Contributors' Picks

My Most Unusual & Unexpected Dive: Contributors Picks

Photo by Martin Voeller
Mola mola caught in fishermen’s nets, Chiba, Japan. Photo by Martin Voeller

We asked our contrib­utors what their most unusual or unexpected dive was and they sent us photos and tales of unique experiences under the waves, some involving interactions with intriguing species, others purely chance encounters or surprising discoveries.

My Favorite Underwater Photo Technique: Contributors' Picks

Photo by Kate Jonker
Photo by Kate Jonker: Blue and yellow gasflame nudibranch, South Africa. Exposure: ISO 160, f/18, 1/250s. Gear: Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera, Canon 60mm macro lens, Sea&Sea MDX housing, Inon Z240 strobe with Iardino’s Snooty, OrcaTorch D900V for spotting light

We asked our contributors what their favorite underwater photography technique was and they sent us images and insights into a range of intriguing techniques from close-up wide-angle to use of reflective cylinders and Snell's window to circular fisheye and snoots to using sunballs and sunrays for backlighting as well as how to create black backgrounds.

My Favorite Wreck Dive: Contributors' Picks

Photo by Scott Bennett: Diver and coral on the MV Shake’M wreck in Grenada. Exposure: ISO 400, f/13, 1/100s. Camera gear: Nikon D810 camera, 10.5mm Nikon lens, Seacam housing, two Ikelite D160 strobes

We asked our contributors what their favorite wreck dive was and they answered with tales and images of remarkable wrecks of all sorts and the artifacts found on them, giving first-hand accounts of their experiences on these underwater time capsules as well as glimpses into the history of each wreck.

My Favorite Shore Dive: Contributors' Picks

Classic California reef scene at Point Dume, Malibu, California, USA.

We asked our contributors what their favorite shore or shallow dive was and they came back with stories and images of a diverse range of dives from around the world with easy to not-so-easy access off rocky to sandy shores as well as shallow dives under piers.

My Favorite Unusual Critter Dive: Contributors' Picks

Photo by Matthew Meier: A tiny clown frogfish is a juvenile version of a warty frogfish, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Exposure: ISO 200, f/29, 1/125s. Camera gear: Nikon D810 camera, Nikon 105mm macro lens, Subal housing, two Sea&Sea YS-250 strobes and homemade snoots

We asked our contributors what their favorite unusual critter dive was and they answered with stories and photos of weird and wonderful creatures, big and small, giving first-hand accounts of their often bizarre behaviors under the waves.

My Favorite Wide-Angle Dive: Contributors' Picks

North Atlantic humpback whale calf. Photo by Matthew Meier
North Atlantic humpback whale calf, Silver Bank, Dominican Republic. Photo by Matthew Meier

We asked our contributors what their favorite wide-angle dive was and they came back with stories and photos from some of the most unique and exhilarating dive sites on earth, many of them relaying interactions with large marine life from Steller sea lions in Kamchatka and giant manta rays in Komodo to tiger sharks in the Bahamas and humpback whales in the Dominican Republic.