bghazzal

This one is also quite nice: Anilao and Lembeh seem pretty consistant, lovely stills as well

As a parallel line of discussion, would anyone here have experience with the cousin of "blackwater" diving, shallow bonfire dives (light-trap dives ) as regularly organised in macro-friendly locations such as Anilao or Lembeh, for instance? I'd imagine the actual shooting parameters are similar, with the major difference that this is done in shallow-water, with a set of lure light placed on the sand, mooring line or float, to create the "bonfire" and attract critters by recreating the planktonic food chain. There's a nice interview of NAD Lembeh's Simon Buxton, covering mostly bonfire-type dive organized there: and there's also lots of footage coming from various locations on Youtube. Not requiring a boat and reaching deep-water, this type of planktonic night diving is logistically much easier to organise. While it will most likely not bring out as many pelagic/deep water migratory critters as diving off-shore over deepwater (and also lacks the thrill of the unknown 😄) I'm curious about the bonfire setups people have encountered, and their experience compared to actual deep-water blackwater dives. While this clearly depends on location, underwater topography and current flow (rich macro locations and locations with deep water access being particularly suitable), based on footage it can be quite interesting - and in certain areas it's actually common to encounter quite a few of the marvelous larval/post larval (deep) "blackwater highlights" in the shallows, such as the amazing wunderpus post-larval stage (Mars Attacks!), which can be spotted in as shallow as 7m of water, along with other larval cephalopods, etc... Easier logistics (often a simple shore dive) would also make it a good way to practice shooting small critters in the water column on a more regular basis. Something to look into! I've also seen this type of diving refered as "light trap" diving, mostly in Japan, where I've seen some very nice pictures/footage coming from these types of dives, from Okinawa and also locations with deep water access like Toyama or Osezaki. When I was working on Hachijo island in Japan (fairly remote, 300km from the mainland and bathed by the powerful Kuroshio) we would get things like larval dolphinfish / mahimahi in the harbour bays on night dives... cheers ben

If you ever change wetsuits, a regular (but sturdy) cargo-short with buttoned pockets, worn over what ever wetsuit you're using work fine (neoprene cargo shorts with pockets designed for diving also exists, but if it's pockets you're after, a good cargo short does the trick just fine for a fraction of the price - a lot of guides in warm-water locations use these rather than boardshort type swimtrunks as they last longer). The only thing to look out for is metal - buttons / bungees instead of metal fasteners like zippers, as they will break down quickly in salt water) You can also get generic neoprene pouches the size of your lens to protect it better, which gives you the option to tie them to something. cheers

I think it's out already: this one is for the DJI https://www.aoi-uw.com/products/wet-lenses/aoi-qrs-02-mb3-blk.html and this one's for the AcePro: https://www.aoi-uw.com/aoi-qrs-02-mb4-blk.html I would go with DJI for underwater video, Ace, while tempting for sensor low light performance, has some serious WB issues, as well as focusing issue due to the sensor IIRC - and DJI seems to be going more interesting directions as a company in general, with the cinecam range etc.

Easier to judge with captures this... If I trust my subjectivity: Winner: GoPro12 Winner: Insta360Ace Pro Winner: DJI Action 4 Winner: Insta360 Ace Pro Winner: DJI Action4 Insta360 Ace Pro or GoPro12 Hmmm tough one - Action4 probably has the nicest balance Winner: Insta360 AcePro hmmm.... fovs are weird, and why is the GoPro 13 so shakey-blurry? I guess my subjective conclusion would be that all 4 action cam models perform well in some low-light conditions but suck in others? "click like and subscribe, and leave your impressions in the comments" 😂

Hi Andreas, you might also want to read this related thread on the subject: cheers ben

Good move - while international Garuda flights are usually fine, it was really taking a big risk with luggage etc. Singapore is a lovely - if a little pricey - place to spend a night, great food as well, I'm sure you'll get good suggestions here (I'm more of a gritty KL person 😅)

Regarding the lenses, I found this 2021 underwater footage shot on a DJI Pocket2 with an anamorphic lens: the other two, Macro and Wide lenses have their uses, sure. The wide lens helps with corner distortions which plagues GoPros since the GoPro5 fov/lens upgrade and with closeups. And shooting UW macro on a GoPro - while certainly possible - is really not ideal (there's a reason GoPro macro video hasn't exploded since Backscatter launched their otherwise excellent macro diopter for action cameras, the MacroMate mini , some 7+ years ago...). But I'm not really convinced anamorphic lenses will revolutionize UW video shooting...

You can add Fiji / Beqa Lagoon to this list - feeding setup, guides with big poles to pushback the tigers. When it doesn't go well it looks like this (no tourists/guides were hurt in this impressive 3 angle capture of something which could have gone very bad... 😅) Word on the grapevine goes that when feeding operations were put on hold during Covid19 lockdowns the sharks moved in closer to shore/beaches, and "nibbles" happened, including bathing dogs IIRC... On the more anecdotal, non-reliable non-feeding side, a few places in French Polynesia have resident tiger sharks, mostly older females, that are spotted on a regular basis around the lagoons. Tikehau comes to mind for instance. And even more anecdotal but still pretty darn gnarly, here's a dead manta carcass turning standard dives into improvised feeding viewing sessions at Palau's German Channel - lasted a few hours - wow... Tiger sharks are spotted a few times a year, mostly at German, so probably same as in FP, resident females... I didn't have the honour when I was working there but there were a couple of sightings. Feeding is not allowed both in French Polynesia and Palau, so the sharks maintain their natural behaviour (and don't offer consistent image opportunities to visitors) cheers ben

Nauticam Shrine - one prayer there is said to protect from a thousand leaks 🙏📷🙏

Thanks Tim - Yes it's odd - I did the test yesterday with an LED lightbulb and there's a dot of light coming out of both ends of both cables. The remote sends an infrared signal, so I don't see anything on the remote itself. But the lights can be triggered directly by the remote with no cable, which seems to indicate that the remote is emitting correctly. I've managed to control both like this, but with the cables, no go. Really not sure what's going on here. I'll cut off the existing patchcables and try placing them in the bulkhead hole, see what happens. Thanks a lot Dave. I'm in a rural area at the moment so the closest 3D printer is probably in south-Bali somewhere, but I'll look into it, could be a great alternative cheers EDIT - chopped off the ends of the patchcord with a stanley knife / box cutter blade and tried the contraption, no luck. the remote works without the cables, so infrared signal is transmitted ok, but for some reason the IR signal doesn't make it through the cables. That said, contrary to the Kraken cables, I can't see light transmitted on the patch cables when placing one end next to a light bulb, so something might be wrong with them... I've tried cutting and recutting them several time, no light makes it through the patchcords, so I guess they're duds... Or fakes? A little odd that both cables don't work.... Otherwise the retailer (Divesea, great service) is sending me multicore cables to try as replacements today, so fingers crossed... The DIY solution is on standby for now...

As a follow-up my remote has finally arrived, along with two Kraken optical cables that I bought for it, but alas, these do not work. Not sure what is going on, I thought it was the remote but it turns out that without the cables the IR transmission from remote to light works, but not with either of the cables... I had also ordered two 2mm patchcords at roughly 0.5 euros each, 2mm Xumikura SC/UPC - LC/UPC - not sure if they're any good for such purposes. Alas, no plugs - two plugs for strobes would cost me around 20 euros for the cheapest I can find (Meikon generics). I can't recycle the Kraken plugs as the cables will most likely be going back to the retailer (who is sending me another cable for tests). I was wondering there any way to DIY plugs to try to connect the patchcords to the ports, so I can see if it works. thanks! This it what it looks like: The non-working new Kraken optical cable, with its Sea&Sea style plug This doesn't work.... Here's the Xumikura 2mm patchord: is there anything I can try to do with this? cheers! b

These are not video lights, but speaking of sturdy Chinese cheapies, as guides, my wife and I used ARCHON V10S U2 860LM dive lights since stumbling upon them in late 2019 - these are amazingly durable workhorses. Not guiding at the moment, but we're still using one each to the day (strapped on our BCs) on every dive. Dual o-ring, single 18650 battery, two power settings + strobe (useful in as beacon when guiding in low-viz or on ascent in night dives ...) Not the strongest (and not constant output, of course) but the first set we had passed the 1000-dive-test with flying colours. I don't exactly remember how they eventually died out at the time, probably the button as usual but they had way (or maybe the glass) over 1000 dives at the time, which is pretty impressive stuff given their price... These are the third batch I've used, probably around 600+ dives on them, and I actually still have 2 brand new spares in my spare kit for when these decide to give in... (the boyish blue and girlish pink was not deliberate, it was all they had left at the time - paint will be completely gone after while anyway) I think the wife's is about to rest-in-peace pretty soon, as there's something fishy with the light head, but for now it's still going strong for now. Yep, pretty bulletproof stuff I'd say, and these I can recommend... 😅 And.... they cost less than 25 euros a piece at the time, ordered from China.... wow While buy-cheap-buy-twice is certainly good rule to follow, every once in a while you find exceptions, especially when it comes to durability issues (Suunto Zoops anyone?). All that said and done, Inon dive lights - used by all my Japanese colleagues - are even more sturdy, and also serviceable (which the Archons were not) and offer a way better light quality, so more of a once-in-10-year investment... It's a choice... cheers ben

Yes, I was mentioning it because it was brought up - it's more in the upper mid-range, but still quite good value compared to Light & Motion or Keldans for instance. The main reason I didn't save a chunk of money by getting something like a Thrustfire was that if was getting something as heavy as a set of light, I would rather have something with a longer lifeline than the Chinese cheapies (most users rate them at 100 dives before having problems for the better ones - but YMMV, some are much more reliable) And also importantly with constant output (rare but important feature for video) and more trustable CRI / lumen ratings and battery packs. Weight underwater was also a deciding factor, as I like my kit to be close to neutral and the Chinese cheapies really are bricks. Price difference is massive, and I totally understand why you would go for something more disposable instead, but I feel that the extra money invested gives me something more stable to really work with on the long run. It would even be truer with a set of Keldan if you have the budget. Massive investment, but one that you can keep 10 years or so, and offering great light quality in a reliable, well designed products. But the prices now are really out of reach for a lot of users... A pair of Kraken was already painful enough 😝

I have just bought the Kraken Hydra 8000 WRGBU - it's a solid product other than the WRGBU button ergonomics which are a slightly ridiculous (3 presses on max power triggers a "select your colour" disco mode - guess what happens when you increase light power a too little quickly underwater.... 😄) Waiting on the remote which should solve the issue. Great otherwise, light quality, constant output (when it stops, it stops!)

speaking of Fuvahmulah https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/27/could-these-maldives-tiger-sharks-help-solve-the-holy-grail-of-shark-research

Very nice! Running your pic in google, it's been spotted a few times in Komodo and other places. I couldn't find a precise ID, but the Japanese refer to it as a type of Komodo tsumeika damashi コビトツメイカダマシ属 (which referes to the Onykia genus) and there is an 1981 article by Takashi OKUTANI on this species, which he first ID'ed in the tropical Indian Ocean. Two New Species of the Squid Genus Onykia from the Tropical Indian Ocean (Cephalopoda, Onychoteuthidae) From what I gathered it's a juvenile from the Onykia squid genus, possibly Onykia indica which was ID'ed by Okutani in 1981

Thanks Tim! I did find some Toslink 2.2mm cables but only in 1m length - there are quite a few options out there (just not multicore) One I currently have my eyes on is this one It's 3mm NS2 G657A2 (single mode fibre) designed for outdoor use, so G657A2 core and HDPE + LSZH jacket. G657.A2 is described in this ressource as having a 7.5mm bending radius, smaller radius being preferable if I understood correctly? Would this be a good option?

I'm a complete fiber-optic cable noob, but have to cross that line for a remote for my Kraken video lights. Kraken has informed me that the cables use a standard "sea and sea" style plug (I guess it's something like this) Before I spend hundreds of euros on two cables, any idea if I can build my own for the remote using this technique? I like the idea of straight cables and they only sell curly ones. Being in Indonesia choice is limited, but I did find these online - what would be best for a remote to light cables, is there anything to look out for? Also I'm not sure how I would get the plugs though (or what to look for actually when it comes to "sea and sea type plugs") Thanks a bunch!

Welcome onboard!

Yes of course, these 3 bags go in the hold with our dive gear, wet suits, clothing, cooking ustensils and the like - wife and I have been fully nomadic (as in no home-base to come back to) for over 8 years now, so while we do stay as minimalist we do have 3x 23kg checked-in bags. Fragile things like electronics, lenses are kept in cabin luggage, using utility jackets with multiple pockets to pass the dreaded 11 to 7 kg cabin luggage weigh-in. For this it's backpacks and an ultralight 2 wheel roller-case (which is the one most likely to get weight-checked.

on a related note, here's an article on planton: https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/aug/20/strange-and-wondrous-creatures-plankton-and-the-origins-of-life-on-earth

Yes, it's ambient light with a filter works best in places / depth where you have enough ambient light to work with. Even in the tropics, 20/25m is generally the limit, so testing beyond 25m in the Med was very ambitious 😅 Beyond 25m, it's probably best to use no filter to try to scrounge as much remaining ambient light as you can and just make do with a colour cast or, more classically for wrecks and deep shots go for artificial lighting in the 25-50m+ zone.... Generally with good ambient light (and also remembering to shoot with the sun to your back, which is very important for ambient) and favourable conditions, you get nice, workeable results between 5-20m, the sweet spot usually being 10-15m zone. In my experience, in this depth range the results you can get with a flat profile + filter combination in terms of colour balance far outweigh the -1.5 stop of light you'll lose with the filter... Lastly one thing to look out when using filter is actual water colour - the Med. is generally greener, meaning underwater colour balance / filtration of the ambient light spectrum is quite different than in blue water. Typically, filters designed for greener waters tend to be more magenta than reddish, to help rebalance the spectrum better (whereas typical "red" filters are designed for cyan / blue waters). This is a subject which hasn't been looked into enough - mostly because strobe-lit underwater photography is leading the underwater imaging game, and ambient light videography in green waters is quite niche - and would need more hands on testing. UR-Pro had more magenta green water filter btw. I've been looking into filters themselves a bit lately (and plan to do some testing with some gels that a generous soul took the trouble of meticulously wrapping and sending over here 🙏), and based on this my current hunch is that there two ways to approach the ambient light + filter question: - aim for colour accuracy, and try to rebalance the ambient light spectrum at depth to get accurate colours. This is what Keldan Spectrum filters aim to do for instance - logical, but tricky, as this is both dependent on depth (Keldan is looking at depth range, and basically correcting the spectrum to simulate a shallower depth), and more importantly, conditions and water quality, over which we have no control - aim for aesthetically pleasing results - basically offer a less accurate filter but one which will shift hues in an aesthetically pleasing result. This is what the legendary UR-Pro Cyan was doing for instance, and why it worked so well in blue water. Beyond filters, my theory is that this is also what is going with so-called "Canon colours" , ambient light manually white-balanced at depth. If you look closely at underwater ambient light footage shot on manually white-balanced on Canon cameras, the WB itself isn't necessarily super accurate, generally a little warm and yellow - actually somewhat similar to what the UR-Pro filter is doing - but it's very pleasing to watch. Just lovely. With the extra advantage is that there is no light / definition loss from extra material in front of the lens. I suspect that more than actual WB accuracy, Canon ambient light manual white balance at depth (deeper than what the camera can accurately compensate) works best by shifting greens to warmer yellows like a filter. It would be interesting to test this with ungraded footage ambient Canon and a colour checker. (there is a actually a a third way when it comes to filters, which is to not think about too much and just sell any bit of reddish looking material looking like other filters as a "red filter" because it can't do no harm - this more common that you'd think but let's not get into that 😁)

it was a tough choice beleive me 😅 After a lot of tossing and turning through what I could buy in Indonesia, I finally got the new Kraken Hydras 8000 V2 - lighter than the previous at -290g underwater, and they're constant output with 40 minutes at 8000lm and 60 at 6000lm. Only one test so far, but light quality out-of-box is really better than the MW4300 (which I am keeping), a higher CRI does make a difference and I really don't understand why Backscatter went for a CRI 0f 70. Ergonomics are so-so because of the RGBU mode - for useability it would be better if it could be locked away somewhere so you won't risk activating it when shooting with standard lighting. Dealing with 4 power buttons is complicated enough for me in the field, and unfortunately a quick double press on high power activates a cycling RGB mode, which is not a good design choice at all, because guess what happens when you quickly increase the power to the max... disco-time! I'm hoping the remote will solve these issues 😄

Thanks! After a lot of tossing and turning, I've just had major light upgrade, and while there's a lot to do get back cruising speed in terms of trim and buoyancy I hope to work on these blue water subjects in the coming weeks if they're around. First tests with the new lights today were quite promising. Pretty interesting stuff going on in there, especially when it comes to planktonic hitchhikers 😉 cheers b