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Thanks for the feedback. I want to clarify that I’m not a marine biologist, but after seeing some comments, I did some research on Google Scholar to see what the peer-reviewed data actually says. It’s true that the scientific community isn’t unanimous, and the debate is quite complex. On one hand, some studies suggest that the impact might be limited. For example: Hammerschlag et al. (2012) found that despite frequent feeding at Tiger Beach (Bahamas), tiger sharks still maintain their long-distance migratory patterns. Gallagher & Hammerschlag (2011) argue that the economic value of shark tourism provides a vital 'conservation shield' against the much greater threat of overfishing. On the other hand, there is significant evidence of localized behavioral changes: Vertical Shift in Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) - Fiji: Research by Brunnschweiler and Barnett (2010) showed that these sharks completely changed their vertical distribution and space use to match feeding schedules. Social Aggression in Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) - Australia: Fitzpatrick et al. (2011) documented increased intra-specific aggression and injuries due to the 'conditioned response' triggered by feeding. Health Concerns: Some studies (like those in Oslob regarding Whale Sharks) show that a human-provided diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies compared to their natural, more varied diet. Ultimately, while science may not have proven catastrophic long-term damage to entire populations yet, from an ethological standpoint, altering the routine of an apex predator is rarely 'zero cost.' To me, the real question isn't just whether the shark survives, but whether it’s right to turn a wild animal into a conditioned one for our own entertainment and photography. I believe we should base our community's ethics on both our passion and this kind of scientific precaution.

Nice - where is this in Phang Nga? Khao Lak is also in Phang Nga province but I'm guessing this would be Phang Nga bay / east of Phuket rather than the Andaman sea? Phuket also has nice macro shore dives like Kata beach ❤️

Just got back from 3-day dive trip in Phang Nga, Thailand. The area is famous for macro diving. This is a first dive for my new camera setup with R6 II and EF 100 Macro in Marelux housing.

Hello all, Last week I took the first step toward upgrading my current kit after finding a very good deal on a Nauticam A1 / A7S III compatible housing, which will eventually house a Sony A7S III as my primary video camera. The housing is almost new. It has only been in the water three times and was originally purchased for a project that did not go ahead. It was tested, then put into storage for nearly five years. So far, so good. However, when I tested the moisture alarm circuit with a damp Q-tip, the buzzer did not sound. The LED switches from blue to red and requires a reset, but there is no audible alarm at all. I initially suspected a low battery, so I replaced it with a brand new Panasonic cell, but the result was the same, none of that high pitched squeal we're hardwired to fear, a world of silence... I trust the person I bought it from and do not believe the housing has ever been flooded. There are also no visible signs of corrosion anywhere inside. My assumption is that this may be related to the long storage period something having degraded or come loose. I'm wondering whether others here have experienced failed or dead buzzers in Nauticam moisture alarm circuits, and whether there are any meaningful tests or troubleshooting steps I can perform before replacing the circuit entirely. At this stage, I assume the whole circuit will need to be replaced if the buzzer itself cannot be isolated and repaired. Thanks in advance for any insight. Cheers! Ben

hummmm China copy?

Doesnt sound familiar at all, right?

Welcome Alastair, good to have another Sydney-sider on the forum. You'll have to break out your passport and come south one day and dive the Steps.

Hi all, i'm excited to join the WaterPixels community! I'm based in Sydney Australia and have been shooting underwater since I was a teenager about 30 years ago. These days I primarily shoot underwater around the northern beaches of Sydney, with an occasional trip to somewhere more exotic. My interests are pretty evenly split across wide angle with available light, wide angle with strobes, and macro. I'm looking forward to learning from the WaterPixels community and connecting with like-minded underwater enthusiasts from around the world. Thanks for having me.

Wow, would it work like that underwater 😆 I must admit to a quiet chuckle of pleasure when I let go of my system underwater and it just hangs…… almost a feeling of zen.

I've just picked one up. The Atom's automatic mode used the Olympus remote control (RC) protocol. You don't need a Backscatter trigger if you have an Olympus/OM camera and Olympus RC-compatible flash: my EM5 iii has a FL-LM3 external flash that handles the camera RC/ strobe SC automatic mode fine. You do need the Backscatter Sony trigger if you use a Sony camera, or I'm guessing any third party trigger that converts your cameras signals to Olympus RC protocol. Regards Rohan

Take a look at the big picture, first think about what you want to shoot, is it macro, reefscenes, big animals, fish portraits? A little bit of everything?? Then look at what lenses you need to achieve that . Only then think about which body you can match up with the lenses. Regarding full frame, yes it's great, lower noise, more MP and all that. However the cost to take thing underwater scales with sensor size at least in aluminium housings, the housings cost significantly more, you need bigger ports, the lenses are a lot bigger. and with an expensive full frame camera it doesn't make sense to me get a cheap housing and a system where the ports and extensions needed are not optimised and so the you throw away part of the resolution you paid $$ for. The other consideration with full frame is traveling with it - it bigger, heavier and incrementally harder to take with you when flying to a destination. some of the resolution is also taken up due to the optics of the air water interface and the water between you and the subject blurring things. Next think hard about what you will do with your images. If they are just for you and 99% of the time you look at the image on a laptop or even a reasonable size monitor screen I think you will be challenged to see the difference in the overall image. Underwater things are different, the ultimate resolution is less and you need to get your camera down there, things like reach are different - you use wide angle lenses not to capture a big scene, it is to get closer to your subject. Wide angle optics presnt a particular challenge underwater. Fisheye lenses are extremely useful and the distorted perspective is nit really noticed on most shot, they get you closer to your subject and the optical characteristics are a much better match for the optics of dome ports. Ergonomics is important as well to get the most out of your limited time UW. So having said all of that, IMO m43 has the best selection of lenses suited to UW photography. There are 5 different macro lenses between 30 and 90mm focal length, some really nice wide angle options, two different fisheyes and several options to use with wet wide lens type optics, like the WWL. You can also adapt the excellent Canon 8-15 to give full zoom through from a 180° diagonal fisheye to a 28mm equivalent rectilinear wide in terms of reach and focuses right up to the dome port for CFWA. This entire gallery was shot with the adapted 8-15 and the OM-1: https://www.aus-natural.com/Underwater/Walindi%20Resort%20PNG/index.html

Couple of points: if you still decide to go FF A7C route, despite the other options suggested above: 1. Try to go for the A7CII (or A7CR). These have a much more useable EVF magnification than the original A7C (although the EVF is the same physical size). Plus the latest AF. You can use compact and relatively cheap APS-C lenses in crop mode, such as the Zeiss 50 macro or Sony 10-20, which would tick a lot of boxes. Or the kit lens with water contact options. Later, if you wish, you can go down the rabbit hole of FF lenses... or not!

On the issue of sensor size, my strong advice would be to be careful before you go down the FF route. It’s a very expensive, big and bulky route and wide-angle is still not straightforward. For most users, M43 or APS-C are much more flexible and less expensive formats and, as Bill points out, produce great results. I ?downgraded from FF to APS-C and have never regretted it.

I've had a Sea Frogs, never again. To my mind where FF excels is wide angle, although most can use the 10-17 Tokina which is well liked. MFT is probably the most versatile, has lots of quality housings and anything from the EM1 Mk2 or newer will have outstanding autofocus. The used market is your friend.

Nice video. Looks like Condor bank near Faial island about 2 hours away from the Island. @fruehaufsteher2 I was in Pico 2 years ago, try to book princess alice (4 hours from shore) but the weather was not favourable. Its requirement to make pre-dive so they see your skills underwater, the currents can be strong sometimes. The condor is shallow dive, theres no anchor line (the reef is about 180m) The princess Alice bank is about 32m they launch anchor line but if the place is too crowded the last boats will be anchored at the edge of the reef, and the last thing you want is to get your boat adrift while you are secured and line with sharks getting their bait at the end of the line. Both places are very weather dependent I recommend Haliotis dive center for this type of dives, its open sea, make sure the boat is not a small zodiac or is too crowded https://www.discoverfaial.com/experencias/mergulho-com-tubaroes/ ps: Santa Maria is another spectacular Island of azores, especially at whale shark season (august to October)

Wow - saw the videos and I'm still flashed. Congrats to you having such a wife.

My take is that the OM-1 type system will give you everything you need. As for sharpness, I do all the printing for the Southern California UPS groups for the the Long Beach Scuba show. Everything from cell phones, to TG to RX100 to micro 4/3 to Z9 to Canon R5. All prints are 16x20 inches and the micro 4/3 systems are clearly good enough to sit on the wall next to a print from an R5 and no one says, wow that Olympus photo is a piece of garbage. The lens systems for the micro 4/3 are great for underwater and the AOI housing so far (more than 700 dives has been bulletproof. There are now a ton of strobes that speak Oly RC mode if TTL is your thing and the system is small enough to make travel easy. Bill