No 11 “ControverSea” June 24 2014

Cover by Jason Isley/Scubazoo

FROM THE EDITORS

Diving is generally a happy-go-lucky activity; depending on where you are, it’s all sunshine and beaches, or rugged adventuring in the high seas. But this sport can also raise serious, thought provoking questions that touch on morality, environmental responsibility and even politics.

We decided it was time to face some of the most contentious subjects in the world of scuba, head on. We’re also being a bit controversial ourselves, taking liberties, mixing it up, and, for one issue, departing from our usual format to bring you excursions into the realms of ideas rather than exclusively into the realms of “place”.

One of the most divisive issues in the industry is that of baited shark dives where sharks are fed or lured in with chum. We have gathered opinions from experts and shark enthusiasts from the world, and even Pierre Cousteau has weighed in.

We shine a light on the issues surrounding diving gravesites, and consider a dive on one of Egypt’s most controversial wrecks, the Salem Express. We linger in the Middle East with a look at the beautiful seascapes of Israel’s Eilat, and speculate whether a country’s politics or policies should affect your decision to dive it.

Pushing the difficult questions even further, we find out if you really do need an SLR, and we challenge you to determine just how far it’s ok to go in pursuit of your next great shot. We get extreme with Photoshop, giving you a software tutorial that will have the purists up in arms… literally…

Are you ready to get controversial?

Matt Weiss (Americas)

Alice Grainger (Asia-Pacific and Australia)

Dietmar W. Fuchs (Europe & Africa)

Photo Briefs

SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT

CROWN OF THORNS

Does this reviled echinoderm deserve its not-so-holy reputation?

>> READ THIS ARTICLE ON DivePhotoGuide.com!

FROM THE FIELD

BLACK WATER
By Scott “Gutsy” Tuason

Drifting through the open ocean, at night, looking for the denizens of the dark and deep, takes some nerve

Portfolios

GALLERY

AUSTRALASIA Underwater Photo Competition THE SHORTLIST

The 20 images shortlisted in the competition; choose your favourite and vote for the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD!

IN FOLIO

INTERVIEW WITH A PRO

Lia Barrett tells us about being a woman in an industry dominated by men, and how documenting a freediving
tragedy produced one of the most controversial images ever taken of this extreme sport

Features

PHOTOTREKS ASIA

ISRAEL: DIVE INTO POLITICS
By Mark Fuller

The diving is stunning off Eilat’s Red Sea coast, but a dive trip here means holidaying in one of the world’s most contentious states

PHOTOTREKS SHARKS

TO FEED OR NOT TO FEED?
By Various Contributors

The subject of baited shark dives certainly ignites debate. We gather opinions from experts and enthusiast around the world

PHOTOTREKS WRECKS

GRAVE SHIPWRECKS
By Rod MacDonald and Christian Llewellyn

Shipwrecks make dramatic, haunting dive sites. But vessels often go down with a loss of life, meaning that many wrecks are also graves, raising questions about how we treat them

FEATURE

SHOOTING UP THE REEF
By Ricard Buxo

How much manipulation of the environment and its inhabitants is ok to get “the right shot”?

Techniques

NOVICE

THE POWER OF THE SMALL
By Tim Ho

Think you need an expensive SLR to get professional quality images? Think again. Tim lets us in on the secret power of the compact

INTERMEDIATE

BLACK AS NIGHT
By Christian Skauge

Put your subjects in the limelight by throwing the background into darkness

GOING PRO

PUPPET MASTER
By Erin Quigley

Making a statement about the use of Photoshop and a tutorial on a radical technique, but is this going too far?