News
UWP News from DEMA: Cinebags Underwater
A brand new piece of underwater photography gear was launched at DEMA by Cinebags Underwater. We chatted to Markus Davids about the new gear bag they launched called the CB70 Square Grouper.
The team have been designing bags for camera crews for over 15 years now, but recently discovered the need for a similar product for DSLR underwater camera setups. They have put all their knowledge and talents into the design of this new bag that will hold an assembled DSLR camera and housing, plus strobes, in a compact, tough and lightweight carry bag. On top of plenty of space for your camera rig, there are pockets for spares and accessories that are always good to have with you on the boat.
The bag also boasts a non-slip bottom, which means an end to your camera sliding from one side to another of a RIB, boat or camera table as you head out to the dive site. It has handles as well as a detachable shoulder strap making carrying your underwater camera setup much easier from car, hotel, dive shop etc to the boat. Brilliantly, the bag also doubles up as your own personal rinse tank, as you can fill it with water at the end of the dive to rinse your precious equipment. This will put an end to the issue of people dumping their own cameras, torches, mask and more on top your housing at the end of a dive when you would usually put it in a generic rinse tank.
There are future plans to make a sister, smaller bag for mirrorless and compact camera systems. Cinebags Underwater also make 4 different sizes of protective port cases which offer excellent protection for your dome and macro ports while you are travelling. Thick padding will protect the glass and these are far better than anything else we have seen on the market. They come with pockets for spare o-rings, grease and other small accessories. They also have a tool pouch, if you want a full matching set, which is great for all those allen keys, tools and bits and bobs that you do not want brushing up against housings and ports.
The CB70 Square Grouper bag is lightweight and folds up flat, taking up minimal space when you are not using it. It is a quality piece of kit that provides a great solution to the issue of protecting your gear when you are out of the water. We will be taking the bag on our next trip and will write up a review on Scubaverse later in the year. So watch this space…
Divers Alert Network (DAN) has launched its spring giving campaign in support of the future of safe diving. The campaign aims to raise funds to provide education and safety resources to divers everywhere, enhance emergency response capabilities, and provide forward-looking solutions for keeping divers safe.
“We believe in the power of the dive community coming together to promote a culture of dive safety that will persist through future generations,” said Bill Ziefle, DAN President and CEO. “Through this campaign, we invite divers, industry professionals, and all those passionate about the underwater world to join us in safeguarding the future of our sport.”
The funds raised through the campaign will support vital DAN programs and services, including:
- Dive Safety Education: Creating educational resources and training programs to empower divers with the knowledge and skills they need to dive safer.
- Emergency Assistance: Ensuring the DAN Emergency Hotline remains available 24/7 to provide medical advice and assistance to divers in need worldwide.
- Research and Development: Investing in cutting-edge research to advance dive safety protocols, procedures, and equipment.
- Advocacy and Outreach: Collaborating with industry partners and organizations to advocate for policies that prioritize dive safety and promote responsible diving practices.
DAN is encouraging divers to make a tax-deductible donation at DAN.org/Give. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful impact on the future of safe diving.
Nudibranchs of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe: Second Edition by Bernard Picton and Christine Morrow
Do you love nudibranchs? Like many others, I do. I love trying to find them on dives and always marvel at how beautiful many of them are. Some are so small that you can barely see them with the naked eye and others are quite large. What I didn’t quite realize was just how many different species you can find in our waters. Over 195 species! And this book gives each a double page spread with images and information about where they can be found, a detailed description, key characteristics and similar species to help you with identification.
The book is packed with colour photos to help you work out what you have seen, and for those that are truly obsessed with nudi-hunting, what you might like to find next. The opening pages give the reader a host of useful and interesting information about their feeding and reproductive habits, their anatomy, how to find them, and where to record your finds to help scientist discover more about them.
Ever since the book arrived, I have been dipping into in, selecting a random page and enjoying the wealth of information and stunning images within. It is a book that simply makes you want to don your dive gear and head underwater to look for these charismatic creatures. For anyone that loves the weird and wonderful world of sea slugs (an who doesn’t), this is a book you are going to want to have in your collection.
What the publisher says:
Nudibranchs, or sea slugs, are a group of marine gastropod molluscs whose adults lack shells, an evolutionary loss that has led to a wide variety of body shapes, colours and colour patterns, making them popular with divers and underwater photographers. In this book, experienced nudibranch experts Bernard Picton and Christine Morrow provide an accessible and authoritative photographic identification guide for anyone interested in finding and identifying nudibranchs in the coastal waters of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe.
- Covers more than 195 species, each on its own two-page spread
- Includes in situ photos to aid finding nudibranchs under water and on the shore
- Features photos of nudibranchs’ distinctive spawn coils and studio photos showing detailed anatomy
- Presents key distinguishing features and essential information on size, habitat, diet and distribution
Book Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Series: Wild Nature Press
Paperback
Price: £35
ISBN: 9780691208794
Published (UK): 6th June 2023
Pages: 360
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