News
Paralenz underwater video camera now available to rent

Paralenz is a powerful, user-friendly underwater video camera enjoyed by scuba divers, snorkelers and coastal tourists seeking to capture their underwater adventures in beautiful high-quality video and still photos. The camera is now available for daily rental at select dive shops in Florida and Italy for $25 (25 euros) per day.
Not only does the Paralenz camera preserve users’ experiences for take-home memories, it also captures valuable geolocated data that can be shared with international ocean conservation organizations.
“The Paralenz rental camera is simple to use and by making it available to rent, more underwater explorers can capture their vacation memories without making a permanent investment,” said Lise Engelbrecht, chief executive officer of Paralenz. “Our camera can capture any ordinary underwater adventure in high-quality video and turn any diver or snorkeler into a citizen scientist contributing to ocean conservation.”
Ease of Use Is Top of Mind
The Paralenz rental camera is based on the company’s current flagship model, the Paralenz Vaquita, modified to offer an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera experience with powerful technology that yields high-quality videos and still photos, patented Automatic Depth-Controlled Color Correction, an ultra light-sensitive lens, quick auto-edit functions, integrated GPS and several video-sharing options.
At the heart of the Paralenz experience is the Paralenz App. When consumers rent the camera, they download the free app, which offers a dive log, media library and multiple sharing options, as well as “TheOceanBase,” an interactive map where users can upload their favorite dive videos.
“Our goal was to develop an app that was fun and functional for Paralenz camera users,” said Peter Thiell, chief technology officer for Paralenz. “It’s the main hub where you save your underwater recordings, geek out over dive statistics and get inspired by other divers’ uploaded dive footage from all around the world.”
Rental customers’ recorded footage is private and secure, and is available for direct download from the cloud for up to three months after they return the rental camera to the dive shop. Video assets can be automatically edited in the Paralenz App and easily shared with friends, family or to social media.
A Camera with a Higher Purpose
Every dive shared on TheOceanBase via the Paralenz App contributes valuable ocean data — collected via integrated camera sensors that log conductivity, temperature, depth and geolocation — to Paralenz’s conservation partner Coral Restoration Foundation, located in Key Largo, Florida.
“We are excited at the possibilities presented by this relationship with Paralenz, and with every diver using a Paralenz camera,” said Amelia Moura, science program manager at Coral Restoration Foundation. “This kind of huge, user-generated, real-time data resource could add incredible value to our restoration efforts, supporting our monitoring strategy and potentially helping us as we evolve our coral restoration strategies over the coming years.”
Now Available for Rent or Purchase
To find a convenient location to rent a Paralenz camera in Florida or Italy, follow this link.
The Paralenz Vaquita also is available for purchase for $749 on the Paralenz website. The camera comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 12-month warranty. Paralenz also offers a line of accessories that enhance the versatility and usability of the camera.
News
Scubaverse UWP Winners Gallery: Jan Leya

Each month we give the winner of the Scubaverse Underwater Photography competition the opportunity to show off a little more of their work in a gallery. The July winner was Jan Leya.
What do you love about diving & underwater photography?
Anyone who has ever encountered a shark in the open sea can immediately see how
impressive, endangered and at the same time how beautiful our oceans are. Diving in the
sea or lake, in warm or cold waters, allows me to switch off and forget everyday life. My
camera allows me to capture these moments, archive them and show them to the world. To
show what beauty is so close to us and yet so invisible to almost everyone. Now, I use the
time outside of my workday to travel the world, photographing and showcasing its versatility
– especially under the surface. From small to large, I seek respectful, natural interaction with
our marine life to raise awareness of this fragile, acutely endangered ecosystem through my
images.
What equipment do you use?
What started with an inexpensive action camera solidified over the years to my current setup. Currently I use a SONY Alpha 6400 in a Fantasea body equipped with two INON Z-330
flashes and two Weefine Smart 3000 video lights. At the moment I prefer to use my SONY
90mm f/2.8 macro lens or the SIGMA 16mm f/1.4. I also have the SONY 30mm f/3.5 macro
lens, the SONY 10-18mm f/4 wide-angle lens and the SONY 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 at my
disposal
Where can our readers see more of your work?
To enter the latest Scubaverse Underwater Photography competition, with a chance to win some great prizes as well as have your own gallery published, head over to the competition page and upload up to 3 images.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Dragons of the sea

Guest Blog by Staci-lee Sherwood
The most fascinating and unique characteristic of the Syngnathidae family is how it’s the male that gives birth. This fish family includes Seahorses, Pipefish and Seadragon. Having a head like a horse, Seahorses and Seadragons stand out as a fish species in the marine world. They are true rock stars of the ocean and a favorite among photographers. Their tiny size and elusiveness just add to their appeal.
Seadragons
Lesser known than their more famous cousins they are stars in their own right. These tiny dragons of the sea are larger in size with more color and intriguing patterns. Found only in southern Australian waters makes them rare. There are three recognized species, the Weedy, Leafy and newly described Ruby seadragon.
Elusive species are more alluring to scientists because of the chance to be the first to discover something new. Not much is known about their lives and researchers hope to shed light on these rainbow colored fish. Their diet consists of tiny mysid shrimp and other zooplankton. After mating the female deposits up to 300 eggs into the male’s brood patch who then fertilizes and carries them till birth. Despite their being much larger than Seahorses, which range in size from 1 – 6 inches, they produce about 1/3 of the eggs. Seadragons range in size from 13 – 18 inches
In 2006 the IUCN listed them as Near Threatened on the Red List. A lot has changed since then. As the Seahorse population continues to decline China might look more toward the Seadragon to fill the void.
Seahorses
One fascinating fact about this family of fish they lack teeth or stomachs. Instead they suck up food through their snout. Lacking a stomach means food goes in and out rather quickly. Seahorses will mate for life. During the courtship dance they curl their tails and change color. Following the mating ritual it’s the female that deposits up to 1,000 eggs in the male’s pouch. A handy survival skill, like the chameleon, they can change color to blend into their surroundings.
Diminutive in size they capture the imagination of young and old alike but are in serious danger of going extinct. Illegal harvesting by China for traditional medicine, used as decoration in key chains and pendants and polluted water have taken their toll. Without global bans on their exploitation and fierce enforcement the world could lose these horse looking fish. There are over 40 recognized species globally.
Florida
Many Floridians don’t know we have three species of seahorses, the Dwarf, Lined and Long Snouted. These are all listed as either Vulnerable or Threatened in US waters. One of the biggest threats in Florida is the heavily polluted water they live in. Seahorses live in shallow tropical waters where their habitat is coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. Unfortunately in Florida the water quality is so poor most of the seagrass is dead while the bleaching of coral reefs has caused their decline. A bleak future awaits this species.
Globally all species are being pulled from the ocean so Florida populations are at risk of extinction. A favorite among divers, some local populations have fan clubs where divers will make special trips hoping to see them.
Australia
The White’s Seahorse, also known as the Sydney Seahorse, has a population decline over 90%. In 2018 they became the second seahorse species in the world to be listed on the IUCN Red List Status as endangered. Alarmed scientists took this opportunity to try to save them in a unique way. Research showed this species uses artificial reefs if natural ones are absent. David Harasti, Senior Research Scientist at Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, created the ‘Seahorse Hotels’ out of metal cages. Once placed underwater they soon attract a variety of marine life like Coral and Sponges. In a matter of weeks they’re covered and start attracting endangered Seahorses.
I spoke with Dr. Harasti about the use of these hotels for other species, especially those found in other parts of the world. Regarding their use Harasti said “the use of hotels may only be suitable for particular seahorse species. We know that they work really well for those species that like artificial habitats such as the White’s seahorse and Pot-belly seahorse in Australia and the Short-head seahorse found in Europe.”

Two tagged juvenile White’s Seahorses living in a hotel 4 months after deployment (Photo: D. Harasti)
Captive bred juvenile seahorses are released into hotels hoping they will breed and help recover their population. Surveys show adult seahorses have also taken to them. The project has only been around a few years so it’s too early to tell if the population will rebound. Illegal harvesting worldwide must stop and laws must be enforced. With such a steep decline of a species that gets little attention we need real conservation on a global scale now. Click here to learn more about these hotels and watch some amazing videos https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/species-protection/what-current/endangered-species2/whites-seahorse
South Africa
In 2017 a photograph taken off the eastern coast of South Africa in Sodwana Bay by Savannah Nalu Olivier showed a new species barely the size of a fingernail. After viewing the photograph, pygmy seahorse expert Richard Smith realized this was a new discovery. This is the first pygmy seahorse discovered in the Indian Ocean. Most pygmy seahorses survive by camouflage among vegetation so what an amazing find to see something so microscopic. To read the 2020 study click here https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/50924/
Global threats
According to Seahorse Trust the biggest threat to survival is the taking of an estimated 150,000,000 every year, mostly by China, to be used in their traditional medicine. The use of Seahorses for asthma and impotence has no scientific basis and can be fixed with modern medicine. Another 1,000,000 are caught for captivity in personal aquariums. There are no accurate numbers for how many end up used in trinkets but it’s estimated 1,000,000 are lost. At this rate we will push this species toward extinction.
In the past twenty years there has been a global increase in the capture and selling for use in about 80 countries. Varying degrees of threats exist for different species and different regions. Somewhere between 50 -97% decline in their population makes for an urgent call to end their use whether for personal and medical reasons. The world must agree to a ban with enforcement or lose one of its most amazing creatures .
Help save our Seahorses and Seadragons with these do’s and don’ts:
- Don’t buy dried Seahorses, or trinkets that use them
- Don’t buy live Seahorses for aquariums
- Do use modern medicine which is effective and safe instead of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Never pollute the water
- Support conservation efforts
- Spread the message
To learn how to help Seahorses https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/
To help conservation in Australia https://www.visitsealife.com/sydney/conservation/
Header Image: Tony Brown
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