bghazzal

eI am not aware of any scientific papers on coral bleaching in Raja other than the study from Indo-Ocean project, Lauren Sparks. They speculate that a major increase in cyanobacteria linked to human sewage. As tourism increases and toilets move ever closer to the water, the filtration of sewage by the soil is greatly decreased. Here's an article published in Oceanographic on tracking rising cyonabacteria levels in Raja4's Arborek island: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/2353-article-trouble-in-paradise-rising-cyanobacteria-levels-in-raja-ampat/

On a related note: Deep Sea ReporterTourism Threatens to Destroy Coral Reefs in Raja Ampat -...In the heart of Raja Ampat is the small island village of Arborek, home to the NGO Barefoot Conservation. The team at Barefoot Conservation has been monitoring the reefs around the island, collecti... https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/2180-raja-ampat-coral-bleaching-2024-caught-in-the-confluence-video-by-dr-phil-dustan/ https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/2335-article-more-than-80-of-the-worlds-reefs-hit-by-bleaching-after-worst-global-event-on-record/

This is an article on rising cyanobacteria levels in Raja Ampat, (Indonesia), following the monitoring work done by the Barefoot Conservation team on Arborek island. Trouble in paradise: In the biodiversity oasis of Raja Ampat, cyanobacteria poses a serious threat to the region's abundant coral reefs. Is tourism to be blamed? https://oceanographicmagazine.com/features/cyanobacteria-in-raja-ampat/ Extracts: Together with Dr Josie Chandler, the head of science at the NGO I manage, we started monitoring the presence of the microorganisms. Chandler is a marine biologist who specialises in coral reef ecology, with her most recent research focused on crown-of-thorns starfish populations in Australia. “I had not heard of cyanobacteria covering coral reefs to this extent before, so as soon as Erika mentioned the issue I jumped into a rabbit hole of papers and studies to learn as much as possible about what is happening. Turns out, this is serious.” (...) “The problem is not sunscreen or breakage of corals by irresponsible divers, but without question the major issue is the increase in human sewage. Sanitation systems here are basic pit toilets, which meet the needs of small local populations without harming groundwater or marine ecosystems. However, the surge in tourism has overwhelmed these systems. The issue is accelerated by new beachside toilets near the shore, reducing the longer travel through soil before reaching the reef – the biological breakdown. The discharge of untreated sewage from liveaboard boats intensifies the challenge,” “Liveaboard operators have a lot to answer for, because their solutions for this problem are much more straightforward than island-based operations. Of course, this would come at a cost, but ultimately the cost of losing Raja Ampat reefs would be a lot more expensive. The livelihoods of local communities depend upon these reefs. Strict regulations need to be put in place,” says Chandler. She manages the team of on-site scientists remotely but has come to Raja Ampat to see what is happening with her own eyes. Under her leadership, cyanobacteria blooms have been monitored around Arborek Island for almost two years, and various photogrammetry projects 3D-map nearby reefs to observe bleaching in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an American scientific and regulatory agency. “The problem with cyanobacteria is that stopping the blooms is a huge task. It demands all stakeholders – villagers, resorts, liveaboards, and homestays – to come together, as new ways to offload sewage need to be put in place. But it has to be done if we want to keep the coral reefs alive,” says Chandler. “The real worry lies with the fact that bleached reefs’ chances to recover are minimal once smothered by cyanobacteria, and the cyanobacterial blooms are only getting bigger and more frequent.” Installing bio tanks – wastewater treatment systems that use microorganisms to break down sewage – across Raja Ampat and on liveaboards could be a critical first step. However, Arborek’s low-lying geography presents a challenge: high tides cause septic tanks to float up, complicating their installation. But the stakes are high. “It would be heartbreaking to see the most biodiverse reefs in the world succumb under the weight of preventable anthropological stressors like wastewater and overtourism,” says Chandler. Since 2022, Gress and Chandler have sent multiple alerts to the government and BLUD, accompanied by data collected over many months clearly showing the increase and impact of cyanobacteria. Their appeals have been rebuffed.

International Coral Reef Initiative page on the subject: https://icriforum.org/4gbe-2025/ The most intense global coral bleaching event on record is still ongoing, according to scientists. One year on from the official declaration of the fourth global coral bleaching event by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), bleaching alerts continue to develop across the world.

For what it's worth, I just screw the Inon UCL-165 directly on my housing's M67 threaded port, no spacer, but I'm guessing this might depend on the port/lens used. Inon has a compatibility chart here: http://www.inon.jp/products/lens/ucl165m67/compatibility.html , but it's old and lens info is a little tricky to spot.

Let’s see how these new regulations play out in practice. If enforcement is anything like it was in the Similan (Koh Bon, Koh Tachai) and Surin (Richelieu Rock)National Parks, well—I wouldn’t hold my breath... The new rules about snorkeling zones are interesting too: snorkelers are now supposed to stick to areas where there's at least two metres of water above the coral, to avoid disturbing the reef. Sounds good on paper. Let’s see if operators actually drop people into those areas—and whether the breadcrumb buffets are finally off the reef fish menu...

NOOA Current Global Bleaching: Status Update & Data Submission - Updated: April 21, 2025 https://www.coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/research/coral_bleaching_report.php On April 15, 2024, NOAA (in partnership with the International Coral Reef Initiative) confirmed the world is in the midst of its 4th global coral bleaching event. From 1 January 2023 to 20 April 2025, bleaching-level heat stress has impacted 83.7% of the world’s coral reef area and mass coral bleaching has been documented in at least 83 countries and territories. The ongoing global coral bleaching event is the biggest to date. The previous record was during the 3rd global coral bleaching event, which occurred from 2014-2017, when 68.2% of the world's reef area experienced bleaching-level heat stress. The 1st and 2nd global coral bleaching events occurred in 1998 and 2010, respectively. Animation of NOAA CRW's Daily 5km Bleaching Alert Area Maximum product, for the period January 1, 2023 - April 20, 2025

Sad news, but predictable as humanity continues to offer micro-solutions to macro-problems... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/23/coral-reef-bleaching-worst-global-event-on-record The world’s coral reefs have been pushed into “uncharted territory” by the worst global bleaching event on record that has now hit more than 80% of the planet’s reefs, scientists have warned. Reefs in at least 82 countries and territories have been exposed to enough heat to turn corals white since the global event started in January 2023, the latest data from the US government’s Coral Reef Watch shows. (...) The 84% of reefs exposed to bleaching-level heat in this ongoing fourth event compares with 68% during the third event, which lasted from 2014 to 2017, 37% in 2010 and 21% in the first event in 1998. Even reefs considered by scientists to be refuges from the ocean’s rising levels of heat have been bleached, Dr Derek Manzello, the director of Coral Reef Watch, said. “The fact that so many reef areas have been impacted, including purported thermal refugia like Raja Ampat and the Gulf of Eilat, suggests that ocean warming has reached a level where there is no longer any safe harbour from coral bleaching and its ramifications,” he said.

Late November should be ok for Okinawa (it normally gets rough, with northern winds blowing in December), but even with island hopping, 14-18 days of travel is too long for the area I think (unless you're planning on combining this with non-diving land travel). November is a shoulder month, it should also be just the start of rainy season in many places in Indonesia, including Bali, which can affect diving but could still be ok, however northern Indonesia should be a safe bet.

Hi there, I didn't really chime in because you were mostly asking about stills, but for if you're also interested in video there's info you might be interested in this thread here: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/1414-ur-pro-filters-info/ But for video, my focus was not so much on the Magic as the now gone, yet legendary UR-Pro Cyan filter (spoiler alert, the closest candidate is a Rosco Fluorofilter, now also off the shelves due do LED lights). Another solid option is the Keldan Spectrum, as discussed. Otherwise Dreisfish's amazing WeP thread listed above has been transfered over here to Waterpixels for posterity and future discussions: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/1413-red-filters-and-blue-ambient-light-filters-for-mixed-light-shooting cheers! ben

Hello all, This video by Dr. Phil Dustan was posted on the Bird's Head Seascape network, and I thought some might be interested. Continuing coverage of the Raja Ampat Coral Bleaching Event: "Caught in the Confluence of Global Warming and Ecotourism". In October 2024, a marine heatwave struck the iconic coral reefs of Raja Ampat. Corals in the Dampier Straits experienced severe bleaching and mortality, fueled by increasing levels of sewage from rapidly expanding ecotourism. Unless the sewage threat is eliminated, the World’s richest reefs and the economy they support will collapse. ***** It's good to see sewage/waste water finally mentioned so clearly. Development-related run-off, silting and pollution have been an issue on house-reefs for a while in certain areas. On a personal note, I remember seeing the change betwen 2014 and 2017 (which was my last visit to Central RajaAmpat / Dampier Strait), with house-reefs being seriously affected in the Mansuar (Besar and Kecil/Kri) area. 2016-2015 was a massive turning point, with lots of homestays built in the area which once only hosted Max Ammer's Kri-Eco and Sorido resorts, and very fast. Trees near the shoreline were cut, structrues were built (there was even a plan to build a pool at some point...) and in only a few months you could see silting and algae growth in the shallow "house-reefs" around the island, linked to run-off from from rainwater no longer held by the treeline and also waste water from the new infrastructures (notably showers and toilets)... Coral colonies in the area are/were believed to have evolved to better withstand heat-stress (not sure where the research on the subject is at now), but combined with stress from infrastructure and activity development, it's quite a lot. Add to that snorkeler/diver damage (seeing an overweighted "discover-scuba diver" smash a table coral in front of my eyes at Yenbuba, or the growing effect of fin-kicks-and-chill on the often current-swept top of a site like Blue Magic come to mind...) to the now unavoidable global emission-related emergency (difficult to reach Raja Ampat without flying to Sorong from somewhere, unfortunately...), trash, plastic, oil and the rest (no, let's not talk about that cruise-ship smashing into the reef at Crossover...) and there are a lot of reasons to be worried for what is still often marketed as "The Last Paradise©" It's something that also struck me in less remote areas like Bali's booming Amed for instance, where over-construction and associated waste-water is rapidly killing of what is left of the reef in the area. What was that saying about being in traffic or being traffic again? 😐 cheers ben

On a strongly related note, here is a review of Tom Hanks-narrated nature series The Americas, with similar issues brought up (anthropomorphism, climate denial, etc.) https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/02/the-americas-review-tom-hanks-beautiful-new-nature-series-pretends-the-climate-crisis-doesnt-exist

Hi Val, I hope you'll get answers from Inon tripod users, but to the risk of derailing this thread, if you're also considering alternatives, there are plenty of DIY solutions for adapting a tripod or - even better if you ask me since the extra leg means less negative buoyancy required for stability -a quadripod system to a Nauticam Flexitray. This is the system I use for macro video, and I find it very flexible angle wise and haven't felt the need for a ball-head type solution for angles (slider is another story though...) - you can also check out footage I shot with the quadripod here When it comes to DIY options (which is as simple as finding a solution to attach to 5" flat ball arms perpendicular to the legs of your tray), you can check out this rich thread here: And since you mentioned shooting macro in current I'll add that based on experience, current and macro, especially supermacro video don't really go well together. Your footage will be stable, sure - especially with a quadripod solution - but the critters will not, and for supermacro they will be swinging out of focus. This is also true for surge - for macro video, more than camera stability critter stability is more the issue IMO. And when they are staying in focus long enough to get a sequence (a critter on the bottom for instance), current generally doesn't make them look the best... Current influences behaviour since they're usually resisting, or, more frequently than not, hiding to resist the current - it can be interesting at times, but more often than not for macro video it's quite meh... Best of luck with the Inon cheers ben

I've had, like probably almost all passengers, issues with Lions/Wings - also had an Air Asia flight cancelled when I was in Raja Ampat in 2015, when internet reception meant hoping your Telkomsel card worked at the end of the jetty, that took quite a bit of work... Back to your issue, it might not make sense anymore, but maybe it might be possible to look into Manado-Sorong Garuda options instead, eventually cancelling the Lion air leg? More expensive and might not have the ideal timetable, but usually less cancelations/changes than Lion, especially for slightly more remote areas with less traffic. I don't know if it's still up and running, but a few years back there was also a Garuda Makassar-Sorong night flight that would land in Sorong at 6am, usually enough to catch the ferry to Waisai for instance - took that quite a few times best of luck

Lovely - Really beautiful footage of the sea kraits and the sponges, and really great atmospheric music combination in the first half of the clip 👍

As a follow-up on the subject, here's a little snippet from an interview of underwater cinematographer Roger Horrocks conducted by Peter Rowlands, published in issue 142 Jan/Feb 2025 of the UWP mag (pages 31-32) Q) The advent of subscription TV has broken the traditional mode of natural history documentary productions. Has it brought better funding and opportunities or diluted the genre? So Peter, that’s a great question, and it touches on where natural history programming has been and where it’s heading. If you look at the “Bristol model”—the style of natural history filmmaking pioneered by the BBC’s Natural History Unit in Bristol and personified by Sir David Attenborough—it was created under a public service mandate. It wasn’t designed to make a profit but to serve the interests of the British public,who largely funded it. This approach fostered a particular culture and style of storytelling, which has become a national treasure in Britain and countries with close ties to Britain, like South Africa, Australia, and parts of Europe. However, in the U.S., it’s a different story. Natural history programming doesn’t hold the same cultural significance. If you mention Sir David Attenborough to most Americans, many won’t know who he is. With the rise of streaming platforms, particularly Netflix, we’ve seen a digital disruption of the traditional broadcast model. As the editorial power shifted to the U.S., I always suspected there would be an evolution—or even a departure— from the classic “blue-chip” style of natural history filmmaking that we all love: respectful, reverent, and almost spiritual in its awe of nature. We’re seeing that shift now. Take Our Oceans, for example. Instead of being narrated by Sir David Attenborough, it’s by Barack Obama. This reflects a move towards more global storytelling tailored for a broader audience. The influence of American editorial mandates is evident in how these programs are evolving. Streaming platforms like Disney+, Nat Geo, and more recently Apple TV, have all begun exploring natural history content. Amazon hasn’t made as much of a push in this area, but it’s clear that the genre is diversifying. One thing that stands out is the oversupply of natural history content during the peak of the “streaming wars.” With so much money being pumped into the industry as platforms competed, we saw a production glut. In many ways, I think this oversaturation diluted the quality of the work. Now, as the industry starts to contract, I see this as a healthy correction. Natural history programming will always have a place. People find these shows incredibly comforting. However, with fewer commissions going forward, I believe the value and appreciation for these programs will only increase. Less can be more, and the contraction will lead to higher- quality work that audiences cherish even more when it’s released.

No real reason it shouldn't work with the GoPro, since you can shoot in at a set white balance (native) and set white balance in post-production. However, do keep in mind that that this is very tricky even with manual white balance and will probably give good results in a narrowish-set depth range. The standard still being to use filters for ambient light dominant shots and no filter for artificial light dominant shots - also, ambient filters on the lights will halve the light output (though recent keldan models have pre-filtered LED modules to counteract this issue) I would also advise against using Backscatter filters for this, and go with a more "tried-and-true" filters like the UR-Pro cyan (or equivalents) or the Keldan Spectrum (-2, or the -1.5 in gel sheets). Here are some threads to expand on the subject: cheers ben

Capital, old fruit – now do be a good chap and give us the lowdown on what Inon’s up to, eh? We need to make sure the Cousins don’t get wind of it, if you catch my drift. Just sidle over to the Japanese strobemaster – do keep out of sight, mind – and while he’s off on one of his little distractions, grab a few snaps for us eh? Then, once you’ve got the goods, scurry back sharpish and let us know what’s what. Keep it neat, keep it clean, and for heaven’s sake, don’t get caught – You know the drill, my dear fellow. Good man.

wow - the 90mm shots are really impressive, given how skittish these guys are! Behavioural sequences are great - I'd never actually spent much time with garden eels (despite passing by them daily...), and this is pretty fascinating. I guess with the burrows being so close they must have some kind of competing / symbiotic relation. Slipping down the slippery off-topic slope, there - to regain footing, a 3 minute-ish cut would highlight the material better I think, looking forward to it! cheers

yeah, I usually do what I'm told so I click like and subscribe 🤣 (I do have a few actual faves in that list, but I think it's good practice to keep an eye on stuff you don't really like as well...) - oh and I did exclude out most primarily talking heads + tutorial / gear channels, focusing on those that host actual UW video content rather than tests, hence no Lebo, Durand et al. 😁

a few selected others from my subs: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisUnderwater https://www.youtube.com/@OceanaOrgInternational https://www.youtube.com/@diveivanov https://www.youtube.com/@ReefPatrol https://www.youtube.com/@MermaidLiveaboards https://www.youtube.com/@ramyoro5765 https://www.youtube.com/@scubav5371 https://www.youtube.com/@mikebartick4907 https://www.youtube.com/@glaznature https://www.youtube.com/@BlueWorldplus https://www.youtube.com/@bajaproductions1 https://www.youtube.com/@seacamvideo https://www.youtube.com/@36x24 https://www.youtube.com/@undersea_gameqmi https://www.youtube.com/@beyond-scuba https://www.youtube.com/@gillescharvet https://www.youtube.com/@rogeruzun2810 https://www.youtube.com/@marineanimals https://www.youtube.com/@agentLenok https://www.youtube.com/@SylvieNoquero https://www.youtube.com/@Sea_Tales/videos https://www.youtube.com/@JohnDownerProd https://www.youtube.com/@indieoceanfilm https://www.youtube.com/@muckdivervideos https://www.youtube.com/@MarkusReinhardtdiving https://www.youtube.com/@uwlunatic https://www.youtube.com/@Sea_Tales https://www.youtube.com/@BudaDive https://www.youtube.com/@VincentRemede https://www.youtube.com/@balisteolivatre4012 https://www.youtube.com/@InsiderDivers https://www.youtube.com/@wallaceadivecruises https://www.youtube.com/@wksgonediving8154 https://www.youtube.com/@diveexplo360 https://www.youtube.com/@dtirto https://www.youtube.com/@MasterLiveaboards https://www.youtube.com/@johnfreele https://www.youtube.com/@TiffKMaui https://www.youtube.com/@oceanexplorergov https://www.youtube.com/@fishnerdfilms https://www.youtube.com/@StephenMartin001 https://www.youtube.com/@alfonsoribote6698 https://www.youtube.com/@apexunderwaterfilm675 https://www.youtube.com/@ADiversLife https://www.youtube.com/@AndreiVoinigescu https://www.youtube.com/@RanMorPhotographer https://www.youtube.com/@WalindiResortMVFeBrina https://www.youtube.com/@OlympusTg6ByDennisCorpuz https://www.youtube.com/@hannesklostermann3939 https://www.youtube.com/@kkfok1031 https://www.youtube.com/@secretsofthelake1966 https://www.youtube.com/@JUANMONTEREY https://www.youtube.com/@reneheuzey4822 https://www.youtube.com/@dowdarin https://www.youtube.com/@FatFishMovies https://www.youtube.com/@scottw6960 https://www.youtube.com/@UnderwaterPhotoBali https://www.youtube.com/@cjcpixels https://www.youtube.com/@afieldofblue https://www.youtube.com/@richardbrooks-lightning https://www.youtube.com/@SheepdogShaun https://www.youtube.com/@andremusgrove https://www.youtube.com/@nomaddivelogs https://www.youtube.com/@liquidadventureswithmichael https://www.youtube.com/@Interceptor121 https://www.youtube.com/@HugoMattsson https://www.youtube.com/@SoulwaterProductions https://www.youtube.com/@riptideimages https://www.youtube.com/@guillaumenery https://www.youtube.com/@FlyanDive https://www.youtube.com/@pimvanschendel https://www.youtube.com/@FEROXED https://www.youtube.com/@umisora385 https://www.youtube.com/@krysuwfilms https://www.youtube.com/@andy.underwater.videos https://www.youtube.com/@AquaticImages https://www.youtube.com/@LiveaboardLife https://www.youtube.com/@worldadventuredivers https://www.youtube.com/@DivePhotoGuide https://www.youtube.com/@guicostadiveazores https://www.youtube.com/@fridgemagnetfilms7904 https://www.youtube.com/@RafaHerreroMassieu https://www.youtube.com/@GREGLECOEUR https://www.youtube.com/@LukasWalter https://www.youtube.com/@oceansoulsfilms1259 https://www.youtube.com/@jscratch69 https://www.youtube.com/@JurrienWiss https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalDiveMedia https://www.youtube.com/@OceanShutter https://www.youtube.com/@makingwavesproductions https://www.youtube.com/@rayarchit https://www.youtube.com/@RyutaOg https://www.youtube.com/@UnderH2Oshow https://www.youtube.com/@thebluequest8757 https://www.youtube.com/@yutashigeno6205 https://www.youtube.com/@KIRINSEKITO https://www.youtube.com/@oceanvizion https://www.youtube.com/@PetitesbullesdailleursFr https://www.youtube.com/@ark.adventurers https://www.youtube.com/@TheDeepGreene https://www.youtube.com/@kyufurumi https://www.youtube.com/@seadragonfilms2192 https://www.youtube.com/@WetSouls https://www.youtube.com/@PacificBlueFilm https://www.youtube.com/@DiversLens https://www.youtube.com/@DOUBLED0581 https://www.youtube.com/@oceanovideo https://www.youtube.com/@LiquidMotionFilm https://www.youtube.com/@revaemoana https://www.youtube.com/@fredbuyle https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomMediaTV https://www.youtube.com/@pedro_valencia https://www.youtube.com/@JoeRomeiro333 https://www.youtube.com/@CuttlefishProd https://www.youtube.com/@LiquidVDO https://www.youtube.com/@abc4explore https://www.youtube.com/@scuba-simon https://www.youtube.com/@EunJaeIm https://www.youtube.com/@simonspear https://www.youtube.com/@KayBurn https://www.youtube.com/@HANIKim https://www.youtube.com/@OceanImaging https://www.youtube.com/@PallSigurdsson https://www.youtube.com/@OceanoVideoSub https://www.youtube.com/@Nad-lembeh https://www.youtube.com/@flowavefilms https://www.youtube.com/@ChangingSeasTV https://www.youtube.com/@DIVEPROFESSIONALSTV https://www.youtube.com/@birdsheadseascape https://www.youtube.com/@RogerMunns https://www.youtube.com/@Nad-lembeh https://www.youtube.com/@bugDreamer https://www.youtube.com/@UnderseaProductions https://www.youtube.com/@alexlindbloom4877 https://www.youtube.com/@Underwatertribe https://www.youtube.com/@LivingdreambyNuParnupong65 https://www.youtube.com/@pelagiclife8505 https://www.youtube.com/@jeroprieto https://www.youtube.com/@MrEdifro https://www.youtube.com/@Scubazootv https://www.youtube.com/@Thalassa_francetele https://www.youtube.com/@alfredsch.5440 https://www.youtube.com/@Seasickproductions

I like it a lot - really nice angles and intriguing effect with the 360° shot in the begining, lovely closeups (are these cropped in?) and but also really great to watch the eels interacting which each other like they do 3 minutes in, which is something I've never paid attention to - but I agree it's too long, with repetitive shots - I would restructure and trim it down to tight 3:30 and avoid the music change altogether. Kudos on the patience to shoot these guys - now that I've seen them interacting like this makes me want to get some footage as well! cheers

Thanks Maria - makes me wonder how the TG5 would cope with the old Inon UWL-H100 I use for wide angle on the compact - i do have a 67mm to 52mm adapter lying around somewhere... 😄