News
Celebrating UK Diving with Dr. Alex Tattersall: Gallery 2
Alex has been enjoying diving locally during the pandemic and we will be sharing some of his incredible images taken on the south coast of England over the coming days. Here is what he has to say:
I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to live on the South Coast at this moment in time and with overseas trips being put on hold, I’ve been able to look to my own backyard to find sanctity and sanity, a brief escape from the madness of the world. In spite of my good fortune to live so close to some choice UK shore diving, it is still a very different diving experience from that of a luxury liveaboard, and it takes some careful planning and a lot more physical effort and dedication. Without local guide/spotters, you are on your own to find interesting subjects and photogenic situations, and at first sight, this seems impossible in the dark brown silt and sand. However, patience, sensitivity to the environment, and cumulative experience do bring their rewards.
I live in Bournemouth, some 45 minutes from my most visited dive site this year, Swanage Pier. A group of photo friends and I started diving as lockdown was lifted and have continued throughout the season and are still diving now when conditions allow. The beauty of this has been the opportunity to watch the site’s flora, fauna and even topographical features change in response to weather conditions and seasonal variation. We‘ve watched nudibranch species arrive, proliferate, lay eggs and then disappear. We’ve witnessed sea hares arrive in their masses, mate in huge groups and then vanish overnight. We’ve seen wrasse nesting, blennies laying and guarding eggs, anemone shrimp grow from teeny-tiny to almost filling their host snake locks anemone, jellyfish come and go in waves, and (shh) even the magical spiny seahorse pairing, brooding and giving birth in front of our eyes. As the nights draw in and the water cools (and for however long the South West continues to elude more serious lockdown), we are looking forward to more winter and night diving to briefly follow the lives of colder water and more nocturnally active species (although motivating ourselves in colder, damper conditions will be a challenge!).
Knowing that overseas diving is largely on hold (plus the marked slowdown in my day to day workload) has allowed me the time to take a new perspective on local UK diving. I have been able to approach each dive with a much greater level of mindfulness coming from a drop in urgency to make each dive as productive as possible. Returning day after day to the same few sites, revisiting the same critters, having more numerous windows into the lives of the animals has all afforded me with a much deeper level of intimacy with the local seas, for which I hope I will be ever grateful. 2020’s post lockdown sites for me were Swanage Pier, Kimmeridge Bay, the Weymouth/Portland region and I managed to sneak out for a three day break to Lundy Island.
I am also in the fortunate position of having access to new and exciting underwater photo products (what would an article from me be without a few commercial plugs?). Visiting the same sites, I could return with different lens and lighting combinations with ideas as to how to tackle the same subjects from very different photographic perspectives. Much of the shore diving on these sites, as you can see from the photos in this article, lends itself mainly to close up and macro/supermacro photography with windows of excellent visibility (and tangible excitement) when I was able to unleash the Nauticam Wide Angle Conversion Port on the critters. We have also recently received the Nauticam EMWL-1 (Extended Macro to Wide Lens) which is a long probe lens attached to the front of the flat macro port offering wide-angle perspectives of macro subjects. I had the pleasure of test driving the new Retra Pro flashes (with its ability to sync to shutter speeds far higher than the usual 1/250 as you can see in the jellyfish and sunburst shot) and the Backscatter miniflash (the easiest and most versatile snoot light option we have used), to understand first-hand how both are opening up new and exciting possibilities for underwater photography.
I’ll sit back now and let you enjoy the images. My final thought having revisited the image selection for this article is that I’d have never expected to have been able to repeat dive these same sites and to find such diversity and beauty in our local marine flora and fauna. If there is any upside for me to the current difficult situation, it could be that I would never have made to time to discover this had international dive travel still been an easy option.
Alex is the UK distributor for Nauticam and many more underwater photography manufacturers. You can see more of his beautiful images and buy some of the kit he used to take them by visiting his website here.
Gear News
Go anywhere with Stahlsac
Stahlsac dive bags and travel luggage are built for our community of divers, surfers, kayakers and outdoor explorers who need bags that are constructed with durability, toughness, and the highest quality the industry has ever seen. We were founded by one man determined to build better watersports and dive bags, and today, that mission is carried on by many. Adventure doesn’t just present itself; it requires discovery. When we design dive bags, we make sure they are tough enough for you to explore in all conditions—warm and cold, wet and dry—to the nearest and farthest reaches of the earth. And for those times you want to push the boundaries of adventure, Stahlsac dive bags make sure you can truly GO ANYWHERE.
Abyss Duffels
Made to be your partner-in-crime on every adventure, Stahlsac’s Abyss Duffels protects your gear from Mother Nature’s worst. Tough and 100% waterproof with double-TPU nylon material that shrugs off daily wear-and-tear, and RF-welded seams further boost the bag’s potential for lifelong exploring. Get Wet. Get Lost. Go Anywhere with Abyss.
- A weatherproof duffel for trips, travel, and adventure
- Ultra-durable double-TPU nylon protects your gear
- Material repels water and keeps your equipment dry
- RF-welded seams are flush, tough, and waterproof
- Removable straps transform duffel into backpack
- Zippered internal stow compartments carry essentials
- External zippered flap is easy to open and close
- Welded external handles make transporting a breeze
Panama Mesh Backpack
The most copied design in scuba diving, the Stahlsac Panama Mesh Backpack is the “original” design and features two high-density foam padded shoulder straps, extra durable polyester mesh, duffel bag handles and our unique zippered dry pocket inside that combines with a wet pocket outside. The bottom’s built from reinforced 18-gauge PVC nylon to combat the wear and tear of your active coastal lifestyle, and, as a bonus in every bag, we supply a 12″ x 12″ mesh drawstring satchel for extra stowing utility. Pack up your beach kit and go.
- Density foam padded shoulder straps
- Outside wet/dry pockets
- 2 Carry handles
- Tough, snag-resistant polyester mesh
- Reinforced PVC bottom
For more information about Stahlsac bags, visit www.stahlsac.com/dive-bags.
Sea & Sea is the home of Stahlsac and other leading diving brands in the UK.
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