News
NUPG August 2018 Monthly Meeting Report

Over 20 people turned up to this month’s meeting to listen to Sean Chinn presenting an informative and very entertaining talk entitled ‘Underwater Photography: My Journey’.
Before 2011 he had little knowledge of photography or diving. He began his underwater journey in 2011 in a chilly Stoney Cove and since then has improved his photographic and diving skills through a mixture of education, trial and errors. He explained that after returning from a dive trip in Bali in 2013 he had come back frustrated with his “blue” pictures and although the diving had given him the buzz he knew he wanted to do better.
A couple of lessons with Caroline and Nick Robertson-Brown of Frogfish Photography combined with the purchase of a strobe and video light for his Canon G1X led him to get much better pictures in November 2013 when he went diving in the Red Sea. There followed a trip to The Bahamas which re-enforced the belief he was shark mad and loved diving with these creatures. He also won his first ever competition with Scubashooters
The next couple of years saw him progress exponentially, he upgraded his photography equipment to with a mirrorless Olympus OMD-EM10 set-up and continued travelling the world revisiting the Red Sea, diving in The Maldives, Indonesia and The Philippines, Mexico and The Revillagigedo Islands as well as the UK. His tales of diving at night with sharks at Roco Partida brought gasps of astonishment! He survived to tell the tale and it is clear how he has progressed with his photos showing he has become proficient in both wide angle and macro photography and the post processing of images. He won a couple more competitions and he explained what happened when his “Tiger Shark at Tiger Beach” Competition Winning shot went viral as well as his experiences on his first official press trip to Aqaba in Jordon in 2017.
His talk had the audience laughing out loud on many occasions as he recalled many of the classic mistakes he made with regards cameras and how to use them as well as running before he could walk as he was learning to dive as well as learning to take photographs at the same time! He shared his frustrations on learning how to use new bits of equipment such as dioptres and snoots. Finally he reiterated what every underwater photographer and diver knows, you never ever stop learning, there is always something new out there.
If you want to find out more about Sean you can visit his website http://greatwhitesean.com/
A great inspiring talk that reminded us, as if we need to know how lucky we are to witness and be able to record the underwater world.
Despite the good turn-out for Sean’s excellent talk, entries were a bit light for our monthly image competition. Those present were mostly in favour of reverting to two images per entrant, so that’s how we’ll run it next month.
John Spencer took 1st place with a lovely reef shot whilst Yo-Han Cha and Paul Ansell were joint runners up with shots taken in Capernwray and The Cenotes in Mexico respectively. An honourable mention went to Maggie Russell with her shot of seaweed as hers was the only entry taken with a compact camera!
The meeting ended with congratulations once more being given to Yo-Han Cha and Glenn Philips for their winning entries in this year’s Annual Splash-In competition held on the 4th August.
For more information on the NUPG or you are interested in joining us then please feel free to come to one of our monthly meetings which are held on the 2nd Monday of each month please visit our website at www.nupg.org.uk
Marine Life & Conservation
The BiG Scuba Podcast… with Julianne Zielfle

Ian and Gemma chat about what they have been up to and we hear from a caller on The BiG Scuba Bat Phone. Our guest is Julianne Zielfle. Julianne became a certified diver in 1985 and she is an award-winning speaker, photographer and media professional. She first appeared in dive magazines in the late 1980s when she met Stephen Frink. She worked on Cousteau’s Campaign on Rights of Future Generations in 1994. She co-chaired the Hans Hass Film Festival and was co-creator of the Dive Industry Awards Gala in 2000. She has been helping schools in the South Pacific since 1992 and teaches in her local school district. In 1999, she was recognized by D.A.N. with the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award.
You can follow Julianne Zielfle on Facebook here.
Find more podcast episodes and information at www.thebigscuba.com and on most social platforms @thebigscuba
Gear News
Jeff chats to… Sean Webb, Director of O’Three, about diving in the UK and the O’Three brand

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Sean Webb, Director of O’Three, the well-known UK-based manufacturer of custom drysuits and wetsuits.
After a bath time quarrel with his sister, Sean’s Mum taught him a lesson.
She held his head underwater for what she thought was long enough for that lesson to sink in (We are talking the mid 60’s here), but the lesson learned wasn’t the one that was intended. It was then that Sean realized he was comfortable, in or under the water. He was six.
The coasts of Devon and Dorset became his playground. 17 years later, with a trip around the world and some incredible diving under his belt, Sean Webb founded O’Three.
Now in its 32nd year, O’Three has evolved from a business with roots that are unashamedly rooted in UK diving, to a niche brand being enjoyed all over the world by discerning recreational, technical and commercial divers alike.
Find out more at www.othree.co.uk
Rather listen to a podcast? Listen to the audio HERE on the new Scubaverse podcast channel at Anchor FM.
-
Competitions3 months ago
WIN a PADI eLearning Course – 5 courses up for grabs!!!
-
Competitions3 months ago
WIN an Envirus Everyday+ Mask from Sharkskin – 5 up for grabs!!!
-
Competitions3 months ago
WIN a Beuchat Air Light Bag!!!
-
Competitions4 weeks ago
WIN a Sharkskin Performance 40L Duffle Bag!!!
-
News4 weeks ago
Scubaverse.com’s NEW Monthly Underwater Photo and Video Contest Prizes worth more than £500 each!
-
Competitions1 month ago
WIN a DivePro S10 Compact Dive Torch!!!
-
Marine Life & Conservation3 months ago
Philippines vital for endangered Whale Sharks
-
Competitions3 weeks ago
WIN a SeaLife AquaPod Mini!!!