Milne Bay - where it all began... 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. PNG was the first country I went to when I started to dive outside Australia. And I have been fortunate to have experienced virtually all the main locations over the years. I have also been fortunate to have dived all over the vast archipelago of Indonesia. And many other global hot-spots in the Bahamas, Mexico and the Pacific. But something always brings me back to Papua New Guinea… Nowhere can really match its special mixture of a wild and rugged landscape, unique tribal cultures and pristine underwater environment. In a country with so many islands and with so many places to sample the underwater world it can be difficult to decide where to start. So in this series of articles I am writing for Dive Log I thought we should begin at the beginning. Milne Bay, where it all started and what has become its jewel... Tawali Dive Resort and the wonderful dive sites of the …
Articles
ONEUW One160X Strobe Review
ONEUW One160X Strobe Review... This is a first impressions review of my personal experience with this new Italian strobe. As explained below, I bought the strobes myself through my diving buddy and fellow underwater photographer Filippo Borghi. And the purpose of this review is to share my initial experience with some new and really excellent technology. ONEUW One160X Strobe Review - The Background... It’s no secret that Italians are, by nature, passionate and enthusiastic people… So when the first message arrived from my great friend Filippo Borghi extolling the virtues of the new strobes he had been testing - quite frankly I took it all with a pinch of salt! But the messages kept on coming! So, I tried putting it all down to the fact that these new strobes were made in Italy and Filippo was just being patriotic. Still the messages kept on coming. And it seemed that we simply MUST buy a pair each for our upcoming trip to South Australia to photograph the Leafy Seadragons and Giant Australian Cuttlefish! The last thing I needed at that point in time was more strobes for my already considerable collection. But Filippo …
D500 for Underwater Photography
Nikon D500 for Underwater Photography - A Mid-Term Review... How time flies - just over two years ago I wrote a first impressions review of my newly acquired Nikon D500. And in it I waxed lyrically about what the new “king of DX (APS-C) photography” could do. Two years is a long time in digital photography and a lot has happened. Top of the list being that it seems like the glory days of DSLR’s are probably coming to an end. And the changing of the guard to mirrorless is well under way. Both Nikon and Canon responded to the Sony juggernaut late last year with the Z6/7 and EOS R full-frame mirrorless cameras. And Panasonic have just released their 24MP and 47MP offerings the S1 and S1R. Plus, in August 2017 Nikon released the D850. Which as respected commentator Thom Hogan recently stated “remains the best DSLR you can buy”. I personally bought a D850 for my other digital obsession – landscape photography… And I have been highly impressed with its dynamic range and overall functionality. So much so that the thought of (yet another…) expensive underwater photography upgrade did cross my mind a time or two! But after …
Diving the Ogasawara Islands
Diving the 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 and is one of the most isolated and remote parts of Japan. Despite their distance from Tokyo, the 30+ Ogasawara Islands are administered from the Japanese capital. And the only way to get there is also from Tokyo... On the weekly ferry service as there are no airports on any of the islands! The isolation of the archipelago, combined with the fact that the islands have never been connected to a continent. Is said to have produced a “Galapagos effect” with flora and fauna that is unique to the islands. Plus, because they are one of very few significant land masses in the north-west of the Pacific. It means that the islands provide a much-needed safe refuge for many endangered species. Volcanic in nature, visually the islands are really quite remarkable. They rise spectacularly out of the surrounding deep waters and oceanic trenches. The archipelago is on a similar geographical latitude to the more well-known Okinawa Islands. And share the same …
The Sharks of Protea Banks
The Sharks of Protea Banks... It is often described as the African equivalent of the Gulf Stream. One of the world’s most powerful oceanic currents – moving almost 70 million tons of water a second! Its name is the Agulhas Current and it forms to the south-west of the huge island of Madagascar. When the powerful Mozambique Current merges with the equally strong East Madagascar Current. From that tumultuous beginning, the Agulhas runs straight down the 2000km long east coast of South Africa. At surface speeds of up to 8km an hour, bringing with it warm Indian Ocean water rich with nutrients. Where those waters touch offshore reef systems, along the edge of the narrow South African continental shelf, they are the catalyst and life-blood for some incredible ecosystems. And one of the very richest of those ecosystems is the Protea Banks… The Protea Banks Located some 8 km offshore from the seaside town of Margate in KwaZulu-Natal province. The Protea Bank is a large submerged shoal, about 800m wide and 6km long. The average depth is around 30m, but some key locations are much deeper. So bottom times, air …
Chinchorro Crocodiles Encounters…
Chinchorro Crocodiles... The pursuit of unusual and compelling photo-opportunities has led me on some interesting journeys over the last few years. But few come close to the raw excitement of photographing the American Crocodiles of Mexico’s Banco Chinchorro! Chinchorro Crocodiles – The American Crocodiles The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is considered as a relatively large species. With males reaching maximum lengths of 5 to 6m when fully mature. While females are generally smaller at around 3 to 3.5m. Like all reptiles they are cold-blooded and breath air. So they are most comfortable in warm shallow waters. And the extensive mangroves of Cayo Centro at Banco Chinchorro offer an almost perfect environment for them. The American Crocodile is actually a cousin of the Australian apex reptilian predator, the hyper dangerous salt-water crocodile. But unlike its antipodean relative, they are not considered to be aggressive towards humans. And only a few (unverified) cases of fatal attacks have been reported As its common name suggests, they can be found all the way from the Everglades on the southern …
The Giant Japanese Salamander
The Giant Japanese Salamander is a quite unique, if rather mysterious, creature that lives in rivers across western and south-western Japan. As endemic species of Japan that is protected under federal legislation. It is formally nominated as a special natural monument because of its cultural and educational significance. The giant Japanese salamander is indeed quite large - reaching up to 1.5m in length and 25kg in weight. Which, together with its large mouth and rather strange features gives it a quite formidable presence. They possess an amazing ability to burrow down in to the rocks of the river beds. Something they do head-first. And given their overall size really does make you wonder how they turn around down there. Because when they do re-emerge they are head-first… They are nocturnal creatures. And because they lose their gills when they are very young, they must interrupt their daytime slumbers to obtain air. Something they do by either rising to the surface to breath. Or, in highly oxygenated rapidly flowing water, they can absorb it through their skin. Being in the water with these creatures is an …
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
The Oceanic Whitetip Sharks of Cat Island.... It seems almost unbelievable that as recently as the mid-1960’s Carcharhinus longimanus, the Oceanic Whitetip shark, was widely considered to be one of the most abundant large animals in the world. And just over 50 years later, these sharks are on the IUCN Red List as "Vulnerable" globally. And "Critically Endangered" in the north and central western areas of the Atlantic Ocean. All because a diminutive, but incredibly resilient, former PLA general managed to seize control of the Middle Kingdom. And then implemented the economic reforms that have lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of abject poverty. Which in turn has created a burgeoning middle class, currently estimated at around 100m people. But growing rapidly and with the majority looking for ways to show off their new wealth. One of which is the thick, fibrous and expensive concoction called shark-fin soup. Oceanic Whitetip Sharks of Cat Island - China While there is much to admire about Deng Xiaoping and the incredible economic growth he enabled. The most visibly obvious …
Great Hammerhead Sharks of Bimini
The Great Hammerhead sharks of Bimini really are very special... There is literally nowhere else in the world where you can come face-to-face with these incredible animals so reliably. Large, increasingly rare and generally solitary animals - Great Hammerheads are really difficult to see underwater. When underwater encounters do happen they are typically fleeting at best, but not in Bimini! Where every winter a healthy population of Great Hammerheads gathers just off the coast of the island. Great Hammerhead Sharks of Bimini - Discovery The annual aggregation of Great Hammerheads was discovered by the staff of Dr Samuel Gruber’s Bimini Shark Lab back in 2002... But the lab managed to keep the whole thing to themselves for over 10 years. However word eventually got out and South Bimini is now firmly established as Great Hammerhead Central! So unique is the situation that trips get booked up very quickly... Personally it took me two attempts and a one-year advance booking to do mine. Great Hammerhead Sharks of Bimini - Why There? The Bahamas are said to take their name from Baja Mar – the Spanish term for …