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Kraken de Mabini

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Posts posted by Kraken de Mabini

    CAPTAIN JAMES BLACK

    November 5, 1949 - May 18, 2024

    Now, a bit over one year since Captain Jim Black's left us, let us recall his fine friendship to many, and his role as a teacher to his friends of Scuba diving and underwater photography

    Jim's loyal and wide circle of friends was arose because Jim loved people, and was full of good will to all. He was also very intelligent, loved to dive and study the oceanic life,  learned all he could, and then with the greatest of enthusiam and charm was happy and eager to share his good times and  knowledge of the ocean and its life.   

     Jim loved scuba diving, became a Scuba Instructor, and then while we were on a several days boat dive trip to a far away dive site such as Coco Island, he taught PADI approved dive courses so we too could enjoy all that sea life has to offer. 

      I first met Jim in Costa Rica, where we dived Coco Island from the Undersea Hunter boat. During the afternoons as we motored to the island, a trip of several days, Jim taught the PADI Master diver course, free of charge.   

     Later, a small group of international divers soon formed around Jim, and we would congregate in Bangkok for a few days of shopping and dining before embarking on a long dive trip in South East Asian waters on local dive boats such as the Raja Ampat Explorer. 

    Jim introduced us not only to the amazing street shopping, and excellent tailor shops, but also also the fine dining and night life in the karaoke bars, where he would soon be on the stage, singing in his amazingly fine voice, and giving impersonations of the Blues Brothers.

     Back home in Pittsburgh, after retiring as a commercial airline captain, Jim lived at  home with his dear Amy, cared for his cats, and at the local scuba club gave travelogues, and taught PADI scuba diving. 

    It is now a bit over one year since Jim's fatal heart attack, a time both to remember him and to acknowdge his admirable life and his constant efforrts to benefit his friends.  He was a burst of happy life and energy for this friends both in the karaoke bars of S.E Asia and while diving in Costa Rica, Anilao, Lembeh and other exotic dive spots.

    Captain Jim, your many friends all miss you!

    Elias Amador, M.D. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA USA

    Good questions. After thinking it over, it seems best for me to take the camera with housing to a photo shop, such as Bluewater Photo.  I now have to set aside a half day for the long drive to and from the shop.  

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    Edited by Kraken de Mabini

    19 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

    Are you talking about a Canon compact G series camera and asking about a closeup diopter to use with it?

    Hi Chris:  It is an old standard size G Canon, not a compact.  Maybe I should take the camera and housing to my local camera dealer, for them to suggest a lens. Thank you for suggesting a close up diopter. 

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    Edited by Kraken de Mabini

      The strobes and housing i wrap in my wet suit and clothes, and pack them in my two hard shell suitcases. The camera and lenses I wrap in some clothes in my camera bag. The suitcases I check as luggage and the camera bag i carry with me.

      I have travelled like this for over 20 years with no problem.  

    If possible, it might be great for you to keep both your homes, the one in Hawaii and the one in a South Carolina Island which gives you ready access to the Caribbean.  You would then have access to two diving paradises, Hawaii and the Caribbean.  Maybe three if the diving from your South Carolina Island is at all interesting.  The marvels of modern air travel may well allow you to juggle all three, that is if your land obligations are compatible with a diverse underwater life. 

    • Like 2

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    Edited by Kraken de Mabini

    Neville Coleman's "Nudibranchs Encyclopedia", while a bit old, is an excellent book, well worth having together with Gosliner's books.

    Thosee by Helmut Debelius are also well worth having.

     

    I found that the more books I have on sea life, the more I enjoy them, they are an excellent investment.  Their authors have done us all lovers of sea life a huge favor by gathering and publishing their knowledge, we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.  

     

    Through my late dive buddy Capt Jim Black, an expert nudibranch aficionado, I had the opportunity to meet several of these authors, and they were a pleasure to be with. Their books are on my desktop as I write this. 

    Amazon offers an excellent variety of books on reef life: 

    https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon.com+nudibranch+reef+life+books&sca_esv= 

    • Like 2

    If you glue it, it might be a good idea, as a backup, to also screw the broken pieces together.  This is because the handles are subject to a lot of leverage and kinetic energy while being handled. 

    I also use a rope handle attached to the top of the two handles, for carrying the housing assembily and for making it easy for the boat crew to grab and handle it.

    • Like 1

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    Edited by Kraken de Mabini

    Thank you, jlaity and RichN, for clarifying the finer details of the on-off-on again of Wetpixel, and the opportunity it opens to scammers. The safest and best use of one's time may be to bypass Wetpixel altogether, ignore it and let it wither. 

     

    Instead, allow me to suggest that we read and enjoy, and contribute to, Waterpixels.

       

    • Like 5

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