Marli Wakeling

Forum username: scubamarli
Real name: Marli Wakeling (from profile website/email)
Location: New Westminster, B.C., Canada
Posts: 1,137
Threads started: 145
Comments on articles: 3
Active years: 2003—2019
Camera: Nikon D500
Housing: Aquatica
Primary forums: Critter Identification (502), Trip Reports and Travel (118), Photography Gear and Technique (111), Shooting Technique/Workflow (99)
Specialization: Marine life identification, Indo-Pacific dive travel, pygmy seahorse and nudibranch photography, copyright advocacy

Community Role

scubamarli was one of Wetpixel’s most distinctive contributors, combining deep knowledge of marine biology with a passion for Indo-Pacific dive travel. Active from June 2003 through February 2019 — a span of nearly 16 years — she was the community’s second most prolific Critter Identification contributor (502 posts), behind only leslie.

Unlike most prolific members who concentrated in gear forums, scubamarli’s posting profile reveals a naturalist-traveler: 44% of her posts were in Critter Identification, 10% in Trip Reports, and the remainder distributed across gear, technique, and community forums. She was also a strong advocate for photographers’ copyright, starting threads about unauthorized use of her images and contributing to broader copyright discussions.

Based in British Columbia, Canada, scubamarli made regular trips to the Indo-Pacific, with particular expertise in Indonesian destinations including Lembeh, Ambon, and the Solomon Islands. Her posting was remarkably steady across 17 years, with no dramatic peaks — instead maintaining consistent engagement from 2005 through 2012, with the highest years being 2009 (160 posts) and 2007 (146 posts).

Notable Contributions

• “5 New Pygmies described” (32 replies): Started a significant thread announcing the description of five new pygmy seahorse species by scientist Sarah Lourie, noting that Lourie “usually honors the photographer or guide that brought it to her attention in the first place by naming it after them.” The thread became a community celebration of scientific discovery in marine biology (^[1])
• “My photo is being used without permission” (16 replies): Reported discovering one of her photographs being used without authorization by a dive hotel website, likely “scanned from the original publication, and cropped.” The thread generated practical advice from the community about confronting unauthorized use, and she reported back that the hotel “begged ignorance and their webmaster, and promised to remove it” (^[2])
• Deciding on travel details to Ambon (22 replies): Detailed trip planning thread demonstrating the practical logistics of Indo-Pacific dive travel from Canada, comparing airline options (Garuda vs. LionAir) and routing through Singapore or Jakarta, with advice from Mike Veitch on flight schedules (^[3])
• Singapore Airlines thread (17 replies): Contributed to community discussion of airline experiences for traveling underwater photographers (^[4])
• Solomon Islands earthquake documentation (2007): Contributed imagery and reports on the earthquake’s impact on dive sites, including “Before and after the Solomons” imagery
• Prolific Critter Identification contributor: helped identify nudibranchs, miniature crinoid shrimp, pygmy seahorses, and other Indo-Pacific marine species across hundreds of threads
• Community services: 69 Classifieds posts helping circulate gear; 18 posts on copyright issues

Activity Profile

• Consistent presence: Active in 17 distinct years (2003—2019), with no year of complete absence
• Dual focus: Critter ID (502 posts) + Trip Reports (118 posts) = a naturalist-traveler profile unlike any other prolific member
• Thread initiator: 145 threads started, frequently posting new critter identification requests and trip reports

References