Christian K

”The Pelican Case”

Perhaps not individual travellers. That would be very inefficient I would assume. But dive travel operations, tour organizers and tourism agencies that team up and turn to the local authorities with proper judicial back-up. It is a pretty specific case of misusing the law to point to and, I suppose, very specific individuals that do it to point at.

What’s the cheapest carnet alternative? Anyone here looked into it? The ones I’ve found are $500ish. Cheaper to pay the 16% tax? But sometimes it’s not about the money. It’s the principle. Is what happening correct from a Mexican perspective (judicial)? Are those custom agents in their right or are they doing something wrong? Do their superiors have anything to say? I find it hard to buy that the intention of Mexican law is to tax tourists on holiday on camera equipment used non-professionaly—un-professionally in quite a few cases 😆

Bummer. Was entertaining the idea of going to Socorro in March on a photo ws. Perhaps I can get an invoice saying I don’t own my gear-only rented it.

Can she fit a Nauticam wwl-c on her current housing? It’s €1100 iirc and works with 24 mm lenses to produce 130 degrees very good iq.

Red Sea Diving Safaris camp Marsa Shagra is good. My kids practically grew up there (ok, a tiny exaggeration 🙂 …). But been 5-6 times with them from around 4-5 to … 22. Now a one year old will not enjoy snorkeling, but it is chill and nothing to do but dive, sleep, eat, read… Excellent house reef with unlimited diving. Go solo if you're solo cert’d or if they know you well. Walk in from shore or take a reef taxi (zodiacs with driver at your disposal). Two trips every morning to Elphinstone (15-20 minute ride) 7:00 and 10:00. Good chance for various shark sightings depending on time of year—has gotten too crowdwed with big liveaboards tho inmo. Still nice. There’re a few different options for rooms, from tents to bungalows. Good and plenty of food buffet style.

No batfish under the jetty (Bakalan). Don’t know if it was just now or if they’re gone? Frogfish yes. Multiple Rhinopias in the bay, but not at the Jetty.

Did see snakes yes. Not a large number. For hammerheads on tropical reefs, maybe Banda Sea. It’s chance encounters in Alor. Not super reliable and only around full moon it seems like. Sudanese Red Sea also used to be good, but no boats there due to unrest. There’s Galapagos and Socorro and Cocos—but that is very a different type of backdrop.

Not a proper trip report, sorry. Just a few random comments since -- some might be interested. I travelled with my daughter to Indonesia in early September to dive, shoot and film in the Alor Strait (and celebrate our birthdays who fall just two days from each other). I've just moved from aps-c DSLR:s (Nikon DX) to a mirrorless Nikon z6iii. I previously housed my cameras in Hugyfot housings but they [Hugyfot] doesn't make housings anymore. Not sure exactly what happened to them. A fellow Swede, Magnus Lundgren*, convinced me that wet optics is the way to go and that steered me to Nauticam and since I do fly, compact and travel friendly was a high priority. Being used to Nikon and that they also had the z24-50 that allowed for the compacter WWL-1C instead of the slightly (not much) bigger WWL-1B for 28-70 optics, nudged me to stay with Nikon. With that said, I probably would have been happy to go with any other brand. *also happens to be the Nauticam rep in Sweden :) ... So, I managed to make the move from a cropped sensor system to FF and actually loose some bulk/weight. Yey. ... I found the Nauticam housing intuitive and easy to use. Easier to set up. Just a little time to get familiar with buttons placements etc. The z6iii is very much a Nikon so if one is used to Nikon it is quick and easy. The biggest wow is the EVF for me. Really awesome to see subtle (and big) changes on the spot in real time. ... The compact wet optics also is a fantastic little piece of equipment paired with the "simple" 24-50 kit zoom. Now to be fair to the zoom it has proved itself to be very sharp in tests. It's just the plastic package that feels a bit cheap. So all in all the question is not if this little kit is capable of capturing a world class image that ends up on covers and win all the competitions. The question is: are YOU? :) ... What I did notice as others have also noticed, is that the WWL-C is prone to flares when you shoot against the sun. Its biggest flaw inmo. ... We went to Alor from Stockholm via Doha and Jakarta, Then the red eye Batik Air (02:00) to Kupang and arrived in time to catch the morning Lion Air flight to Alor. We spent 10 days with Alor Divers on Pantar Island in the north part of the strait. The diving is extremely tide dependent and intimate local knowledge is absolutely crucial to hit the various sites at the right time. Many sites can be seriously dangerous if dived wrong. There were a few liveaboards that placed their guests at the wrong reef at the wrong time and they had to abort/cancel dives. ... There was not a single bad dive site inmo. Big variety. Little like if Raja Ampat and Lembeh had a child and it grew up. Only thing missing is a manta cleaning station or a dependable shark spot. Neither any huge barracuda schools. But coral growth is insanely rich and healthy. Lots of fish. Schooling fish of many varieties in big quantities. Generally very good visibility in September (dry season--now, we actually had rain for a day or so and they had floods in Bali which is also in its dry season, so a bit weird) Some blacktip reef sharks were always seen on one of the reefs. XXL bumphead parrotfish. Actually six hammerhead sharks as well, but a quick and dirty encounter. Don't even have lousy proof shots. A school/group of eagle rays 8-9. Then all the small weird creatures, frogfishes, crabs and shrimps, seahorses, octos and cuttlefish, rhinopias, snakes, eels... For ME personally, not really that fascinated in that for the shooting tbh, but they're seriously cool animals. ... Alor Divers was perfect for my needs as a photographer. The owner is a keen photographer himself and bungalows are built with photographers in mind. Lots of electrical plugs on the big desk/table, a strong lamp that can be moved around so that old eyes can see. On arrival one of the managers came to see "what size you were" and a rinse bucket / tank was brought to your bungalow for you to use. They have 8 bungalows so 16 guests is max. Only a couple of bungalows with AC, which inmo opinion and in dry season is not necessary. Nights weren't so hot. Fans in the roof did the job and neither me or my daughter were bothered (and we're Scandies from the cold North). Food was served buffet style and it was very good inmo, ok in my 23 y/o daughters. Always 3-4 dishes. Lots of fish, rice, vegetables. Sometimes chicken. Seldom meat. Healthy touch to it. ... They arrange two boat dives per day and then you can make extra dives on their excellent house reef. When the tide is right it is a dive that would be the best dive site of many destinations. You get help to carry equipment if you wish. I think the have a 1:4 guide guest ratio maximum on dives. We were never more than 6 divers with 2 or three guides. Once you have done the house reef with a guide, you can dive on your own. I even made a few solo dives there. Local guides Johnny and Rio excellent and knew where to find what. Very low key and friendly. Pleasant to dive with and to be around. Seemed to be genuinely enthusiastic and engaged about the reefs and the unique array of marine life in the Alor Strait, even though they have made thousands and thousands of dives there over the last 15-20 years. ... Can't come up with more atm. Feel free to ask questions.

Unfortunately it seems bleaching happens more frequently all over. Inme Pemba was pretty much spared in the biggest El Niño in 1998 when the Maldives, Seychelles and other central / western Indian Ocean locations were so heavily hit and most coral died. If Mafia, which is fairly close and sits in shallower water, escaped, chances are Pemba has too. It can be very local tho. However, Pemba is a deep sea island surrounded by big depths and corresponding water masses and currents, which normally is a good thing when it comes to avoiding elongated periods of too warm water. Don't get your hopes up too high regarding whale sharks around Pemba. Please report back.

I've lost 2-3 neoprene covers through the years due to a Mares BCD with "netsection"-pockets made out of plastic/rubber that deteriorated and zippers that gave up after 15-20 years and a 'few' dives. Aforementioned BCD now retired.

I have this one. Most of my shooting has not needed it, I mainly shoot WA. Closest I get to macro is CFWA 😀 I feel (in theory) that the af is pretty fast and sticks. What’s your experience? Anyways I will start videoing a bit too so a better torch is on the list. Gold star to me for DIYing a lanyard: Will be drilling a hole in the wwl-c cover and attach it to myself or carv up my own neoprene cover. Cheers!

Question Dave, do you use the hard plastic protection cap for the lens when you go in the water? I’m used to a neoprene cover on my domes but none is available for the wwl-c afaik? Or do you ”strip” before you jump in?

Good to go!

Sorry, Nauticam compact wet lens, didn’t I write that? And z24-50 lens. Just missing the camera body here (nauti house, z240x2, cables, macro port, extension, zoom gear, 24-50 lens in peli 1480 air). Wet lens and arms go in personal item (fanny pack). Chargers and batteries and extras go in checked.

So I have made the move. Have been a DX shooter since 2005 and was reluctant to FF due to a number of reasons, mainly bulkiness and weight (travel) and difficulties with rectilinear wide angle, which I use a lot. So now I’m putting my hope to a little compact wet lens paired with a kit zoom… Apparently an awesome combo, I’ll see in a couple of weeks on a trip to nusa Tengerra… I have been using Hugyfot housings before, sleek and small. Now I’ve converted to Nauticam. The latter is a tad lighter and with handles removed for packing, about the same size. Z-body and optics smaller and lighter than DX versions. The wet lense is smaller and lighter than a big dome port. The macro port for the Nauticam is very little and light. So I managed to make the move and actually, it looks like, loose some weight and pack a tad tighter. So far mission accomplished. So now let’s just hope images will not be sheit 🙂

The photogear insurance sound interesting. I will look into that for sure. As for regular travel insurance and incidents / accidents, I am covered by my home insurance for 45 days abroad, assisted by SOS international, evac, treatments everything.

Sad indeed. Manta rays and sharks are seldom eaten though, very poor meat. Finns dried and sold to the Chinese. Meat become animal fodder. Still, it’s their part of the world and they’re free to do as they wish with their natural resources.

2.4 with padding, which I won’t use, only thin foam in bottom and lid, then cloth and bubble wrap. So it’s close to two. A very swift and easy move of a couple of items, 10 second operation, to my private :) fanny .. gets me close to 7. Carrying the Nauti house as personal item an option, many do it. But I very much prefer to have it tucked in a case, so it can be ”tossed around” a bit. Have never considered putting the camera inside during travel. Tried to chose everything with weight in mind for solo traveling. Dropping the pelican might save another 400 grams or so… worth considering. Kind of want the protection though, I’m used to travel that way, old dog, new tricks… Now when I go with my daughter … it will be a non issue. She only has a gopro with a small handle and lamp. We just pack e v e r y t h i n g in two 7 kg carry on pelicans. Then 2 x 30 kgs checked.

Yes, unfortunately so. According to locals there used to be plenty of manta rays, but all fished out since 25-30 years ago. There’s a reef in the Fundu gap that they called manta reef or manta point, which is a cleaning station. No more. Still was an incredible dive even w/o mantas. Explosion of life. The best area inme together with the reefs that dropped off into the abyss north of Pemba. It is an oceanic island different to the other ones in the archipelago , in some ways like Sipadan compared to the other islands in the Sulawesi sea off NE Sabah.

”Best” season for Pemba is November to April roughly. Outside that period chances for good conditions are a less. It is very tide dependent. Only a short window every day is good which means only two good dives a day. Intimate, local experience and knowledge absolute critical. There were fields of dead coral already 20 years ago—dynamite fishing had been practiced by local military according to the dive center—but very limited. It seemed to have escaped the big bleaching in 1998 that hit the Indian Ocean badly, Maldives in particular. But for the most vast areas of living, beautiful coral. Visibility incredibly clear and lots and lots of fish. Roaring currents. Also bigger schooling fish like barracuda and trevally, and game fish. No sharks or mantas. It was inmo a lot better than diving around Zanzibar.

Pelican Air 1485 2,07 Inon Z-240 x2 1,24 Nikon Z6 III+battery 0,76 Nauticam Z6III-hus 2,70 Cables 0,15 WWL-C 1,05 Nikon Z 24-50 mm 0,20 Nauticam Macro Port 6 0,35 Bayonet Mount Converter 0,115 Total 8,635 kg Moving the wwl-c and perhaps the 24-50 to my ”personal item”—a fannypack with 4 arm segments and six clamps—will get it down to 7ish carry-on legal weight. NiMh AA:s, chargers etc. and additional gear in checked luggage—I’ll be able to shoot even if checked luggage is delayed or ”lost”, batteries and chargers can be replaced in most semi civilized areas. A plan in theory in this moment. Will test it in a month or so :)

Pemba Island in that region also interesting. Was many years ago, spent a week on Manta Lodge on its north tip. Very different to Zanzibar as it sits outside the continental shelf and has very deep waters all the way up to its shores. Kind of fjordlike ”gaps” that cuts into the island with 100+ meter deep walls. Pemba channel 1000 meters deep. Don’t know if there are any good DC:s now. Mafia and Pemba would make an interesting combo.

Gotcha. Cheers, the 1.xx kgs apparently the 24 mm variant…