Nicholas More: Anilao

Sea & Sea have announced an early July release date for a new housing; the RDX-550D. This polycarbonate housing has been designed for the popular Canon Rebel T1i/500D and Rebel T2i/550D. It will accept ports from Sea & Sea RDX, NX and CX systems, and allows for fiber optic slave and wired TTL lighting functions.
FishTales have announced the release of a new UW Photo Simulator app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This simulator will help underwater photographers become proficient at judging correct exposure and flash balance. The new app can be purchased from the iTunes store.
There are also two new books from FishTales press; Point and Shoot Underwater Digital Photography and Underwater Digital Photography for DSLRs. Both are available in print or eBook formats.
Simon Spear’s film “Circle of Life” is now available as an HD or iPod podcast via DiveFilm HD on iTunes. The film is about our deep connection to the ocean realm.
DiveFilm HD showcases some of the best high-definition underwater short films being produced today from all over the world. Featuring beautiful images of the underwater world, marine life large and small, interviews with interesting people, and updates on underwater imaging. Produced in association with Wetpixel and available via iTunes.
Indonesia is both one of the most biodiverse ocean environments on the planet and the world’s largest shark fishery. Shark Savers is working with Misool Eco Resort, Conservation International’s Indonesia Marine Program, WildAid, and other NGOs and eco-tourism companies on a new initiative to convince the Raja Ampat government to prohibit all fishing of sharks, mantas, and mobulas.
This is not a “feel good” petition. The petition is one piece of a comprehensive initiative to show the Raja Ampat Fisheries and Tourism Depts. that sharks, mantas and mobulas are very valuable to their local economy - ALIVE!
Sign the petition now — we need your support. Spread the word!
To recognize the United Nations declaring 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, Project AWARE Foundation and SeaWeb’s Marine Photobank are calling for entries for the third “Ocean in Focus” Conservation Photography Contest. This features species in need of protection, the human impacts upon them and their environments, and the critical need to conserve biodiversity.
Last year’s Picture of the Year winner, Randall Bentoni, was awarded a one-week liveaboard dive trip to the Revillagigedos by our POTY sponsor, Solmar V. Randall has just returned from his expedition:
The crew of the Solmar V took great care of my wife and me. The food was fantastic (I gained a few pounds) the service was superb, and the diving was sensational. We saw enormous mantas that swam and played with us on nearly every dive. We also saw large hammerheads and galapagos sharks, dozens of white tip sharks and beautiful Clarion Angelfish that evidently we will never see anywhere else.
Randall has posted a few photos from his trip. Be sure to enter our Picture of the Week contest for a chance to win Ikelite underwater flashlights and a trip aboard the Solmar V!
IMAX 3D director and producer Howard and Michele Hall recently returned from a 14-day expedition to Cocos Island, Costa Rica, where they made four dives aboard the Undersea Hunter submersible, Deep See. Howard has posted a 3-minute video short using footage he shot using the RED ONE camera.
The Maldives is now suffering the most serious incidence of coral bleaching since the major 1998 El Niño event that destroyed most of the country’s shallow reef coral.
Coral bleaching is caused when rising water temperatures stress the coral, leading it to expel the algae it uses to get nutrients. When water temperatures rise even slightly, algae leave the coral polyp and enters the water column, causing the coral to lose its colour and eventually die.