Alert Diver, DAN, and a Lifetime on Deadline

We conclude our dialog with Stephen Frink, undoubtedly one of many world’s most-frequently revealed underwater photographers, about a few of his most-memorable exploits, and what it’s prefer to be on the helm of DAN’s Alert Diver journal.

Photographs courtesy of Stephen Frink

Read Part One of this interview

From Decompression Chambers to DAN Leadership

Q: Now, in addition to your images assignments and photograph workshops, you might be additionally the writer of DAN’s Alert Diver journal. How did you find yourself on this position, and what are a few of the most-challenging facets of the job?

A: I used to be fairly grasping for my time underwater once I was youthful and extra silly. Which led me to staying too lengthy on a dive in Vanuatu and getting bent for the primary time. Actually, I used to be a reasonably gradual learner and I’ve been bent a number of occasions. In every occasion, DAN took care of me, generally getting me evacuated from distant areas and all the time paying for my recompression remedies. Which led me to have a really beneficial impression of DAN basically, and a debt of gratitude to them. They invited me to affix their Board of Directors again in 2009 and I accepted.

As a part of our duties on the BOD we did due diligence on the varied facets of the huge and diverse DAN enterprise tradition. They revealed {a magazine} referred to as Alert Diver, however it was fairly modest on the time. There have been some good dive security articles however it wasn’t a compelling print publication.

They despatched it out six occasions a 12 months to over 200,000 members, had no promoting to talk of, and have been dropping a fortune.

Reinventing Alert Diver Magazine

I had an thought perhaps we may do it higher if we executed a coffee-table quarterly and expanded the matters to extra of a scuba-lifestyle hook. Dive security after all, as that’s DAN’s core mission, but in addition journey, underwater images, and environmental matters. I crafted a dummy of what the idea could be and offered it to the BOD. I can’t say everybody noticed the knowledge of such a drastic change straight away, however sufficient did that I used to be approved to present it a strive. I resigned from the BOD so it will not be a battle of curiosity, and on the DEMA present in 2009 we offered our inaugural difficulty of the redesigned Alert Diver.

We’ve executed 61 points now over the previous 15 years, and I’ve been on press every a type of occasions, guaranteeing that we get the absolute best ink on paper product for our DAN members. We print on a really high-quality paper inventory from a managed forestry, which is extra environmentally sound than utilizing recycled paper inventory which makes use of chemical compounds and creates waste. We don’t use petroleum-based inks, and we by no means even thought-about utilizing polybags to ship the journal. I get to supervise the design and performance as photograph editor too. I get to see each photograph within the journal from receipt, to prepress, to on press. It form of looks like my advanced response to seeing that black and white print pop up within the tray of Dektol once I see our completed pages roll off the net press.

What is probably the most difficult facet you requested? The deadlines by no means cease. By the time I get off press for one difficulty we’re 25% invested within the subsequent difficulty already. I had the epiphany not too long ago that I’ve been on deadline for dive publications since 1982. I can’t fairly resolve if I’m gratified or depressed over that one.

Great White Sharks, Family, and the Shot That Counted

Q: What is your most memorable diving expertise?

A: Travelling with my spouse and daughter on assignments and photograph excursions over time. My daughter is 32 now, however in these early years we travelled as a household everywhere in the Caribbean, on African wildlife safaris, to the Red Sea and Papua New Guinea. My spouse, Barbara Doernbach, was my mannequin and when she was too younger for college, our daughter Alexa may journey with us. Since we’re speaking about household dive journey I’ll share a narrative.

We did a combo journey to South Africa, safari the primary week and nice white sharks the second. We had a core group every day going out on the white shark boats, however Barbara and Alexa have been with the others within the group who needed to do topside touring. One day I chartered a second boat so they might moor up beside us whereas we chummed for nice white sharks, simply to see what it was all about.

We had a very good shark, a “‘player”’ within the idiom of shark wrangling, and I had the thought I needed to shoot an over/ below of the shark subsequent to my dome. So, I laid on my stomach on the swim platform and requested famed wrangler Andre Hartman to attempt to coax the shark proper as much as me. I had my eye to the swivel-45 viewfinder with a fisheye lens calling out ‘Closer. Closer!’ Well, Andre complied, to the purpose the place the shark rammed his nostril into my dome port and the ahead momentum smashing my housing in opposition to my face. There was a giant white water splash and a cacophony of shouts from my pals. ‘Steve… are you OK? “Did you get bitten?!”’ Then from the opposite boat a younger little one referred to as out… ‘Daddy, did you get the shot?’. To which I needed to snicker. That was a reasonably special occasion, and sure, Alexa, I acquired the shot.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way: Dive Safety and Longevity

Q: On the flipside, what’s your worst diving reminiscence?

A: The worst reminiscences are the journeys I needed to be evacuated for the bends. There have been too many situations to recount, however there was a reasonably unhealthy patch earlier than I modified my diving protocols. I now dive nitrox on air tables with an altitude adjustment dialled into my computer systems. If I’m doing a number of dives each day, like I might do on a liveaboard I exploit pure oxygen on my five-minute grasp to off-gas, being certain to remain in lower than 5m of water to keep away from oxygen toxicity. It’s all good now, and my archives are so mature I don’t stress about having sufficient footage to return house with anymore. I additionally discover there may be lots to shoot in shallow water on the finish of the dive so I can have secure multi-level dives, and nonetheless be productive till everybody is able to ascend.

I believe I got here to DAN as a result of they helped me get into the recompression chamber, however being the writer of Alert Diver and studying the dive security tales we publish, they’ve helped me learn to now keep out of them.

What’s Next for Stephen Frink?

Q: What does the long run holds for Stephen Frink?

A: More of the identical for some time. Stock images was a giant a part of my profession, however I finished submitting to inventory when the costs dropped so insultingly low. I don’t shoot the dive catalogues or style gigs like I used to both. The artwork administrators are usually a lot youthful now and like to work with their friends, correctly. So, the core components of my profession now are publishing Alert Diver and some extremely curated journey locations every year by way of WaterHouse Photo Tours. I wouldn’t thoughts dialling it again just a little, and it’s getting simpler to say no lately. But I nonetheless take pleasure in it, and I can nonetheless outswim most everybody on the boat. So nothing drastically altering in the intervening time, however there’s additionally the realisation that nothing’s without end.

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