419 Dive Log Australasia AUGUST 2026

Fishers need to realise that the fish they take are the livelihood of sharks. Sharks need it to survive. Our oceans are more than 90% empty. Millions of industrial fishing boats scour the world’s oceans desperately trying to make a dollar. Research scientists warn us that mass extinctions, total collapse of fisheries, overfishing with many threatened species are the legacy of rampant human plunder. Someone has to sound the alarm! That is me. We need to find a better balance between feeding the world and satisfying the need for seafood and total collapse of fisheries worldwide. The solution is simple. At least thirty per cent of the oceans must be marine reserves that allow no exploitation. Mother Nature needs a helping hand to recover from the pressure of endless slaughter. Humans have difficulty seeing the long-term benefit of protecting the sea; bank loans have to be repaid. Given a chance, ecosystems will recover given time and return to the super abundant underwater paradise where life began. On a darker side much closer to reality, more people will fall victim to shark attacks in the near future as a result of depletion of fish stocks. Dive Log shares a positive message of hope that scientists have been warning us about for years. A light shining on the way forward and a solution to fix the situation where every ecosystem on earth is out of balance. This issue of Dive Log Australasia is yet another blockbuster magazine filled with great reading. Make sure your share it your friends and your dive buddies so they can get the BUZZ. Dive Log is all about the celebration of Marine life, motivating people to dive with a sprinkling of education, great photography and creativity. Dive Log strives for excellence in photo-journalism and to match it with the world’s best. It is also FREE! To that end, I have created the next chapter in my absolutely free Underwater Photography book. It provides deep insights into secret techniques that will help you to improve. It uses an analytical and sharing approach. No diving witch Doctors were harmed in giving away all these secrets for free. It explains how to make use of composition to develop skills to allow you to gain more mastery. You can learn loads of hints, tips and special techniques, all for free. It also has a detailed insight into photographing models and divers. Some people would call this course a Master Class in advanced U/W photography. If you are serious and want to improve, this is for you. David Fleetham takes us diving with Manta Rays and loads of great reef dives on Kadavu Island, Fiji. Vadim presents an outstanding report on Blue Ring Octopus from Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne. David Mullins takes us further into the wonderful world of Sea Slug Defenses in another excellent article. Conor Moore takes us diving in the Franklin Islands south of Cairns. Dive Log is proud to welcome back regular columnist Melissa Senatoa with her Snorkel Queen feature on free diving at Forster. Be sure to read Des William’s column. This one features amateur divers who made a Diving Hookah out of a hot water bottle. True! Be amazed at the inventiveness and ingenuity of old divers. The August issue of dive lof Australasia is another Rip Snorter of a read, full of razzle dazzle diving, a positive message of hope and direction and inspiration. Whether you are from the “Big smoke” the Back of Bourke, have a gander and give Dive Log a burl. You will be glad you did! This is your editor here Shootin’ and hootin’, Hootin' and hollerin' about another awesome issue of Dive Log Australasia. Read on and enjoy. Better still, send in your photo masterpieces and articles so you can experience the absolute joy of being seen in Australia’s longest running diving magazine. This is your magazine so send in your creations for me to publish.

Dive Log is deliberately focused on the celebration of marine life. The sea is a watery world of wonder filled with so many incredible life forms waiting to be discovered. My mission is to go one or two steps beyond the simple act of sighting these wonders of nature. After capturing a photo. I like to delve deeper into each lifeform and learn about their anatomy, their secret lifestyle and life cycles and then to share this knowledge with our readers. Value adding, if you like. It is absolutely a case of the more you learn, the more interesting it becomes. To learn about the anatomy of a Sea Urchin, for example opens the door to understanding their absolutely astonishing anatomy and how they function. This real knowledge opens the door to wonder and a higher appreciation. The greatest achievement in life is to immerse yourself into Mother Nature. Many of us yearn to get away from the mad sterile world we live in and go diving or exploring in a forest or mountain wilderness to find adventure. Under the sea, it is easy to discover what is in the mind of Mother Nature. She nurtures all life providing food and support for all. Nature is also a source of knowledge, adventure and wisdom. The greatest moments in life are seeing Mother nature in operation; whale watching, shark diving, swimming in a cloud of thousands of fish.... all exhilarating and uplifting experiences. Life on Earth showcases incredible invention and ingenuity. The sheer complexity and imagination of life is easy to see underwater. The Octopus, for example, is a shape shifting, chameleon like, mollusc with thinking skin filled with light sensitive proteins opsins. They do crawl across the sea floor but can use ‘jet power’ underwater to escape danger. A humble Sea Urchin is part animal and part machine. Sea Urchins come complete with Ball and socket joints on each spine, water filtration system, hydraulic tubes, mechanical jaws and some have a balloon for blowing away solid wastes, the Poo Shooter. They are part Meccano set and living tissue. Mantis shrimps venture into space age technology with Polaroid vision, the hardest high-tech space age material in the cement on their hammer, the fastest strike in the animal kingdom and advanced plane polarized vision. Diving satisfies that need for so many people. The exploration of the oceans is one of the greatest pastimes, a doorway to grand adventures, excitement discovery and learning. I predict (hope?) that diving will grow as a sport as more people yearn to engage with nature. Here in Australia, you can jump into the water and have a world class adventure minutes from home and see many exciting creatures alive, bang, smack in the heart of one of the world’s great cities. Some of the things on offer include the world’s largest Stingray, as well as the world’s largest cuttle, Sepia apama. We have what I believe to be some of the most wonderful Sea Star populations on earth, the greatest biodiversity of Leatherjackets and the family which includes Sea Horses and so many Nudibranchs. We are indeed very lucky to live in Australia. Divers don’t have to fly to the other side of the world to witness something spectacular such as a Polar Bear or a magnificent Lion. A close encounter with our local massive Stingray or a school of sharks in the wild is totally world class encounter, a short drive from home. Sadly, much of humanity is more focused of taking from Nature without giving much back. They see the sea is a place for plunder and exploitation, creating an imbalance. Paul Watson tells us the Krill from Antarctica is now targeted for chicken feed on an industrial scale for a trillion chickens born each year. Krill Harvesting robs whales, penguins and many fish of their livelihood and is a sinister and irresponsible injustice against Mother Nature. All for profit. Here in my home town, half a million human predators have done a great job in exterminating most of the fish life in our local waters. It is a crying shame. OUR COVER PHOTO Magnificent diving from febrina N/E of Alotau in the Solomon Sea is showcased here by Mike Scotland.

Happy diving. Mike

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Divelogaustralasia #419 August‘26

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