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Book Review: Death in Number Two Shaft by Steve Lewis

Published

6 years ago

on

The unassuming grey-green cover of this slim volume doesn’t give much away regarding its contents, and I must admit that the serious-sounding title of Death in Number Two Shaft didn’t exactly draw me in at first glance.  However, once I dove into the text I realized it was a plunge into the mind of a well-spoken and witty author, and his easy-going prose quickly had me hooked.  The death of a dive buddy is the theme of the book, the guideline that keeps the narrative moving through an unexpectedly wide-ranging array of topics.

The book reads as partly a personal memoir, partly a dive travelogue about expeditions in Newfoundland, and partly a musing on the loss of a friend and the reasons why the titular accident happened in the first place.  Somehow, the author manages to weave all of these threads together into a compelling narrative, which I enjoyed.  I also appreciated his bravery for tackling a difficult and emotional subject: survivor’s guilt.

I think the book could perhaps be improved with a few pictures and a map of the Bell Island Mine and surroundings would aid visualisation. I also felt that the final quarter of the book seemed noticeably less polished, a few misplaced words jarred the flow a little in an otherwise eloquent writing style.  These points notwithstanding, Death in Number Two Shaft easily kept my interest and was a relatively quick and diverting read.

I enjoyed the author’s inside look at what an exploratory diving expedition is all about.  I also appreciated his thoughts on the reasons why people cave dive, or participate in other so-called ‘extreme’ endeavours.  The author’s love of all things underwater really shows, as does his love of Newfoundland, a diving destination that seemingly should be on more divers’ radars.

For anyone seeking a book about diving that is a little bit different than most, I highly recommend it.

Find out more about Steve at www.techdivertraining.org.

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CJ and Mike are dive instructors who have travelled all over the world pursuing their passion for the underwater world. CJ is a PADI MI and DSAT Trimix instructor with a degree in Conservation biology and ecology, who has been diving for 15 years. She loves looking for critters and pointing them out for Mike to photograph. Mike is a PADI MSDT who got back into diving in 2010. He enjoys practicing underwater photography and exploring new and exciting dive locales, occasionally with more than one tank. Follow more of their diving adventures at www.facebook.com/bimbleintheblue.

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UWACAM Impresses at BOOT 2025 with New App

Published

10 hours ago

on

March 2, 2025

By

UWACAM

BOOT 2025, the world’s largest water sports trade fair, provided the perfect stage for the launch of the new UWACAM app which meanwhile is rated at an excellent 4.8 out of 5 in the Apple App Store.

Optimized for DIVEVOLK (divevolkdiving.com) Seatouch housings and developed in collaboration with award-winning underwater filmmaker Matthias Lebo (matthiaslebo.com), this app is user-friendly and features large, clear controls, enabling effortless and stunning shots.

It offers professional functions typically found in high-end cameras, supports the LOG format for advanced color corrections, includes built-in LUTs (Color Lookup Tables) to restore underwater colors, and provides a manual mode, user presets, histogram, focus peaking, zebra function, and much more.

As an official product of Bumbayaya GmbH (bumbayaya.ch / uwacam.com), the UWACAM app has been specifically designed for use in DIVEVOLK Seatouch underwater housings. Visitors were able to experience the app live at the DIVEVOLK booth.

UWACAM simplifies underwater photography with an intuitive user interface that is perfectly adapted for underwater operation. The app offers precise control and delivers impressive results for both hobby divers and professionals.

UWACAM

Why UWACAM?

  • Specifically developed for DIVEVOLK: Perfect integration into Seatouch housings for effortless underwater operation.
  • Simple yet professional: Switch between an Easy Automatic Mode for beginners and a comprehensive Pro Mode.
  • All-in-one app: Supports all photo and video formats, including LOG for professional color corrections.
  • Pro Features:
    • Focus Peaking: Precise focus control.
    • Zebra Function: Prevents over- or underexposure.
    • Built-in LUTs: Color corrections for realistic underwater shots.
    • Manual Controls: Fine-tune exposure, focus, white balance, and more.
  • Diver-Specific Features: Automatic color correction based on environment and dive depth, plus an optional magnetic compass overlay.

“We are excited to present UWACAM at BOOT 2025,” says Matthias Lebo, who played a key role in its development. “With UWACAM, we bring the beauty of the underwater world directly into the hands of divers and snorkelers—intuitive, powerful, and adaptable.”

Customer Reviews

UWACAM

UWACAM

Available in the App Store

UWACAM is now available for download in the App Store.
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/uwacam/id6714463099

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Gear Review: Atomic Blade Fins (Watch Video)

Published

12 hours ago

on

March 2, 2025

By

atomic blade fins

In a video produced exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the Blade Fins from Atomic Aquatics.

For more information about products from Atomic Aquatics, visit www.atomicaquatics.com.

Sea & Sea is the home of Atomic Aquatics and other leading diving brands in the UK. 

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