NIGEL WADE was DIVER’s Technical Editor and equipment tester until his tragic death from a heart attack earlier this year. He was a popular figure in the scuba world, and at this time of year would look forward to meeting readers as he presented the Digital Clinic at the NEC Dive Show, alongside Saeed Rashid. Nigel will be particularly remembered as an outstanding photographer, so in his memory we present a selection of some of his most special images, with appreciations from fellow-photographers Saeed and Alex Mustard
ALEX MUSTARD WRITES:
“Nigel was so full of enthusiasm for life, that it is still raw to type the “was” in this sentence. I knew Nigel before he started writing for DIVER and he always delighted in embarrassing me by recalling that I was the “only photographic big-hitter” who took time to write and congratulate him on his first cover.
“Nigel was a true photo pro above and below the waves, though the two branches of his photography indulged different aspects of his talent. On land, I was awed by all the commissions he did, a specialisation being shooting building interiors, mastering multi-exposure high dynamic-range photos that take know-how, diligence and photographic precision to pull off to professional standard.
“However, it was under water where Nigel’s talent shone brightest. A true photo-journalist (a skill few British competition-focused photographers can claim), he had a nose for the story and an ability to communicate it across a series of sumptuous images.
“A few years back we travelled together to Gozo, courtesy of Olympus, to try the then-unreleased OM-D E-M5. Obsessed with this new camera, I spent my dives testing its impressive limits.
“Nigel quickly spotted that the real story was a camera being given a proper underwater press launch, and produced a brilliant piece covering both the camera and our gathering (Geek Week, September 2012). I miss him greatly. ”
SAEED RASHID WRITES:
“Nigel and I first crossed paths about six years ago at the Dive Show, and we instantly became good friends. A few years later we decided to start our now infamous double act at the Show, in the Digital Clinic workshop.
“To start with we were very professional but we quickly learnt to how to push each other’s buttons and try to trip each other up whenever we could.
“We had great fun doing these workshops, and would often swap slides around and ask each other very difficult questions and sit back with glee as the other stumbled over their words. As I type this, Iʼm still giggling over some of our silly antics.
“It was hard not to be infected by Nigel’s fun outlook on life, and more than once we got into trouble together because we had taken something just a step too far. Many stories can never be told, although I bet everyone who knew him would be able to guess a few of these.
“I miss Nigel, and never more so than right now, as I’m getting my talk ready for the next Dive Show. Thanks for the fun, pal – I hope I do you proud in all my future talks, and promise never to take myself too seriously.”
Appeared in DIVER October 2017
