images up in the air and beneath the waves
You can read about my visit to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula with Hidden Depths Dive Tours‘s Paul Hughes in this month’s Sport Diver.
Paul had prepared a full-on programme to show me that the Mayan Region could offer world-class diving, and something totally different to the usual scuba holiday. During my stay, I would get a taste of cavern diving in the cenotes around Tulum and discover a much talked-about area, the Chinchorro Banks, way south near the Belize border.
A British Isles section has been added to the site.
Over the years, I have grown very fond of UK diving which can offer world-class experiences. One of the main comments I hear is that diving in Britain is hard, dark, murky and difficult. Although conditions can sometimes be more challenging, I think green waters have a lot of photographic subjects to offer and that the persevering underwater photographer is often rewarded with images that stand-out from images taken in tropical waters.
During the 2007 British Splash-in Championship, The Wildlife Trusts chose 4 images by BSoUP photographers Martha Tressler, Sally Sharrock, Trevor Rees and myself to promote the new Marine Bill Campain.
I fully support the Trusts in this enterprise which aims to designate more areas around the coast as no-take zones.
My first DIVE Magazine front cover!
This image was taken between St Abbs and Coldingham in Scotland, in one of my favourite diving spots around the British isles. St Abbs and the marine reserve are the scene ofto the annual Splash-In competition that takes place on the August Bank holiday weekend. Billy and Alison Aitchison at Rock House B&B were our hosts for the weekend and we were diving from Billy’s charter vessel Alikai.
Exciting news! My pufferfish picture will feature on the DAN Europe Membership card. It also made the front cover of the Mag!
I have been a member of DAN (Divers Alert Network) for a number of years now and would not want to travel overseas or even dive in home waters without knowing that they’re always available, should I ever need their services after a diving accident.
They offer reasonably priced insurance coverwhich extends to non-diving activity and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
My Great Escape won the Theme Portfolio competition at the BSoUP meeting in March. It is also generating an interesting discussion on whether this kind of Photoshop manipulation should be allowed when entering a portfolio of 6 images for competitions.
DIVE RED SEA by my friends Simon Rogerson and John McIntyre has been launched. I’m really excited to see the book out after being asked to provide images for the project. Other photographers involved with the book were Alex Mustard, Charles Hood, Jane Morgan and Malcolm Nobbs.
DIVE RED SEA is now available in France under the title Plongées en mer Rouge