Eric Hanauer

Real name: Eric Hanauer
Forum username: ehanauer
Posts: 0
Articles authored: 7
Comments: 3
Active years: 2004—2011
Specialization: Book and film reviews, underwater videography, San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition, diving history

Biography

Eric Hanauer is a veteran underwater photographer, videographer, author, and diving historian based in San Diego, California. A diver since the 1970s, he is the author of three books, including Diving Pioneers (1994), which Bret Gilliam credited as the inspiration for his own 2007 book Diving Pioneers and Innovators (^[1]). Hanauer is also the author of The Egyptian Red Sea: A Diver’s Guide, establishing him as an authority on Red Sea diving destinations.

Hanauer maintained a personal website at ehanauer.com and was a recognized figure in the San Diego underwater photography and videography community. He started with Ikelite housings for a Nikon F in the 1970s and later relied on Ikelite DS125 strobes throughout his career (^[2]).

Wetpixel Contributions

Book and Media Reviews (2007—2008)

Hanauer served as Wetpixel’s most prolific book and media reviewer during 2007—2008, contributing seven authored articles — all reviews of books, DVDs, or film exhibitions. His review writing was characteristically literate, opinionated, and substantive, drawing on decades of diving experience to provide contextual assessment.

• “American Waters” by Alex Kirkbride (December 2007): Praised Kirkbride’s three-year, 945-dive odyssey photographing water features in all 50 US states as “brilliant” in execution, noting it was “one of the last books shot exclusively on film.” Hanauer drew a parallel between Kirkbride’s artistry and “such masters of the craft as David Doubilet and Douglas Faulkner” (^[3]).

• “Diving Pioneers and Innovators” by Bret Gilliam (December 2007): Initially declined the review due to conflict of interest — he had written one of the book’s chapters and inspired the project. Eventually agreed after no other reviewer stepped forward. Praised the 489-page, 4.5-pound book as “fascinating reading” that conveys “the soul and excitement of diving” (^[4]).

• “Sea of Cortez Marine Invertebrates, 2nd Edition” (December 2007): Reviewed the updated edition of Alex Kerstitch’s classic marine life guide, revised by marine biologist Hans Bertsch after Kerstitch’s death in 2001. Noted that “Marine life guides are the Rodney Dangerfields of underwater books” but praised the revision as “a valuable resource” for Pacific coast divers (^[5]).

• “Sharks: Stewards of the Reef” DVD (August 2007): Reviewed David McGuire’s conservation film, noting that the shark finning footage “provoked a strong gut reaction of revulsion” and was “far more powerful than anything I’ve seen in slasher movies” (^[6]).

• “Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die” by Chris Santella (October 2008): Revealed that he was one of the 50 experts consulted for the book, contributing the Galapagos chapter. He quipped: “I’ve dived only 23 of the 50 places, and time is running out” (^[7]).

San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX)

Hanauer was a founding organizing committee member of the San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX), which began in 2000 and grew into an internationally recognized annual event. He served as both a committee member and sometime MC for the two-night exhibition, held at the Qualcomm Hall auditorium.

He authored detailed coverage of the 2008 (9th annual) and 2010 (11th annual) exhibitions for Wetpixel, documenting programs, filmmakers, and the evolution of the event from five-minute amateur videos to international high-definition productions attracting near-sellout crowds of 900+ (^[8], ^[9]). He also submitted his own films, including “If You Chase Them, They Will Run” (a plea to divers to stop chasing marine animals), “Viva Cuba!”, “Eye of the Beholder,” and “In Search of a Man Eating Shark” (^[10], ^[11]).

SDUFEX committee members alongside Hanauer included Chuck Nicklin, Mary Lynn Price, Karen Straus, Ken Given, Mick Hutchins, Gene Lafferty, John Ellerbrock (Gates Underwater Housings), Barbara Lloyd, Bob Gladden, Pete Fowler, and Roz Nicklin (^[12]).

Competition Judging

Hanauer served as a video competition judge for the 2012 Our World Underwater competition alongside Steve Douglas and Mary-Lynn Price (^[13]).

Industry Connections

Hanauer was a regular presence at industry events:

• DEMA 2006: Photographed socializing with Eric Cheng at the Wetpixel Happy Hour (^[14])
• DEMA 2007: His artwork was displayed at the Art & Innovation Center alongside works by David Doubilet, Stephen Frink, Ernie Brooks, Doug Perrine, and others (^[15])
• Manta Fest 2008: Invited to participate in the second session at Manta Ray Bay, Yap, for diving and classroom seminars on photography and videography topics (^[16])
• DiveFilm: His videos were among those broadcasted on DiveFilm’s video podcast platform, alongside work by Mary Lynn Price, Paul Wags, Steve Douglas, and others (^[17])

Commentary

Though Hanauer never posted on the Wetpixel forums, he left comments on several articles:

• Commented on Robert Delfs’s “Getting Rid of the Underwater Blues” with alternative Photoshop techniques using the Levels menu (^[18])
• Wrote a tribute to Ike Brigham upon his passing in 2006, recalling his start with Ikelite housings and Brigham’s legendary customer service (^[19])
• Commented on the Wetpixel Alaska Expedition 2011 trip report (^[20])

Publications

Hanauer also contributed to Peter Rowland’s online Underwater Photography (UwP) magazine, writing about the Philippines for UwP Issue 55 in July 2010 (^[21]).

Historical Significance

Hanauer represents a generation of underwater photographers and authors who bridged the pre-digital and digital eras. His 1994 book Diving Pioneers documented the history of recreational scuba diving and inspired subsequent historical works. His involvement with SDUFEX helped establish San Diego as a center for underwater filmmaking exhibition. His Wetpixel contributions — concentrated in a burst of book reviews in late 2007 — brought literary criticism and historical perspective to the community’s coverage of underwater media.

He was among the experts consulted for Chris Santella’s Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die, contributing his expertise on the Galapagos — one of his top dive destinations across a career spanning five decades (^[22]).

Activity Timeline

• 2004-04: First recorded Wetpixel activity: comment on Robert Delfs’s color channel article (^[23])
• 2006-05: Videos featured on DiveFilm podcast (^[24])
• 2006-11: Attended DEMA 2006 Wetpixel Happy Hour (^[25])
• 2006-12: Commented on Ike Brigham memorial (^[26])
• 2007-08: Reviewed “Sharks: Stewards of the Reef” DVD (^[27])
• 2007-11: Artwork displayed at DEMA 2007 Art & Innovation Center (^[28])
• 2007-12: Published three book reviews in rapid succession (^[29], ^[30], ^[31])
• 2008-09: Authored SDUFEX 2008 coverage for Wetpixel (^[32])
• 2008-10: Reviewed Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die (^[33])
• 2010-09: Authored SDUFEX 2010 coverage; his film and Eric Cheng’s sperm whale DSLR video shown (^[34])
• 2011-07: Last recorded Wetpixel activity: comment on Alaska Expedition report (^[35])
• 2012-01: Served as OWU video competition judge (^[36])
• 2012-08: MC and filmmaker at SDUFEX 2012 (^[37])