Underwater Photography May/Jun 2016 Issue 90 The magazine that doesn’t have to say anything here An experience without equal At Wakatobi, you don’t compromise on comfort to get away from it all. Our private air charter brings you directly to this luxuriously remote island, where all the indulgences of a five-star resort and luxury liveaboard await. Our dive team and private guides ensure your in-water experiences are perfectly matched to your abilities and interests. Your underwater encounters will create lasting memories that will remain vivid and rewarding long after the visit to Wakatobi is concluded. While at the resort, or on board the dive yacht Pelagian, you need only ask and we will gladly provide any service or facility within our power. This unmatched combination of world-renowned reefs and first-class luxuries put Wakatobi in a category all its own. “A fantastic and unique location with some of the best dive sites we’ve ever experienced. The sites are great at 25 metres, 15 metres and 5 metres, so perfect for any kind of preference. The service and support was downright luxurious. All in all 5 stars!” T. Marshall Manson www.wakatobi.com Issue 90/2 www.uwpmag.com Contents Underwater Photography 3 Editorial A web magazine UwP90 May/Jun 2016 4 News Travel & Events 14 An experience without equal New Products At Wakatobi, you don’t compromise 41 Mike Korostelev on comfort to get away from it all. Our by Duncan Whittaker private air charter brings you directly to this luxuriously remote island, where 55 Gangga all the indulgences of a five-star resort and luxury liveaboard await. Our dive by Len Deeley team and private guides ensure your in-water experiences are perfectly matched to your abilities and interests. Your underwater encounters will create lasting memories that will remain vivid and rewarding long after the visit to 29 Sony A7r11 review Wakatobi is concluded. While at the resort, or on board the dive yacht by Phil Rudin 45 Lorenz Mäder interview Pelagian, you need only ask and we will by Karen Stearns 59 Lochcarron 71 Book Reviews gladly provide any service or facility by Peter Rowlands by Walter Starck & Peter Rowlands within our power. This unmatched 76 My Shot combination of world-renowned reefs and first-class luxuries put Wakatobi in by Tony Myshlyaev 76 Parting Shot a category all its own. 38 Vivid-Pix review by Daniel Poloha by Phil Rudin “A fantastic and unique location with some of the best dive sites Underwater Photography 2001 - 2016 we’ve ever experienced. The sites are great at 25 metres, 15 metres and Cover shot by 50 NAD Lembeh 5 metres, so perfect for any kind of preference. The service and support © PR Productions was downright luxurious. All in all 5 stars!” Tony Myshlyaev by Tony Myshlyaev Publisher/Editor Peter Rowlands www.pr-productions.co.uk T. Marshall Manson 64 Cryptic crustaceans www.wakatobi.com by Mark Webster [email protected] www.uwpmag.com Issue 90/3 Red Sea bridge their target fund amount they can start Editorial charging credit cards to get the project going. And so it was that a couple of Trident ROV weeks later my CC statement showed a charge of about £800 going out. Open ROV is a long established No problem. I haven’t ordered project to develop small ROVs for anything so far ahead before but I was a wider market and to help them happy with that. become ‘quadcopters of the sea’. When March 2016 came round The first incarnation was quite I looked out for any news of the first basic but nevertheless very successful. 100 units and possibly some online I understand they have shipped in the reviews but couldn’t find any. Open order of thousands. ROV issue press releases every now Back in September 2015 I was and again to update progress but most alerted to their second incarnation, until recently were slim on detail Trident, by a colleague of mine who is about Trident. a video engineer specialising in larger When I messaged their Facebook work ROVs such as Woods Hole use. page about the first 100 units I He told me about their Kickstarter was told that the delivery date was campaign to fund Trident but more always November 2016. OK we all importantly that he had put his name get overenthusiastic when pitching I had to check the date of the to pass through the islands. Saudi down for one. projects so I accepted their youthful article on the Daily Mail website in newspaper Alriyadh described the I didn’t need any more exuberance and kept the faith. case it was an April Fools Day prank project as the realisation of a great encouragement and followed suit. I Fortunately their latest press but it was dated April 8th so it can’t vision that would “join the two have to say that the promotional video release and website is much more have been. continents of Asia and Africa by was very impressive and exciting. forthcoming with information and The plan is to build a 30 mile connecting Saudi Arabia to Egypt The only downside was that delivery images and I feel more reassured bridge across the Red Sea between over the water”. wasn’t promised until November about Nov 2016. Saudi Arabia and Egypt. At first The problem is the effect such a 2016. However the first hundred I think this is a very exciting glance this seemed like a good idea major construction would have on the orders were promised for March 2016 project and I will keep you up to date but when you look at the map it is coral reefs which have for so many which seemed far less distant. on progress planned to span across the Straits of years attracted hundreds of thousands The deal was that if they get You can find out more at Tiran. of divers. The bridge, to be named after Wouldn’t it be much more www.kickstarter.com/projects/openrov/openrov-trident- King Salman of Saudi Arabia, will sensible to build a tunnel? an-underwater-drone-for-everyone/posts/1548733 facilitate pilgrimages to Mecca and Peter Rowlands promote local industry, and is likely [email protected] Issue 90/4 www.uwpmag.com News, Travel & Events Saudi Arabia to build a 30-mile bridge across Red Sea to Egypt 2016 Basking Shark Season Spring has now arrived and we’re now working hard to be ready for the up and coming wildlife season in the Hebrides! Right now, the ocean is stirring out in the Atlantic, the nutrients from winter storms are circulating in the water column. The plankton are awaiting the increase in light and temperature to begin the start of the summer food chain! i.e food for BIG FISH! Last year we were blessed with the earliest ever arrival of basking sharks, only a few weeks from now! We’ll be watching and waiting to head out if they decide to turn up early again - so be ready if you’d want to join us on a last minute trip out! This King Salman has announced that Nasrani, close to the Egyptian resort all depends on plankton production of a bridge connecting Egypt and Saudi of Sharm el-Sheikh to Ras Hamid in course! Arabia would be built across the Red northwestern Saudi Arabia. Sea following a meeting with Egypt’s Saudi Arabia is also expected www. baskingsharkscotland.co.uk President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. to sign a $20 billion deal to finance There has been long-held Egypt’s oil needs for the next five suggestions of the construction of a years and a $1.5 billion deal to 30 mile bridge, stretching from Ras develop its Sinai region. www.uwpmag.com Issue 90/5 Image Courtesy of Steve Jones © www.millionfish.com Lembeh Strait Jack and Sue Drafahl Digital Seahorse Liveaboard Photo Week Photo Class in Bonaire Whale Sharks of Cenderawasih Bay with Doug Sloss, Mike Veitch May 7 - 14, 2016 West Papua, Indonesia and Luca Vaime July and August 2016 Next summer join Doug Sloss, Mike Veitch and Luca Vaime from the Underwater Tribe for an awesome week of photo fun at the best photo resort in Lembeh Strait, Nad Lembeh Resort. Seven days of incredible We have been offering this diving, one-on-one underwater unique underwater photography instruction to help improve your course now for 15 years, but the 2016 shooting techniques and informative class will take a new direction. We lectures throughout the day to hone will address the problems encountered your photo skills and post processing when shooting and editing, by prowess. lecturing utilizing images submitted July 30 - August 6 2016 at Nad by the students. We also will be Lembeh Resort - 7 nights/17 day covering how to edit your videos. dives - $1466 Sue will be available to help underwater during 3 dives a day, www.nad-lembeh.com and Jack will be in the classroom for help on shooting or editing problems encountered during the week. Last minute deals now available. Click here for more info! www.jackandsuedrafahl.com www.seahorseliveaboard.com/cenderawasih-bay-2016/Issue 90/6 www.uwpmag.com UPY display at Chavonnes Battery Museum, Capetown, South Africa 1st May to 30th September 2016 Coming to South Africa for perspectives and interesting insights the first time, the UPY London into our world underwater and on land Underwater Photographer of the Year from underwater. 2016 exhibition will be showcased “We are very excited to partner at the Chavonnes Battery Museum, with the National Sea Rescue Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront in Institute (NSRI) and to host this Cape Town, from 1st May to 30th fascinating Underwater Photography September 2016 in partnership with exhibition.