What's happening to wetpixel.com

[Long-John-Silver]

On social media and other forums, I have read several posts from people wondering about Wetpixel's situation.
I would like to thank the administrators of this board who have authorized me to post this message hoping to provide some clarification. It is so nice to know that there is solidarity among the different communities of enthusiasts.

Technically speaking there are two problems:

1. Access to the site is now only permitted to approved members. Guest access has been turned off so no longer can people anonymously visit the forums.
   
   
2. As if that were not enough, for months now membership requests have not been processed and there are so many people waiting in vain.

These technical issues are the sole responsibility of WetPixel's owner, Adam Hanlon who has been unavailable for months. There is nothing the moderators can do about it. Adam is the only board administrator.

Why have we come to this?
I am not allowing myself to express opinions on what is going on. This Divernet article summarizes what happened:

Wetpixel’s Hanlon denies sitting on divers’ cash

The accusations against Adam Hanlon of Wetpixel.com are contained in the latest issue of the US subscription-only diving newsletter Undercurrent – though

divernet.com

Given the current situation, there has been an initiative among community members. I quote in full the text of the message that was posted in the forum two months ago:

Attention Members of the Wetpixel Forum Community!

Given the current situation with the Wetpixel forum, a dedicated and trusted group of community members has taken the initiative to establish a contingency plan. We recognize the significance of preserving our community connections and continuing our discussions, even in the event of website downtime.

This plan serves as a backup or alternative option that will enable us to stay in touch. Our intention is not to encroach upon Wetpixel.com in any manner, but rather to ensure that if the site becomes inaccessible, we can provide a means to maintain the camaraderie, knowledge-sharing, and passion for underwater photography & videography that have made Wetpixel such a special place for all of us.

To join our newsletter mailing list, use this link: Wetpixel Backup Plan Submission Form

Stay connected, stay informed, and let's continue capturing the marvels of the underwater world together!

Best regards

 

[ROUS]

It seems to be running on auto-pilot with no visible administration. Unless something happens, eventually it will just stop working. It's a shame.

 

[Kharon]

Interesting link. Wetpixel’s Hanlon denies sitting on divers’ cash

So glad I paid for a Whale Shark trip to Isla Mujeres with PayPal. Due to covid, the trip was cancelled. WetPixel wanted to hold my money till some nebulous time in the future. I fought it with PayPal and got my money back. I had paid in full for my daughter and myself - a very substsntial sum for what was to be a bucket list trip. If not for PayPal I would have been out that money.

 

[Long-John-Silver]

It seems to be running on auto-pilot with no visible administration. Unless something happens, eventually it will just stop working. It's a shame.

Right now the forum is completely frozen and if Adam doesn't appear (he hasn't for months) the forum is doomed to die. Moderators have very limited powers.
These are the reasons behind our initiative.

 

[4togrfr]

Thanks for posting this. I had no idea what was going on. I hadn’t been on the forums for a while and couldn’t log on. I tried resetting up my account, but that’s been in limbo for weeks. It’s a shame such a great community resource is having to endure this over the actions of one person.

 

[Long-John-Silver]

Unfortunately ATM there's nothing we could do.
Sorry

 

[panslabyrinth]

Has anyone seen or heard from Adam? I havent heard any updates from him since september and the news surrounding it all seems to have died down?

 

[Nemrod]

I wish all well and no animosity and hope it all works out to good advantage for all involved. There does need to be a serious photography forum for UW Photography methods and equipment. But, yes there is a but. That is a very difficult forum and always has been. I suppose some of it is that UW photography is just a very difficult thing to discuss and the equipment everyone has is so different it is hard to develop common grounds to share information. The but is that getting useful information about things that one might think others would have the same equipment or very similar is worse than pulling teeth.

Another but, Scubaboard Photog section is more aptly named the TG and GoPro and iPhone Forum. But, yes, another but, Scubaboard I love and the other, well, not as much .

 

[stiebs]

Some of the wetpixel members are working on a backup option if wetpixel continues to stagnate. Migrating a forum community to a new site is not an easy task, especially when the circumstances mean leaving years of posts behind. Hopefully if it does come to that, the more active wetpixel users can build a new thriving community.

 

[Germie]

I can visit the forum, but haven't been there for a long time. I see there are recent posts, so there are still users of it. (and maybe I will be blocked because I posted it here?)
I never had any problems with Wetpixel, but I am just a sometimes forum user. Never booked trips etc.