Monday, October 15th, 2007

Bite-Back 2008 Calendar for Marine Conservation

Bite Back, the UK based Shark and Marine Conservation organisation, announces its limited edition (just 3000 copies) 2008 Calendar. Uniquely, the calendar features images and commentaries from twelve leading underwater photographers, including David Doubilet, Doug Perrine, Brian Skerry, Norbert Wu, Chris Fallows, Jeff Rotman, David Fleetham, Michael Aw, Tim Laman and Wetpixel’s Alex Mustard. As David Doubilet points out: “Images have power - sometimes they are the single link that humans have with the sea.” The calendar costs just £10 (GBP).

Sunday, October 14th, 2007

Support petition to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins

The New Zealand World Wildlife Federation (WWF-NZ) has issued a call for action to sign a petition to help protect the dwindling endangered populations of Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins, two species of cetaceans native only to New Zealand. In the 1970s, there were as many as 26,000 Hector’s dolphins, but now they number 7,000. The situation is worse for Maui’s dolphins - only an estimated 111 remain, and they are labeled critically endangered.

Fishing nets are the primary cause of death annually, and the WWF petition calls on New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to introduce a ban on set nets in New Zealand territorial waters and limit trawling in shallow waters while implementing a plan for the recovery of both species. Take a moment to sign the petition before October 22, 2007 - it requires only your real name and address - and you could help save these groups of dolphins.

Saturday, October 13th, 2007

Endangered goliath groupers speared and killed in Florida waters

Wetpixel member Walt Stearns recently emailed some troubling news about protected goliath grouper species being shot and killed by a few spearfisherman in the Palm Beach County area of Florida. Thus far, at least five fish have been discovered shot (with three of those dying) and all were located at known spawning aggregation sites.

Walt states, “as of now there is a $1,500 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the poacher(s) that is doing this.” Read on for the details about each shooting incident, and a contact number to report any information…

Wednesday, October 10th, 2007

Raja Ampat park entrance tag contest open for voting

A selection of final images has been made by the Wetpixel staff, and we are proud to announce that the official 2008 Raja Ampat entrance tag contest is now open for public voting from October 10-19, 2007!

Remember that the winner’s image will be printed onto over 5,000 park tags to be attached to diver BCDs while in the new Raja Ampat park, and he/she will win a free diving package in Raja Ampat, courtesty of local dive sponsors.

Read the announcement for more details about the tagging system, and please remember to vote!

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

Gates announces DEEP RED underwater housing for Red One camera

Gates Underwater Products has announced DEEP RED, an underwater housing designed for the new Red One 4K resolution video camera (four times greater resolution than HD).

Typical of many Gates products, the housing will be machined out of aluminum and will feature mechanical controls and a depth rating of 300 feet. The DEEP RED will also come with a two-year renewable warranty.

The housing was developed in collaboration with professional underwater videographer Howard Hall - continue for the full press release…

Sunday, October 7th, 2007

Eric Cheng featured in Diver Channel magazine

Wetpixel editor Eric Cheng has been featured with a 10-page “Diver’s Interview and Gallery” in the latest issue of Diver Channel magazine. The article is in Chinese (we’d appreciate if anyone is able to provide a translation) but includes a variety of underwater imagery. The section is available in PDF form, as Diver Channel requires registration before downloading.

Featured in the latest issue of Polish dive magazine Wielki Błękit is Wetpixel member Andrzej Czyżyk (aczyzyk) with an article about the Andaman Islands. Congratulate all featured Wetpixel participants in the Members in Media forum!

Sunday, October 7th, 2007

Deadline for Raja Ampat park entrance tag contest

The deadline for the official Raja Ampat entrance tag contest is only two days away! The contest is open to graphic designs and any underwater images from Indonesia - the winning entry will be printed onto over 5,000 park tags, and the winner will receive a complimentary diving package in Raja Ampat.

After finalists are chosen, the winner will be decided by public vote from October 10th until the 19th. Entries must be uploaded before the end of the day, October 9, 2007 - submit before it’s too late!

Friday, October 5th, 2007

The Art Of Diving - US Edition

Congratulations to Wetpixel’s associate editor Alex Mustard on the publication of the special North American edition of his book The Art Of Diving, which went on sale this week. Unlike the European language editions the North American book is hardback and includes more detailed captions for the photographs. The North American edition is published by The Lyons Press. You can also read more about the book and see sample pages on Amazon.

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd to speak at Oceanblue Divers

Oceanblue Divers, a New York-based dive club, is pleased to announce that the founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Captain Paul Watson, will be speaking at the club’s first anniversary party on October 4, 2007 at the Ultra Lounge in New York. Captain Watson “will make a special presentation on the state of the world’s oceans and how we can make a difference by taking action to help protect the diversity of life they support.”

There will also be a raffle drawing held at the event, with the grand prize of a 10 day/8 night dive trip in the Red Sea including roundtrip airfare from New York to Cairo. Attendance is limited, and tickets must be purchased for admission. Continue reading for the full press release…

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

Noam Kortler featured in underwater exhibition

Wetpixel member and owner of Nemo Divers Noam Kortler’s underwater photography will be featured in Eilat, Israel on October 4-6, 2007. This unique exhibition will showcase forty of Kortler’s images mounted on foam PVC board and displayed underwater. Prints will be sold to the public during the exhibition, with 10% of sales supporting cancer research.

DivePhotoGuide has the full-story - be sure to congratulate Noam if you’re in the area!

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