Whiskeyjack

Yep, like he mentioned doesn't matter much for macro in Anilao, Dauin, etc, but if you're going to hit Bohol, Malapascua, Moalboal then the better vis is definitely nice.

Perhaps marginally warmer in March, especially the 2nd half. By April things are definitely warmer.

I just pulled out my teric logs to confirm I wasn't off on my temps. I have low temps of 24.5C in Feb of 2020, 25 in Feb 2021, 26C in 2022, 26C in 2023, didn't dive this Feb. So it likely won't reach 23C but 25 I would expect. Outside Feb-March it would be similar to Indonesia at 27-30C

I don't think they would return to the resort between blackwater dives but I could be wrong. Are you talking about air temps or water temps? Feb is the coldest water temps here in PH, I would expect 23-26C in the water. Air temps don't really go below 26C. I run warm but dive a sharkskin (2mm equivalent) down to about 22C with no issue. It's rare to see 5mm suits here and I've never seen anyone diving 7mm. Most people have 3mm suits and perhaps a hooded vest if they run cold.

I'm pretty sure the resorts that do blackwater (Crystal Blue, Anilao Photo Academy) will do blackwater any night you want to. There might be an additional charge if you're the only diver since they have to take the boat out. I've only done 1 dive per night but they might do 2, you'd want to contact them as suggested.

There is lots of blackwater in Anilao (Crystal Blue is a good spot for that as others have mentioned, the owner Mike likes to do blackwater dives), and it's also offered in Romblon. Anilao also has what they call "bonfire" diving which is similar in concept, but they stay shallow and place the lights in the sand instead of on ropes out in the blue. I would try to contact Ram Yoro if you're interested in bonfire, he's the guy who pioneered it and offers courses, etc. It's generally cheaper than blackwater dives as you don't need a boat.

One of the resorts in Anilao has mandarin fish on the house reef, I think it's the Aiyanar house reef? It's been a few years...

I live in Manila and have been to every place mentioned so far. Anilao and Puerto Galera are going to be the easiest to get to. Fly into Manila, 2-3 hours by van to Anilao, PG is just a 1 hour boat ride away. You'll get lots of macro in Anilao and more variety in PG. You could fill 2 weeks at these two places. I really like Malapascua, and recently tiger sharks are common along with the threshers. However, the other areas you mentioned in conjunction with this will be a full day travel in between. For example, to get to Malapascua you fly into Cebu, take a 3-4 hour van ride, then a 45 minute boat to the island. To get to Moalboal from there you are looking at the same boat back to the main island, then probably another 3-4 hours by van. Then you would take a 2-3 hour bus back to Cebu city, and from there either a 30 minute flight or a 2 hour ferry to Dumaguete/Dauin. You'll have to decide if that much travel is worth it. Unfortunately the common theme here in PH is going to be lots of slow land travel to get between places. The roads are bad, domestic flights and ferries are more often delayed than not. Romblon was one of my favorite macro destinations mostly because there are many fewer divers. The reason for this is that you have to take an 8 hour ferry to get there and there's only 2-3 resorts on the island that offer diving. Bohol is another interesting option, you could do a few days in the Panglao are and dive Alona beach/Balicasag island, etc to get your fill of walls and reef diving, then head to Anda by van and do your macro and muck diving there. If you don't mind the land travel, I would personally do your Moalboal/Malapascua/Dauin trip. Dauin has my favorite muck diving (I prefer it to Anilao mostly because I like the beach and the resorts in Dauin more, and Romblon is too hard to get to), the sardines in Moalboal are a cool thing to see, and Malapascua is one of the only places in PH you'll 100% see sharks, and there is good macro diving there as well for your afternoon dives. Be aware the shark dives will elave at 5am, something to consider if you're not a morning person.

I found one a while back. Thanks

Thanks, this is really helpful. That shot looks quite nice so maybe my fears are unfounded.

Thanks. maybe I'll take the plunge, though I think 100mm on MFT might be a bit difficult to use in practice. I agree the Trioplan lenses are expensive, and I'm hesitant without any sort of reviews for MFT. I'll try to find someone who has at least shot one of them topside on the MFT format!

Yeah, it's not the end of the world if I need to continue bringing the MF-2, I'm just always looking to streamline my gear. The airlines here in SEA have been getting more aggressive with enforcing carry-on weight limits so every little bit helps. A bit unfortunate the OS-1 won't fit on the HF-1. It may not make sense for Marelux to make a mount for those strobes as I'm sure Backscatter will eventually come out with some sort of snoot option for them as well.

Similarly, are they planning to make a mount for the backscatter HF-1? I'm thinking about upgrading my S&S YS-D3's and the SOFT Lite looks like an interesting snooting option. I I could replace my MF-2 as well then I would not need to carry 3 strobes.

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the 2020 version of the Trioplan 100 or Trioplan 50 lenses, specifically on MFT. https://www.meyer-optik-goerlitz.com/en/lenses/trioplan-100-f2.8-ii https://www.meyer-optik-goerlitz.com/en/lenses/trioplan-50-f2.8-ii I'm thinking that they may lose much of what makes them distinctive when shot on the smaller sensor as you're only get the sharper center of the frame, losing a lot of the "bubbles", which is the whole point... Anyway, hoping someone has some first hand experience!

Still looking!

bump ^_^

My wife uses the Dive and See DNC-5B https://diveandsee.com/dnc-5b-5-inch-4k-uwater-hdmi-sdi-video-monitor-live-video-lut-option/ Listed as 600 nits, -300g underwater. She is quite happy with it. We dive primarily in the Philippines and shoot macro. She has only complained of it not being bright enough when filming in direct sunlight in shallow conditions (3-5m).

My impression from people that have been there and this thread is that perhaps the fisheye would be a good choice for the mantas (and maybe the dolphins as well?) since they don't seem to mind extreme proximity. The hammerheads in particular though i think is where the fisheye will struggle.

Thanks for the heads up. I own one of the Panasonic variants already so I'm planning on sticking with that one unless it presents any issues.

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning towards the 14-42mm + WWL-1 for my wife and video and then I'll stick with my adapted 8-15mm for stills.

I saw this on the metabones website regarding the 1.0x glass-less adapter: Does your wife shoot video? Just wondering how much this will actually affect the AF.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. It sounds like the 8mm fisheye may not be the best option. I'll start looking around for any of the following: WWL1 + 14-42 kit lens adapted Tokina 10-17mm 12-35mm with the 6" Nauticam dome It will likely some down to if i can find any of these used for a good price!

Hi, looking for a WWL-1B setup to go with the Panasonic LUMIX G Vario 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 II ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S Would be interested in the following items: Nauticam WWL-1B Wet Wide Lens - na-83202 Nauticam N85 Macro Flat Port 35 with 67mm Threads - na-36139 Nauticam P1442II-Z Zoom Gear: Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II ASPH MEGA O.I.S. lens - na-36057 Nauticam M67 to Bayonet Mount Converter II - na-83250 Could ship to either US address or Philippines. Thanks ^_^

Thanks, this is super useful! I'll start looking around for a WWL. Sounds like natural light may be the way to go as we're not going to be spending the $$$ for 20k lumen keldans when we primarily shoot macro ^_^

Hi, planning a potential trip to Soccoro in early December. I'm wondering on what lenses/setup would be most appropriate. From what I can tell the mantas like to get up close and personal, but not sure about the rest of the marine life. I have an adapted 8-15mm Canon Fisheye I shoot on my Olympus EM5-III that I think will cover most of my needs. Let me know if this is wrong. I only shoot stills. My partner shoots video on a GH5-II. She currently only has the Olympus 8mm fisheye for wide angle, the rest of her lenses are for macro. She also has 2 Backscatter MW-4300 lights. Is this going to leave her disappointed? I imagine the 8mm fisheye might not have enough reach for sharks, etc. Would a 14-42mm kit lens with a Nauticam WWL be a better option? Also not sure if she'll regret not having pore powerful lights. Any advise appreciated. Thanks!