X-Ray Mag #135

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Feature articles in this issue with stand-alone pdfs

Frode Kjems Uhre   Frode Kjems Uhre
Photo by Frode Kjems Uhre

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.

Scott Bennett   Scott Bennett
Photo by Scott Bennett

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.

Simon Pridmore and Ron Radcliffe   Ron Radcliffe, Larry Cohen and Peter Symes
Photo by Ron Radcliffe

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.

Peter Symes   Peter Symes
Photo by Peter Symes

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.

X-Ray Mag Contributors   X-Ray Mag Contributors
Photo by Anita George-Ares

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.

Interview by G. Symes   Geraldine Graf, Uli Kunz, Emilia Lendi, Leili Tazi, rrreefs
Photo courtesy of rrreefs

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.

Christian Skate and Peter Symes   Christian Skauge
Photo by Christian Skauge

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.

Stefan Beskow   Stefan Beskow
Photo by Stefan Beskow

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.

Gill Zeimer   Virginia Bria, Carrie Roseman and Amos Nachoum
Roger Kastel - Wikimedia - public domain

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.

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Other articles and news in this issue

Flickr user Steve Knight CC BY 2.0

New legal protection for Scapa Flow naval wrecks and the 18th‑century “Queen of Sweden” sees sites safeguarded for future generations.

Elizabeth Cerny-Chipman - Oregon State Univ CC BY-SA 2.0

Scientists identify single-celled parasite as the likely cause of mass sea star deaths

Peter Symes - AI

A surprising study reveals that clownfish can reduce their body size in response to rising temperatures and social pressures.

Peter Symes - AI

New study reveals shifts in causes and demographics of Australian scuba fatalities over five decades. Findings raise concerns about the declining physical fitness of divers and call for renewed emphasis on health screenings.

Peter Symes - AI

CESA training under scrutiny as study reveals potential for silent lung stress 

Nautilus pressroom

A wartime wreck emerges: First photos in 83 years reveal Akizuki‑class destroyer in remarkable condition.

Historic England - press release

A 320-year-old wreck off the Kent coast offers new insights into naval history and faces growing risk from the elements.

University of Udine Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage

Remarkably preserved wreck dating from 600–400 BC uncovered near Ispica.

Photo by Peter Symes

Coastal residency offers measurable health advantages—potentially linked to lifestyle, environment, and water-based recreation.

Peter Symes - AI

Forensic case highlights dangers of mask squeeze, with implications for diver safety and public awareness.

Publicdomainpictures - public domain

Two major marine parks planned in the Aegean and Ionian Seas as part of Greece's 2030 conservation goals

Photo courtesy of Jim Abernethy

Every year, more than 270 trillion fish are hauled from the world’s oceans. Among them, millions of sharks—many already endangered—vanish in silence. Conservationist and veteran diver Jim Abernethy wants the world to pay attention before it’s too late.

Steffen Scholz via press release

A team of international technical divers, working under ProjectXplore, has successfully located and identified the wreck of HMS Nottingham, a Royal Navy warship lost during World War I.

Photo by Peter Symes

Recent analysis from Business of Diving Institute breaks down instructor pay, with sobering insights into the economics of the profession

Lycaon - Hans Hillewaert - adapted from image by Michael Wolf CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia

Far below the reach of sunlight, in freezing darkness and crushing pressure, some of the ocean’s strangest giants live quietly beyond human sight. Down there, amid the black silence of the abyss, evolution has taken a surprising turn: Bigger seems to be better.

Illustration by Ila France Porcher

For millions of years, sharks have ruled the oceans. Sleek, powerful, and perfectly adapted to their roles, they have survived mass extinctions, shifting continents and rising seas. And yet today, in many parts of the world, these ancient hunters are simply gone—vanished not just in number, but in presence.

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