As discussed with regular contributor Alex Mustard in one of the previous episodes of Wetpixel Live, which covered the tools for off-camera strobe photography, Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon offers a brief tutorial about how to activate the Anglerfish optical trigger.
Typically concentrating on general ideas rather than tutorals, Wetpixel Live is a series of video discussions that aim to cover many of the topocs raised on the Wetpixel Forums. Please head on over to check them out.
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Diving in a dry suit helps you enjoy longer, more comfortable dives. As a dry suit diver, you’ll be able to dive more places, more often – including some of the world’s best dive sites, Scapa Flow, Silfra Crack and The Sunshine Coast, just to name a few.
Before you became a certified diver, you may have wondered, “why do you need a license to go scuba diving?” At some point during your Open Water Diver course®, you likely saw the value of learning how to prevent and manage problems and the benefits of practicing basic skills in a pool. It’s the same for dry suit diving – but the course is considerably shorter, just one or two days.
A dry suit keeps you warm by keeping you dry (water conducts heat away from the body 20- 27 times faster than air). What most divers don’t consider is how the bubble of air keeping you warm behaves during the dive. For example, if you tip forward to look at something, the air will move to your feet, which can lead to a rapid feet-first ascent.
The PADI® Dry Suit Diver Specialty course can be completed in as little as one day and teaches you essential dry suit safety skills. During two dives and one pool session, you’ll learn:
You also need a dry suit certification to rent a dry suit, and dry suit training will be part of the conversation if you try to buy one. Can you buy or borrow a dry suit without training? Maybe, but why put yourself at risk for a serious accident?
Below are a few essential skills dry suit divers must learn and practice. All of these are covered in the PADI Dry Suit Diver Specialty course.
Venting the drysuit – Most dry suits vent from an exhaust valve on the upper arm, and it takes a bit of practice to learn how to manage, move and efficiently release air. Failing to vent quickly enough can lead to a rapid ascent and serious injury.
Disconnecting the inflator – Though rare, it’s possible for the inflator to get stuck and turn you into an underwater balloon. The situation is often made worse when an untrained diver can’t disconnect the hose because they’re wearing thick gloves.
Finding and connecting a pressurized inflator hose – Forgetting to connect the inflator hose before descending will cause uncomfortable suit squeeze and, if not corrected, can be immobilizing. By practicing how to connect a pressurized inflator hose, you can avoid finding out how it feels to be shrink-wrapped by your dry suit.
Dry suit diving takes time to master, but with expert tips and guidance from a PADI Instructor, you’ll avoid common problems and potential hazards. Your dry suit certification also counts towards your Advanced Open Water Diver certification and Master Scuba Diver™rating. In some areas, you can also earn college credit.
Contact a PADI Dive Center for more information on how to get started with dry suit diving. Learn more about different types of dry suits, in our dry suit buyer’s guide.
Maldives Holidaymakers Will Receive Rewards for Repeat Visits
Tourists will able to earn loyalty points for visiting the Maldives’ island paradise (Photo: Shutterstock)
The Maldives has announced the launch of ‘Maldives Border Miles’, a new loyalty points system for holidaymakers aimed at incentivising tourism to the islands.
According to the Maldives’ Immigration Services website: ‘Maldives Border Miles is a three-tiered loyalty program focused on tourism promotion. Tourists enrolled to this programme will earn points for each border crossing. Additional points are rewarded for the visits on special occasions. Once the tourist reaches to a tally of a specific amount of points, privileges are rewarded with amazing benefits. As they move up the tiers, privileges are enhanced, and benefits are made exclusive.’
The Maldives was one of the first nations to reopen its borders to tourism in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, after previously repurposing an abandoned luxury resort as a quarantine facility.
The three tiers of the loyalty programme are split into bronze, silver and gold categories, named in Dhivehi as ‘Aida’ (bright star), ‘Antara’ (attractive and prestigious) and ‘Abaarana’, an honourific for Maldivian monarchs.
The programme is expected to be launched in December 2020, however, as yet, no details of what the rewards might actually be have been made available.
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Statement From PADI For 2021 Membership Renewal Fees
Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide, has announced the training agency’s plans to support its professional members during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a statement released this week, and previously sent to PADI Instructors and divemasters, ‘PADI is offering unprecedented and much needed relief…to support [its] Members during these challenging times.’ There has been much speculation as to what measures the organisation would take, following an initial promise to defer partial payment of membership fees until March next year.
‘In these unprecedented times when diving activity is down, providing needed relief and unsurpassed support to loyal PADI Members is job one,’ said Richardson. ‘The PADI staff and I understand that every member’s story differs across 182 countries, and we are listening and adapting to demonstrate solidarity and togetherness as we go forward into recovery.’
PADI currently charges its instructors around €360+VAT (it varies by location) per year to maintain teaching status for both diving and first aid training, with discounts to the price applied for those who sign up for automatic yearly renewal. Fees have, by and large, increased incrementally year-on-year.
This year, the renewal fees for 2021 will remain exactly the same as they did for 2020, with three payment options available.
A range of other benefits are being offered, including 21 free digital learning products for instructors (for their personal use, not for students), a price guarantee on training materials and merchandise until at least 1 April 2021, and a ‘PADI Gear’ gift voucher for equipment purchases.
‘We are also providing an option for any current PADI Member to temporarily pause membership, if needed, and easily reactivate it in the future,’ said Richardson. ‘Our members mean everything to us and we know that together we are stronger and will lead the world to seek adventure and save the ocean.’
The information was distributed to PADI professionals earlier in October, with mixed reactions on Internet dive forums. Many instructors have been left without any source of income for more than six months, and have complained that the measures are not enough. Others have noted that PADI itself has been hit hard by the dive industry shutdown, and that payment of fees is essential for operational continuity.
First Dive Computer With Ultrasonic Communication Hits the Market
Swedish-made dive computer the Oceans S1 Supersonic, which features an ultrasonic buddy-to-buddy underwater communication system, has launched on the open market following a successful Kickstarter-funded campaign supported by Fabien Cousteau.
Divers can signal their buddies with a single button-push, and notifications are received in the form of haptic vibrations and a visual message on the computer’s screen, naming the diver who sent the alert. Up to eight computers can be linked together and signals can be transmitted over a distance of 20m underwater.
The computer is accompanied by the Oceans app, available for both Apple and Android smart devices. Dive logs can be synced via Bluetooth to the app, which will intelligently geolocate and tag the dives. Photos from the dive can be added to the logbook, and the Oceans app also features an AI filter which will automatically colour correct pictures to restore their ‘true’ underwater colours.
Other features include a 3D digital compass for navigation and a reduced-glare night mode for blackwater diving. Air, recreational nitrox and apnea modes are available, utilising a Buhlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors algorithm. The computer is pressure-tested to 100m (330ft), although the recommended maximum depth for use is 50m (160ft).
The Oceans S1 is completely wireless, charges using a standard Qi charger (not included), with a battery life of up to 10 hours underwater. The computer is available in ‘Oceans Yellow’, ‘Shallow Blue’, ‘Living Coral’, and ‘Abysmal Black’ – colour schemes.
Technical Specification
Oceans S1 Supersonic is currently priced at €499. For more information and to order online, visit www.oceans.io.
Preview of the Ocean Film Festival’s First Virtual World Tour
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is returning for 2020 in its first virtual edition, with a brand-new collection of ocean-themed films arriving on the UK’s shores in October and November.
The online film evenings will involve a collection of short films ‘telling stories of seafaring adventure, carefree characters and mind-blowing marine life from the depths of the big blue; wild nautical voyages, captivating coastal scenery and stunning cinematography – all from the comfort of your sofa.’
‘It’s time to celebrate the world’s incredible oceans, and we’re thrilled to be presenting the Ocean Film Festival 2020 in this exciting new format,’ said tour director Nell Teasdale. ‘From rowing 4,000 miles across the Atlantic to surfing the spectacular cold-water waves of British Columbia, this inspirational collection of films is guaranteed to whet your appetite for an ocean adventure.’
To accompany the films, delivered from the Ocean Film Festival’s new ‘Backyard Theatre’, viewers will have exclusive access to behind-the-scenes footage and Q&A sessions with some of the film-makers. A live prize draw will be held with viewers able to win a range of ocean-related prizes.
The two shows will be held on 25-27 October and 17-19 November. The films will start at 7.30pm, but audience members are invited to explore the ‘virtual foyer’ from 6.30pm onwards, where they can download the tour magazine, enter the prize draw, and take part in an Ocean Film Festival quiz, among other activities. The shows will be available online for 48 hours for those unable to join the live broadcast.
‘While we are unable to join ocean-lovers live in theatres, we are really excited to be presenting our first-ever virtual Ocean Film Festival,’ said Teasdale. ‘So grab the popcorn, make a brew, get your friends watching at the same time – we can’t wait to ‘virtually’ see you for a night of inspiration!’
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour originated in Australia, with the aim of inspiring people to explore, respect, enjoy and protect the world’s oceans. It has toured the UK & Ireland for the last six years, working to promote the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage environmental charities.
Check out the highlights and trailer below – for more information and to book tickets, visit www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk.
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Ocean Valour
Lifelong friends Tom Rainey and Lawrence Walters set out from Manhatten, New York, to row 4,000 miles across the North Atlantic to Salcombe in Devon. Battling 80ft waves, brutal sleep deprivation, jellyfish, sharks and some unpleasant fungus, the young Brits spend a gruelling 93 days at sea, breaking two world records and raising over £130,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Tom’s dad. Bare Existence
Polar Bears International (PBI) is a team of scientists dedicated to protecting polar bears and their habitat. In Bare Existence, a documentary film crew spends seven days with the PBI team as they research and live alongside these magnificent yet endangered creatures, known as the Kings of the Arctic. Camel Finds Water
Sometimes the biggest dreams have the humblest origins. When surfer Trevor Gordon discovers the remains of a tiny dilapidated boat in a landlocked field, he dreamed of restoring it to its original glory and sailing it to find remote waves in British Columbia. But after 1,000 hours of work, will Camel be up to the challenge?
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Private Scuba Tuition – Learn Scuba Skills.
Joey Ridge offers private scuba diving training for those who would feel more comfortable in a private one to one setting
![[link]](https://i.redd.it/j6f7u6z789s51.jpg){kind=link}