Mark 'Crowley' Russell - Senior Correspondent
Crowley (known to his mum as Mark) began diving in 2000 in Sharm El Sheikh, before quitting a 10-year IT career and moving to Thailand to take his PADI IDC in 2005. He moved from Thailand to Australia and Curaçao before returning to Sharm as an instructor in 2009. He managed a Nusa Lembongan dive centre between 2013-14 before hanging up his instructor booties and returning to the UK. Crowley started writing a regular column for DIVE in 2010, and now looks after DIVE's daily online content and writes regular features for the print magazine. In his spare time, Crowley is an enthusiastic guitar player, devoted motorcyclist, dedicated gamer, and door-opening expert for two cats.
Polish cave diver breaks world scuba depth record with 338m descent
Polish cave diver Bartłomiej Pitala has broken the world record for the deepest underwater cave dive, having reached a depth…
Aggressor Adventures last-minute $1,000 savings on Belize Aggressor III
Aggressor Adventures is offering a special opportunity to save $1,000 per person aboard the Belize Aggressor III for its October…
SS United States to be sunk as world’s largest artificial reef in November
The SS United States, once the fastest passenger liner in the world, is scheduled to be sunk in the Gulf…
DIVE’s Big Shot In Your Face – win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip
Enter your best pictures of close-up underwater objects for the chance to win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip to the…
Malaysia Scuba Diving Association urges divers to prioritise safety over bookings
The Malaysia Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) has urged marine tourism operators to cancel or postpone trips when weather or sea…
Underwater Magic – an extract from Michal Štros’ new book
An extract from Czech photographer Michal Štros’ new book Underwater Magic, exploring macro dive sites, collages and vintage lenses
Aggressor Adventures to announce new destination at DEMA Show 2026
Aggressor Adventures has announced it will be adding a new destination to its catalogue of liveaboard destinations at this year’s…
Ancient shipwreck discovered off Turkey could be world’s oldest
Underwater archaeologists excavating an ancient shipwreck off Turkey’s Mediterranean coast have recovered ceramic storage jars dating back as much as…
Divemaster missing after dive boat sinks in Komodo National Park
A female Indonesian divemaster is missing after a dive boat carrying 30 people capsized and sank in Komodo National Park…
DIVE’s Big Shot Man-Made – the winners
The winners from DIVE’s Big Shot Man-Made underwater photography competition, as featured in our Autumn ’26 print magazine
Poseidon launches ‘Regulator Configurator’ to aid diver choice
Poseidon Diving Systems has announced the launch of a new ‘Poseidon Regulator Configurator’ to help scuba divers decide which configuration…
Autopsies confirm Maldives tragedy divers ran out of air
Post-mortem examinations of the five Italian divers who died in a cave in Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives earlier this…
Peter Benchley’s Jaws memorabilia and dive gear to be auctioned for charity
A collection of nearly 300 items belonging to Jaws author and ocean conservationist Peter Benchley is being put up for…
Shifting focus – an interview with Fabi Fregonesi
Fabi Fregonesi talks to DIVE about overcoming her fear of the ocean, leaving the corporate world and dedicating her life…
Divers rescued after overnight drift off Flores, Indonesia
Four divers, including two Irish tourists, an Austrian woman and an Indonesian dive guide, have been found alive after being…
Shearwater Jetpack gains CE marking for European sales
Shearwater Research has announced that the Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo diving has received CE marking, allowing the equipment to be…
Ocean Art 2026 underwater photo competition opens for entries
The Underwater Photography Guide has opened submissions for the 15th annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, with more than $50,000…
East Coast Divers to host virtual chat on staying active and diving as we age
Brookline, Massachusetts-based East Coast Divers is hosting a virtual chat about staying active and diving with age, as part of…
Diver dies during USS Emmons wreck dive in Okinawa
A 37-year-old woman has died after becoming unresponsive during a dive on the USS Emmons wreck off Kouri Island, Okinawa
Dive instructor officially named as suspect in Raja Ampat turtle killing
Chinese dive instructor Wei Shang has been named a suspect in the killing of a protected hawksbill turtle in Raja…
The incompatibility of scuba diving and hubris
Why divers need to know that limits shouldn’t be broken, even if we know they can be. At the time…
DIVE Magazine Autumn 2026
Issue # 43: Alternative perspectives DIVE’s Autumn ’26 magazine is here! Packed as always with great writing and fantastic underwater…
South Korean diver dies after incident off Okinawa
A 23-year-old South Korean woman has died after getting into difficulty while scuba diving off Shimoji Island in Okinawa, Japan.…
SSI and AIDA respond to Raja Ampat turtle-killing video
Dive training agency SSI and freediving organisation AIDA International have issued statements following the detention of an instructor trainer in…
Chinese instructor arrested for allegedly killing and eating turtle in Raja Ampat
A Chinese scuba diving instructor has been detained in Indonesia after a video allegedly showing him spearing a critically endangered…
Missing Haifa freediver found dead after three-day search
A 23-year-old member of the Israeli Border Police’s counter-terrorism unit has been found dead off Haifa, Israel, almost three days…
Weedy seadragon film wins Underwater Awards Australasia 2026
A short film about a weedy seadragon has been named Best of Show at the 2026 Underwater Awards Australasia underwater…
DJI launches Osmo 360 II with 8K/60fps video and replaceable lenses
DJI has launched the Osmo 360 II, the second generation of its compact 360-degree action camera, with higher frame rates,…
No equipment defects found after fatal Lake Constance dive
German investigators have found no evidence of technical failure in the equipment used by two tech divers who died following…
Aggressor Adventures launches 333 Flash Sale – 33% off for next 3 days
Aggressor Adventures has announced its newest limited-time promotion, ‘The 333 Flash Sale‘, a 3-day booking window to earn a 33…
DIVE’s Big Shot Manmade – win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip
Enter your best pictures of man-made underwater objects for the chance to win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip to Komodo…
Six foreign dive instructors arrested in Koh Tao work permit crackdown
Six foreign scuba diving instructors have been arrested on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand, during an operation by Thai…
GBR coral cover remains high despite repeated bleaching events
The Great Barrier Reef’s hard coral cover remained stable or increased across all three regions during the 2025-26 monitoring season,…
New DIVR app turns recreational dives into marine research data
A new, free, dive-logging app designed to turn recreational scuba dives into citizen science-generated marine biodiversity records has been launched…
Study reveals horrific scale of Indonesian bomb fishing
AI acoustic monitoring has revealed the scale of bomb fishing, also known as blast fishing, in one of the world’s…
Aqaba Blue: Ocean Future in Action postponed until March 2027
Update: the original date given for the new schedule was 16-19 March 2027. This post was updated on 13 October…
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Tiger found 118 years after fatal collision
The wreck of Royal Navy destroyer HMS Tiger, lost with 35 members of her crew after being cut in two…
Iberian orca ‘injured by shotgun blast’ off Spanish coast
The oldest known member of the critically endangered Iberian orca population has been found with a series of wounds which…
Insta360 launches the X6, its new flagship 360° action camera
Insta360 has launched the X6, its new flagship 360° action camera, with larger image sensors, 10-bit colour, faster 8K recording…
Freediving filmmaker dies after propeller strike off Lampedusa
A 29-year-old diver has died after being struck by the propeller of a boat while in the water off the…
Winning images from the CMAS Underwater Photography and Video World Cup
The 2026 CMAS Underwater Photography & Video World Cup was held this year in Madeira, Portugal, bringing together 75 photographers…
MMO warns divers may be fined for photographing wild seahorses
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a statement directed at divers, snorkellers, photographers and filmmakers, reminding them that intentionally…
Splash into the Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2026!
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is bringing a new collection of captivating ocean-themed films to venues around the UK…
Intuitive Reef Restoration – how TUI and Living Seas repair Bali’s reefs
Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell visits the Living Seas Foundation in Padangbai, Bali, a community conservation project benefitting from TUI’s tourist outreach.…
Women Divers Hall of Fame welcomes five new members for 2026
The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) has officially welcomed five new members as its Class of 2026. The new…
DIVE’s Big Shot Creative – the winners
We asked entrants to our Big Shot Creative underwater photography competition to do anything with their images as long as…
KOSPET TANK Series smartwatches- built for diving and adventure
Whether you’re exploring a reef, paddling along the coast or heading into the mountains, your smartwatch needs to cope with…
Zale Parry, scuba diving pioneer and ‘First Lady of Diving’, dies aged 93
Zale Parry, one of the most influential figures in the history of recreational scuba diving, has died at the age…
Calls for change after tourist boat catches fire in Hurghada, Egypt
In the same week an Egyptian liveaboard sank with the loss of one crew member, a tourist day-boat has been…
Aggressor Adventures wins three Telly Awards for travel films
Aggressor Adventures has been recognised with three Telly Awards, taking Gold, Silver and Bronze honours in the 47th annual awards…
Crew member reportedly dies after Red Sea liveaboard Sea Spirit sinks
A crew member has reportedly died after the Red Sea liveaboard Sea Spirit sank off Ras Ghareb in Egypt’s Gulf…
Aggressor Adventures announces final Mike & Mike underwater photography charters
Aggressor Adventures has announced the final two Mike & Mike Underwater Photography Weeks, marking the end of a legendary era…
Instructor charged with homicide after student diver death in Argentina
A scuba diving instructor has been charged with homicidio culposo, the Argentinian equivalent of gross negligence manslaughter, following the death…
PADI to hold first AmbassaDiver Summit on Great Barrier Reef
PADI has announced that its inaugural AmbassaDiver Summit will take place in Cairns and on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef later…
Safety recall issued for Apeks XL4 second stages
Apeks has initiated a product safety recall for some of its XL4, XL4+ and Ocea regulator second stages (including octopuses)…
One diver dies, another missing, following Biarritz cliff collapse
One diver has been killed and another remains missing after the collapse of a large section of cliff near Biarritz…
DAN insurer seeks ruling on insurance obligations in Dylan Harrison litigation
The Divers Alert Network’s insurance arm, DAN Risk Retention Group, Inc (DAN RRG) has filed a federal court action seeking…
Tennessee diver dies after surfacing during Florida charter trip
A 60-year-old diver from Tennessee died after surfacing from a recreational dive in the Gulf of Mexico off Venice, Florida,…
Wonder Reef – the Gold Coast’s unique buoyant artificial reef
Most people know the Gold Coast for its long beaches and world-class surfing, but it has plenty to offer the…
DIVE Magazine Summer 2026 preview
Issue # 42: The magic touch DIVE’s Summer ’26 magazine is here! Packed with some of the best underwater photographers…
Australia’s Gold Coast – scuba diving beyond the surf
The Gold Coast is best known for beaches and surfing, but its reefs, wrecks, waterways and an artificial dive site…
First underwater footage of Mediterranean great white shark
What is believed to be the first underwater footage of a great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea has been…
Italian President honours three Finnish divers for Maldives cave recovery
Italian President Sergio Mattarella has honoured the three Finnish cave divers who recovered the bodies of four Italian divers who…
Boy, 11, and woman, 19, suffer leg amputations following shark bites in Recife, Brazil
A 19-year-old woman had her leg removed by a shark at Boa Viagem beach in Recife, Brazil one day after…
Third Underwater Awards Australasia imaging competition open for entries
The Underwater Awards Australasia 2026 is now accepting submissions for the third iteration of the premier underwater imaging competition focused…
62-year-old Ohio diver dies on wreck of SS Cedarville, Lake Huron
A 62-year-old diver from Sylvania, Ohio, has died during a dive on the wreck of SS Cedarville in northern Lake…
DIVE’s Big Shot Creative – win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip
Enter your best pictures utilising creative lighting, lenses, backgrounds or post-processing for the chance to win an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard…
Thai cave rescue veterans join operation to reach seven trapped in flooded Laos cave
Rescuers are racing to reach seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in central Laos, with specialist cave divers from…
Italian authorities seize Maldives divers’ gear as tragic story unfolds
Italian investigators have seized electronic devices and personal equipment belonging to the five divers who died inside the Vaavu Atoll…
Bodies of two Italian divers recovered in Maldives tragedy
The bodies of two of the divers who died in a cave in the Maldives’ Vaavu atoll have been recovered.…
Bodies of missing Italian divers located in Maldives cave
The bodies of the four Italian divers who have been missing since Thursday have been located inside a Vaavu atoll…
Five Italian divers die in Maldives cave
The scuba diving world has been rocked by the deaths of five Italian scuba divers in a cave in Vaavu…
Shark Trust podcast series 2 begins today
Series 2 of the Shark Trust podcast, Living with Sharks, starts today (Tuesday 12 May). Sharks have lived in the…
DEMA appoints Julie Anne Fabsik-Swarts new President and CEO
The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) has announced the appointment of Julie Anne Fabsik-Swarts as its new President and…
Aggressor Adventures and Mares launch new online sweepstakes
Premier liveaboard operator Aggressor Adventures has partnered with scuba kit manufacturer Mares to launch a new online sweepstakes, giving participants…
Divers set two underwater Guinness World Records in India’s Andaman Islands
More than 200 scuba divers unfurled India’s national flag underwater before a separate team built a 22.3m human tower beneath…
Inquest finds IPO caused panic in Lancashire diver death
A 52-year-old diver who died after surfacing from a training dive at Capernwray Diving Centre in Lancashire was suffering from…
Aggressor Adventures announces Mares Demo Week in the Bahamas
Aggressor Adventures has announced the return of its Demo Weeks, beginning with a Mares Demo Week aboard the Bahamas Aggressor…
Inquest rules IPO possible factor in death of Belgian technical diver off Donegal
An inquest has found that the death of a Belgian technical diver off the coast of Co Donegal, Ireland, in…
PADI launches global shark and ray census and new specialty course
PADI has launched a global shark and ray census alongside a new speciality course, developed in partnership with Swiss watchmaker…
Emperor Divers announces launch of new Maldives liveaboard
Emperor Divers has announced the launch of a new Maldives liveaboard, Emperor Explorer II, scheduled to begin operations in August…
Manta Trust launches match-funded Earth Raise conservation campaign
The Manta Trust has launched a week-long match-funding campaign aimed at supporting research and conservation of manta and devil rays.…
Diving with the Bahamas Aggressor II – a Caribbean classic
Richard Condlyffe boards the Bahamas Aggressor II for a classic scuba diving liveaboard trip around the Caribbean archipelago’s best dive…
Two divers found alive after 22 hours adrift off Queensland coast
Two scuba divers have been rescued after spending almost 22 hours adrift off the coast of North Stradbroke Island, Queensland,…
Missing South Korean diver dies during rescue
A diver in his 50s has died after being recovered during a search operation off the coast of Tongyeong in…
Florida couple rescued after boat drifts away during scuba dive
A Florida couple were rescued after spending more than six hours in the water when their boat drifted away during…
Scubapro launches updated C370 regulator with interchangeable colour frames
Scubapro is expanding its colour-coordinated dive equipment with a redesigned version of its C370 second-stage regulator, now available with interchangeable…
Legendary underwater cameraman Doug Allan dies aged 74
Doug Allan, the award-winning wildlife cameraman and pioneer of polar videography known for his work on The Blue Planet and…
Cayman Islands divers surface to find boat capsized
Six divers from the Cayman Islands Divers British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) were greeted with an unpleasant surprise on Easter Sunday…
Nine divers rescued after drifting in cold waters off northern Hokkaido, Japan
Nine scuba divers were rescued after being carried away by strong currents during a cold-water dive off Wakkanai in northern…
Caribbean coral larvae exchange programme aims to increase genetic diversity on hard-hit coral reefs
A new programme to exchange coral larvae across the Caribbean has been launched to support reef restoration and increase genetic…
British born commercial diver dies in Lake Erie vehicle recovery
A British-born commercial diver has died after failing to resurface during a vehicle recovery operation in Lake Erie in Ontario,…
Turkish diver sets new Guinness record for longest cold-water scuba dive
Turkish scuba instructor Mazlum Kibar has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest open saltwater scuba dive in…
Three missing after Seychelles liveaboard Galatea sinks
Two Swiss divers and a local crew member are missing after the liveaboard Galatea sank off the remote Seychelles island…
Scuba diving skipper triggers alert after leaving passengers drifting
A boat captain who left two people on his small boat while he went solo scuba diving off the south…
Deep ocean expedition off Japan reveals dozens of new species
Scientists have confirmed the discovery of 38 new species and identified a further 28 following a Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census…
Dive instructor dies after incident at Zenobia wreck
A Greek-Cypriot scuba diving instructor has died following an incident at the Zenobia, one of the Mediterranean’s most popular wreck-diving…
Tornado Marine – a new standard for Egyptian liveaboard safety?
Much has been written in the last few years about the safety of scuba diving liveaboards, in particular the many…
Aggressor Adventures CEO Wayne Brown dies aged 65
Aggressor Adventures has announced the death of its Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Bryant Brown at the age of 65, following…