Larry Cohen & Olga Torrey

Pool Diving Adventure

August 27, 2020 - 20:03
The story is found: 
on page 78

The Northeast US dive season usually starts with divers dusting off the cobwebs at Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This year, the season started in the middle of a pandemic. Dutch Springs did not open in April, as it does most years. If you are a technical diver that is drying out, what is one to do? In our case, we took our drysuits, rebreathers, camera housings and sidemount rigs to our friend Gregory Borodiansky’s pool.

Gregory is a technical diving instructor and teaches a number of different rebreathers. Living in Staten Island, he has a 2m (7ft) deep, heated pool in his backyard. This was the only place for us to get wet!

Equipment

Betrayed Again — Ode to Olympus

July 01, 2020 - 16:39
The story is found: 
on page 76

On 24 June 2020, I woke up to the news that after 84 years, Olympus was selling off its camera division. As an underwater photographer and long-time user of Olympus camera gear, my feelings were that of betrayal, again. Here is some history on my experience with Olympus, and my thoughts about the future.

My first Olympus camera was the Pen FT half-frame 35mm film camera. At the time, I had a photo studio and worked mostly with large and medium format cameras. When I did have to shoot 35mm film, I usually used Nikon cameras.

Equipment

What UW Photographers Do When Put in Dry Dock

April 26, 2020 - 11:54
The story is found: 
on page 82

As countries around the world have placed populations in quarantine with stay-at-home orders in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, many underwater photographers have found themselves stuck inside with no option to travel or go diving. Two of X-Ray Mag’s regular contributors are based in New York City, a current epicenter of the pandemic.

Most underwater image-makers start out as surface photographers. Once they get their scuba certification, it is a natural progression to begin capturing images underwater. However, while on dive trips, most underwater shooters will also take shots above the waterline.

Still photography

Photographing Giant Manta Rays at Night in Kona Hawaii

April 19, 2020 - 15:02
The story is found: 
on page 36

Diving with giant manta rays is always an exhilarating experience. Being in the water with these large intelligent animals is always humbling. They are also spectacular subjects for photography and video. Kona Hawaii in the United States is famous for night diving and snorkeling with the local mantas. This can produce stunning images, but it does take some special techniques.

The manta rays in Kona waters belong to the Mobula alfredi species. These are reef mantas and, unlike other species, these mantas do not migrate. They spend their lives in the coastal waters of Hawaii.

Still photography
Locations
Rays

North Carolina: Wrecks & Sharks

March 12, 2018 - 10:04
The story is found: 
on page 23

The waters off the coast of the US state of North Carolina are treacherous. Bad weather, rough seas, heavy current and inlets that are difficult to navigate are common. So why do underwater explorers consider this area to be a world-class dive destination? Because when you do get offshore, it is extraordinary.

Visibility varies but can be more than 30m (100ft). The best diving conditions are between June and October, with late June to early August being the best.

Destination reports

Review of Sony RX100 V Underwater

August 23, 2017 - 13:23
The story is found: 
on page 83

Serious underwater photographers travel with large cameras in huge housings. They also need different lenses, ports, lighting and other accessories. As housings for small point-and-shoot cameras became accessible, underwater photography became very popular. In the past, these cameras had many limitations. Small sensor size and slow auto-focus were drawbacks.

This compact camera is only 4.0 x 2.3 x 1.6 inches and weighs 10.55oz. The camera has a large 1-inch CMOS sensor that produces a huge 20.1-megapixel image. Because of the processor, image quality is outstanding and low light performance is excellent, with low noise levels.

Hands on reviews

Mexico's Cozumel Island and Riviera Maya

March 02, 2017 - 10:41
The story is found: 
on page 15

Mexico has much to offer the traveling diver. The Yucatán Peninsula and Cozumel Island are close to each other and are a perfect combination for a dive trip. While Cozumel has the largest reef in the northern hemisphere, the Yucatán Peninsula has some of the best cavern and cave diving in the world, many of which are found in the Riviera Maya district located on the coast.

To explore both the mainland and the island, you can fly into Cancun. From there, it is a 65km (41mi) drive to Playa del Carmen. From here, you can take a 45-minute ferry over to Cozumel.

Destination reports

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