Troporobo

In case it’s not popped up in your research yet, one thing to be aware of is the length of the boat ride to the dive sites. Most are about an hour from the dock. I didn’t mind at all, because the trip through the Rock Islands is so stunningly beautiful. I found the ride to be a highlight, not a problem.

Great summary Ben! I was there in September and really enjoyed it. I’ll add one resort and one operator recommendation. The Palau Royal Resort is very pleasant and decent value. It’s on the water, has a small beach and a good pool, and everything just works. Fish’n’Fins runs a very good operation. I found their dive masters and boat crews to be as good as anywhere I’ve been and very considerate, and the boats were excellent. On my last day, a group of 4 didn’t show up. After waiting a bit, they said, “well , let’s go” and took me out for a full day of private one on one diving. I think most ops would have cancelled so I really appreciated it.

A lot depends on your lens and camera. Mine achieves focus readily in 95% of daytime conditions, event at dim depths, without supplemental light. But I always have my light with me (also a Kraken 1800WSR, a great light) for the same reasons Dave stated. I’d leave other things behind before dropping it.

I’d say it’s a bull, but I’m not certain. I very much appreciate the thoughtful and balanced nature of this conversation! Thanks for all the links, they will keep me occupied over the weekend as I learn more.

I’d be very interested to see that documentary- is any part of it available online? As for associating divers with food, maybe not, but the potential for things to go wrong is clear. In this video from the same site, a very large tiger may have just been “investigating” but the consequences could have been very serious. Beqa interaction gone wrong I’m happy when they stay 20’ away!

The first minute of this video shows what the dive is like. This is the operator’s official version, there are many more on YT that confirm the scene as recently as last week. I understand why some people would find it exciting. It looks like a circus to me, a risky one at that. To be clear, this is a very good operator that’s done a lot for conservation. I dive with them regularly, just not on the shark experience. Beqa shark dive

This was posted by a local operator from a shark dive last week in Beqa Lagoon, Fiji. The camera rig was not recovered. Yikes! There are a couple of operators in Beqa that run these baited shark dives. I’m really not a fan of behaviour modification for my entertainment - when the sharks are trained that boat + splash = food, I don’t want to be the splash! I did this dive 20 years ago and only nurse sharks turned up. Now they are regularly attracting bulls and tigers. I am always thrilled to see them under natural conditions but will stay away from artificial feeding frenzies.

What a great project! You’re doing important service. Wishing for the best outcome for this protected area.

I’ve belatedly realized that I neglected to provide feedback on my own experience! I had a great time diving in Palau, it is very beautiful above and below the waves. However the conditions on this visit made photography quite challenging. My visit coincided with the tail end of two big storms that passed to the north, resulting in very strong currents and swells even at depth. I spent more time managing my dive than I did taking shots. Nevertheless I did get a few images that I was happy with, mostly on the plateaus. On the walls, the pelagic life was mostly too far away for my fisheye lens. A more flexible rectilinear zoom would have been better - John’s solution above is spot on. When I go back, I’ll take my 12-40 lens on M4/3.

Beautiful - nicely shot and edited. You captured Anilao’s greatest hits. I especially liked the painted frogfish on the run. I miss the diving there a lot so thanks for the chance to revisit virtually.

What a great sequence. Thanks for sharing Ben!

Removing straps and belts won’t save more than 2 cm at most

I think that the Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 450 AW II backpack is fantastic and perfect for my m4/3 system. I switched to the roller version of one of these a year ago and love it. The flexibility and organization options are the best I’ve found. However, the backpack is 2.7 kg empty so that’s a consideration. My roller is nearly 14 kg with everything I carry, so not a good solution for flying on airlines that weigh carryon items. I start every trip on an ATR-42 with a strict 7 kg limit, so have had to get creative.

If I was happy with a compact camera and two wet lenses, I doubt I’d be keen to move to a much larger system with double the parts and consequent packing, setup, and cleaning. But the potential increase in IQ might be the selling point. (Full disclosure- I use m4/3 gear for that reason plus travel-ability) But why go with three lenses with overlapping range? If you’re willing to consider Nauticam instead of AOI, there is a port and gear for the 12-50mm lens that allows all three ranges. Chris is right that it’s not the sharpest especially compared to the 60mm, and the gear is fiddly to set up, but that combo will outshine the TG-5. I was happy with it for several years and produced some nice images. It turns up second hand once in a while too. Two quick examples below, both without wet lenses (these are jpeg so not full resolution)

Wow, what a spectacular moment and a great image to remember it by!