2001

Key events

A watershed year for underwater photography. Eric Cheng discovers underwater photography, travels to Palau, and connects with Wetpixel — the chain of events that will transform the site from a single-page news service into the definitive online community for underwater imaging. Nikon discontinues the Nikonos V in October, ending the dedicated underwater film camera era. The film-to-digital transition accelerates as housing manufacturers race to support new digital cameras. Light & Motion expands its Tetra housing line. Ikelite introduces the DS-50 and DS-125 digital strobes with wireless TTL slave sensors. Sea & Sea ships the YS-90DX — the first strobe with pre-flash digital compatibility. BBC’s The Blue Planet airs, renewing public interest in the ocean. And in November, the Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout — the first all-digital underwater photography liveaboard charter — brings Cheng and David Breitigam together, catalyzing Wetpixel’s transformation.

January

• 2001-01-15: Light & Motion offers Tetra travel packages — Macro Travel Package and Pro Travel Package with housings, strobes, arms, Wetlink connectors, and cases. Also announces Bluefin Video Housing for VX2000/PD150 camcorders — an early move into professional underwater video. (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-01-16: Ikelite signals Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Elph housing — the first opportunity to take the tiny camera to depth.
• 2001-01-21: Mark Venguerov’s Sony DSC-P1 underwater gallery — “David Breitigam of wetpixel.com” notes it is “the first one we know of on the Internet.” Breitigam departs for DEMA 2001 in New Orleans.
• 2001-01-29: DEMA 2001 in New Orleans — extensive Wetpixel coverage by David Breitigam. Light & Motion wins best-of-show with its Tetra booth, displaying “rows and rows of product” including Travel Kit, Pro Travel Kit, and multiple Tetra variants. Ikelite shows Canon G1, Canon S100 Elph, Nikon CP990, and CP880 housings, plus DS-50 and DS-125 digital strobe prototypes with wireless TTL slave sensor — enabling TTL-like trigger and quench for both pre-flash and primary exposure. Sea & Sea introduces the YS-90DX digital strobe with fiber optic cable for pre-flash sync — a landmark product addressing the pre-flash synchronization problem. Seacam shows a Nikon D1 prototype housing (already garnering orders). Epoque shows Sanyo DSC-SX560 packages with ES-150DS strobe. 10bar (Hong Kong, formerly “Ocean Images”) shows Sony DSC-F505V polycarbonate housing rated to 300ft. Breitigam’s editorial argues digital photography could revitalize the dive industry: “Digital photography may hold the key for attracting a new, younger, more sophisticated, sport diver” and notes that digital “steers away from the polluting chemical processes associated with film.” (Wayback Machine, ^[1])

February

• 2001-02-07: “First Time Diver goes Digital” — a diver named Troy discovers diving and digital UW photography simultaneously on a Caribbean cruise, buying an Olympus housing on impulse in St. Thomas. He discovers that Photoshop’s auto-level feature transforms his underwater images — an early sign of digital post-processing becoming part of the underwater photography workflow. (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-02-14: John Morgan takes Sony DSC-P1 + Marine Pack to Hurghada, Red Sea — an early field report on the compact’s capabilities and its flash limitations at depth.

March

• 2001-03-03: Ikelite publishes detailed DS-50 digital strobe information — the wireless TTL slave sensor provides TTL-like trigger and quench for both pre-flash and primary exposure. Breitigam calls it “the standard by which others are measured.” The DS-50 addresses the pre-flash problem that had plagued digital underwater photographers since 1999.
• 2001-03-03: “Film-Free Diving” charter announced — Wetpixel.com and Deep Blue Travel (Oran McNiel) organize what is believed to be the first exclusively-digital underwater still photography liveaboard charter. Kona Aggressor II, November 3-10, 2001. “NO FILM ALLOWED!” Original price US$2,195 per diver (double-occupancy), later reduced to US$1,895 after a cancellation. Breitigam and McNiel plan to offer “short light sessions and quick tips” and nightly digital slide shows choosing a “winning picture-of-the-day for a live website update.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-03-10: Marine Camera Distributors to import Zillion housings (Fuji FinePix 40i/4500) to US. Sealux CX-990 housing for Nikon Coolpix 990 (aluminum, TTL Nikonos connector, 90m rated) — professional depth rating for a consumer camera.
• 2001-03-22: Wetpixel switches message board from Coolboard to Steve’s Digicams forum. “David Breitigam of wetpixel.com will act as the Underwater Subject moderator.” He writes: “This new messaging location will provide wetpixel readers with a convenient one-stop location for all their digital camera discussions.” The Coolboard had seen little use — Breitigam had noted in May 2000 that “perhaps Coolboard is a little clumsy and intrusive.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-03-23: Ikelite announces comprehensive Olympus housing line — models for 2000/2020/2040/3000/3030/3040, under 7 pounds, deeper than 200ft. Ikelite’s breadth of digital housing support is unmatched.
• 2001-03-25: NASA/Space Shuttle: Rick Tubridy (United Space Alliance) uses L&M Tetra + Olympus C3030Z to photograph STS 102 solid rocket booster recovery mission at 115ft depth. Photos used for engineering redesign of diver-operated plug — demonstrating underwater digital photography’s utility beyond recreational diving.

April

• 2001-04: Eric Cheng resigns from his Silicon Valley startup (“it was all-consuming and a bit too narrow of a life for me”) with no clear plan. He buys an Ikelite housing and SubStrobe 200 for his Nikon Coolpix 990 and travels to Palau aboard the Big Blue Explorer liveaboard — his first real dive trip. He later recounts fighting housing problems and an overpowered strobe the entire trip, having to swim up to 30 feet to change camera settings because buttons were sticking. When he publishes the photos as a travel journal online, Ike Brigham of Ikelite contacts him within days, asking what could be done about the housing problems — impressing Cheng with the personal attention. (^[2])
• 2001-04-25: Herb Ko discovers a low-cost pre-flash workaround — a 1mm optical fiber strand on Ikelite A35 strobe prevents firing on Olympus pre-flash. Works every time up to 1/800 sec. Outstanding photos of Southern California marine life. Light & Motion enters education with workshops in Monterey and Manado.

May

• 2001-05-01: Eric Cheng’s Palau Adventure featured on Wetpixel — his trip aboard Big Blue Explorer with Ikelite housing and Nikon Coolpix 990. Breitigam introduces it: “If you missed it on Steve’s Digicams then you won’t want to pass on it a second time.” This is the earliest documented connection between Cheng and Wetpixel. Also: Al Schwartz’s Thailand gallery with Olympus C-3000 + PT-005; Olympus PT-008 housing for Brio D-100 released in Japan (via Matt Endo at MarScuba). (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-05-28: Tim Dyes tests L&M Tetra + Olympus 3030 + Nikonos SB105 in Cayman. Sea & Sea YS-90DX digital strobes about to ship in US — “world’s first submersible flash to have intuitive circuitry with triple-system compatibility.”

June

• 2001-06: Eric Cheng spends summer in Bora Bora, invited by a dive resort owner he met during the Palau trip, to build a website for TopDive. The iconic Wetpixel logo diver will later be traced to a photograph from this trip — when a later site redesign removes it, the community protests and Cheng is “forced to put it back in.” (^[3])
• 2001-06-19: David Breitigam gears up for the Kona charter with a dry run to Roatan, Honduras (June 29). Plans to take 4 cameras, 6 housings, and 5 strobes. Mark Schwettman’s Sipadan gallery (CP990/Ikelite/Sea&Sea YS-60). Chas. Thompson’s Cozumel gallery (Sony Mavica FD-95/Ikelite).

July

• 2001-07-10: Breitigam returns from Roatan — equipment delayed 2 days by TACA airlines (“awful customer service”), cutting his evaluation schedule from 6 to 4 days. He tested 4 cameras (Olympus C3040, Canon A20, Sony DSC-P1, Olympus D-100), 6 housings (L&M Tetra for C3040, Ikelite C3040, Canon WP-DC200, Sony Marine Pack, Olympus PT-007, PT-008), and 5 strobes (Ikelite Substrobe 50, DS-50, Sea & Sea YS90DX, Epoque Digital) with Ultralight Controls arm systems. Also evaluated digital storage: Digital Wallet, Iomega Photoshow, Iomega Clik! Plans La Paz follow-up trip (August 16-23) with family. (Wayback Machine)

August

• 2001-08-06: Al Schwartz’s Truk Lagoon gallery — 250+ keepers with Olympus C-3000 + PT-005, verified housing works to 115ft on Nippo Maru wreck. Steve Dingeldein’s Grand Turk gallery with Olympus C-3040 + Ikelite housing. Herb Ko returns from Caymans with ~1000 shots in 25 dives — a shooting rate unimaginable in the film era.
• 2001-08-15: L&M Tetra confirmed supporting the new Olympus 4.1MP C-4040 camera. Chris Huck shoots Dominica with C-3040 + Tetra + Ikelite Substrobe AI: “I’m thoroughly convinced ‘digital’ has arrived. Anyone want to buy a Nikonos V?” — a sentiment capturing the moment when early digital adopters felt the transition was complete.
• 2001-08-16: Marine Camera Distributors becomes Wetpixel’s first advertising sponsor (premier spot). “Tom and Lee at Marine Camera in San Diego have taken the premier advertising spot here at the top of our news page.” Breitigam departs for La Paz with PT-007 and INON wide-angle lens; Matt Endo at MarScuba provides equipment support. (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-08-16: Breitigam’s La Paz trip (August 16-23) — a family trip with sons Tyler and Tannor plus their cousins, using FunBaja’s boat for snorkeling during surface intervals, staying at the Marina Hotel. He focuses on “external strobe use with the Oly PT-007, C3040, the INON lenses, dual Sea & Sea YS90DX strobes and dual Ikelite DS-50 strobes to try to perfect a technique.” He invites other digital shooters to join: “Contact my wife Charla at Deep Blue Travel for more information, 1-866-591-1169.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-08-26: Breitigam launches Digital Photograph of the Week (DPOTW) — submission rules: 800x600 JPG, one per month, equipment info required. He chose 800x600 over 640x480 because “with the most common screen resolution being 1024x768, there would be a lot of value in using larger photographs.” First DPOTW is his own shot from La Paz; he quips, “If you see more of my photos, then I’m not getting enough submissions.” CNET also covers digital housings (Theano Nikitas article), signaling growing mainstream interest. (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-08-30: Marine Camera stocks Olympus PT-010 housing for C-4040. L&M announces new Tetra packages and revolutionary Wetmate Lens System — underwater-changeable lenses, eliminating the need to surface to swap between wide-angle and macro.

September

• 2001-09-02: Ikelite announces tray/strobe package for Olympus PT-007 — aluminum base plate + DS-50 strobe for gray-market Japanese housings.
• 2001-09-03: Breitigam auctions his original Agfa ePhoto 1680 system on eBay for $600 — “Own a piece of digital UW photography history.” The listing details: housing, wide-angle dome port, Kenko KUW-045 macro adapter, Tiffen diopters (+7, +10), two Ikelite AQS strobes, Ikelite VideoLite 45, 28 Iomega Clik! disks, and two PCMCIA Clik! drives. He notes he had “over US$3,000 into this setup.” He also mentions writing a column on underwater digital photography for Fathoms dive magazine. (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-09-16: Breitigam proposes UW Digital Photo Clinic for community critique — “Egoless photographers submit their pictures to the wetpixel readership for critique.” He volunteers to go first with “a Longnose Hawkfish shot from La Paz that does not quite cut it.” Subjects of critique include composition, lighting, exposure/color/contrast, and Photoshop technique, with the caveat that “various computer displays introduce more than subtle changes.” DPOTW features Tyler Breitigam (age 12) photographing a manta ray while snorkeling at La Paz with his own Olympus D100 + PT-008. His father wrote: “I told him I’d give him the housing if he bought the camera — He immediately went down and nearly cleaned out his bank account to buy the camera.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2001-09-19: Ken Knezick (Island Dreams) reviews L&M Tetra vs Olympus PT-007 at Wakatobi, at the suggestion of pro photographer James Watt. Olympus announces PT-011 (Camedia C-2) and PT-012 (Camedia C-40 Zoom). “Wrecks On Line” first underwater photo digital contest announced.

October

• 2001-10: Nikon Nikonos V production ends, officially closing the dedicated underwater film camera era. The Nikonos system — which had defined underwater photography since the Nikonos I appeared in 1963 — reaches its end as digital cameras prove they can match or exceed film quality for underwater work. Nikon never produces a digital Nikonos, despite years of community wishful thinking. (^[4])
• 2001-10: Nikon announces the Coolpix 995 — continuation of the popular compact camera line that had driven the first wave of digital underwater photography.

November

• 2001-11-09: Wetpixel and Deep Blue Travel hold the Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout in Kona, Hawaii — the first all-digital underwater photography liveaboard charter. Eric Cheng produces a live webcast via Iridium satellite phone — one of the earliest live web coverage events from a liveaboard. The page describes Cheng as “a software engineer and amateur underwater photographer with a propensity for thoroughly documenting his travels” who “recently published journals and photographs from his trips to Palau and Bora Bora, and had two photographs published in Fathoms Magazine.” Jim Watt participates as professional photographer, covering for Skindiver Magazine — described as “one of the most successful underwater photographers in the world” who “currently resides in Kona.” Equipment provided by Ikelite, Light & Motion, Marine Camera, Sea & Sea, UK Germany, MarScuba, and Ultralight Controls. Guests compete in nightly digital slide shows with winning pictures-of-the-day posted live via satellite. (^[5])
• 2001-11: During the Kona expedition, Cheng meets Jim Watt, who connects him to the entire underwater photography industry. They test a prototype housing for the Canon D30 — until Watt “put down his F4 housing to give it a try. I never got to use it again, and had to buy my own.” Cheng and Breitigam become friends and decide to join forces under the Wetpixel name. Cheng will build the community site and editorial platform while Breitigam handles the business side. A photo taken by Cheng during the trip shows Breitigam diving with an Ikelite Coolpix 990 housing with two Ikelite DS-50 strobes — indicating he had upgraded from his Agfa/Arrow system. Forum member bvanant later confirmed: “We met Eric and Dave Breitigam on the Kona Trip last year.” (^[6], ^[7], ^[8])

Also this year

• BBC’s The Blue Planet airs — David Attenborough’s landmark natural history series renews public interest in the ocean and marine life, boosting interest in underwater photography
• Wetpixel community grows from a one-person news page to a proto-community: DPOTW submissions, Photo Clinic, a sponsor (Marine Camera), gallery curation, and the first organized dive charter. By year’s end, the Cheng-Breitigam partnership sets the stage for the site’s transformation into a full community platform in 2002.
• The pre-flash problem — the defining technical challenge of early digital underwater photography — sees multiple solutions in 2001: Ikelite’s DS-50 wireless TTL slave sensor, Sea & Sea’s YS-90DX fiber optic pre-flash sync, Herb Ko’s optical fiber trick, Ocean-Brite’s Digital Light Adjustment, and Light & Motion’s ROC controller. The variety of approaches reflects a fragmented ecosystem where no single standard exists.
• Forum member WaterBug later recalled learning “about it and the problems with strobes and pre-flash from Dave Breitigam on Wetpixels” — evidence of Breitigam’s role in educating the nascent community about these digital-specific challenges. (^[9])

References

• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com February 2001 — DEMA 2001 coverage
• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com April 2001 — Film-Free Diving, forum switch
• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com July 2001 — gear eval trips, Eric Cheng’s Palau feature
• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com September 2001 — DPOTW, Photo Clinic, Agfa auction, sponsor, La Paz

Note: This page combines 2 surviving Wetpixel articles from 2001, extensive Wayback Machine captures of wetpixel.com (January-September 2001), forum retrospectives, and web research (Batch 0). The Breitigam-era entries (January-September) are sourced from Wayback captures.