Welcome to Indopacificimages, the personal website of Bali based underwater photographer Don Silcock. You can either scroll down to see the latest images, articles and location guides or use the menu bar above to look through check out all the locations listed.
Tiger Beach - Petting Zoo or the Real Deal?
This shallow, sandy area in the Bahamas is firmly established as one of the global diving destinations. With that fame largely derived from the many published images of its most celebrated visitor – Galeocerdo cuvier, the tiger shark.
Tigers are considered one of the “big three” most dangerous sharks. And, together with great whites and bull sharks are believed to be responsible for the vast majority of unprovoked attacks on humans. So, how is it possible for do many divers to be in open water with so many of these sharks?
Check out the full story in the Tiger Beach – Petting Zoo or the Real Deal article…
Diving PNG's Witu Islands
Diving the Witu Islands… As they say in the real estate business, location is everything. And it is Papua New Guinea’s physical position, astride the Equator, at the end of what was historically referred to as the Malay Archipelago, that puts it right in the middle of the greatest marine biodiversity on earth – the Coral Triangle.
Simply stated the Coral Triangle, which encompasses the eastern half of Indonesia. Together with East Malaysia (Sabah), the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, is the richest marine environment in the world.
The Indonesian Throughflow is the life-source of the western part of the Coral Triangle. Specifically eastern Indonesia, Sabah and the Philippines. While the Northern and Southern Equatorial Currents perform the same role for the Solomon Islands. But only Papua New Guinea is touched by all three major currents, and all those rich nutrients, eggs and larvae come together in the Bismarck Sea, with the wonderful Witu Islands at the epicenter. Check out the full story on diving the Witu Islands
The Humpback Whales of Tonga
Tonga is probably the best place in the world to experience the “gentle giants of the sea” – the incredible humpback whale. Because every southern winter, around the start of August, the Tongan Tribe of southern hemisphere humpbacks arrive from the Antarctic.
And spend the next few months in the Tongan archipelago either mating or giving birth…
Tonga is one of the few places in the world where you are allowed in the water with the whales. And it is possible to experience the full gamut of humpback encounters there. It really is incredible and is very popular with people traveling great distances to experience it all.
But it can be complicated to actually get in the water… So I have put together a guide to help understand what can be seen and what the logistics are. Follow this link to go to the Complete Guide to the Humpback Whales of Tonga.
Latest Posts
Kimbe Bay Zero Wreck
As the story is told around the bar at Walindi, the day the Zero wreck Zero was found was soon after a small plane had crashed on take-off from Hoskins Airport in Kimbe Bay.
So, when local villager William Nui saw the Mitsubishi Zero laying on the sandy sea floor, he thought it was the wreckage of the recent crash.
Read the full story on the Kimbe Bay Zero Wreck…
Aircraft Wrecks of PNG
World War II came to New Guinea in January 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Rabaul. Turning the region in to a major theater of war in the battle for the Pacific.
WWII was the first time that air power played a major role in combat. And both sides had some formidable aircraft in action in New Guinea.
Read the full story on the Aircraft Wrecks of PNG…
Incredible Kimbe Bay
In a country renowned for the diversity of its scuba diving. There are a few locations where, should you only visit Papua New Guinea once in your life, you will just have to choose from…
On that short-list would certainly be Kimbe Bay, the jewel in the crown of New Britain, the largest of the many islands that make up PNG.
Read the full story on the Incredble Kimbe Bay…
Big Animal Articles
Posted below are many of the articles I have had published over the last couple of years. I try very hard to write accurate and informative articles and only use images that were taken on the trip – so what you see is what I saw when I was at the location.
All the articles are available as a free download by clicking on the link provided. But please respect my copyright…
Isla Mujeres
Every year, as the summer heat descends on the Yucatan an amazing phenomenon happens to the north-east of Isla Mujeres.
It is called the Afuera, the largest gathering of giant whale sharks in the world – Read more…
Ogasawara Islands
Often referred to as the Oriental Galapagos, the Ogasawara archipelago is located in the north-west Pacific Ocean.
About 1000km south of Tokyo the islands are one of the most isolated areas of Japan – Read more…
Chinchorro
Underwater encounters with big animals are rarely if ever static. They move, often constantly and occasionally very fast!
Whereas American crocodiles remain still, with a coiled-up energy ready to attack – Read more…
Oceanic Whitetips
As recently as the 1960’s Oceanics were considered one of the most abundant large animals in the world.
And just 50 years later, they are now on the IUCN Red List as “Vulnerable” globally – Read more…
Giant Salamanders
Giant Japanese Salamanders are quite unique creatures that live in the rivers of west and south-west Japan.
They are indeed quite large – reaching up to 1.5m in length and around 25kg in weight – Read more…
Great Hammerheads
There is literally nowhere else you can come face-to-face with these incredible animals so reliably as Bimini!
Solitary creatures, Great Hammerheads are really difficult to come across underwater – Read more…
Crystal River Manatees
The small town of Crystal River in Citrus County on the “Nature Coast” of Florida is without doubt the best place in North America to see and, if you are really lucky, interact briefly with the very special and quite unique Florida Manatee.
But… manatee season in Crystal River is very much focused on getting as many tourists through as possible. And if you want to take good photographs it gets complicated… So I have put together a complete guide to help you to understand the reality of Crystal River and its amazing visitors!
Use this link to see the Complete Guide to the Crystal River Manatees.
The Complete Guide to PNG
Papua New Guinea enjoys a reputation for some of the best all-round scuba diving to be had anywhere. And truly, its combination of superb reefs, wonderful critter sites and WWII wrecks make it very hard to beat.
Simply stated, the scuba diving in Papua New Guinea is among the very best in the world. And the country is truly one of the last frontiers – a wild and adventurous place that just has so much to see both above and below the water!
But it’s not the easiest place to get to. And, no doubt you will have heard all sorts of stories… Is it safe to go there? Where to go? When to go and how to get there? So I have put together this “complete guide” to understand more about Papua New Guinea and where to dive.
There are comprehensive sections providing an overview of the diving in PNG and why it is good. Plus sections on each major location – Port Moresby, Milne Bay, Tufi, Kimbe Bay and New Ireland. And… a Papua New Guinea Survival Guide to help you better understand the country, the people, the culture and the risks!
Start here with the Complete Guide to Diving Papua New Guinea.
The Sharks of Protea Banks
Located some 8km offshore from the seaside town of Margate, about 130km south of Durban, the Protea Banks is one of the best places on the east coast of South Africa to dive with sharks. And. depending on the time of the year, you can see up to seven different varieties of them!
The Protea Banks is adventurous diving with most dives at around 30m and strong currents to deal with, so it is not for everybody… But if you like your diving and underwater photography at full volume then the Protea Banks offers some tremendous experiences!
Check out this link to the Complete Guide to Diving Protea Banks for more information on one of the most exciting locations in South Africa.
Southern Mozambique
Diving in Southern Mozambique is concentrated around the small town of Praia Do Tofo (Tofo Beach…). Which, in turn, is located around a very picturesque curved beach, some 16 km from the provincial capital of Inhambane.
Tofo has an excellent combination of rich, vibrant reefs and the opportunity for incredible encounters with manta rays and whale sharks.
Tofo owes its amazing biodiversity to its location at the southern end of the 1600 km long Mozambique Channel, between the east coast of Mozambique and the large island of Madagascar.
Check out this link to the Complete Guide to diving Tofo in Southern Mozambique for more information on this interesting location.