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.
Life after lockdown in post pandemic Cozumel
Lockdowns are slowly being lifted but the dive industry has been left reeling by the shutdown. How were dive centres…
Scubapro’s new Aladin A2 dive computer
Scubapro has launched the latest model in its Aladin series of dive computers. The new A2 is ‘designed for advanced…
Top 10 shark facts for Shark Awareness Day
July 14 is World Shark Awareness Day, but people should be aware of sharks every day! To celebrate one of…
Fossil great white nursery found in Chile
A discovery of Pliocene-era teeth has revealed the location of a ‘paleo-nursery’ for great white sharks An international team of…
DAN Europe’s new Covid-19 medical declaration form
Following the issuing of its Covid-19 recommendations for dive operators, the Divers Alert Network (DAN) Europe has released a new Covid-19 medical declaration…
Heroic Nusa Penida manta rescue
Dive instructors from the island of Nusa Penida in Indonesia have been filmed rescuing a manta ray which was slowly…
Can Covid-19 patients return to diving?
The Coronavirus pandemic has already had a devastating impact on the scuba diving world – but there’s another question on…
Government approval needed for potentially life-saving chamber therapy
The Midlands Diving Chamber is ready to support clinical trials of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, a potential game-changer in the treatment of COVID-19…
10 top diving and marine life movies on Netflix
Here’s 10 of our favourite diving and underwater themed Netflix movies for a decent spell of sofa diving. Time to…
Underwater myths, monsters and hoaxes
Underwater myths and legends, such as our April Fool’s story this year – the first scuba dive on the Titanic – are…
PADI drops plastic for new ‘eCard’ certifications
The Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) has announced that all new dive certifications acquired within PADI Asia Pacific and…
Seychelles reaches 30 per cent MPA target
The government of Seychelles has signed into effect protection for 410,000 square kilometres (158,000 square miles), almost double that of…
Green Fins Egypt now nationwide
The Reef-World Foundation and Egypt’s Chamber of Diving & Watersports (CDWS) have announced that the Green Fins initiative – part of the UN Environment…
BSAC Immersion Pulmonary Oedema update
The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) has released updated guidelines for divers on dealing with Immersion Pulmonary Oedema/Edema (IPO/IPE) which, according to the UK Diving Medical…
Basking sharks travel in family groups
Research led by scientists from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, UK, suggests that basking sharks may travel extended distances…
The best scuba diving equipment bags
Owning a full set of dive gear is an expensive investment, so spending a little bit extra on decent carrying kit…
A wild diving life – pioneering underwater cameraman Doug Allan talks to DIVE
World-renowned underwater cameraman Doug Allan fell in love with the ocean at an early age, and has since gone on…
Garmin debuts Descent Mk1 dive computer
Outdoor tech specialist Garmin has introduced its first dive computer, the Descent Mk1 The new computer features GPS surface positioning…
Egypt adopts Green Fins standards for diving and snorkelling
The Reef-World Foundation and Chamber of Diving & Watersports (CDWS) have announced that Egypt is adopting the Green Fins environmental standards to help protect its…
The best scuba diving lights on the market
Inexpensive and reliable LEDs have transformed dive lights in the past ten years. Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell rounds up the best, for everything from an…
Thomas Cook enters administration
One of the UK’s largest tour operators, Thomas Cook, has collapsed and entered administration after the failure of last-minute talks…
British Airways ends trips to SeaWorld
British Airways joins a growing list of travel operators ceasing to offer trips and experiences that include captive marine animals…
Manta rays make friends and socialise
Manta rays form social relationships and actively choose their social partners, a new study has revealed. Research published today by scientists from…
Turkey sinks Airbus A330 for scuba divers
Turkey has sunk an Airbus A330 aircraft in the Aegean Sea as an artificial reef for divers. The new wreck…
Whale shark mating behaviour photographed at Ningaloo
Whale shark mating behaviour has been photographed for the first time at Ningaloo Reef, off the coast of Western Australia.…
The best back-inflation BCDs
As the lines between technical and recreational diving start to blur, Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell takes a look at some technically inspired…
How to deploy a DSMB – essential dive safety kit
A Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) or Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB), is an essential piece of kit, but it’s only…
Oceanic Geo 4.0 bluetooth compatible dive computer
Following the release of the new ProPlus 4.0 air-integrated dive computer, Oceanic has also updated its Geo 4.0 wrist-mounted dive computer…
PADI retires the eRDP-ML
The plastic model of PADI’s eRDPML – the electronic version of the Multilevel Recreational Dive Planner known as ‘the wheel’…
Lethal Australian shark cull banned; drumlines suspended
The banning of lethal shark culling in Queensland, Australia, was announced early last week and hailed as a success on…
An introduction to the wreck dives of Aqaba
The Jordanian Red Sea coast is fairly short, but the port city of Aqaba is home to some wonderful, and…
Red Sea’s Brothers Islands reopen for diving
The Egyptian Red Sea’s Brothers Islands have reopened for scuba diving after a three-and-a-half month hiatus. The Brothers Islands, which…
Essential dive kit – the analogue SPG
A recent discussion on the Facebook group ‘Divers Forum’ was prompted by a question as to whether or not divers should…
Shark diving safety tips – keeping shark encounters safe and enjoyable
Diving safely with sharks has been the subject of much discussion recently, after the Red Sea’s Brothers Islands were closed…
Japan to resume commercial whaling
The Japanese Government has announced that it plans to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in order to resume…
Brothers Islands closed for diving after oceanic whitetip bite
The Brothers Islands in the Red Sea have been closed to divers ‘for the rest of the year’ following a…
First ultrasound scans and blood samples taken from wild Galápagos whale sharks
Researchers in the Galápagos have successfully completed ultrasound scans and taken blood samples from free-swimming whale sharks for the first…
Game-changing Paralenz action camera review
In August 2018, one year after the Paralenz action camera was launched on the open market, the company teamed up…
Dive into Curacao | world-class Caribbean diving
With some of the most biodiverse reefs in the whole of the Caribbean Sea, and a cultural heritage to match,…
Gili Trawangan’s Girls That Tech Dive
The technical diving scene on Gili Trawangan is young, strong, and divided almost equally between men and women. At the…
Gili Trawangan – the scuba diving island with spirit
Mark Crowley Russell celebrates the unique community of Gili Trawangan that makes one of the world’s hippest scuba diving destinations also…
Review | OMS IQ Lite CB Signature wing
OMS has been a mainstay of the technical diving arena for a long time, producing robust and sturdy gear designed…
New SEAC Modular customisable BCD
Italian manufacturer SEAC this week launched the ‘Modular’, a new rear-bladder BCD designed – as the name suggests – to…
Review | Scubapro MK11 and C370 regulator combo
Scubapro’s MK11 first stage has been around for a while now, but the latest version, coupled with the C370 second…
Thomas Cook to end SeaWorld excursions
British tour operator Thomas Cook is to remove all excursions to Florida’s SeaWorld after more than 90 per cent of…
New study confirms therapeutic benefits of scuba diving
A study into the therapeutic benefits of scuba diving by students from the University of Sheffield’s Medical School has been published this…
Alphonse Island | Diving in the Lap Of Luxury
More turtles than you can count, hungry sailfish, marauding sharks, ancient hard corals and lots of reef fish. Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell is…
Great white shark spotted off Mallorca
A great white shark has been identified swimming just off the shores of the popular Spanish holiday island of Mallorca…
The best wetsuits for travelling scuba divers
Wetsuits are personal, they should mould to your body, keep you warm and protect you. Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell looks at the best around for…
Review | Atomic Aquatics X1 Bladefin
Like many dive professionals, I’ve worn a lot of fins but – like many divers – I’ve tended to stick…
Review | Fantasea FG7XII and UWL-09F wide angle lens
The world of underwater photography can be a little overwhelming for the interested amateur, with underwater housings and lens options…
Seychelles: new MPAs for debt relief
The government of Seychelles has announced a radical plan to fund two new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the first of…
First scuba dive on the Titanic
By W. T. Farquhar, April Fool’s Day, 2018 The world’s first attempt to scuba dive on the Titanic, once thought…
New species of sixgill shark identified in Atlantic waters
A new species of sixgill shark has been identified by a team of scientists based at the Florida Institute of…
Scubapro’s 2018 drysuit collection
ScubaPro has updated its drysuit line for 2018, with a new line of three trilaminate drysuits, as well as an…
Visitors to Palau must sign ‘Palau Pledge’
In December 2017, The Western Pacific Republic of Palau launched an initiative which insists all visitors to the country sign…
Review | Scubapro G2
Released in 2017, the G2 is an updated version of Scubapro’s popular Galileo Sol, the first – and, until the…
Test review | Suunto EON Core dive computer
There are times when you get your hands on a product and you just know it’s going to be good.…
New Scubapro S620 Ti titanium-barrelled second stage
The Scubapro S600 series of second stage regulators was first introduced in 2001 and has become one of the most…
Scuba diving Gozo and the ‘new’ Azure Window
The first time I visited the island of Gozo as a scuba diver was in 2004, a change of scenery…
Kit Review: the customisable Scubapro Hydros Pro
When I first read the Scubapro Hydros Pro Press Release, I have to admit that I was initially quite sceptical of…
Portuguese man o’ war invades UK beaches
The largest stranding of Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis) since 2012 is occurring on beaches across southwest Britain. The…
Ten of the best dive spots around the UK & Ireland
The waters around the British Isles are an amazingly rich and diverse marine habitat where you can encounter creatures that…
Long term review | Aqua Lung Legend
I acquired a set of Aqua Lung Legend regulators in 2010 after some shady busybody stole my much-loved Scubapro Mk25,…
Best compact and mirrorless cameras for divers
Mark ‘Crowley’ Russell cuts through the jargon and gets the full picture with a round-up of some of the best compact and mirrorless…
Continued predation of great white sharks by orcas
A fourth great white shark carcass has been found washed up near Gansbaai, South Africa, with similar injuries as three previous…
No more mantas, only mobulas
A comprehensive study of the DNA of the rays that – up until last week – were known as mantas…
Egyptian Government votes to hand Tiran and Sanafir Islands to Saudi Arabia
The Egyptian government has voted to hand control of the islands of Tiran and Sanfir to Saudi Arabia, in a…
Crowdfunded compressed air kits condemned as dangerous
Two crowdfunded compressed air ‘snorkelling’ devices have been circulating on social media, causing an outpouring of shock and horror among…
Long term review | Mares Volo Power fins
Back in my career as a full-time instructor and guide, I have worn – as you might imagine – a…
Spate of great white deaths confirm predation by orcas
Between 3 – 7 May, the discovery of three great white shark carcasses washed up in Gansbaai and Struisbaai, along…
Rare megamouth shark dies after discovery in Japan
A rare megamouth shark has died a day after been sighted and filmed in Japan. The deep-water Megachasma pelagios was found in…
Review | Scubapro Go lightweight travel BCD
I have always been a big fan of Scubapro products – in large parts of the world they are the…
Thomas Cook blacklists animal attractions failing standards
Thomas Cook, one of the world’s leading travel companies, has officially banned the sale of excursions in some locations that…
PADI sold to private consortium for $700m
Dow Jones journalist Matt Jarzemsky broke the story earlier this week that PADI, the Professional Associaton of Diving Instructors, has been…
Dive Briefing: The SS Thistlegorm
On the night of 5/6 October 1941, the ship that would become one of the world’s most famous and best-loved…
Saudi to Egypt bridge threatens famous Sharm reefs
A proposed bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia would destroy the reefs of Sharm El Sheikh’s Tiran and Ras Mohammed…