck of the cargo ship Jolanda that sank in 1980 (the ship was spelled with a J but the reef is spelled with a Y). The wreck's scattered cargo, including a BMW, bathtubs, toilets, and pipes, creates an intriguing underwater museum, adding to the site's allure. Divers can also explore the coral garden between the two reefs, which is rich with colorful corals, anemones, and a variety of fish species.

The combination of dramatic drop-offs, abundant marine life, and historical wreckage makes the Shark and Yolanda Reef a must-visit for divers in the Red Sea. The dive is either conducted starting at Yolanda and drifting over to Shark Reef, or starting on the corner of Shark Reef and drifting to the Yolanda wreck. This is dependent on the tide and which way the current runs.

Vibrant healthy bommies on shark reef

In this video, Alex Mustard and Matt Sullivan interview Brian Skerry on his new PBS show “Sea Change: Bounty in the Gulf of Maine”. Check the news section of the newsletter for the link to the PBS episode.

Summary

Thank you for diving into Issue #13 of Inside Scuba. We hope you found the stories and insights as inspiring and informative as we did. If you enjoyed this edition, please share it with your fellow divers and friends. Your support helps us reach more enthusiasts and grow our community. Stay tuned for our next issue, where we'll continue to bring you the best of the underwater world. Until then, happy diving and safe adventures!

Andy & Byron

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