Troporobo

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.

I've just come across this, though it has apparently been in the works for a while. A most welcome bit of good news! From the report: "The government of Indonesia announced this week a deal to redirect more than US$ 35 million it owes to the United States into the conservation of coral reefs in the most biodiverse ocean area on Earth. The “debt-for-nature” swap will fund coral restoration in two key areas of the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle — the Bird’s Head and Lesser Sunda-Banda seascapes, which encompass three-quarters of the world’s coral species and more than 3,000 types of fish, turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins . . . " Raja Ampat debt-for-nature swap

Thanks a lot Bill, these two articles are very helpful. I think I’ve got it now.

OP: How about we keep politics out of this forum? Diving and photography are my refuge. Please keep it that way.

This is a brilliant thread that should be pinned - so many great ideas! I agree with all recommendations so far. For me, learning the hard way that strobe triggers are unobtainium in most destinations made carrying a spare essential. Plus, ALL the batteries and ALL their redundant backups. Finally a good multitool goes with me everywhere - never underestimate what you can bodge together with a blade, some wire, and a set of pliers!

I’m curious why adding a closeup lens would work this way for wide angle. It’s not explained in that old thread. Can anyone elaborate?

Agreed, an excellent sequence!

Given the original question, I’d hate to give up RAW files, especially if shooting without lights. I’d suggest a compact and one good light, either small strobe or reasonably powerful continuous light depending on use case. I’d probably choose the Olympus TG7 for its excellent zoom and macro lens.

That looks potentially like a replacement for the Inon S2000 for macro work. I really liked them for getting into tight spots and still regret selling my pair

Easter 2025 will be on April 20. If you’ll be there the week on either side, but especially the week before, it will be very busy. I’d recommend talking to the resort about arranging a private banca and guide rather than a group boat, if possible.

It’s possible, as Whiskeyjack notes, but there’s not much point as there are not better places to stay nearby, and the cheaper places could just as easily arrange diving. Doing so only makes sense as a day trip from Manila, if you can endure the traffic both ways in one day!

Asked and answered here: Philippines advice

You probably already know this, but just in case, Solomon and Carol at Nautilus are CCR divers and know what’s possible.

Nice article Dave! I’ve never been tempted to go CCR, mainly because I don’t love the added complexity in general and (perceived?) difficulty when traveling, but you make a great case for the advantages it brings to photographers. I will say that an extra 45 minutes of cold darkness at 90 feet in the Sound does not immediately jump to mind as an advantage for me!

I’ve seen that first one around Anilao quite a lot and always assumed it was just a skinny example of an orangutan crab. Undernourished perhaps! Good to know it’s a different species.

Great work! Thanks for sharing.

I have Eneloop AAs that are over 10 years old and used at least monthly. As long as they last for 2 dives, and they do so easily, I see no reason to replace them.

The BBC’s iPlayer requires registration and confirmation of a UK television license (ok, sure 🙄). I’m able to watch with NordVPN set to the UK.

I always found it interesting and puzzling that certain nudis - nembrotha in particular - could be abundant at predictable sites one year then vanish the next. N. chamberlaini were always everywhere, N. kubaryana seemed to come and go with the seasons, and N. milleri disappeared completely for several years. Where do they go? It’s not like the slugs are migratory is it?