X-Ray Mag #135

In Band-e-Amir National Park, located high up in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan, there are six incredibly beautiful mountain lakes with crystal-clear waters. Since visiting the place in 2014, underwater photographer and retired commercial pilot Frode Uhre had dreamed of diving there. With written permission from the Taliban headquarters in Kabul and air tanks from the market in Kabul, his dream came true.

A bucket-list location of legendary reputation, Anilao attracts divers and underwater photographers from around the world due to its beautiful reefs and intriguing macro life. Scott Bennett recounts his return to this biodiversity hotspot.

What is it like to go diving in cold waters? Simon Pridmore shares a friend’s story about the challenges of diving in Alaska and sums up the key takeaway tips for cold water diving.

More than just a destination, Malawi offers an immersive and deeply felt experience where diving into a unique freshwater lake seamlessly combines with extraordinary wildlife encounters on the savannah. It is also where a colourful culture of warmth and kindness transforms your perspective on the world—and your place within it. Peter Symes reports.

We asked our contributors to share their favorite underwater images that feature multiples of the same species, subject or element, and they returned with an intriguing selection of macro to wide-angle shots featuring diverse marine life, from anemonefish eggs, skeleton shrimp and flamboyant cuttlefish to dolphins, tiger sharks and whale sharks.

How can coral reefs be rebuilt and regenerated using 3D-printed modular clay bricks? In this interview, Dr Ulrike Pfreundt, co-founder of rrreefs AG, explains the concept, its development, how it works, the promising results and how divers and dive resorts can get involved.

They can have up to 40,000 feet, produce millions of offspring and eat with their stomachs outside their bodies. Sounds like something from a sci-fi film? You probably see them on every dive you make! Christian Skauge and Peter Symes provide 12 intriguing insights into sea stars.

Väderöarna (the Weather Islands) is an archipelago on the west coast of Sweden, which offers a rich underwater landscape bursting with vivid colours and marine life. Local underwater photographer Stefan Beskow gives us the inside scoop on this superb dive location.

Sharks have taken a giant bite out of Wendy Benchley’s life for over five decades… and she could not be happier. Gil Zeimer interviewed Wendy, the wife of Peter Benchley, who passed in 2006. They discussed what Peter’s novel Jaws, the movie and its longevity have meant to her, as well as her diving experiences and her current role as a global ambassador for shark advocacy.