mattdiver

Forum username: mattdiver
Posts: 667
Active years: 2005–2008
Primary forums: Lights/Strobes/Lighting, Trip Reports and Travel, Critter Identification, Photography Gear and Technique
Specialization: Inon strobes, Southeast Asian marine life photography
Location: Malaysia (regular diver on east coast)

Community Role

mattdiver was an intensely active Wetpixel forum contributor during a concentrated four-year period from mid-2005 through early 2008, accumulating 667 posts. Based in Malaysia, he dived frequently on the country’s east coast — describing it as his “every other weekend” destination — and also traveled to Bali, Indonesia for dive trips. (^[1])

His posting style was technically precise yet approachable, and he had a talent for sharing detailed first-hand equipment reports. He was notably one of the first underwater photographers in the Wetpixel community to test and report on Inon’s D2000W strobe when it launched in late 2005, providing hands-on impressions that community members and even Alex Mustard valued. (^[2])

Despite his relatively short active period, mattdiver’s high post count and the quality of his contributions — spanning gear reviews, marine life identification, and trip reports — made him one of the more impactful community members of the 2005–2008 era.

Notable Contributions

Inon D2000W Strobe First Impressions

mattdiver’s most significant contribution was his 46-reply thread providing the first user report on the Inon D-2000 W strobes in December 2005. Having previously used Ikelite S200 strobes, he offered a detailed comparison and noted several key findings:

• The D2000W was approximately one-third the size and one-quarter the weight of the S200
• Power output was comparable to a DS125
• Recycling was fast enough to keep up with a Nikon D1X in burst mode (14 shots at approximately 3 fps)
• The slave sensor was extraordinarily sensitive — triggered by sunlight reflecting off pool lights, requiring the included cap
• No battery charge indicator was available (later models addressed this)
• No English manual existed at launch

The thread drew responses from Alex Mustard (“You are the first person I know who has tried them”), Inon America’s General Manager Steve Philbrook (who provided official clarifications on the D-2000W versus D-2000Wn models), and numerous other community members. mattdiver continued updating the thread with findings from his Bali trip. (^[3])

Marine Life Encounters

mattdiver regularly shared wildlife observations from his Malaysian dives:

• Slimy Thing identification — A 41-reply critter ID thread where he described encountering a 1-meter-long, 2cm-wide, 3–4mm-thick creature slithering on sand in Indonesia. Forum expert leslie identified it as a sea cucumber (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, possibly Euapta godfreyi or a Synapta species). (^[4])

• Cuttlefish predation — A trip report documenting a small cuttlefish consuming a rabbitfish nearly as large as itself during a night dive. He followed the predation sequence for 20 minutes, photographing the cuttlefish methodically chewing and then spitting out the headless body. Fellow member ce4jesus captured the spirit of the response: “One man’s run-of-the-mill is another man’s paradise!” (^[5])

• Giant jellyfish — Documented an encounter with an enormous jellyfish visible from the boat, free-diving down to photograph it alongside a 1.8-meter-tall diver for scale. He noted the photo “cost me some massive stings to the neck, upper lip and ear” but that he had been stung so many times he “hardly react[ed] to it anymore.” (^[6])

Other Contributions

• Started only 7 threads but participated heavily in others’ discussions (667 posts)
• Previously used Ikelite S200 strobes and a Seacam Silver D100 housing (offered for sale in forums)
• Active in strobe comparison discussions and lighting technique threads
• Contributed to general photography gear discussions across the forums

Activity Profile

• First post: August 13, 2005
• Last post: February 24, 2008
• Peak year: 2006 (heaviest participation)
• Threads started: 7
• Primary gear: Nikon D1X, Ikelite S200 strobes (early), Inon D2000W strobes (late 2005+), Seacam Silver D100 housing
• Dive locations: East coast Malaysia (regular), Bali/Indonesia