Kraken de Mabini

Wonderful video, thank you. It reminded me of a dive trip in the Sea of Cortez, on the Don Jose boat in the 1980's, when a pod of orcas came up to the boat, we got into the skiff to be close to them, unfortunately we were not allowed by the captain to free dive with them. Most memorable.

For those of us who at times may have problems with fiber optic cables and end plugs (adapters) to trigger underwater strobes, please allow me to suggest some practical information and solutions. Underwater Fiber Optic cables can are single or multi-fiber (strand), coiled or ‘straight’. Problem: Breakable Single Fiber Cables of 1 mm diameter, with a thin rubber coating are commonly sold, but they are unreliable as the fiber breaks easily. It is important to watch out for, and not buy them. Problem: Coiled cables, single or multi-strand, are a pain as the coil gets in the way, can get snagged and lost while diving. As the coil stretches only a little, it is hardly useful. Coiled cables are best avoided. Some solutions are: Make one's own Toslink Cables with Uxcell Plug Ends Toslink audio cable and Uxcell plugs are inexpensive, tough, and readily available on the web (1), an excellent DIYchoice. Toslink cable is 3 mm o.d. with a 1.3 mm single light carrying fiber. Uxcell end plugs are glued to its end. The cable tip can be tapered with a razor blade, like sharpening a pencil, to fit tightly in the plug, then glued with rubber or ABS plumbers cement, and the tip cut with a razor to give a clean end. To keep the cable securely out of the way while diving, TimG suggests one weave it through the holes of the ULCS-style arms, where it is easy to remove, with no strain on either plug end. Multistrand Cables Multistrand cables are tougher and carry more light than single fiber cables. They have from 9 up to 613 light conducting fibers per cable, and cost about $7.50 / meter. An example is the 613 core fiber cable, P/N MCQ-1500-22, made by Asahi Kasei in Japan. One advantage of a multistrand cable is it fits in the right angle of a Hotshot-style L-adaptor. Otherwise, cables with one, or a small number of strands, are also excellent choices to fire uw strobes, cost less and are easier to get. Cable End Plugs Most strobes and housings use the 7 mm diameter Sea&Sea type plugs (aka adapters or grommets) sold by Fun-In and DiverVision in Taiwan, and Amazon and uw photo stores elsewhere. The plugs are made of one piece rubber or plastic, with holes for 1.5 mm cable, or are L-shaped, with two halves joined by screws, and a central L-shaped cable groove. TimG tells us he uses a cable with Howshot L-adaptors at the housing end, and Inon double bush plugs at the Retra end. In his experience, the 613 and 217 core cables both work perfectly. I have used the Uxcell strain relief plugs with Toslink cables for over 4 years to fire my Sea&Sea YS-D2J's and Inon Z240 strobes; these cables and plugs are tough, inexpensive, readily available and have worked perfectly for me, with no problems. Complete Cables With Plugs UW photo stores such as Backscatter, Reef Photo, B&H, Amazon and others, including eBay, sell complete cables for prices ranging from $18 to $135 and higher. As far as I can tell, if the buyer’s goal is to buy a reliable, low price, multifiber cable, the price has no relation to quality. But it is important to avoid single fiber, breakable cables, one has to double check that the seller explicitly states the cable is multi-fiber. Buyer beware. Suggestions If you are not inclined to configure your own cable, my suggestion is to buy a low price multi-fiber cable complete with end fittings, (and preferably no coil, should such be available). If you are DIY inclined, I suggest making your own cables with Toslink cable and Uxcell ends from eBay or Amazon (2 - 4). References 1. Amazon is the supplier I use as they have most everything. Or you can buy from: https://i-fiberoptics.com/fiber-detail-asahi.php 2.Fiberfin https://fiberfin.com/product/1-x-2-2mm-industrial-pof-cable-19-multi-core-ul-vw-1-rated-500-meter-spool/ 3. Uxcell 20pcs 27mmx7mmx4mm Micro Strain Relief Cord Boot Protector. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XBG5U82/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 4. http://www.divervision.com/howshot-fiber-adapter-l-for-seasea-ys-strobes-FAL-SS.html

It looks like a partly decomposed critter, maybe a fish, as the blue part to the right looks like it might be a fish head, and does not resemble any nudibranch I can think of.

Hi Aaron (and all), Happy Holidays! I love to dive in Anilao, but my resort, Club Ocellaris, has not reopened. I like 90 min or so dives, 10-15 m max depth, 3 or 4 dives/day, with no guide or a dive guide who leaves me alone. Which resort, preferably without steep hillside stairs, do you recommend? Thank you.

Please note: "This app is available only on the App Store for iPhone and iPad"

Great Titan Tigger fish shot! My dive buddy went too close to a Tigger fish incubating her eggs, she chased him away and bit him in the butt!

Wow! What a great collection of fish portraits! What lens(es) would you recommend for fish face "portraits"?

and here: https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/60564-diy-fiber-optic-writeup-with-parts/page/5/

The Uxcell plugs (aka grommets or boot protectors) can be secured to the fiberoptic cable with black PVC plumbers cement. Just coat the tip of the cable with cement and push it into the grommet. Once dry, cut off the tip of the grommet + cable with a single-edge razor so the light shines through. https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-a15111000ux0505-Rubber-Strain-Protector/dp/B019DCXAE8/ref=sr_1_22_sspa?crid=1KD4A630TU08P&keywords=cable+boot+grommet&qid=1703702134&sprefix=cable+boot+grommet%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-22-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

Thank you, Tim, for a clear how-to on fiber optic cables. Previous useful posts on how to built them can be found here: https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/search/&q="fiber optic cable"

To add to Dave Hicks' suggestion, fiberoptic cables and plugs are available from Amazon: TosLink fiber optic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LJQPE0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Rubber grommets to fit snugly in the Sea & Sea Fiber Optic hole: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XBG5U82/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I use a single edge razor blade and a wood surface to cut the cable, and roll the cable as I saw the razor back and forth, so far with good results. Please let us know how it works out. Good luck and Happy New Year!

to http://echengphoto.com. Dear Eric: Thank you for having conceived, launched and guided Wetpixel in its formative years. Now countless underwater photographers enjoy it, and its successor Waterpixels, all of whom are grateful to you. Elias, Los Angeles CA.

Hi, Tim. Yes, it is great that Waterpixels is on-line and thriving. A minor suggestion: an Edit function is needed for the sidebar posts so that the person who has just posted a sidebar comment can edit it: I frequent need to edit my posts for misspellings and skipped words. Happy Holidays! Elias

I Googled "underwater camera traps" and this popped up: A low-cost, long-term underwater camera trap ... PLOS https://journals.plos.org › plosone › article › journal.p... by SM Bilodeau · 2022 · Cited by 13 — The DEAC camera trap design is a reliable, cost-effective, and easy-to-implement solution allowing the expansion of terrestrial camera trapping ... MantaID : LIDAR based underwater camera trap Ando Shah https://ando.xyz › work › manta-id The world's first underwater camera trap, designed to automatically capture the lives of manta rays and sharks. A low-cost, long-term underwater camera trap network ... National Institutes of Health (.gov) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC8809566 by SM Bilodeau · 2022 · Cited by 13 — Underwater camera traps proved to be energy-efficient, durable, and capable of producing large volumes of quality images representative of the fish communities ... The Open-source Camera Trap for Organism ... ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com › science › article › pii by JW Humbert · 2023 — This Open-source Camera Trap for Organism Presence and Underwater Surveillance (OCTOPUS) was designed to operate as a motion activated camera trap, ... Low-cost underwater camera trapping and deep ... WildLabs https://wildlabs.net › article › low-cost-underwater-ca... Nov 30, 2021 — Low-cost underwater camera trapping and deep learning.

I on the edge of Los Angeles, in Palos Verdes, a peninsule jutting into the Pacific and the Catalina Island Channel. I can see Catalina Island from my window, and go diving in the Channel, wearing a 4 mm wet suit. I also dive in Indonesia and the Philippines. Anilao is my favorite dive spot, as it has wonderful life for macro photography. Please post your underwater photos and tell us of your trips and dive experiences.