Maldives 2024 Coming up!

[dhaas]

Headed back to Maldives Feb. 3-13 🙂  

 

Taking my easy traveling Canon G7X II compact, Fantasea housing and one Inon S220 mounted in the cold shoe.

 

 Best part is the whole thing floats so I won't lose it no matter what!

 

DH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dhaas]

Disembarked Blue Force One in Maldives Feb. 13th after 10 days diving. Fabulous dives with some deep plus currents but great fun 🙂

 

My simple camera rig continues to surprise me.......

 

I did many dives with no wide angle "Air Lens". My simple Fantasea F Series Air Lens  restores my Canon G7X II compact camera's 24mm focal length. Without it essentially 24mm X 1.25 flat port refraction = 30mm focal length. 

 

Being able to shoot moderate 30mm focal length was an advantage on drift dives or other challenging situations.

Clear water helped and the Inon S220 with GN 22 provided 

plenty of power for my 1" sensor 20.1 Megapixel files.

 

Next trip to Bali in May I may refine the simplicity even further!

 

Edited February 16, 2024 by dhaas

[Erik H]

Great shots! Planning to do Maldives this year as well. How did you like Blue Force 1?

[dhaas]

Blue Force One has been our preferred choice for 3 trips now and they deliver!

 

DH

 

[bghazzal]

cool! the manta pics at the end are in Maamigili right (South Ari atoll, island with an airport)?

I've guided there many times when I was working there and the table corals to the slope are quite remarkable. Apparently the site was rubble only a few years back, and now the table corals are (almost) all over the place.

It's also a shark cleaning station, got silver tips a few times, bigger than the usual grey reefs!

Edited February 18, 2024 by bghazzal

[dhaas]

I can't recall the exact site but you may be correct. Our cruise director mentioned those table corals coming back very well and the mantas loved them for cleaner fish popping up 🙂

 

 

[RVBldr]

On 2/17/2024 at 1:36 PM, Erik H said:

Great shots! Planning to do Maldives this year as well. How did you like Blue Force 1?

Also got back from 10-day "Best of Maldives" 4 FEB on Blue Force 3, company did a great job for the most part. I'd book with them again, no issues.

[ChipBPhoto]

On 2/16/2024 at 12:26 AM, dhaas said:

My simple camera rig continues to surprise me.......

Just proves once again it’s not the camera, it’s the photog that counts!  Great pics! 

[CaolIla]

7 hours ago, ChipBPhoto said:

Just proves once again it’s not the camera, it’s the photog that counts!  Great pics! 

 

Yes but the same photograph can (normaly) make better pictures with better hardware 😉

I took some nice pictures with my Canon G5x...  but there is a gap between the G5x and the R5 (with to right lenses)....   the price is also not the same I know 

[Jim Laurel]

Now that's doing alot with very little! Nice work, dhaas! I'd say you're extracting maximum value our of that compact rig.

 

On 2/15/2024 at 9:26 PM, dhaas said:

Disembarked Blue Force One in Maldives Feb. 13th after 10 days diving. Fabulous dives with some deep plus currents but great fun 🙂

 

My simple camera rig continues to surprise me.......

 

I did many dives with no wide angle "Air Lens". My simple Fantasea F Series Air Lens  restores my Canon G7X II compact camera's 24mm focal length. Without it essentially 24mm X 1.25 flat port refraction = 30mm focal length. 

 

Being able to shoot moderate 30mm focal length was an advantage on drift dives or other challenging situations.

Clear water helped and the Inon S220 with GN 22 provided 

plenty of power for my 1" sensor 20.1 Megapixel files.

 

Next trip to Bali in May I may refine the simplicity even further!

 

 

[Nando Diver]

On 2/19/2024 at 7:05 PM, RVBldr said:

Also got back from 10-day "Best of Maldives" 4 FEB on Blue Force 3, company did a great job for the most part. I'd book with them again, no issues.

Whats the Best time of the year for Maldives Liveaboard ? 

North or South ? 

Big pelagic, Whale shark, manta rays etc.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by Nando Diver

[CaolIla]

Hi @Nando Diver

October / November north with the Hanifaru bay and the manta rays... I made that 2 times.... 🙂 😍
 

Hanifaru Bay 2021/09 | Flickr

Hanifaru Bay 2022 | Flickr

 

 

Ok it's snorkeling but wouahhhhhhh 

Edited February 10 by CaolIla

[Nando Diver]

@CaolIla

Thanks, really interesting 

 

My travel agent works with emperor and i was looking for the offers

I wonder if 14 days worth it, or 7 days is enough

 

I have an eye of the Southern Shark Adventure 

and im also looking for the full moon and new moon to avoid high/low tides and stong currents

 

The 14 days seems tempting.

 

 

 

[CaolIla]

For me,  7 days are too short. We made 4 cruises each 10 days... excelent duration...
14  is probably a little bit too long but if I'll make a choice...14 😉

The problem of 14 is also the price 😞