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.
Great Shark Snapshot returns for 2024
The Great Shark Snapshot, one of the Shark Trust’s citizen scientist initiatives, in which divers and snorkellers around the world…
Rare curled octopus filmed in Wales
Rare footage of a curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa)has been recorded by a member of the Marine Conservation Society’s Hiraeth Yn…
Fourth Element announces Shoreline throw-on for divers
Fourth Element has announced the launch of Shoreline, a versatile new travel throw-on for adventuring scuba divers. Made using 100…
Aqualung Group sells Stohlquist to Sport Dimension Inc.
Sport Dimension Inc., a leading provider of toys and water sports recreational equipment, has announced the acquisition of the Stohlquist…
Decoding sperm whales’ ‘phonetic alphabet’
Scientists recently discovered that sperm whales make decisions by consensus, and now they’re hoping to find out what they say…
Working Together- Mexico’s bull shark dives
The bull shark feeding dives of Mexico’s Playa del Carman are an integral part of a programme which combines science,…
Saudi Arabia offers to buy part of Sharm El Sheikh from Egypt
Saudia Arabia has made an offer to the Egyptian government to purchase Ras Ghamila, part of the popular Red Sea…
Shearwater Research announces new Peregrine TX
Shearwater Research has announced the launch of its highly anticipated Peregrine TX model dive computer, a fusion of the popular…
Mexico’s deepest blue hole is found to be record-breakingly deeper
The Taam Ja’ Blue Hole (Agujero azul Taam Ja) in Chetumal Bay, situated at the border of the Mexican state…
New CMAS men’s Dynamic No Fins world record
Poland’s Mateusz Malina set a new World Record in the Dynamic No Fins (DNF) discipline at the CMAS World Cup…
Conception captain Jerry Boylan sentenced to four years
Jerry Boylan, Captain of the MV Conception liveaboard that caught fire off the coast of California in 2019, causing the…
Insiders’ insights into Wakatobi’s Pelagian liveaboard
‘A true five-star liveaboard experience’; ‘a 7-star diving experience’; ‘the best team we have ever experienced’ – underwater photographer Walt…
Video: Wrecks4All 2.0 conference wraps up in Kotor
Discover more from the next phase of the Wrecks4All 2.0 project, bringing the wrecks of the Adriatic Sea to life…
Bioluminescence evolved 300 million years earlier than thought
A new study has suggested that bioluminescence in animals evolved at least 540 million years ago, some 300 million years…
Nitrogen Narcosis – beware the Rapture of the Deep
Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell warns that all too often, divers are unaware of the impact of nitrogen narcosis until it is…
Marine Conservation Society’s open letter to political leaders
Help drive change in UK political commitment to the oceans by signing the Marine Conservation Society’s petition The UK’s Marine…
Marine conservationists among prestigious Whitley Award winners
Marine biologist Naomi Longa and her all-female team of PNG coral divers; and Cameroon manatee expert, Aristide Kamla, declared prestigious…
MV Conception tragedy captain’s appeal rejected
The captain of the MV Conception liveaboard that burned to the waterline off California in 2019, killing 33 passengers and…
British snorkeller’s death attributed to Immersion Pulmonary Oedema
The death of a British snorkeller in Dahab, Egypt in February this year has been attributed to Immersion Pulmonary Oedema…
Alessia Zecchini sets new CMAS freediving world record
Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini breaks her own freediving world record at the Philippines’ Camotes Freediving Challenge Italian freediver, Alessia Zecchini,…
Featured Photographer – Rowan Dear
Growing up on a small farm in Wales, UK, I spent much of my time outdoors, surrounded by nature, and…
‘Secrets of the Octopus’ – a brilliant new Nat Geo docu-series
A preview of Secrets of the Octopus, premiering this Earth Day (22 April) on National Geographic LIVE and Disney+ A…
Scientists confirm fourth global mass coral bleaching event
It’s official – scientists have announced that the second global mass coral bleaching event of the decade is underway Scientists…
Gas tanker runs aground in Sharm El Sheikh
A Libyan-flagged LPG tanker, the Claudia Gas, has been seized by Egyptian authorities after running aground on a coral reef…
SECORE International’s Caribbean-wide coral restoration success
SECORE International‘s coral seeding programme is being hailed as a great success, with its reef restoration initiative now present in…
Jared Hires’ cause of death – DAN preliminary report
Preliminary report names medical event, not mechanical failure, as the cause of the celebrated diver’s death The Divers Alert Network…
Scuba diver fined for pulling whale shark tail in Thailand
A scuba diver has been fined by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) for touching a…
Dive Rite’s Jared Hires dies in Norway’s Plura cave system
Update 11 April: DAN has issued a preliminary report into Mr Hires death – attributing it to a medical event,…
Marine Curios #11 – order Xiphosura, or horseshoe crabs
Horseshoe crabs are living fossils threatened by a unique usefulness to human science (and they’re not related to crabs) There…
Citizen shark scientists required!
The Shark Trust is asking divers and snorkellers to help with shark sightings during Global Citizen Science Month April is…
MCS recommendations for more sustainable seafood shopping
The Marine Conservation Society has made a series of recommendations for consumers to make sustainable seafood shopping choices following the…
Aqualung Group sells US Divers brand
Aqualung Group has sold its US Divers brand to focus on scuba diving gear production, and supplying military and professional…
MMF records first-ever sighting of mimic octopus in Mozambique
Marine Megafauna Foundation scientists’ surprise discovery of the shape-shifting mimic octopus in Mozambique By Madeleine Pierce In a remarkable testament to…
Citizen Science Month: How you can help save our seas
Ahead of the Easter break, the Marine Conservation Society shares how you can get involved with National Citizen Science Month…
Dutch diver dies; 17 rescued off Ċirkewwa, Malta
Strong winds and high seas led to the tragic death of a scuba diver in one of the largest diver…
Oceans: Life Under Water podcast – E01: The Water Planet
New 12-part Greenpeace UK podcast explores life beneath the waves with BBC presenter Hannah Stitfall What does it sound like…
Scientists find more than 100 new species off the coast of Chile
An international team explores vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems and sees more than 100 species never-before observed by scientists An international team…
Wreck of 18th-Century warship HMS Tyger identified in Florida Keys
The remains of an 18th-century shipwreck discovered in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park have been positively identified as that of…
Fifth Great Barrier Reef mass bleaching since 2016
The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has reported that extensive coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef during February…
Buying your first dive equipment – BCDs
As with all scuba diving gear – there are a lot of different choices on today’s market, so let’s take…
DIVE Magazine Spring 2024 preview
Issue # 33: The Magazine with Bite DIVE’s latest print magazine is out now, and this Spring, we have a…
Montenegro’s Laboratory of Maritime Archaeology to expand Wrecks4All project
Montenegro’s Laboratory of Maritime Archaeology (LabMA) is to expand its Wrecks4All project, bringing more of the Southern Adriatic’s historical shipwrecks…
100 new ocean species discovered in New Zealand
Scientists from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) have potentially discovered as many as 100 species…
Houthi rebels sink phosphate-laden bulk carrier MV Rubymar in Red Sea
MV Rubymar, a UK-owned bulk carrier containing approximately 21,000 metric tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertiliser has sunk in the…
Reef-World wins Drops In The Ocean environmental fund
The Reef-World Foundation makes a splash with a monumental £335,000 win in Ocean Outdoor’s Drops In The Ocean environmental fund…
Solo orca kills great white shark in under two minutes
The rapid evisceration of a great white in Mossel Bay, South Africa, has changed the way science views great white…
#whycoexist 2023 winner Emma Batty recounts her experience
#whycoexist 2023 competition winner, Emma Batty, shares her amazing Seychelles experience and her progress towards a career in marine conservation…
Bell of WWI shipwreck, USS Jacob Jones, recovered
The bell of the USS Jacob Jones, the first US Navy destroyer to be sunk by enemy action, has been…
Atlantic humpback dolphin protected by US Endangered Species Act
The United States’ National Marine Fisheries Service has granted protection to the Critically Endangered Atlantic humpback dolphin under the US…
Last chance to vote in the MPB Geographical Better World Video Awards
The MPB Geographical Better World Video Awards has attracted some fantastic ocean-themed videos, with a few days left to make…
Aggressor Adventures partners with Mares
Premier scuba diving liveaboard operator, Aggressor Adventures, has announced a new partnership with dive and snorkel equipment specialist Mares Mares…
Andrea Marshall in intensive care after stroke
Andrea Marshall, the world-renowned ‘Queen of Mantas’ and co-founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, is currently receiving intensive medical care…
Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire expands coral restoration plans
Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB) has announced it is to expand its network of coral nurseries and restoration sites around…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 winners announced
A freediver discovering whale skeletons beneath ice has been judged World’s Best Underwater Photograph of 2024 An emotive photograph showing…
The world has more coral reefs than first thought
Research led by Australia’s University of Queensland has shown there is more coral reef area across the globe than previously…
Scuba diving the wrecks of the Florida Keys
There are thousands of shipwrecks across the Florida Keys – here are some of the best to dive to complete…
Orcas trapped in Japan ice free themselves
A pod of orcas (killer whales) filmed trapped in a tiny break in the ice floe off the coast of…
Reef Fish Identification’s Paul Humann dies aged 86
Paul Humann, best known as the co-founder of New World Publications – which printed the internationally renowned Reef Fish Identificaton…
Mating fish keep Florida residents awake at night
A mystery noise that has kept the residents of Tampa, Florida, awake at night may well be the sound of…
Curaçao divers call for national Green Fins recognition
Dive operators in Curaçao are calling for the island’s authorities to adopt the Green Fins eco-tourism programme nationwide. The sustainable…
First ever recorded sighting of baby great white shark
The first ever footage of what is thought to be a newborn baby great white shark, filmed off the coast…
World’s largest deep-sea coral reef system discovered in Atlantic ocean
A collaborative effort between organisations has resulted in the discovery of an expanse of deep, cold-water coral similar in size…
Pipeline diver tragedy ‘corporate manslaughter’ – report
An inquiry into the tragic deaths of four divers sucked into an oil pipeline off the coast of Trinidad, Trinidad…
Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition showcases stunning underwater images
The Fifth Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards showcases some beautiful underwater photography – check out the best shots here…
Aggressor expands portfolio with land-based ‘Signature Lodges’
Premier liveaboard operator, Aggressor Adventures, announces its new ‘Signature Lodges’ land-based safari brand Aggressor Adventures has been offering adventure-seeking divers…
Night diving – both beautiful and nerve-wracking
Night diving can by turns be exhilarating, luminous, beautiful – and panic-inducing. Former dive instructor Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell explains why…
DIVE’s Big Shot Cephalopods photo competition
Our next Big Shot underwater photography competition starts now – send us your best cephalopod pictures by 11 February 2024…
Norway opens the door to deep-sea mining exploration
Norway has approved the exploration of an area of its deep sea floor for rare earth minerals – but what…
MMF’s research pivotal in establishing new IUCN shark and ray protections
The Marine Megafauna Foundation’s decades-long research has been pivotal in establishing new Important Shark and Ray Areas for the IUCN…
Fourth Element opens post-Brexit base in Poland
Fourth Element has announced it will be opening its European office and warehouse in Gdańsk, Poland as part of the…
Sperm whales make consensus, democratic decisions – but slowly
Sperm whale society is structured into distinct clans, groups of which appear to make decisions together, but with some apparent…
First Diving Safety Management degree graduates honoured in Malta
The first graduates of the first academic program in the world to be specifically tailored to dive professionals have recently…
Shearwater officially releases Tern and Tern TX
Following positive industry feedback at the recent DEMA Show, held in New Orleans during November 2023, Shearwater Research Inc has…
Marine Curios #6 – Ambystoma mexicanum, axolotl or Mexican walking fish
The strangest fish in all of Mexico – the axolotl – isn’t actually a fish at all, but that’s just…
Silky shark displays amazing dorsal fin regeneration
The first known example of fin regeneration in silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) has been documented after scientists from the University…
Ecuador and Galápagos travel update
The media is reporting chaos and violence in Ecuador – but what does that mean for divers travelling to the…
Green Fins adopted by Sandals and Beaches Caribbean resorts
The Caribbean’s all-inclusive Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts become the first to attain a portfolio-wide Green Fins membership The Caribbean’s most…
Fourth Element launches new, redesigned Arctic undersuit range
Fourth Element has unveiled its latest evolution in thermal protection with the launch of a new and redesigned range of…
First ever find of a megalodon tooth in-situ on the sea floor
The discovery of a fossilised tooth in-situ in the deep, mid-ocean sheds light on megalodon’s migratory behaviour A new paper…
MCS’s 2024 trends helping to save the seas
From sustainable and affordable tinned fish, to upcycling clothing and looking to the ocean for style inspiration, trends set to…
2023 – DIVE’s year in review
Another event-filled year from the underwater world in 2023, back up to full diving strength with some exciting scientific discoveries…
Historic England Protected Wrecks documentary
A fascinating insight into some of the UK’s protected wrecks and the volunteers that have helped to uncover their secrets…
William Winram smashes freediving world record
Canadian freediver and Save our Seas Foundation project leader, William Winram, has broken the CMAS world record for the Variable…
Mexico’s Manatees – the Sirens of the Caribbean
Probably fewer than 1,000 of these bulky but graceful mammals survive in Mexican waters. However, many are near popular dive…
Last-minute Christmas gifts for scuba divers
Stuck for last-minute gifts for your favourite scuba divers? Here’s a handful of stocking fillers from Amazon that should get…
RNLI spots orca pod in Scapa Flow
A volunteer crew from RNLI Longhope enjoyed an amazing encounter with a pod of orcas during a training session in…
The rescue of Miami Seaquarium’s forgotten manatees
Romeo and Juliet, a pair of manatees housed at Florida’s Miami Seaquarium – the former home of the orca known…
Sleeping grey reef sharks rewrite shark science
An encounter by divers with grey reef sharks in Seychelles might have just transformed the science of sharks as we…
Marine Curios #4 – Glaucus atlanticus, or blue angel/dragon sea slug
There’s very little angelic about Glaucus atlanticus, the blue angel sea slug Blue it may be, but there’s little to…
Pregnant megamouth shark washes ashore with seven pups
The discovery of a pregnant megamouth shark and her unborn pups deepens scientific understanding of the elusive creature’s life cycle…
Dominica to create first sperm whale marine reserve
The prime minister of Dominica has announced that the world’s first marine reserve for sperm whales will be established in…
Barings completes acquisition of Aqualung group
The Barings investment management firm has announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Aqualung Group, one of the…
Northern Diver’s Christmas sale is on!
Premier UK dive kit manufacturer, Northern Diver, has announced the launch of its Christmas sale – with some great deals…
A closer look at the Garmin Descent Mk3 and Mk3i
Sponsored Feature Garmin’s latest dive computer-integrated smartwatch, the Descent Mk3 series, is sure to be another excellent all-round device for…
Blue Marine Foundation’s Ocean Awards 2024
The Blue Marine Foundation has opened nominations for its 2024 Ocean Awards, ‘celebrating the people making extraordinary efforts to save…
Studland Bay awarded £186,000 for new eco-moorings
The Studland Bay Marine Partnership (SBMP) has been awarded £186,000 from the UK’s Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) Fisheries and Seafood…
Indo Siren liveaboard destroyed by fire in Raja Ampat
The luxury scuba diving liveaboard Indo Siren has been destroyed by fire near the Piaynemo Islands, Raja Ampat. All 15…
Direct flights from Cape Town to St Helena to resume in 2024
Direct flights between Cape Town and the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena Island are set to resume from…
Petition launched to ban captive cetaceans in the UK
There are no captive cetaceans in the UK – but it’s not illegal to keep them. Marine Connection has launched…