TimG

How much buoyancy do you usually need to add for a macro and a WA setup? I usually add Stix Jumbo floats to ULCS arms.

Still mourning my beloved Subal housed D500, I have to think about next steps. I don’t want FF and there’s no Nikon Z equivalent to a D500. So I’m thinking M43 and the Olympus OM-1 I thought I’d switch to Nauticam. Paired with a 45 degree finder. Then an Olympus 60mm macro and FP. Tokina 10-17s are hard to find so I’m thinking a 100mm Zen glass domeport with either the 8mm Pany or 8mm Olympus. Various articles I’ve read suggest the 8mm Pany works better in a Zen100 dome than the Olympus. But maybe I’m missing something? I’m not sure I really want to head down the Canon 8-15/adaptor route. I do have a Nikkor 8-15 but understand that’s hard to set up with an Olympus. So that’s where I’m at: saddened with slight trepidation staring into the barely known. Thoughts welcome to add to excellent advice from Chris. Thanks!

Davide, thanks! If you can, a Cressi Big Etes and let me know the cost. 🙏👍🏼👍🏼

Amongst all the items I lost in a liveaboard fire was my Cressi Big Eyes mask which Seethesea had bonded +2 readers into the lower element of the mask. The mask was perfect. Does anyone know anywhere in the EU who bonds lenses into masks? I don’t need a full mask lens, just readers. Otherwise it’s going to be an old pair of readers on a cord I guess.

I’m sure fierce competition in areas like the Red Sea has led to the many accidents and fires recorded there in recent years. We had a similar thought on the materials used for construction. We were on Emperor Harmoni last year in Raja and that was a very solid wooden construction. And the metal hull of Caribbean Explorer doing the Saba/St Kitts trip. Our group has certainly been put off liveaboards for the moment! Next trip(s) are very likely to be shore/resort based.

Ironically I would normally have had my phone with me for the group photo, my partner too. But this time, naah…..

I think that's the over-heating warning I pulled this off ChatGPT: This happens when: shooting long rapid bursts, using high power repeatedly, using strong modeling/pilot light, or in warm water/air conditions. The strobe will automatically: reduce flash power, limit the pilot light, or temporarily stop normal operation to protect internal components. What to do: stop firing for a minute or two, turn down pilot light brightness, reduce burst shooting, let the strobe cool in the water. Once temperature drops, the blinking should stop automatically. Retra specifically recommends shooting in intervals with 30–60 second pauses if you’re pushing the strobe hard. Oskar might well chip-in.......

Hi KiruKakuni! A warm welcome to Waterpixels. Great to have you with us. I’ve just got back from the Maldives…..

Great to have you with us. A warm welcome to Waterpixels. Best wishes

Thanks. Bit more shocked than I thought we would be - but ok. Having survived (!), the gear loss is utterly depressing. I'm going to need some expert advice from you guys on what direction to go next. Slowly, slowly.....

Good plan on the backups, Robert. One other fly in the disaster ointment I’ve found. I have a UK SIM in my phone. My provider will only mail out a physical SIM to my UK contact address. Won’t email out an eSIM nor mail overseas. A local SIM has restored some functions but many remain inaccessible till I get that UK one. I’ve been on liveaboards where the CD has collected all passports and kept them in a dry bag with a Satphone at the entrance to the salon. Very wise move. We all had go-bags but they were in our cabins. One or two were able to grab these but the majority couldn’t.

Oyyyyy, I’m so very sorry to read this, maka0n. I can guess how much care and thought you’d put into the system. Especially upsetting when people take advantage of an emergency. I hope you can get some insurance back. But even then the sense of loss is huge. Sorry, mate. 😔

Hey Klaus Yeah, the temptation to go and grab is huge. But the more I see of the blaze, especially seeing various videos after taken from different angles, the more I realised DONT DO IT. I stopped beating myself up that I didn’t try to at least grab passports and phones Gear replacement: have to say I’m agonising. I loved my setup, built over 19 years. It was pure muscle memory to use. Yes, mirrorless. Maybe M43. The cost to start from scratch is huge of course (yep, some insurance refund) and at my stage in life, I do question whether it’s worth it. Early days though. I’m not sure I appreciated quite the shock such events create and decision making becomes a bit hazy. One other thing I learned: life without a mobile phone is very difficult to say the least. Rebuilding a mobile phone is a not easy even with a backup when the SIM etc is gone and you’re not in your own country. I’d suggest making sure you have log in details for eg Google or Apple accounts committed to memory so you can at least get the numbers of your friends and family. Who remembers peoples phone numbers now? They’re all in your phone…..

A very good point, John. The conditions were "ideal": daylight, in the harbour, calm, rescue boats nearby. It would have been totally different on a dive site. At night it would have been a disaster. One other thing on reflection: the boat safety briefing included a good explanation of the sundeck-roof mounted liferafts. They were the standard type in drum-like, white-painted metal containers. In the event of the boat sinking, the rafts would release, inflate etc..... But In a fire? We estimated it would take 4 of us to lift one of the containers off its mounts and throw it into the sea - with flames all around.

Hi Terri! Great to have you with us. A warm welcome to Waterpixels. If you're looking for specific advice on the Sony system, by all means search our site or post a question in the relevant forum. I'm sure you'll get lots of help. Best wishes