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Galapagos Islands & Fish Faces: The April NUPG Meeting
On the second Monday of each month the Northern Underwater Photography Group meet for a curry at the Gurkha Grill, followed by a meeting from 8-10pm to discuss all things underwater photography.
This month those attending were treated to a talk from Josef Litt about the Galapagos Islands. Josef has recently published a book on the islands and so had been invited to speak to the group, focusing on the diving and underwater photography. Each month there is also a competition for members and this month the theme was Fish Face(s).
Josef kicked off the meeting and started by talking about the geography, history and creation of the marine reserve in the Galapagos. He moved on to discuss the best ways to dive the islands, with liveaboard options for Wolf and Darwin Islands, whilst also suggesting an island snorkelling tour to get some of the more unusual and rewarding shots.
His marine life images often made the audience gasp, with outstanding photos of whalesharks, eagle rays, schooling hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas, Mola mola, sealions, penguins, turtles and birds. Josef also discussed the underwater photography conditions, with cool water, plenty of current and what he describes as low visibility, although when pushed, said it was 10-15m – which is pretty good in our books!
Josef’s talk was full of essential information and packed with funny anecdotes and was one of the most enjoyable we have been to. He clearly has a wealth of knowledge about these islands and a love of them too. His book is beautiful and we look forward to reviewing it for Scubaverse later in the month.
The Fish Face competition saw a drop in the usual number of entries, perhaps due to many members being away on Easter holidays. The winner was a gorgeous and funny portrait of a UK shanny by Elaine White. Nick Robertson-Brown took second place with his gaping Basking Shark shot from Cornwall. It was great to see UK species featuring so highly. The compact winner was Keith Major with his image of a scorpionfish in the Red Sea.
The next event for the NUPG is the Spring Warm-Up at Capernwray on the 28th April. This will be an informal meet up for any underwater photographers that would like to attend, take some photos and discuss how to improve as the UK season gets into full swing.
For more information about the Northern Underwater Photography Group please click here.
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Ho Ho Ho! Vobster Quay’s recording-breaking charity Santa diving event returns on Sunday 15th December 2024 for another round of festive fundraising frivolities. Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes, this ever-popular annual fundraising event aims to raise sack-loads of cash for these two very deserving charities.
Divers of all levels are invited to grab their Santa outfits – and as much festive cheer as they can muster – and head down to Vobster Quay near Mells, Somerset for a mass sponsored Santa dive in aid of charity. In previous years, the event has attracted divers from the far corners of the UK to join in the festive merriment for a final festive dive before the Christmas and New Year break. Back in 2015, the event smashed the world record for the most Santa divers with 188 divers taking to the waters donning their festive finery – a record that remains unbeaten to this day!
Vobster Santas isn’t just about setting records – it’s also about raising some serious cash for charity. Vobster Quay encourages all divers to get into the spirit of the season to raise much-needed funds for two very deserving charities – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes.
Through individual sponsorship and online donations, divers can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to plunge into the balmy waters of Vobster Quay dressed in full festive finery. Since the very first Santa dive in 2007, the event has raised over £52,000 for charity. “It’s been over 17 years since the very first charity Santa dive took place at Vobster Quay and every year the event just keeps getting bigger and better” enthused Vobster Quay owner, Amy Stanton.
“Vobster Santas is a great way for divers to say a massive thank you to the both the RNLI and Help For Heroes – two very deserving charities close to our hearts. We’re immensely proud of all that Vobster Santas has achieved and hope that even more divers will join this year’s event on Sunday 15th December. I’m confident that we can make Vobster Santas 2024 the biggest yet!”.
Divers wishing to participate can get involved by simply registering their attendance at
www.vobster.com/event-vobstersantas.php.
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