Blogs
Best of British Diving
The UK Dive Season has begun, so to get you all excited about the adventures that await you this Summer, we’re throwing the spotlight on some of the fantastic dive spots that can be found in UK waters.
You’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right kit for the job, of course, so we’ve teamed up with some leading dive equipment brands who offer the gear you’ll need to experience UK Diving.
So let’s get started!
SCAPA FLOW, ORKNEY
For wreck diving this has to be the premier dive location in the UK, where the remains of the German High Seas Fleet lie after being deliberately scuttled by the German Navy in 1919. Along with the blockships like the Tabarka, that lie in shallower water, there are also several WWII vessels to explore. There is a shipwreck for every experience level in the Flow, and one trip may not be enough!
XDEEP @ NAUTILUS
Email: info@nautilus.uk / Web: www.nautilus.uk/brand/xdeep/
XDEEP Facebook / XDEEP NX Series Facebook Group / Nautilus Facebook
For over a decade XDEEP has innovated in the scuba industry sector and evolved into a manufacturer reknowned for cutting edge design and development. Born from the need to explore, the design and implementation of advanced exploration equipment has made its way into the recreational and technical diving arena, much as Formula 1 motorsport. Now each product is recognised as ground breaking in its design and being the most effective in its class. Premium components and the most advanced manufacturing techniques mean reliability is second to none whilst retaining both function and form.
Email: info@nautilus.uk / Web: www.nautilus.uk/brand/xdeep/
XDEEP Facebook / XDEEP NX Series Facebook Group / Nautilus Facebook
ST ABBS AND EYEMOUTH, SCOTLAND
This protected area of coastline has a wonderful array of marine life. The rocks here are festooned with soft corals, anemones, sea urchins and starfish. A huge diversity of fish including wolf fish and conger eels keep divers coming back trip after trip.
OTTER DRYSUITS
Email: sales@drysuits.co.uk / Web: www.otterwatersports.uk / Telephone: 01274 379480
Facebook / Instagram
Otter understands what it takes to make a great drysuit. When we say our suits are ‘exploration grade’, we mean it – with over 37 years of experience behind us, Otter suits are the choice of some of the biggest names in dive exploration. From the deepest wrecks to the longest caves, diving explorers choose Otter to protect them from the harshest conditions.
Otter Drysuits was founded in 1986 by John Womack Snr in Bradford, West Yorkshire. A renowned diver in his own right, John was directly involved in major technical diving expeditions sponsored by Otter, including three on the renowned Britannic wreck in Greece, HMS Victoria off Lebanon and the wrecks of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse in the South China Sea.
From the outset, Otter Drysuits has been known for innovation, and this is as true today as it has ever been. Our popular Brittanic drysuit offers amazing fit and comfort and is one of our toughest suits, with a telescopic section allowing easy movement out of the water. The Atlantic range offers unequalled stretch and movement for the wearer, whilst using hard-wearing materials and even Kevlar to protect in even the most extreme environments. Top-quality components from YKK, Apeks, Si-Tech and KUBI ensure Otter Drysuits can offer the ideal drysuit to suit the needs of even the most demanding of divers.
The result of years of development and unrivalled experience, our award-winning suits are renowned for their quality, fit and durability. Available either made-to-measure or in a full set of standard sizes, we offer a range of materials including membrane (trilaminate), neoprene and now the incredibly tough Kevlar.
We offer every possible option on our drysuits – from multiple valve positions to pee valves and field-changeable neck and wrist seals. With each suit made entirely by one single craftsperson, we work closely with our customers to provide a customised suit at an outstanding price. As our many customers across the globe will attest, our reputation for quality, value and customer service is second to none.
Our trilaminate drysuits are renowned across the world for their quality of build and incredible durability. It’s not by accident that you see so many Otter drysuits worn by professionals on television and in the media. They’re built to perform; dive after dive, year after year. Wherever your diving takes you, choose Otter.
Email: sales@drysuits.co.uk / Web: www.otterwatersports.uk / Telephone: 01274 379480
Facebook / Instagram
ANGLESEY, WALES
Anglesey, across the Menai Strait, has a great number of shore dives at shallow depths, easily accessible and with fantastic marine life. A whole holiday can be spent doing relaxed gully and reef dives accessible from the local beaches. With several hundred wrecks along the coast, including the SS Missouri and a B-17 Bomber, there are boat diving options too and diving for all experience levels.
AP DIVING
Email: info@apdiving.com / Web: www.apdiving.com / Telephone: 01326 561040
Facebook / Instagram
AP Diving began life over 55 years ago as a small family business. Today we are an award-winning internationally respected dive manufacturer with a legacy of pioneering and landmark products – from the AP Valve, the TEKWING and the COMMANDO BCD range to the constantly evolving and world-beating INSPIRATION closed circuit rebreather. Our mission has always been to help divers dive better, explore further, stay longer, and enjoy the adventure. Take your diving to the next level with AP.
Email: info@apdiving.com / Web: www.apdiving.com / Telephone: 01326 561040
Facebook / Instagram
PEMBROKESHIRE, WALES
Home to the Skomer Marine Reserve, this spectacular reef is teeming with life, from dolphins to nudibranchs, seals to seahorses. Walls drop off to deep water, caves lure explorers and hundreds of wrecks mean there is something for everyone.
URSUIT @ LIQUID SPORTS
Email: info@liquidsports.co.uk / Web: liquidsports.co.uk
Ursuit Facebook / Liquid Sports Facebook
Ursuit Oy is a Finnish company established in 1964. The factory is located in Turku, Finland.
We manufacture Ursuit® drysuits for all kinds of water activities, both under and above the surface. Main product groups are diving, rescue and recreational drysuits. The Ursuit drysuit range consists of over 15 standard surface drysuit models and over 10 standard diving drysuit models in many colours for both men and women.
All of the Ursuit drysuits are handmade and therefore they can easily be modified according to customer needs and wishes. A standard model can easily be customized with different kinds of pockets, MOLLE-system, relief zippers etc.
The drysuits can directly be produced according to the user´s measurements, even in big quantities. We have produced made-to-measure drysuits with individual customizations for fire departments, coast guards, police and military forces, maritime crews and several other professional instances.
Our production is carefully controlled and audited annually by a Notified Body according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, SOLAS/MED and EASA/ETSO requirements. These quality assurances make it possible that the user can concentrate on the most essential, the activity.
Email: info@liquidsports.co.uk / Web: www.liquidsports.co.uk
Ursuit Facebook / Liquid Sports Facebook
LUNDY, DEVON
Lundy Island, in the mouth of the Bristol Channel about 12 miles off the coast of North Devon, is a Marine Conservation Zone with fabulously rich marine life, impressive visibility and numerous wrecks to explore. The local seal population can be very playful and the biodiversity some of the best in the UK waters. Tidal currents can be strong, so this is best dived by experienced divers.
FARNE ISLANDS
Famous for its brilliant seal encounters, the Farne Islands have a large and playful population of grey seals. Diveable year round when the weather is calm, there are sites for all levels. Rock faces covered with crevices and gullies to explore shelter a host of marine life, such as lobsters, crab, nudibranchs and anemones. There are also several good wreck dives in the area. The islands are also home to the beloved puffin, which can be seen in the nesting season.
BIGBLUE DIVE LIGHTS @ LIQUID SPORTS
Email: info@liquidsports.co.uk / Web: liquidsports.co.uk
Bigblue Facebook / Liquid Sports Facebook
Big Blue is dive light manufacturer providing new innovations in all market segments : Recreational, Videography, Photography, Technical, Commercial, Back-Up and Rescue. Big Blue is the fastest growing dive light manufacturer in the industry building our brand through quality, creative and great customer service. With advanced designs and unprecedented affordability, Big Blue offers the most affordable and technologically advanced LED lights on the market. We incorporate the latest technologies producing the most efficient portable illumination. In addition to brilliant design features, we offer the most ideal lights for underwater illumination, night diving and video lighting.Whether you are looking for a simple recreational dive light or a full-blown technical underwater illumination system. With a lumen offering from 250 to 65000 Big Blue has a light for you!
Email: info@liquidsports.co.uk / Web: www.liquidsports.co.uk
Bigblue Facebook / Liquid Sports Facebook
PORTHKERRIS, CORNWALL
Porthkerris lies on the Lizard peninsula of Cornwall. It is a famously treacherous area of submerged rocks like the Manacles which has resulted in hundreds of shipwrecks, now a haven for sea life. Dive sites in the area are suited to a range of experience levels, from an easy yet beautiful shore dive at Porthkerris beach to boat diving offshore pinnacles like Vase rock, now covered in swathes of jewel anemones. Basking sharks are also seen in the area in late spring to early summer feeding on plankton blooms.
KUBI DRY GLOVES
Email: Sales@kubistore.com / Web: www.kubistore.com / Tel: 01162 388 255
Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn
KUBI Dry Gloves represent innovation and quality in diving equipment. Designed to keep divers’ hands warm and dry in cold water environments, KUBI gloves offer a reliable seal that prevents water from seeping in, ensuring comfort and dexterity during dives.
Crafted from durable materials and engineered with precision, these gloves prioritize both functionality and durability, making them a trusted choice among professional and recreational divers alike. Beyond gloves, the KUBI brand extends its expertise to essential accessories like transport bags and dry bags. Crafted with the same dedication to quality and functionality, these accessories offer divers reliable solutions for storing and transporting their gear.
The KUBI brand is synonymous with excellence in diving gear. With a commitment to meeting the needs of divers worldwide, KUBI continuously pushes the boundaries of design and performance. KUBI’s dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction has earned us a reputation as a leader in the diving industry. Whether exploring vibrant coral reefs, descending into the depths of wrecks or going deep into a cave/mine divers can trust KUBI Dry Gloves to provide the protection they need to enjoy their underwater adventures to the fullest.
Email: Sales@kubistore.com / Web: www.kubistore.com / Tel: 01162 388 255
Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn
DORSET
Dorset has several excellent wreck dives, from submarines, to warships, and sailboats to tanks. The M2 submarine off Portland is a stunning wreck with a tragic story. If wrecks are not your thing, or you’d like a shallow dive to finish off the day, Swanage Pier is an easy and excellent shallow shore dive. The Victorian era pilings are covered in life and the structure provides a nursery for pollock, bib and ballan wrasse. The shallow depth means the light is superb for underwater photography and there are usually plenty of willing subjects like the ever popular tompot blenny and cuttlefish.
MAXSHOW LTD
Email: enquiries@maxshow.co.uk / Web: www.maxshow.ltd.uk / Tel: 01162 388 255
Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn
Maxshow LTD is a premier distributor known for its diverse portfolio of up to 10 esteemed brands catering to the diving industry and more. Among its offerings are Miflex hoses, renowned for their durability and flexibility, providing divers with reliable hoses for their underwater adventures.
KUBI, another staple brand, delivers innovative Dry Gloves and Thermal Gear, ensuring comfort and protection in cold water environments. OmniSwivel offers advanced swivel systems, enhancing divers’ mobility and safety during dives.
Maxshow LTD also represents other brands such as Best Divers, Varma, Oceanarium, Sticktite, and Bags of Paper, each offering unique solutions for divers’ needs. Best Divers provides a wide range of accessories, while Varma offers quality wool apparel. Oceanarium specializes in creative products, Sticktite offers adhesive solutions for sight and Bags of Paper provides environmentally friendly packaging. AquaSketch rounds out the lineup with innovative underwater writing slates.
With Maxshow LTD’s commitment to quality and diversity, divers can trust in the reliability and performance of these brands for their diving endeavors.
Email: enquiries@maxshow.co.uk / Web: www.maxshow.ltd.uk / Tel: 01162 388 255
Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn
RATHLIN ISLAND, NORTHERN ISLAND
Rathlin to the north of Ballycastle has some fantastic diving. The strong tidal currents in this area mean the marine life is numerous, varied, vibrant and healthy. The northwest cliffs drop to depths of 200m just offshore making an impressive wall dive. Tides hitting the cliffs can create powerful up and down currents, so experience and staying close to the rock is important, but well worth the effort. On the east coast the wreck of the S.S Lochgary, a converted government transport ship, which was involved in the WWII Dunkirk evacuation, before sinking in her current location in 1942.
Happy diving!!!
Blogs
The Ocean Cleanup Launches 30 Cities Program to Cut Ocean Plastic Pollution from Rivers by One Third by 2030
The Ocean Cleanup, the international non-profit with the mission to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, has announced, at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), its plan to rapidly expand its work to intercept and remove ocean-bound plastic pollution.
The 30 Cities Program will scale the organization’s proven Interceptor™ solutions across 30 key cities in Asia and the Americas, aiming to eliminate up to one third of all plastic flowing from the world’s rivers into the ocean before the end of the decade.
This evolution follows five years of learning through pioneering deployments across 20 of the world’s most polluting rivers and represents a key next step in the organization’s mission and the global fight against ocean plastic pollution.
With the 30 Cities Program, The Ocean Cleanup will transition from single river deployments to citywide solutions, tackling the main plastic emitting waterways within each selected city. This follows a key learning from deployments in Kingston, Jamaica, which showed it is possible to scale faster when projects encompass whole cities, as the same set of partners can be involved with all deployments.
To date, The Ocean Cleanup has already prevented 29 million kilograms of trash from reaching the ocean. The organization currently intercepts an estimated 1–3 percent of global river-borne plastic emissions. With the first 20 river deployments close to being fully operational, it is now poised to reduce the plastic pollution flowing into the ocean from rivers by up to a third.
“When we take on an entire city, instead of individual rivers, we can scale faster, reduce costs, and maximize impact,” said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. “Our analysis shows that strategically deploying Interceptors across just 30 carefully chosen cities can stop up to a third of river plastic pollution worldwide. This is the next big leap toward our ultimate goal of a 90 percent reduction in global ocean plastic pollution.”
City-by-city: a Faster Path to Scaling
Using the latest scientific modeling and on the ground experience, The Ocean Cleanup identified 30 major plastic polluting coastal cities which include:
• Panama City, Panama – First deployment to go live in the coming months.
• Mumbai, India – Mapping of all waterways completed; preparations for first deployments underway.
Furthermore, the organization is developing plans to expand on its existing work to all polluting rivers in:
• Manila, Philippines; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand and Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Other cities will be announced once the necessary partnerships and agreements are in place. Planning and fundraising activities are underway for all 30 cities. To realize these ambitious plans, the organization is currently also expanding its engineering and operational capacity.
Data Driven Restoration at Scale
Before Interceptors are deployed, each city project begins with an intensive analysis phase. Aerial drones, AI-powered image analysis, and GPS-tagged “dummy” plastics are used to chart every visible waterway and track how waste moves from streets to sea. These real-time insights guide optimal Interceptor placement and provide a public baseline against which progress can be measured.
Alongside intercepting new plastic, the 30 Cities Program will also remove debris from nearby coasts, mangroves, and coral reefs. This twin-track approach—shutting off the tap while clearing the legacy pollution—enables The Ocean Cleanup to achieve long-term impact, which includes the restoration of fish nursery habitats, boosting coastal tourism, and strengthening of natural storm surge defenses for local communities. Alongside local partners, the organization also advocates for improvements in waste management and awareness raising amongst communities.
Completing the First 20 Rivers
While laying the foundation for the 30 Cities Program, The Ocean Cleanup is also nearing completion of its first 20 river projects. The next landmark achievement—expected as soon as the second half of this year—is in the western Caribbean, where the team aims to resolve the plastic pollution problem in the Gulf of Honduras by intercepting the trash feeding into this body of water.
A Stepping Stone Toward a 90 Percent Reduction
The 30 Cities Program represents the first major scaling step in The Ocean Cleanup’s journey to eliminate 90 percent of floating ocean plastic pollution. In parallel, efforts are continuing to remove plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Whilst extraction operations are currently on hiatus, work to deploy cutting edge technologies to map the “hotspots”, or areas of intense plastic accumulation, in order to make future extractions more efficient and economical, is ongoing.
By combining river interception and coastal cleanup with its offshore cleanup systems targeting legacy pollution that’s already in the ocean, the organization is charting a path to turn off the tap and mop up the mess.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. By conducting extensive research, engineering scalable solutions, and partnering with governments, industry, and like-minded organizations, The Ocean Cleanup is working to stop plastic inflow via rivers and remove legacy plastic already polluting the oceans. As of June 2025, the non-profit has collected over 28 million kilograms (62 million pounds) of trash from aquatic ecosystems around the world. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a multi-disciplined team of approximately 200 people. The organization is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with international operations in 10 countries. For more information, visit www.theoceancleanup.com.
Blogs
Excerpts from Jeff Goodman’s Book Action Camera Underwater Video Basics, Part 2 of 6: Underwater Lights & Lighting
Having spent your money on a camera, you may be a little reluctant to spend any more on a lighting system. But believe me, it is worth the investment. Even a small, simple light is going to make a world of difference to your images.
Remember the basic rule with lights, as with everything else, is that you get what you pay for. A small plastic-cased light of low lumen count will cost far less than a large aluminium-cased light of high lumens. A more expensive light should give you more power options, allowing you to choose output strength. This is usually controlled with power button presses: one for full, a second for half power, and a third for quarter power. This gives great flexibility in your lighting when close to a subject, allowing you to balance the power of the light with the camera exposure and ambient light. Lower power output options will also extend battery life. Higher-end devices should also give a wider spread of good, even light without any hot spots. Read the manufacturer’s specifications carefully, and also have a look for advice online from people who have already bought the light you are looking at.
I have talked with many divers who feel that the more powerful the light, the better their video will be. For me, this is not the case. Over-lighting can produce horrible results, especially when you are quite close to the subject. However, powerful lights can be an advantage when lighting large areas from a distance. On the face of it, lighting looks extremely easy. Just put the light on and shoot away. If only it were that simple. Adding artificial light is crucial to getting great underwater video but, at the same time, if done badly, it can totally ruin all your efforts. I would say that no lighting at all is far better than bad lighting.
Early lights were always fitted with a tungsten filament, which was red in colour output. Now most lights use LEDs, which are blue-biased, matching daylight. Surely this new trend is an improvement? Well, yes, it is. One of the first colours to disappear (get absorbed by the water) is red, so it does make sense to put some of that red back into a scene, as with tungsten lights. But a video light will only influence colour as far as its beam travels. So if you add red light onto a fish that is near to you, it may well look good, but the background water or reef will take on a very strange and artificial colour hue. On the other hand, a daylight-balanced light, such as a modern LED one, adds all the colours of the spectrum to the scene. So the subject simply becomes brighter, where the colours are rebalanced, thus closely matching the ambient and distant water colour.
Different camera operators have their own favourite type of light for particular applications. For general filming, my favourite is one of coated metal construction for durability and small in size for manoeuvrability — approximately 15 x 5 cm (6 x 2″) tubular. It has a maximum output of 2,500–3,000 lumens, with a dimming option for half power, a wide beam angle of 120 degrees with no hot spots, and a colour temperature of 6,500K. The following image of a turtle was taken using a single hand-held video light. There is more on lighting in the ‘theory’ chapter.
Lighting
My aim when using artificial illumination is to only raise the exposure level to that of the ambient light and no further. I am not actually lighting a subject; I am simply putting back some colour, balancing the video light with the ambient. Obviously, this only applies to daytime videoing, as at night your light source dominates, dictating exposure. Be careful not to over-light. In my opinion, this is the most common mistake any camera person can make — having a video light that is too bright and/or too close to the subject.
In the second image of pouting, the video light level matches the ambient light level. Areas not touched by my light still look natural. The fish on the right are gently enhanced with added colour, but overall exposure is unaffected — they remain in balance with the background. The light has simply replaced some of the lost colour and detail.
Remember that your video light, depending on its power output, will only have effect up to a certain distance. This is usually a maximum of about 2–3 m (6–10 ft) in daylight and 5–6 m (16–20 ft) at night time. If it reaches further than that, then it is likely too powerful for you to have next to your camera and should be turned down (if that is possible), or held further away by a willing assistant.
The above photos of a sea urchin on a reef are examples of a light that is too close to the subject and then at the correct distance. The resulting ‘hot spot’ in the over-lit image effectively ruins the shot.
NEXT WEEK:
Part 3 of 6 – Buoyancy
Action Camera Underwater Video Basics by Jeff Goodman is available now from DIVEDUP Publications:
https://www.divedup.com/shop/action-camera-underwater-video-basics-the-essential-guide-to-making-underwater-films/
About Jeff Goodman
Jeff is a multiple award-winning freelance TV cameraman/filmmaker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world’s oceans and their conservation that hold his passion, with over 10,000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and as author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the Underwater Action Camera course for the RAID training agency.
Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment, and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life. He has witnessed, first-hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time.
Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.
Gear News3 months agoIntroducing the all new GROUNDTRUTH x PADI UNDA range
- Gear Reviews3 months ago
Gear Review: Hollis ST Elite System (Watch Video)
- Blogs3 months ago
Making a Splash: My Path to Becoming a Master Scuba Diver at 12
- Blogs3 months ago
Here’s That Lifeline You’ve Been Waiting for, Dive Industry – Make Sure You Grab It with Both Hands
- News4 weeks ago
Aqualung Group Enters Court-Supervised Reorganization Process
- News3 months ago
Relive the Red Sea’s Golden Age: New Paperback Edition of Treasures, Shipwrecks, and the Dawn of Red Sea Diving
- Gear News3 months ago
Poseidon Unveils the Next Evolution in Dive Footwear: The New One Shoe
- News3 months ago
Alex Khachadourian joins Scubaverse as Sales Account Manager
