Troporobo

Is the concern functionality, weight, or disguise? If it’s the first category, then there are many great choices. I have a Shimoda Explore v2 for hiking, and a convertible backackpack/roller LowePro Protactic 450 for travel. Both are excellent and carry my full m4/3 system but a little heavy. If it’s weight, have a look at Case Logic camera backpacks. They are very light, perhaps not so durable, and don’t look much like expensive camera gear. If it’s disguise, then check out the Shimoda inserts. They’re very good and come in a wide range to fit most any backpack.

I’ve joined Team Paracord. Supplies finally arrived and coincided with a lazy weekend. I made the bicolor cobra knot lanyard first and liked it, but with a surplus of materials and happy hour still an hour distant I made the second “trilobiite” lanyard and liked it even better as It is stiffer and (maybe) less likely to get in the way once submerged. I quite like this site for instructions

As for Fiji, there is no better destination on the planet for a young family. Fijians will instantly adopt kids as if they were their own, and the kids will have the time of their lives and be better for it. Our daughter grew up here from 6 months to age 5 and we have many fond memories not to mention an intuition that it shaped her in important ways. Just be aware that health care is not great, and a medivac to AUS or NZL is 4 hours and HNL is 6 hours.

Another vote for Micronesia - Palau or Yap - both are a United flight away from Guam or Honolulu if needed. Definitely not the Philippines if medical care is a concern. In our near-20 years there our family had multiple occasions to rediscover that lesson!

Thanks for everything you do Rich!

Any debate about true impact is impossible because the “formula” used to announce the tariffs is gibberish, was not accompanied by any guidance on rules of origin as all past trade agreements everywhere have required, and may not even be implemented for long. It’s clear that uncertainty will be the defining factor in the near term. However, if taken at face value, prices for consumers will go way up and manufacturers will lose sales. But does the US market matter in an existential sense to photo manufacturers? I don’t know the % of sales there versus globally. The most likely answer is “who knows”? There is so much randomness and inconsistency going on, with today’s announcements swinging 180* away from yesterday’s that no one can plan with certainty. Add to that the fact that federal agencies charged with implementing new policies have had their staffs decimated so there’s no capacity for enforcement. I’m with Craig, sitting in a metaphorical bunker and waiting this out.

Another vote for vision correction from me, in the form of a prescription mask. My reasoning is that I don’t look at everything through the viewfinder (although Mrs Troporobo would dispute that contention), sometimes I just want to poke my face up close to something for a good look. And it’s cheap and easy to change those lenses.

There is certainly some great diving to be done in Canada! Search posts by ScubaBC to see some gorgeous video from Vancouver Island. Whether you want to get into that cold water is a different question but there’s no doubt about the beauty of that area.

Thanks Chris and Dave, both look like solid options

I'd like to revive this topic to see if there's anything new out there that people are happy with. Somehow in the process of two intercontinental moves in three years I've managed to lose my lights 🙄 I need a focus light with multiple power levels so it can also serve as a backup for night diving. I don't use a red light much so can do without that. Ideally it would run on AAs to not expand the growing number of batteries and chargers I already carry. I am resolutely opposed to proprietary and integrated non-replaceable batteries. The Kraken looks good with USB charging. Orca Torch has a couple of good models too. However both use a battery size not in my current inventory. Open to suggestions!

That area does have skeleton shrimp, but I gotta say that I don’t see any “shrimp parts” in this image. Usually the legs at least are noticeable. But it could be something I don’t know about.

Thanks for the ideas. I like those ULCS adapters! I should have clarified that I want to make my own paracord accessories and all my acquisitions are done online since I’m back in a place without supplies.

Perfect, thanks all!

I really want to use shackles not bolt snaps. Has anyone found a US supplier like these?

I really want to use shackles not bolt snaps. Has anyone found a US supplier like these?

That’s a really cool image of a frog!

There is only one in Fiji, the Nai’a, and by all accounts it is excellent. I’m planning a trip with them for next year. I just had a quick look and they’ve got space on several cruises in the next 3 months https://www.naia.com.fj

Thanks for the offer. I’m sometimes tempted, just need to get over the hurdle

Hello neighbor! I’m north of you in the islands. I learned to dive in the Sound at Edmonds and enjoy the photos and videos from others there but am now strictly a warm water diver.

Excellent indeed. There are many great sequences here. The variety of shrimp species is wonderful, the spiny lumpsucker and bobtail squid are delightful. I did know the Sound has pipefish! I really enjoyed the video, thanks for sharing.

Inspired by the recent thread on essential spares, I went looking for a new Olympus FL-LM3 flash since I have had two failures in the past and I am now located a long way from any supplier. I found that it is discontinued, as is the FL-LM2 used by other model cameras, and not available from any of the usual online retailers. I was able to find units on Amazon Japan and Amazon Global UK that could be shipped, so that is solved for now. If you are an Olympus user without a spare, it would be well worth considering picking one up sooner rather than later. Maybe physical stores have a few units laying around, if any are close to you. Otherwise, it will eventually be necessary to upgrade to an electronic trigger.

I can answer your second question, assuming you mean a Nauticam housing, as that is the system I use. (If you meant an AOI housing, you need to move to the OM-1 mk II as the original OM-1 housing has been discontinued) For the 60mm macro lens, you need the N85 Macro Port 65 (#36163). For the 8mm PRO lens, Nautical recommends the N85 140mm glass port plus (#36048) plus the 17mm N85 extension ring (#36617) or you can use the N85 4.33" acrylic dome (#36132) plus the 20mm N85 extension ring (#36620). I do not feel the need for a focus ring for either lens as I never use manual focus FWIW, EM-1 mk II systems are coming up for sale from time to time. That's what I use, and I haven't upgraded as I don't see a big advantage to upgrading yet.

Amazing photos! This is an experience I must have some day. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Yeah, that’s always the issue with such initiatives. I hope they implement the plan and the funds go where they should. Hopes are not enough though, and we’ve been disappointed before. It would be very interesting to know what monitoring and enforcement provisions are in the deal.

Nicholas - Good move getting a strobe. You’ll be amazed with the results compared to available light. The problem you’re solving is not the “low light” sensitivity of the sensor, it is the changing light spectrum at depth. No amount of sensitivity can make up for the absence of red below about 10m, followed by yellow then green as you go deeper. Sure, you can use white balance adjustments but getting the colors right when capturing the image makes all the difference.