News
Ninth Annual United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition
The organizers of the United Nations World Oceans Day 2022 Photography Competition are thrilled to announce the opening of the ninth edition of the annual contest.
This open and free photo competition, which is co-organized by UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Dive Photo Guide, and various other organizations, seeks to inspire the creation of imagery capturing the beauty of the ocean and the challenges it faces, hoping to contribute to actions to preserve this vital resource.
The competition has six thematic categories open for submissions:
- Revitalization
- Above Water Seascapes
- Underwater Seascapes
- Nature-Based Solutions & Ocean Exploration
- Ocean Critters
- Coastal Communities
This year’s UN World Oceans Theme is “Revitalization, Collective Action for the Ocean,” and for the competition theme category, “Revitalization,” they are looking for a set of three images capturing hope and collaboration. The other categories include regulars “Above Water Seascapes” and “Underwater Seascapes” as well as three new ones: “Nature-based Solutions & Ocean Exploration,” “Ocean Critters,” and “Coastal Communities.” As previously, these are single-image categories, but you can enter up to three images per category.
As competition curator Ellen Cuylaerts puts it: “Enter your images and share them with the world to inspire people to make a difference, take collective action for the oceans, and contribute to conservation and preservation of the oceans that bring us life!”
For full details about the competition, including contest rules, judges, and more, visit DPG’s dedicated competition minisite
Find out more about World Oceans Day, June 8th, and the events around it, at www.unworldoceansday.org.
News
Book Review: Amazing Diving Stories by John Bantin
Review by Fred Lockwood
Amazing Diving Stories (2012) by John Bantin
Published by Wiley Nautical ISBN 9781119969297 266pps
Full length novels, with complex and evolving plots, together with twists and turns that keep you page turning, are common. They do, however, require a degree of dedication to continue to the bitter end. Less common are collections of short stories, of a few pages, that invite you to dip in and out; to read as few or as many you want at any one time. Amazing Diving Stories by John Bantin is one of the few collections of short stories, that focus on scuba diving, that have been published.
The author has assembled a collection of sixty-four stories and grouped them into nine parts or sections. Each part contains between four and twelve stories that span a broad range of topics and cater for different interests. For example, there are stories about “Famous wrecks and Other Adventures”, “Treasure Seekers and Finders”, “Deep Diving” and “Tragedies” to name just four parts of the book. He has also supplemented several of the stories with full colour photographs, thirty in total, that are cross linked to actual stories. (However, when colour photographs are at a premium I wonder why as many as seven pictures of sharks are included.)
There is no index to the book, which is a lost opportunity. It could have directed us to detailed accounts upon which several of the short story are based. For example, to The Final Dive: The life and death of ‘Buster’ Crabb (2007) by Don Hale, to the exploits of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler in Shadow Divers ( 2004) by Robert Kurson or the tragic story of the death of Dave Shaw in Raising the Dead (2008) by Philip Finch. Overall there is much to enjoy, and reflect upon, in Amazing Diving Stories.
John Bantin
John Bantin changed careers in the late 1970s when he learned to dive. He subsequently acted as a diving instructor in the Red Sea and ran a diving centre in the Mediterranean. More recently he was technical editor of Dive Magazine and is currently Senior Editor of the US based undercurrent.org magazine.
His books include: The Scuba Diving Handbook (2007) and Shark Bytes (2015)
News
Dive Worldwide introduces a pair of snorkelling-only liveaboards for 2025
In response to a growing trend amongst its customers for snorkelling-specific itineraries, specialist operator Dive Worldwide is introducing two new snorkelling trips for 2025. The new liveaboard holidays, to the Coral Triangle and Maldives, offer the same exceptional marine encounters and adventurous spirit as a traditional diving holiday, but with greater accessibility for those that are unable to dive.
Commenting, Phil North, Dive Worldwide’s Brand Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer these two fabulous adventures aimed solely at snorkelling enthusiasts. From iconic animals like whale sharks and manta rays to vibrant coral reefs, much of the magic in our oceans happens in the shallows, and these wonderful experiences are now as accessible to snorkellers as well as divers.”
Dive Worldwide has the largest programme in the UK of tailor-made and small group liveaboard and resort-based diving holidays. It features over 200 destinations worldwide, catering for beginners and experienced divers alike.
NEW SNORKELLING TRIPS FOR 2025
Coral Triangle Snorkelling Adventure
This small group cruise on Indonesia’s Coral Sea is aboard the new and environmentally-friendly Bugis, which sleeps just eight guests. Made from reclaimed teak and serving locally-sourced meals, the boat aims to have the lowest environmental impact as possible, with no single-use plastic on board, and run by a synthetic fuel made from plastic waste. The Bugis offers different itineraries throughout the year, timed for the best wildlife encounters. From May through to September, the focus is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Komodo. Here, enjoy the kaleidoscopic beauty of shallow tropical reefs, swim with manta rays, and take on land expeditions to see Komodo dragons and Pink Beach. Between November and late March, the vessel is in Raja Ampat, the marine biodiversity capital which is also culturally rich on land. Highlights include colourful reefs bustling with hard and soft corals, and interaction with pelagic species.
Price: from £3,495pp based on 2 sharing, including 8 nights’ accommodation (1n Jakatra, 7n liveaboard), all meals, transfers and return flights from the UK. Departures from March 2025.
Maldives Snorkelling Conservation Cruise
These departures, exclusively for snorkellers, provide the ultimate marine life encounters with a focus on conservation and environmental awareness, all while sailing through the beautiful waters of the Maldives. The cruise’s dedicated itineraries focus on either manta rays or whale sharks, and are run in partnership with the Manta Trust and the Maldives Whale Shark Program. This allows snorkellers to encounter these magical pelagics on an intimate, immersive level, slipping all but silently into the waters next to them, and nimbly following them. Alongside the wonders of the water, there’s the chance to experience the local culture and participate in data collection in Citizen Science projects too.
Price: from £2,545pp based on 2 sharing, including 7 nights’ liveaboard, all meals, activities, guiding, transfers and return flights from the UK. Depart: 2 February, 2 March, 23 March 18 August, 4 October or 21 December 2025.
For further information visit Dive Worldwide (diveworldwide.com, 01962 302087).
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