Daniel Norwood wins Sport Diver Photo of the Month!

Course Guest Number Three, Dan, emailed me at the weekend to say that he has won this month's "Photo of the Month" with Sport Diver. His photos are absolutely mind-blowing and I was so proud! He took this photo with a Fuji F50 and a Sea and Sea YS 110 Strobe. Just shows you what a punch these little pocket rockets can do!

Miss Piggy Goes for a Dip!

Today was a lovely day spent with a complete beginner who wasn't even a diver who wanted to learn how to take photos of babies underwater. Unfortunately, as I didn't have a baby to hand, the only option was my Piggy Hot Water Bottle! So out came the lavender in the middle and in went a lead weight! It worked a treat and made for some excellent photos .....

Sea Shepherd Event - 31st October - HMS Belfast

What a fabulous event! Paul Watson gave an inspiring talk on what we need to continue to do to be able to save our oceans and the work of Sea Shepherd this winter. The event was absolutely packed and met some amazing people and really inspired me to get back to the sea next year and continue to do what I love .... watch this space!

Talk for the Rotary Club in Bromley, Kent

I was kindly asked by my local Rotary Club to give a talk to them on my work. I decided not to bore them with f stops and bus stops, but instead to give a talk on my experiences and encounters with each animal, including grizzly bears in Alaska. They are an amazing bunch and was so chuffed to be able to spend some time with them. A kind donation was made to The Scuba Trust which was brilliant to be able to give to Gill.

Dive Show Birmingham

What a fantastic show! It is always great to be able to catch-up and hear how well course guests are doing, but it was also very humbling to see so many people queuing up for my talks on both days and even stand outside in the hallways trying to hear what I was saying .... For any of you reading this who were there, THANK YOU! It was great to see so many friends in the industry, The Underwater Channel were filming there, Mark and Gayle Addison who always inspire so many people with their shark adventures in their home of South Africa, Sea Shepherd, British Society of Underwater Photographers, The Shark Trust, Biteback, The Scuba Trust and so the list goes on ..... A special thank you to the London Diving Chamber who without their constant help and support, none of this quite simply would not have been possible. Check out my Ocean Visions Page on Facebook for more pictures ....

Giant Kelp Forests with Catalina Divers

So, stranded in LA, California, turned out to be a blessing in disguise to experience the wonderful kelp forests in this gorgeous island. It reminded me a little bit of living in the Keys with its quaint buildings. Eric from Catalina Divers and Wade proved to be excellent models and it surpassed all of my expectations by far. I'm now addicted to this part of the world, it was so great to catch up with friends there and realised how much I missed living in the States. I'm now really looking forward to exploring the Channel Islands and more of the world-class diving that California offers...... I'm in love with those Garibaldis :)

Catching Up With Friends in Mounu Island, Tonga

Sorry, sorry, sorry for all of the delays with me. I have spent the last couple of months working as hard as usual and spending time with very missed friends who I hadn't seen since before I came back to England 5 years ago. Firstly I went to see Allan and Lynn at their spectacular resort of Mounu Island in Vauva'u, Tonga, South Pacific to swim with my beloved humpback whales. Although the weather was more like winter in England, it was an amazing experience and shared it with some wonderful people. Allan and Lynn pioneered the first ever swim with the whale project down there and are deeply passionate about the conservation of these wonderful animals. If you are ever passing down that way, do go and visit them. They will give you far more than just a homely welcome and their dog is just the cutest ..... On a sad note an amazing underwater photographer, Tony Wu, found a humpback whale caught in a fishing net down there and sadly the whale died. Visit his website at www.tonywu.com to see more of this amazing work and photographs.