News
S.U.P.E.R. Part 6: INON X-2 housing for the Canon EOS6D

In our ongoing series S.U.P.E.R. (Scubaverse’s Underwater Photography Equipment Reviews), Nick and Caroline Robertson Brown from Frogfish Photography review new underwater photography equipment, general diving equipment, and some older favourites too.
For the sixth instalment of S.U.P.E.R., Nick and Caroline take a look at INON’s X-2 housing for the Canon EOS6D.
A few weeks ago, we managed to get our hands on one of the very few demo models of the new housing by INON: The X-2 for the Canon EOS6D. Unfortunately, we only had the chance to play with it over one weekend in the Farne Islands and so for life-long Nikon users, we had to get into the swing of how to adjust the settings on the Canon very quickly. This intuitive housing made that far easier for us than we had expected. However, the first thing you notice about this beautifully put together piece of kit is how small and light this housing is. The Canon EOS6D is a full frame camera, and so we were expecting a bigger, heavier setup than this lovely compact system that arrived as we were packing up our car.
The housing is an extremely well designed and robust aluminium affair, but even with the 45 degree viewfinder that arrived with the system, it came in at only 2kg (without port). Once we had set it up with a wide angle lens, port and strobes, we found it to be a full 2kg lighter than our own full frame setup, which is impressive, if not amazing. It is only fair to say that some of this likeness is due to the Canon 6D, which in itself is remarkably light for a full frame SLR. The housing, however, is also very compact and you feel that you could use it without a tray or handles to make it even smaller and lighter. We were not too keen on the handles that had been sent up with the system, which seemed a little flimsy, but it turns out that these are not the finished article and there are much more solid and tactile versions that have been made to go with this housing.
We headed up to the Farnes to photograph seals, and agreed that we would do a day each with the INON system. As Nikon users, our only problems came with an unfamiliarity of the camera system. Neither of us had ever used a Canon SLR camera and so struggled at times with that – but not with the housing, whose controls are designed to make sense to someone who is familiar with this camera. The one control that did catch us out somewhat was the switch for live-view/video. It is quite easy to knock it across without noticing it, but obviously, a Canon user would know immediately where to go to rectify the situation. All the other buttons are easy to operate, and the chrome push-buttons are inside a chrome surround which looks superb. The autofocus system works really well too, whereby the operator needs to use forefinger and the thumb to squeeze the two levers together with the autofocus lever on the thumb and the trigger on the finger. Personally, however, I found these two controls the least robust of all, but they certainly appear to do their job. The atlantic grey seals also seemed to like this new system, getting up close and personal with Nick, and even having a taste! (Sorry INON)
The price of this new housing is, amazingly, very competitive. Depending upon the viewfinder you select, you could be paying under £2000. It certainly gets our seal of approval!
For more information about the X-2 and other INON product visit www.inonuk.com.
News
PADI meets with Maldivian Ministry to confirm protection of sharks

Over recent weeks, there has been speculation about the possibility of the Maldivian government lifting the ban on shark fishing in the country’s waters. PADI®, and the dive industry at large, were instrumental in establishing these protections over a decade ago.
With concern for the continued protection of sharks in the Maldives, the PADI organisation and Project AWARE®, along with 200 concerned local and international stakeholders opposing the lifting of the shark fishing ban, called on the government to continue to enforce the legal protections of sharks. PADI staff met with Maldivian Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture Zaha Waheed to reinforce the position of the dive community and critical role sharks play in dive tourism.
In those meetings, Minister Waheed assured PADI that the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture has no intentions to lift the ban on shark fishing. She affirmed that they remain committed to sustainable and responsible management of fisheries and marine resources in the Maldives. On 20 April 2021, the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture released a statement asserting that “the Maldives does not intend to permit a targeted shark fishery in the Maldives.”
“Sharks are a dominant force in dive tourism in the Maldives. We congratulate the Maldives’s commitment to their ongoing protection,” says Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide. “The Maldives continues to lead by example, among the most progressive countries on this critical issue.”
There are currently 17 shark sanctuaries in the world; the first established in Palau in 2009 and others in popular dive destinations including French Polynesia, Honduras, The Bahamas and several others in the Caribbean. The Maldives shark sanctuary was established in 2010 and covers 916,000 km2 (353,000 square miles).
Tourism accounts for an estimated 25 percent of Maldives’ GDP (according to 2014 figures), with diving and snorkeling being the most popular tourism activity. Prior to the formation of the Maldivian sanctuary, shark fishing was worth US$0.7 million to the Maldives’ economy, compared to US$2.3 million from shark tourism. In 2018, the shark sanctuary increased dive-trip demand in the Maldives by 15 percent, raising an additional US$6 million. Consumer research indicates that any re-opening of a Maldives shark fishery could potentially decrease dive tourism demand by over 50 percent, which could result in a loss of US$24 million.
Sharks are some of the most endangered species in the ocean, with recent research showing that the global number of oceanic sharks has declined by 71 percent. Over a third of shark and ray species are threatened, facing an increased threat of extinction, primarily due to overfishing. There are an estimated 600,000 shark watchers globally spending $314 million per year and directly supporting 10,000 jobs. Research indicates these figures are expected to rise as global tourism returns to pre-pandemic levels.
As part of its commitment to ocean conservation, PADI will continue to stand up for sharks and advocate for their protection. For more information on responsible shark tourism, read Project AWARE’s Guide to Best Practices. To learn more about PADI’s efforts and how you can join the community of PADI Torchbearers working to save the ocean, visit padi.com/conservation.
Miscellaneous Blogs
The BiG Scuba Podcast… with Rosemary Lunn

Ian and Gemma chat among themselves and are also are joined by well-known Dive Industry Professional Rosemary Lunn.
We talk about dive fitness and entering the CrossFit 2021 open games and being members of our local CrossFit Box. You can also listen to our new member of the team – Rosemary Lunn – answer some scuba diving questions.
Find out more about Rosemary at www.tumc.co.uk.
Find more podcast episodes and information at the new www.thebigscuba.com website and on most social platforms @thebigscuba
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