Scuba Diver – 25 August 2026

Summary

Technical divers locate HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy torpedo-boat destroyer sunk in 1908, in the English Channel at 55 metres in the August 2026 Scuba Diver, while the Red Sea feature argues winter delivers the finest visibility — 30 metres-plus between November and February — and Indonesia's Raja Ampat conservation strategy proves that local ranger patrols can triple fish biomass inside no-take zones.

The HMS Tiger discovery (page 10) opens the news section with multibeam sonar images and the dive team's account of identifying the wreck by its triple-screw configuration. The Egypt Red Sea feature (page 54) breaks down liveaboard pricing for December versus June, visibility averages and water-temperature ranges. Sol Foo's 12-day Indonesia crossing from Maumere to Ambon (page 18) names each island stop with favourited dive sites. Don Silcock reports on Raja Ampat's conservation patrols (page 48). Jenny Stock reviews the Roatan Aggressor IV (page 32) across the Bay Islands. Danny Copeland profiles the angel-shark documentary filming in North Wales (page 42).

Regular columns include News round-up, DAN Q&A, Divers Alert Network and Monty's Musings. John Kendall continues the cave-diving series with part one. Gear testing covers the Cressi MC11 SC Zen Pro regulator and Oceanic Photon Pro BCD as Test Extra. Marcel Wilpernig, MD of Behind the Mask Travel, sits for a Q&A on destination trends.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Red Sea

p.54 · Egypt — Wonders of the Red Sea
The winter Red Sea feature compares December versus June conditions: visibility 30 metres vs 18 metres, water temperature 22 degrees vs 27 degrees, liveaboard prices 30 per cent lower in winter. The article names three northern wrecks — the Thistlegorm (30 metres), the Dunraven (26 metres) and the Carnatic (24 metres) — as winter-optimal dives. Anyone planning a Red Sea trip gets a month-by-month cost-visibility trade-off table.

▸ Wreck Discovery

p.10 · News round-up — HMS Tiger
Tech divers locate the 1908 wreck of HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy destroyer, in the English Channel at 55 metres. The report includes multibeam sonar images, the triple-screw identification and a condition assessment showing the bow section intact. Wreck divers get the exact coordinates and depth profile.

▸ Indonesia

p.18 · Indonesia, Part One
Sol Foo documents a 12-day crossing from Maumere to Ambon aboard a traditional liveaboard, stopping at Alor's wall dives, the remote Lucipara Islands and the Banda Sea's manta cleaning stations. Each waypoint includes dive-site name, max depth and current rating. Divers planning an eastern Indonesia trip get a route they can replicate with four operator referrals.

p.48 · Indonesia — Raja Ampat Conservation
Don Silcock profiles the Raja Ampat patrol programme that put local rangers on fishing boats to enforce no-take boundaries. The article cites a 300 per cent fish-biomass increase inside protected zones over five years and names the villages that run the patrols. Conservation-minded divers get the names of three resorts that contribute directly to the ranger fund.

▸ Caribbean

p.32 · Honduras — Roatan Aggressor IV
Jenny Stock reviews the Roatan Aggressor IV across the Bay Islands, rating the boat's underwater camera room, the chef's dietary flexibility and the reef health at Mary's Place (22 metres) and the El Aguila wreck (30 metres). First-time Aggressor guests get a packing list that includes a backup dive torch.

▸ UK Diving

p.42 · North Wales
Danny Copeland reports on the making of a documentary about filming angel sharks in UK waters. The species is critically endangered, and the team recorded seven individuals in a single week at a site near Llyn Peninsula. UK shore divers get the site location and season for angel shark encounters.

▸ Tech & Safety

p.68 · TECH: The Five Rules of Cave Diving, Part I
John Kendall's cave series continues with foundational line-laying protocol. He recommends a 2-mm polypropylene line and demonstrates the locking-off technique for primary-tie-offs using a figure-eight knot. Cave trainees get a pre-course skills checklist.

p.16 · DAN Q&A
DAN answers whether ibuprofen can mask or worsen bend symptoms, how long after a chest cold divers should wait and whether dive computers can be used on consecutive days without full battery recharge.

p.60 · My Buddy's Keeper
A practical guide on improving buddy communication underwater: pre-dive brief structure, lost-buddy procedure and emergency ascent signals. Divers get a 5-point pre-dive checklist to run before every descent.

▸ Gear

p.72 · Test Extra
Mark Evans reviews the Cressi MC11 SC Zen Pro regulator paired with an Oceanic Photon Pro back-inflate BCD. He rates the reg's breathing effort at 40 metres and the wing's lift capacity. Buyers get a direct comparison against the Apeks MTX-R.

p.79 · What's New
Short briefs on the Pandora Labs K1 Extension Kit, SeaLife Micro 3.0 Reef Edition and a new Shearwater dive-computer firmware update. Each includes RRP.

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Editor's Take

The HMS Tiger discovery story is genuine breaking news — a previously lost Royal Navy wreck positively identified — and it earns the issue its keep before the reader reaches the features section. The Red Sea winter-diving article is the most practical piece in the issue, delivering a cost-visibility comparison that lets a diver pick their month rationally rather than aspirationally. The Raja Ampat conservation report is well sourced but reads like a NGO press release in places; the 300 per cent biomass figure needs a citation to the peer-reviewed study. Jenny Stock's Roatan Aggressor review is solid but covers a boat that has been reviewed in at least three previous issues. The angel-shark documentary story is a welcome oddity. Ad count is moderate.

Strengths
• HMS Tiger wreck discovery is a genuine news scoop
• Red Sea winter-diving cost comparison is highly actionable
• Raja Ampat ranger patrol story has real conservation weight

Weaknesses
• Roatan Aggressor review is a repeat subject for regular readers
• No beginner-oriented features for divers under 50 dives

Verdict: Essential — The HMS Tiger discovery and the Red Sea planner make this the most practically useful Scuba Diver issue of the year.