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Celebrating UK Diving with Dr. Alex Tattersall: Gallery 1

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Alex has been enjoying diving locally during the pandemic and we will be sharing some of his incredible images taken on the south coast of England over the coming days. Here is what he has to say:

I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to live on the South Coast at this moment in time and with overseas trips being put on hold, I’ve been able to look to my own backyard to find sanctity and sanity, a brief escape from the madness of the world. In spite of my good fortune to live so close to some choice UK shore diving, it is still a very different diving experience from that of a luxury liveaboard, and it takes some careful planning and a lot more physical effort and dedication. Without local guide/spotters, you are on your own to find interesting subjects and photogenic situations, and at first sight, this seems impossible in the dark brown silt and sand. However, patience, sensitivity to the environment, and cumulative experience do bring their rewards.

I live in Bournemouth, some 45 minutes from my most visited dive site this year, Swanage Pier. A group of photo friends and I started diving as lockdown was lifted and have continued throughout the season and are still diving now when conditions allow. The beauty of this has been the opportunity to watch the site’s flora, fauna and even topographical features change in response to weather conditions and seasonal variation. We‘ve watched nudibranch species arrive, proliferate, lay eggs and then disappear. We’ve witnessed sea hares arrive in their masses, mate in huge groups and then vanish overnight. We’ve seen wrasse nesting, blennies laying and guarding eggs, anemone shrimp grow from teeny-tiny to almost filling their host snake locks anemone, jellyfish come and go in waves, and (shh) even the magical spiny seahorse pairing, brooding and giving birth in front of our eyes. As the nights draw in and the water cools (and for however long the South West continues to elude more serious lockdown), we are looking forward to more winter and night diving to briefly follow the lives of colder water and more nocturnally active species (although motivating ourselves in colder, damper conditions will be a challenge!).

Knowing that overseas diving is largely on hold (plus the marked slowdown in my day to day workload) has allowed me the time to take a new perspective on local UK diving. I have been able to approach each dive with a much greater level of mindfulness coming from a drop in urgency to make each dive as productive as possible. Returning day after day to the same few sites, revisiting the same critters, having more numerous windows into the lives of the animals has all afforded me with a much deeper level of intimacy with the local seas, for which I hope I will be ever grateful. 2020’s post lockdown sites for me were Swanage Pier, Kimmeridge Bay, the Weymouth/Portland region and I managed to sneak out for a three day break to Lundy Island.

I am also in the fortunate position of having access to new and exciting underwater photo products (what would an article from me be without a few commercial plugs?). Visiting the same sites, I could return with different lens and lighting combinations with ideas as to how to tackle the same subjects from very different photographic perspectives. Much of the shore diving on these sites, as you can see from the photos in this article, lends itself mainly to close up and macro/supermacro photography with windows of excellent visibility (and tangible excitement) when I was able to unleash the Nauticam Wide Angle Conversion Port on the critters. We have also recently received the Nauticam EMWL-1 (Extended Macro to Wide Lens) which is a long probe lens attached to the front of the flat macro port offering wide-angle perspectives of macro subjects. I had the pleasure of test driving the new Retra Pro flashes (with its ability to sync to shutter speeds far higher than the usual 1/250 as you can see in the jellyfish and sunburst shot) and the Backscatter miniflash (the easiest and most versatile snoot light option we have used), to understand first-hand how both are opening up new and exciting possibilities for underwater photography.

I’ll sit back now and let you enjoy the images. My final thought having revisited the image selection for this article is that I’d have never expected to have been able to repeat dive these same sites and to find such diversity and beauty in our local marine flora and fauna. If there is any upside for me to the current difficult situation, it could be that I would never have made to time to discover this had international dive travel still been an easy option.

Alex is the UK distributor for Nauticam and many more underwater photography manufacturers. You can see more of his beautiful images and buy some of the kit he used to take them by visiting his website here.

Dr Alex Tattersall is an award winning underwater photographer and the founder of UnderWaterVisions/Nauticam UK. Alex Tattersall began diving in the early 1990s in Venezuela and Australia becoming instantly addicted to the wonders of the marine environment. Alex picked up his first camera in Taiwan in 1999 and has since gone on to win a number of coveted underwater photography awards. Visit www.nauticam.co.uk for more.

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Master Your GoPro: Join an Underwater Video Workshop in the Cayman Islands with Carlos Villoch

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underwater video

Capture Your Best Dive Moments in April 2025 at Ocean Frontiers

For the first time, Ocean Frontiers presents an exclusive underwater video workshop series, hosted by renowned videographer Carlos Villoch at the award-winning Compass Point Dive Resort, Grand Cayman. Designed for GoPro enthusiasts, this workshop is your chance to master your camera and capture documentary-quality footage beneath the waves.

underwater video

Why Join?

Expert Training: Carlos Villoch, a BBC-Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year and underwater videography expert, will teach everything from GoPro basics to advanced techniques.

Unparalleled Access: Dive with a dedicated boat, curated dive sites, and expert guidance to help you shoot action-packed, frame-worthy footage.

Custom Gear: Try out Carlos’ unique ‘Glowdive’ accessories, specifically designed for GoPro filming, and take advantage of GoPro features developed with Carlos’ input.

World-Class Diving: Enjoy 15 dives, including reef, wall, wreck, and macro dives, as well as snorkel trips to Stingray City Sandbar.

 

underwater video

2025 Workshop Dates

 
Workshop 1: April 5th to 12th, 2025
 
Workshop 2: April 12th to 19th, 2025
 

Dive and Learn Itinerary Highlights

 
15 dives and 2 snorkel trips, featuring iconic Cayman dive sites.
 
4 classroom sessions on video techniques:
 
*Basics of underwater video*
 
*Accessory usage for optimal results*
 
*Mastering GoPro settings*
 
* Advanced lighting, movement, and editing techniques*
 
Dedicated time with Carlos for personalized guidance and gear testing.
 
Unique dives, including Stingray City, the Kittiwake wreck, and a macro-focused dive.
Social events: Welcome Cruise, optional group dinner, and Farewell Caribbean Buffet.
 
underwater video
 

Stay at Compass Point Dive Resort

 
Experience the ultimate “liveaboard on land” with beachfront condos, roll-out-of-bed access to dive boats, and top-tier amenities. Voted the Caribbean’s Best Dive Resort for two consecutive years, Compass Point is the perfect home base for your underwater videography adventure.
 
underwater video
 

Rates

Dive & Stay Packages (7 nights):

1-bed condo, double diver: US$2,995 per person

2-bed condo, double diver: US$3,395 per person

2-bed condo, quad diver: US$2,570 per person

Add-ons:

Unlimited Nitrox: US$99

Little Cayman Bloody Bay Wall Expedition (3-tank): US$325 (weather permitting)

Diving Only Package:

Workshop & dives: US$1,695 per person

underwater video

Book Now!

Email: reservations@oceanfrontiers.com

USA Toll-Free: 1-800-348-6096

Cayman Direct: 1-345-640-0000

www.oceanfrontiers.com

 

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Gear News

Gear Review: Oceanic HERA BCD (Watch Video)

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BCD

In a video recorded exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the HERA BCD from Oceanic.

www.oceanicworldwide.com

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

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