An Unforgettable Dive: All of the

(Bioluminescent) Lights
Underwater cinematographer Morgan Bennett-Smith
shares his tips and tales from capturing the most
beautiful images in the Red Sea.
By Tiffany Duong May 13, 2023

Bioluminescent plankton light up the night in the Red Sea. Experienced on scuba,
they leave quite an impression.
Morgan Bennett-Smith

As scuba divers, we’re privileged to explore, enjoy and play beneath the surface — something
the vast majority of people on the planet will never experience While it’s hard to pick a
favorite, each of us certainly has a dive we’ll never forget. Whether it’s crossing something
off our scuba diving bucket list, making eye contact with a humpback whale, or simply
enjoying a perfect day underwater with our favorite dive buddies – we love to share these dive
stories with other aquaholics.
To celebrate the beauty, variety and joy that this sport brings, we’re sharing some truly
unforgettable dives from around the world, as told by the divers who lived them first-hand.
We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do!
Morgan Bennett-Smith is an imaging and video specialist with years of experience in
the Red Sea.
Morgan Bennett-Smith

Name: Morgan Bennett-Smith

Certification: Certified in 2013 in the cold, murky waters of Redondo Beach, CA
Current: PhD student, Boston University’s Marine Evolutionary Ecology Lab;
Photographer/Cinematographer, Red Sea Imaging
Follow: @MorganBennettSmith
My ‘Must Have’ On Any Dive Trip
Socks that I don’t like.
My number one weird thing I bring on a dive trip is extra pairs of bad socks. Why? I learned
that lesson the hard way a couple of times, worst of all on a research trip out of Kimbe Bay,
Papua New Guinea.
In tropical water gear (often, slip on fins), or even with proper booties, if you’re in the water a
lot (6+ hours a day) blisters can turn an otherwise productive and incredible trip into a
nightmare. I’ve had blisters on the top of my feet, on the back of my heels, you name it.
They’ve been bad enough where I had to tape them up with electrical tape, which doesn’t help
much. Maybe I’ve got weird shaped feet, I’m not sure. But with an extra couple of socks in
my bag, blisters aren’t an issue, even on the most demanding of trips.
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Photographer Morgan Bennett-Smith found himself in a storm of pink moon jellies in
the Red Sea. The stunning view reminded him of finding Nemo.
Morgan Bennett-Smith

My Unforgettable Dives: Red Sea

My favorite dive was a few years ago in the Red Sea.
At certain times of the year, depending on the moon phase and tidal conditions,
bioluminescent dinoflagellates aggregate there. We often see this on shore, and I’d seen it in a
number of places before –in Southern California, in Woods Hole, MA, and from the beach in
the Red Sea.
It’s an amazing phenomenon. From shore, the waves look like they’re glowing. Or, if you’re
swimming in the water, you can swirl your hands around and generate underwater fireworks
displays of blue and blue-green, as the dinoflagellates are disturbed.