Fiji Diving - Thorn Tree Forum - Lonely Planet
Dived at Matava, Kandavu, Fiji in 2002 after reading in the LP about a dive site which always had mantas. Was already in Fiji backpacking but before booking the internal flight to Kandavu phoned Matava to confirm the manta story and was told there were some happy divers who had been diving with mantas that day. Booked flight and stayed for one week.
Great place and always always thinking of going back. There is a site that was generally used once per week where I was told they see mantas on 8 to 9 out of every 10 dives. Dived at site Xmas Eve and saw mantas on both dives. The 2nd dive was a re-run of the 1st dive - all 4 divers in the group wanted this rather than an alternate 'non-manta site'. (even though there was the chance of destroying the memory of the 1st dive - by not seeing mantas - it was just too good a dive not to repeat In fact due to work committments didn't dive for a long time after that trip - and I mean a very long time - but the memory of these two dives kept me going.) I think it's sensible to only dive at the site once per week. Guides can 'tweak' diving skills and ensure mantas dont get too much hassle before the trip. Don't know how things have changed over last 5 years! They did say mantas were there all year but best to email to check.
It was a very emotional and humbling dive. The dive site was pretty good without mantas - a lovely swimthrough with glassfish. The mantas swam to us out of the blue and then spent around 30 mins encircling us always at about 10m distance. They were curious to see what was going on and didn't seem at all frightened by the experience. Would recommend a trip - Google Matava should do it.
Fiji Diving - Thorn Tree Forum - Lonely Planet
Monday, 21 April 2008
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
21st annual SCUBA Show, Long Beach, USA
SCUBA Show exhibit space is 92% sold out
Don't be left out. Largest scuba event in the United States promises to be bigger than ever in 2008!
The 21st annual SCUBA Show, taking place June 21st and 22nd at theNow the largest consumer dive expo in the
Last years attendance was over 11,000, and the producers have begun a marketing campaign to capitalize on last year’s attendance. Next week, over 30,000 past attendees will receive brochures detailing the weekend’s activities and encouraging them to pre-register for the weekend. This will also coincide with the launching of a newly designed ScubaShow.com, which will include an interactive floor plan, links to exhibitor websites and complete details of the weekend.
In the coming months, consumers will read about the SCUBA Show in California Diving News, and begin to see advertisements in various scuba magazines throughout the country. Discount coupons will also be available through
For more information about exhibiting please call 310-792-2333 or visit www.ScubaShow.com
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Why I love my Focus Light!
Underwater Photography - Why I love my Focus Light!
By Brad Brown
"I first fell in love with my focus light on a clear star(fish) filled night in Indonesia. Earlier that day, with the assistance of my light, I’d managed to photograph orange pygmy seahorses, ornamental ghost pipefish and a myriad other macro critters I'd anticipated seeing on this first trip to Lembeh Strait. It wasn’t until that night though that I came to the realization that my focus light and I were going to become inseparable. Several minutes into the dive I spotted my subject: a flamboyant cuttlefish. I subdued my excitement and focused (literally) on the task.
After getting down low, made a few camera adjustments and fired away. The brilliant flash of the strobe, normally especially apparent at night, was absent. All thoughts of the perfect cuttlefish shot were thrown out as I began to consider the possibilities. Did I flood my housing? The moisture sensor was not blinking. On a hunch I decided to raise the ISO setting on my digital SLR from 100 to 400 and shoot again. A very dim review image appeared on the LCD. It became apparent that the camera was functioning fine. The strobes were simply not firing. That night my focus light was doing double duty as my primary dive light. I subsequently found that if I adjusted my ISO to 800 and moved very close the subject I could capture marginally passable images by focus light illumination alone.
Imagine the frustration I would have had to endure had I not been able to photograph the second Flamboyant Cuttlefish I encountered later that evening. Post-dive I discovered I had not properly seated the strobe connector to the camera hot shoe. The strobes had not been receiving the signal to fire."
Backscatter Underwater Photography - Why I love my Focus Light!:
By Brad Brown
"I first fell in love with my focus light on a clear star(fish) filled night in Indonesia. Earlier that day, with the assistance of my light, I’d managed to photograph orange pygmy seahorses, ornamental ghost pipefish and a myriad other macro critters I'd anticipated seeing on this first trip to Lembeh Strait. It wasn’t until that night though that I came to the realization that my focus light and I were going to become inseparable. Several minutes into the dive I spotted my subject: a flamboyant cuttlefish. I subdued my excitement and focused (literally) on the task.
After getting down low, made a few camera adjustments and fired away. The brilliant flash of the strobe, normally especially apparent at night, was absent. All thoughts of the perfect cuttlefish shot were thrown out as I began to consider the possibilities. Did I flood my housing? The moisture sensor was not blinking. On a hunch I decided to raise the ISO setting on my digital SLR from 100 to 400 and shoot again. A very dim review image appeared on the LCD. It became apparent that the camera was functioning fine. The strobes were simply not firing. That night my focus light was doing double duty as my primary dive light. I subsequently found that if I adjusted my ISO to 800 and moved very close the subject I could capture marginally passable images by focus light illumination alone.
Imagine the frustration I would have had to endure had I not been able to photograph the second Flamboyant Cuttlefish I encountered later that evening. Post-dive I discovered I had not properly seated the strobe connector to the camera hot shoe. The strobes had not been receiving the signal to fire."
Backscatter Underwater Photography - Why I love my Focus Light!:
Monday, 31 March 2008
Fiji forums: Head about to explode girl who is going to fiji next week - TripAdvisor
Fiji forums: Head about to explode girl who is going to fiji next week - TripAdvisor
"-Kadavu Island. Great island! Rugged, untamed, adventurous. Matava is wonderful - they have a dorm, also a private bure with shared bathroom facilities for a great price.
They have the best on site owners/managers, wonderful staff, the most awesome food, and they'll take you gamefishing, snorkeling, kayaking, picnicing.
It's not a real backpacker type place, so that might fit the bill for you.
They don't have a white sand beach, but if you paddle a few meters away, there's a private island with a great beach and they'll pack you a lunch you can take with you.
ENJOY!"
Fiji forums: Head about to explode girl who is going to fiji next week - TripAdvisor
"-Kadavu Island. Great island! Rugged, untamed, adventurous. Matava is wonderful - they have a dorm, also a private bure with shared bathroom facilities for a great price.
They have the best on site owners/managers, wonderful staff, the most awesome food, and they'll take you gamefishing, snorkeling, kayaking, picnicing.
It's not a real backpacker type place, so that might fit the bill for you.
They don't have a white sand beach, but if you paddle a few meters away, there's a private island with a great beach and they'll pack you a lunch you can take with you.
ENJOY!"
Fiji forums: Head about to explode girl who is going to fiji next week - TripAdvisor
Sunday, 23 March 2008
SEA&SEA Announces New YS-17 Strobe and Digital Accessories
SEA&SEA Announces New YS-17 Strobe and Digital Accessories
Eagerly anticipated new strobe from Sea & Sea set to debut shortly.LONG BEACH
The YS-17 TTL slave strobe is an ideal strobe for most compact digital cameras available on the market today. SEA&SEA’s latest strobe offers a guide number of 14, beam angle of 70°x53° and a recycle time of 3 seconds. It is powered by 2 AA batteries and offers a 2-step light level control and TTL functionality – all in a compact design and a budget friendly MSRP of $349.00.
Accompanying the new YS-17 strobe are five new accessory products designed for use with Sony’s MPK-WD MarinePack underwater housings and other compact digital offerings.
These products include the Universal Grip Stay S (#22107, MSRP: $85.00), the YS-17 Universal Lighting Package (#70015, MSRP: $429.00), Sony MPK-WD Wide-Angle Conversion Lens .6x (#52117, MSRP: $345.00), Close-Up Lens (#52119, MSRP: $145.00), and Lens Adapter (#58118, MSRP: $70.00).
These products offer consumers a very affordable range of accessories and lighting options for their compact digital systems from SEA&SEA, Sony,
More detailed specifications on the YS-17 TTL Slave strobe and the Sony MPK-WD accessories can be viewed at: http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/accessory/mpk/index.html
Availability:
Estimated availability in the
ABOUT SEA&SEA: Founded in 1972, Sea&Sea is the leader in underwater imaging technology. The company offers a complete line of digital imaging products ranging from compact point and shoot cameras to professional housings, strobes, and accessories. SEA&SEA products are distributed in the
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Underwater Video: Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus
Underwater Video: Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus
By Sy Harris
"I’m at 100 feet with the reef at my back, shooting into the blue. All the action is in the deeper parts of the ocean where Grey Reef Reef sharks and barracuda jockey for position in the current. It’s a wide-angle fiesta and I had everything dialed: exposure, lighting, filtration…focus? Unfortunately I was in auto focus, and as the silver/grey fish procession swam by in the deep blue water I may have been stoked, but my camera’s auto focus was lost.
While I thought I was shooting clear, well-focused footage, my camera was making a series of focus adjustments, which I was unable to see through my viewfinder and monitor. The adjustments were definitely noticeable when I viewed the footage at home. The camera was “seeking” or constantly searching for proper focus, resulting in footage that was fuzzy one second and sharp the next. My shot was ruined!"
Underwater Video: Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus
By Sy Harris
"I’m at 100 feet with the reef at my back, shooting into the blue. All the action is in the deeper parts of the ocean where Grey Reef Reef sharks and barracuda jockey for position in the current. It’s a wide-angle fiesta and I had everything dialed: exposure, lighting, filtration…focus? Unfortunately I was in auto focus, and as the silver/grey fish procession swam by in the deep blue water I may have been stoked, but my camera’s auto focus was lost.
While I thought I was shooting clear, well-focused footage, my camera was making a series of focus adjustments, which I was unable to see through my viewfinder and monitor. The adjustments were definitely noticeable when I viewed the footage at home. The camera was “seeking” or constantly searching for proper focus, resulting in footage that was fuzzy one second and sharp the next. My shot was ruined!"
Underwater Video: Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
FVB Dive ME Guide
Please look at the FVB's updated website:
http://www.bulafiji.com/diveme/online_brochure.html
http://www.bulafiji.com/tourism-resources/diveme_ebrochure.pdf
Here you will find a new "e-brochure" about Fiji diving. It's awesome!
“Any country with coral reefs like this has a national treasure that should be protected. Fiji is on of the lucky countries.”
Roger Steene: Author, photographer and marine naturalist.
http://www.bulafiji.com/diveme/online_brochure.html
http://www.bulafiji.com/tourism-resources/diveme_ebrochure.pdf
Here you will find a new "e-brochure" about Fiji diving. It's awesome!
“Any country with coral reefs like this has a national treasure that should be protected. Fiji is on of the lucky countries.”
Roger Steene: Author, photographer and marine naturalist.
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