Scuba Diver

With a history spanning 22 years, the Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) is the biggest and longest-running dive expo in Asia, becoming one of the most popular events in the industry. Since its handover to Underwater360 (UW360), ADEX has seen significant expansio

With its success in Singapore, ADEX expanded to China in 2014 and launched the inaugural ADEX Shenzhen International Dive and Watersports Expo in 2017. The event was successfully co-organised by UW360, DADA Mermaid (Shenzhen) Ocean Culture Ltd Compan

I vividly remember the first time I was told that my son, Richard, has autism. He had just turned four, and after his doctor said that he probably had a speech delay, further testing was done. When the diagnosis finally came back as autism, I was hea

Back in 2001 , we heard stories of an island in the Philippines where it was said you could encounter thresher sharks on a daily basis. Of course this was the now-famous Malapascua, to the north of Cebu Island, but back then there were just two resor

“Another one,” I thought to myself as a three-legged sea turtle swam lopsidedly past. Its bird-like eyes warily scanned the expansive coral garden on Tubbataha’s South Island atoll. This turtle could consider itself lucky. For many others, the first

As crowds gathered at World Science Festival Brisbane, baby loggerhead turtles took their first look at the world, slowly but steadily hatching out of the safety of their shells and welcomed enthusiastically by participants. The festival saw the hatc

The first time I visited Tenerife, I was captivated by the idea of shooting the resident pilot whales – a protected species requiring the permission of the Spanish government to swim with. It was a dream that seemed impossible. Back home, I could not

For years, I watched closed circuit rebreather (CCR) divers on boats, studying them as one would a bizarre species of insect. With all that gear, they inspired little envy. It looked far too technical – too much stuff, too expensive, too many potenti

God’s Pocket is a provincial marine park in British Columbia. In the early 1900s, its shore was used as a natural shelter by fishermen crossing the dark and stormy waters of Queen Charlotte Strait. The calm waters of the bay provided a safe haven fro

We are hovering over the shallow bottom of the black volcanic sand on the Atlantis House Reef. It is a gorgeous sunny day in February, and our dive guide points out a half coconut husk lying face down on the bottom; we carefully approach as he flips

Have you ever had a “crappy” dive? I’ve certainly had a few. I remember a divemaster at one Malaysian resort: Thinking he was the last diver, he decided to hang back, remove his wetsuit and feed the fish! Little did he know that we underwater photogr

From the moment I joined the diving world, I dreamt of being a part of a glamour shoot with sharks. My first encounter was with the oceanic whitetip shark in the Habili Ali Reef of the Red Sea. When I saw it calmly floating towards us with such elega

A calm mirror-like surface, crystal-clear waters, and hot sunny days; that was what I assumed my virgin trip to Tonga would be like. On the contrary, we saw nothing but gloomy skies, rainy days, choppy waters, and plankton-rich waters – not the best

We could smell the subtropical heat and humidity. Everyone who entered the Molnár János noticed that immediately. With every step deeper, the heat intensified, till I felt the sweat running down my back. This was a stark contrast to the cool outdoors

Full of anticipation, we walked heavily down the steep metal stairs with a 12-litre tank on our backs. We finally reached the water, almost sweaty inside our stiff neoprene drysuit. A quick look below the surface and all exhaustion was forgotten – ju

I close my eyes – something not recommended for underwater photography. But the visibility, floating at the surface of Canada’s Hudson Bay, is less than an arm’s distance, so all I can do is wait patiently. And then the symphony starts: A crescendo o

The word “aquathlon” isn’t widely recognised by most people today. “Aqua” indicates a connection to water, but the second half of the word is often understood in different ways – an underwater shoot (it sounds like biathlon); speed swimming in fins (

Like most avid divers, I use any excuse to be underwater. After countless reef dives, muck dives, wreck dives and the like, I became dissatisfied, looking for a different underwater adventure to fulfil the explorer in me. That’s when I was introduced

Whilst researching on the local Bajau Laut or ‘Sea Gypsy’ community for the upcoming BBC Human Planet series, I heard tall tales of local characters with seemingly super-human traits; fishermen descending deep into the ocean on a single breath, hunti

Kiki Bosch is an adventurer, nutritionist and biohacker from the Netherlands, now living in the UK. Described as a true daredevil, Kiki is an experienced freediver and extreme cold specialist. She has recently dived some of the coldest waters in the

Aleix Segura Vendrell is the current static apnea AIDA World Champion, who is capable of over 10-minute breath-holds. Alongside his profession as an architect, the 31-year-old freediver from Barcelona began competitive freediving in 2011, debuting wi

Could you tell us about your story before you became a diver? Before I started scuba diving, I spent seven years in the Marine Corps Infantry. My first duty station was Presidential Retreat Camp David, where I did site security for President Bush, f

Alert Diver is a forum for ideas and information relative to diving safety, education and practice. Any material relating to dive safety or dive medicine or accident management is considered for publication. Ideas, comments and support are encouraged

As new divers, we were all introduced to checklists. We learnt the importance of pre-dive checks (for our BCD, weights, releases, air) and what to include when packing gear pre-dive. Those who trained to be tek divers are fully aware of the reliance

I have an extensive diving history spanning 14 years and I’ve completed more than 800 dives. I am nitrox certified and my diving recently has been relatively shallow (less than 25 metres) with a single tank and open circuit. Over the past two years,

No matter how careful they are, sooner or later most divers are stung, bitten, punctured or poisoned by a marine animal. While a healthy respect for marine life and the environment is a good safety measure, accidents happen and serious afflictions ma

I had just begun to feel a little uncertain about the spot where I was standing, so I moved back. The grizzly bears had apparently decided to walk around us, but they stayed very close – no more than 4.5 metres away. The cubs were having trouble seei

Q: My wife and I love to travel to exotic destinations, and my previous doctor used to give me antibiotics in case I got sick in a remote location. I have a new primary care physician who is hesitant to do this. What does DAN recommend? A: For some

In our last issue of Alert Diver we included an article entitled, “Field Neurology for Divers”. While this is an interesting and useful educational article, concern has been raised by an experienced diving medical physician about the effectiveness an

One of the most enjoyable aspects of liveaboard dive boats, cruises and group dive travel is the social environment. You can meet some terrific people with diverse backgrounds and sit around in the evenings sharing stories of the day’s adventures and

COMMONLY KNOWN AS the icon of fear, the great white shark is, sadly, a victim of entrenched stereotyping and Hollywood drama. Being the ocean’s apex predator, perhaps there is sound reason for the fear they incite, but how much of it is fact over fic