Oct
27
Snorkel at Hulhumale, Male Atoll, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Details: The time had come to fly out of the Maldives, and of course, no diving allowed. I stayed the final night at Hulhumale – close to Airport Island, and snorkelled the shallow reef fringing this man made island. Some nice coral in the channel between two islands.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mmmm
Photos:
Oct
26
Snorkel at Vilingilli, Male Atoll, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Details: i couldn’t organise a second dive today, so had to make do with a house reef snorkel. I thought i’d just try to do some fish shots with little success.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
26
Dive Number: 395 26/10/2012 Banana Reef, Male Atoll, Maldives
Conditions: Dark and the water was a bit cloudy.
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 30m
Details: My last dive in the maldives, and this was a nice way to end. Banana reef was one of the first reefs to be dived apparently and brought fame to the Maldives as a scuba diving destination. A very colourful wall with loads of fish.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
25
Dive Number: 394 25/10/2012 Airport Wreck, Male Atoll, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 30m
Details: An islamic holiday was underway today, and the place just goes into shut down. I managed to find an operator to take me out, and we agreed on a site that’s suppose to be a great dive. It was a different story when the boat owner decided he wasn’t prepared to travel that far and copped on with an offer to dive the airport wreck. I wasn’t happy…i’ve never been angry on a dive before but to spend my second last day diving in the wonderous maldives only to be looking at a pile of metal next to a trashed area of reef next to a man-made island just made me breath fire in my bubbles. Cue spoilt, ugly tourist. This dive made me loath wrecks even more than i already do…dont get me wrong, a wreck with history and interest fascinates me, but this was just a poor excuse for a tourist attraction.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
25
Dive Number: 393 25/10/2012 Vilingili House Reef, Vilingili, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Villingilli is another resident island only a short ferry ride from Male. The accomodation on the island is pretty horrid, but on a budget you do what you can. There’s a local dive operator on the island and they are both nice guys. Unfortunately they were doing a OW course on the day i arrived, and they were taking the diver just to the House reef on the far side of the island. These resident island reefs are pretty trashed, but there were some good critters around to photograph still, and this moray eel and cleaner shrimp shoot are some of my favorite photos of the trip.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
24
Snorkel 24/10/2012 Maafushi House Reef, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 2m
Details: A little dissappointed at only squeezing in 2 dives during the day, i decided to free-dive the house reef around maafushi to see what was around. A bit trashed but some nice fish and coral structure around. A few Lionfish made good subjects.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
24
Dive Number: 392 24/10/2012 Guraihoo Corner, Maafushi, Maldives
Conditions:
Visibilty: 25m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 30m
Details: We descended at this site to the view of loads of grey-reef sharks patrolling the depths at around 60m. This area had a strong current so wasnt the most relaxing of dives. Right towards the end i saw my only Manta easgerly passing over the shallow reef. I expected the Maldives to give me lots of opportunities to photograph mantas but this was it…one quick snap as it swam past. Luckily a pineapple moray eel made a good stationary subject.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
24
Dive Number: 391 24/10/2012 Kandoomaa Tila, Maafushi, Maldives
Conditions: Overcast but nice vis
Visibilty: 25m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 40minutes
Max Depth: 35m
Details: The second day on Maafushi, the dive store took me out to 2 local dive sites. The first was Kandooma Tila. The guides weren’t exactly sure of the location of the wall, so after jumping in and dropping into 35m, then swimming against a strong current towards the wall 200m away, i convinced the guide to surface and head back to the boat. I didn’t want to get a hit in the maldives! Take two after a 20 minute surface interval and we had a very impressive dive. Loads of schooling fish and a few white-tipped reef sharks that stayed just far enough away to be out of focal range. A turtle munched on some coral just as i was about to go into deco at about 12m. I would have liked longer at this site.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
23
Dive Number: 390 23/10/2012 Kuda Giri Wreck, Maafushi, Maldives
Conditions: Overcast but clear water
Visibilty: 25m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 45minutes
Max Depth: 30m
Details: Conditions for Sri Lankan diving weren’t crash hot, so being so close to the Maldives, it was foolish to miss out. All liveaboards seemed booked out, so after a bit of research i decided to check out how the locals lived and visited one of the resident islands that has only recently been opened up to the public. So i got the ferry down to Maafushi and checked into a B&B on the small island. Dives weren’t planned either, so i could only managed getting in a single dive on the first day at a Wreck called the Kuda Giri. Vis was nice, and generally a nice dive, but wrecks just dont do it for me…especially in an underwater wonderland like the Maldives.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
21
Dive Number: 389 21/10/2012 Whale Rock, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Conditions: Surgey and Milky
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: The second dive was at Whale Rock…a rock we could see from the hotel and actually thought might have been a whale. Sri Lanka is a hot spot for Blue Whales but unfortunately they were a couple of months away from arriving in the area. Conditions were far from ideal…milky and surgey, but on a nice day this would be a fairly colourful dive. It was sad to be pointed out a stick of dynamite some locals use to ‘fish’ and buggar up the reef with. Nice amounts of fishlife around still and a few small swim throughs.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
21
Dive Number: 388 21/10/2012 Swami Rock, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Conditions: Average, surgey and hazey vis
Visibilty: 6m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: I was attending a mates wedding in Sri Lanka, and thought i’d try to get a couple of dives in. I could find very little information on diving Sri Lanka and most said it wasn’t worth it. October is also between seasons at the start of the monsoon, so conditions weren’t ideal for any side of the island.
Trincomalee sounded like the best bet, a war torn region that had recently been opened up to tourism. We mostly had the resort we stayed at to ourselves, except for the resident samba deer. I managed to track down a scuba operation that would take me out for a couple of dives, in less that ideal conditions.
The first site was Swami Rock. Its claim to fame is the statues littering the site, that were reportedly thrown over the cliffs from the temple above by the Portugeuse. These lay somewhat suspiciously on the rocky boulders, looking a little bit contrived. Interesting all the same, and some nice marine life like, giant morays, numb rays, pipefish and lionfish.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
14
Dive Number: 387 14/10/12 Liberty Wreck, Tulamben, Bali
Conditions: Surface Swell making entry difficult on the notorius big black boulders.
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Another dive on the liberty wreck, this time with the macro lens. Happy to see a cool anglerfish, pygmy seahorse, a wierd scorpionfish and lots of small porcelain crabs. This proved to be the last dive in Bali, since the guides weren’t keen for a night dive with the rough conditions. One day, 4 dives…not enough to whet the appetite.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
14
Dive Number: 386 14/10/12 Liberty Muck Site, Tulamben, Bali
Conditions: Surface Swell making entry difficult on the notorius big black boulders.
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Dive number three was back to the Liberty area to a patch to the right of the wreck that is known for muck critters. The guide was great finding all the great macro critters…tiger shrimp, ghost pipefish, hairy shrimp, anglers, etc. And i was very happy to find a blue ribbon eel towards the end of the dive. Not overly happy with my efforts pix-wise but it was a fun to see all these cryptic critters.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
14
Dive Number: 385 15/10/12 The Dropoff, Tulamben, Bali
Conditions: Surface Swell making entry difficult on the notorius big black boulders.
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: Dive number two was with a couple of WA newbie divers at The Dropoff. I had to chuckle when they handed over thier camera to the guide to photograph all the cool stuff they were seeing. Horses for Courses..they had some memories. Cuttlefish, catfish, Manta Shrimp, a few nudis and macro shrimp etc.
Camera Details: Canon 60mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
14
Dive Number: 384 14/10/12 Liberty Wreck, Tulamben, Bali
Conditions: Surface Swell making entry difficult on the notorius big black boulders.
Visibilty: 10m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: After a long haul, i made it up to Tulamben for a rushed few dives before heading to Sri Lanka. The weather wasn’t ideal and the conditions meant that i wouldn’t get as many dives as i would have liked in the area. First dive up though was on the fabled Liberty Wreck in the morning. Straight up a school of Bumpheads swam past and then off over the drop-off over the wreck. A nice start. It took me a while to get into the groove and trying to keep up with a guide and other divers is never condusive to a great photography dive, but it was nice to finally dive this wreck.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
11
Dive Number: 383 11/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Cross Wreck
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 70minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details: The last dive of the trip and what a cracker. A shallow-ish and small wreck in Manokwari harbour, teaming with macro and fishlife. Inside was a wobbegong shark. A nice way to finish off the trip.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
11
Dive Number: 382 11/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Shinwa Maru Wreck
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 25m
Details: The last couple of dives were on some wrecks near Manokwari. This was an old Japanese WW2 Cargo ship wreck called the Shinwa Maru.
http://indonesia.greatestdivesites.com/papua/shinwa_maru
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
10
Dive Number: 381 10/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Palua Awrli
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 6m
Details: This was the last dive before the long journey back to Manokwari. The island hadn’t been dived before and a few of us decided a nice little inlet looked worth a splash. Some nice coral, some ledges with crays, but very shallow and a bit choppy.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
10
Dive Number: 380 10/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Palua Matas
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 60minutes
Max Depth: 20m
Details:
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
9
Dive Number: 379 09/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Kwatisore Bagan
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: These bagans, (or fishing platforms) are used by indonesian fisherman to camp out on and fish during the night by enticing fish up to thier lights, drawing them into the middle of the bagan, and then closing the nets in around them. The local whalesharks have a field day picking off any stray fish, and now with the interest of the dive community, the bagan operators are feeding them during the day. Up to around 7 whalesharks can be at the bagans at one time, but most days 2-3 hung out for a feed and to swim with the snap happy tourists.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
9
Dive Number: 378 09/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Kwatisore Bagan
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: These bagans, (or fishing platforms) are used by indonesian fisherman to camp out on and fish during the night by enticing fish up to thier lights, drawing them into the middle of the bagan, and then closing the nets in around them. The local whalesharks have a field day picking off any stray fish, and now with the interest of the dive community, the bagan operators are feeding them during the day. Up to around 7 whalesharks can be at the bagans at one time, but most days 2-3 hung out for a feed and to swim with the snap happy tourists.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
9
Dive Number: 377 09/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Kwatisore Bagan
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: These bagans, (or fishing platforms) are used by indonesian fisherman to camp out on and fish during the night by enticing fish up to thier lights, drawing them into the middle of the bagan, and then closing the nets in around them. The local whalesharks have a field day picking off any stray fish, and now with the interest of the dive community, the bagan operators are feeding them during the day. Up to around 7 whalesharks can be at the bagans at one time, but most days 2-3 hung out for a feed and to swim with the snap happy tourists.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
8
Dive Number: 376 08/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Palua Nuburi
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: A night dive at Palua Nuburi. A bobtailed squid was a highlight on this dive. Plus an odd fish that just collapsed on the reef when it new it was being hunted. It just lay there hoping its markings would camoflage into the reef.
Camera Details: Canon 100mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
8
Dive Number: 375 08/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Palua Nuburi
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: To mix it up a bit, we decided to do some a couple of island reef dives at a place called Palua Nuburi. Thanks to Mark for pointing out this very cool pipefish.
Camera Details: Canon 100mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
Oct
8
Dive Number: 374 08/10/12 Cenderawasih Bay, Kwatisore Bagan
Conditions: Good
Visibilty: 15m
Water Temp: ??c
Bottom Time: 80minutes
Max Depth: 8m
Details: These bagans, (or fishing platforms) are used by indonesian fisherman to camp out on and fish during the night by enticing fish up to thier lights, drawing them into the middle of the bagan, and then closing the nets in around them. The local whalesharks have a field day picking off any stray fish, and now with the interest of the dive community, the bagan operators are feeding them during the day. Up to around 7 whalesharks can be at the bagans at one time, but most days 2-3 hung out for a feed and to swim with the snap happy tourists.
Camera Details: Tokina 10-17mm, 2 X YS-D1 Strobes
Photos:
