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.

By Edward Kelleher

It happens to many divers (myself included): We get certified, go all-in on the sport of diving, then fall out of diving.  After my initial certification, I did a handful of dives and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, the shop I certified with closed down, I had no other dive buddies, and life caught up to me. It happens to all of us. I get it. Luckily, I’m here to give you surefire ways of getting (and staying) back into diving!

1. Take a refresher/inactive diver class with your local dive center. This will introduce you to the local shop and staff. If you’ve been out of diving for 6 months to a year or so, take a refresher. Make sure your skills are still strong before going for a dive. Safety first.
2. Take a class. Any class. Putting yourself back into “student mode” can spark more interest and focus rather than just going for a regular dive. If you haven’t been diving in a number of years, it may be time to retake the open water class.
3. Look at some new gear. This doesn’t mean you’re upgrading all of your equipment, but it’s smart to stay on top of current gear trends and see what’s new or different. With many classes now requiring dive computer usage, it may be time to purchase one.
4. Join a social media club page. There are TONS of groups on social media for scuba, both local to your area and international. Join a couple! Bounce some ideas between group members. See who’s going diving. Trying to get a dive in? Put it out to the group!
5. Join your local dive club! Much like social media club pages, your local dive club may have its own group page! Meet the locals, coordinate dives, and keep an eye out for meetings and social events! A good dive club brings divers of all skill sets and backgrounds together in a fun and inviting atmosphere. The best thing you can do as an active diver is surround yourself with other active divers. You may not want to go on every dive, but you will definitely get more opportunities to jump in the water.
6. Try the local dive scene. You’d probably be surprised to learn what sort of diving your local area has. Many divers don’t know until they actually start trying to dive local. I never would have heard about Dutch Springs if I wasn’t a diver. Additionally, the diving conditions you’re picturing may not always be the reality. In the northeast, offshore conditions are MUCH better than many would think for NJ/NY area. Trust me.
7. Take a trip! Whether through your local dive center or on your own, travel! If necessary, you could take your refresher course on your trip as well.
8. Get a friend or family member into the sport. There’s nothing better than enjoying a dive with a good friend or family member. Sure, you’re recruiting your own dive buddy, but you’ll have someone close to you to share the experiences with!

Life is too short to get certified and not dive again. Get active with your local dive scene and get in the water. Your new dive buddies are waiting!

To find out more about International Training, visit www.tdisdi.com.