Diving Milne Bay in PNG... This large bay on the eastern tip of the Papua New Guinea’s “mainland” is what first brought the country to the attention of travelling divers and underwater photographers around the world. The first articles and images started to appear in the mid-1980’s. Still the very early days of liveaboards in exotic locations that few people had actually heard of… And yet here was this British ex-schoolteacher on board a locally built, custom dive vessel exploring a place called Milne Bay in a country named PNG. His name was Bob Halstead. And together with his then wife Dinah, they established the first …
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Conserving Tubbataha – The Garden of Eden…
Conserving Tubbataha... These remote reefs in the Sulu Sea enjoy a stellar reputation for their pristine quality and the random pelagic encounters that often happen there. And… having experienced them personally on my first post-pandemic international trip. I can personally vouch for the exceptional diving. It really was an awesome experience to be in the crystal clear. Almost iridescent blue waters of the Sulu Sea exploring those reefs. So much so that I would often find myself pausing in wonder at just how good they were! But there is much more to the Tubbataha story than being a bit star-struck. Because in an isolated part the …
Ultimate Underwater Photography DSLR Housing
The ultimate underwater photography DSLR housing... Underwater housings are basically tools that allow a specific camera to be used underwater. But, to get the most out of that camera the housing needs to be very well designed, robust and allow intuitive use of all the important controls. My first real housing was the Subal Miniflex N8 for the Nikon F801. Which I bought back in 1989 and for those of you not even alive back then… The F801 was the film camera that launched the overall concept of housing a land camera to use underwater. The F801 was the Nikon SLR that brought auto-focus to the masses. It was very successful, as it was …
Ultimate Underwater Photography DSLR
Ultimate Underwater Photography DSLR... For such technical gadgets, cameras are surprisingly emotive objects. And I learned a long time ago to avoid discussions on the pros and cons of the various brands. Which at that point were really just two – Nikon and Canon, or should that be Canon and Nikon? Then the great disruptor Sony came along. Wedging the Canikon duopoly so well that there should really be a health warning on camera bodies these days… I think that the intense emotion comes from the fact that we are bombarded by the camera manufacturers marketing gurus in so many ways (consciously and sub-consciously). And then, when we do …
Big Animals – The Florida Manatees of Crystal River
The Florida Manatees of Crystal River... The manatee and its close but smaller cousin the dugong are truly fascinating creatures. But they are both naturally shy and listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List with declining populations. So they can be hard to encounter and even more so to photograph. While there are a few locations with a decent track record of dugong encounters. Like Abu Dabbab at Marsa Alam in the Egyptian Red Sea and around Busuanga in the Philippines. By far the best place to get close to one of these Sirenians is the Crystal River in Florida. And the basic reason it is such a great location is really very simple …
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Diving Tubbataha – The Heart of the Coral Triangle
Diving Tubbataha... Maybe I should have started a bit lower down the food chain. After all with over 7000 islands and located in the northern part of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines has much to offer the traveling diver. But when a long-time diving buddy told me that he was looking for experienced, sympatico divers to fill two back-to-back trips to Tubbataha on a special charter of the Philippine Siren it just seemed too good to miss! I had heard many stories about the intense biodiversity of Tubbataha’s reefs. Which are generally renowned for both what you will see, together with what you might see... and I was sorely tempted. …
Ten Best In-Water “Big Animal” Experiences
The Ten Best In-Water “Big Animal” Experiences... There really is something quite unique about an eyeball-to-eyeball underwater encounter with a big animal. You are after all but a temporary visitor to their domain. One they may not be the absolute master of, but are far more in control than you can ever hope to be. So, the first thing to understand is that the encounter will take place on the animals’ terms. You can (and I have…) travel half-way around the world. At not inconsiderable expense, to get the opportunity to be in the water with the specific animal. Only to discover they just are not interested in any kind of …
The Australian Grey Nurse Shark
The Australian Grey Nurse... Large enough to get your complete and undivided attention. Probably the best way to describe an encounter with a Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus). Big and fierce looking, with a set of prominent sharp teeth. Grey Nurse move through the water in a slow but determined manner. Which creates a physically intimidating presence guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of the uninitiated observer. My first such encounter was many years ago at Flat Rock near Stradbroke Island in Queensland. I was diving the shark gutters on the northeast side of Flat Rock, where Grey Nurse gather from June to October each …
The Great White Shark Down Under
The Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias is one of the ocean’s most magnificent creatures. Superbly evolved, they are truly an apex predator. But, unlike their terrestrial equivalents, there is very little reverence for them. Instead, and they have become widely demonized as brutal man-eaters that silently prowl our coastal waters. In a seemingly perpetual search for victims and then pouncing with ruthless and terrifying efficiency. And it is true that great whites have been held responsible for more deaths of swimmers, surfers, and divers than any other shark. But what is the reality about these creatures? Are they really …