Renowned wildlife and underwater cameraman Doug Allan has passed away at the age of 74, according to reports from the BBC and other sources. Widely regarded as one of the defining figures in modern natural history filmmaking, Allan spent decades capturing some of the most striking images ever shown on television.

At the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, Allan contributed to productions such as Blue Planet. Often, he worked alongside Sir David Attenborough. His footage—much of it from extreme environments—transformed how audiences connect with the natural world.

To preface this tribute for newcomers to diving and the dive industry: Michael was the one who coined the term “technical diving” and founded AquaCorps Magazine in the 1990s, which was dedicated to what we now know as technical diving. He drove the development of the field, ultimately benefiting the whole dive industry, improving training methods, and driving innovation. He also organised a number of technical conferences, most notably, several Rebreather Forums.

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK (nrk.no) first reported the diving incident:

An American citizen has been confirmed dead after a diving accident in the Plura Cave in Rana. Although a defibrillator was used after a short time, his life was not saved.

The following is a first-hand statement given to me by one of the divers involved with the fatal dive. They spoke to me on the evening of 4 April 2023. 

Stan's tale began as a young boy enamoured with the sea, diving into its depths with nothing but a spear in hand. His naval service during World War II further cultivated this connection. Post-war, his journey took a serendipitous turn when he dived into a glacial pond in Maine, a modest start to an illustrious career that would see him traverse the world's oceans.

Dr Nuytten is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern commercial diving industry and a significant force in the creation of new technology.

He has created equipment and diving techniques for deep-water diving and technical diving for both the commercial, scientific, and military industries.

Over the course of his lifetime, Bob Hollis founded many companies including renowned scuba diving brands, Oceanic, Hollis, and Aeris as well as American Underwater Products, Pelagic Pressure Systems and ROMI Enterprises.  For several years he served on DEMA's executive committee.

Bob Hollis's accomplishments were many and varied. Over his extensive career, Bob received many awards, including the NOGI Award, and the DEMA Reaching Out Award, and he was inducted into the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.

Dive! Tutukaka posted the following on their Facebook page.

"Jeroen Jongejans, owner and founder of Dive! Tutukaka passed away suddenly last night. He was on the water, in his happy place - paddle boarding in Tūtūkākā Harbour. We are all struggling to come to terms with this loss.