MALDIVES - Falhumaafushi,Gaafu Alifu Atoll

Our next stop was Falhumaafushi on the Gaafu Alifu Atoll.

Here's a classic example where looks can be deceiving..... On arrival, the waters were not overly inviting, it seemed that there were broken/dead coral, there was seaweed floating around (which tend to resemble floating poo) and the visibility was quite low. Nevertheless i never give up a chance to jump into the sea.....and I'm glad i did.

Here are some macro shots i managed to snap.....


I didn't know these little crabs were so colorful and prickly !!!!

A very VERY close-up of a brain coral.....

Managed to catch the light shimmering off the surface of the water and reflecting onto a brain coral

Now...if you think the underwater pictures were taken from a fancy underwater camera....you'd be wrong..... I used my four year old point-and-shoot camera, the Cannon D10. I've been wanting to get the D20 but i just found out that the D30 has already been released!!! (yes i'm slightly behind the times). I'm sure the D30 would yield nice pictures too, but i can say that a big part of photography is know where, when and how to take the shot. And if you've got that... then a 3rd generation camera can also produce beautiful pictures.


Then at the end of a long hard day snorkeling and being in total awe of the Indian ocean .....you can sit back...and enjoy this:

MALDIVES - Dhaalu Atoll

Dhaalu Atoll was a special place.....a plethora of marine life and the corals were largely untouched / undamaged. One of the best drift dives i have ever had. Never a dull moment, everywhere you looked there was something to see....I'll stop talking/typing and let you see it yourself:



I got to try out a new toy on this trip...the above was filmed with the Sony HDR-AS30V...definitely a different design, different sensor and different options.

MALDIVES - Addu Atoll

Traveling on from Alifu Dhaalu Atoll we moved on to Addu Atoll...still in the Maldives.

 Here on Vilingili Island we had a very relaxing time...aided significantly by our amazing surroundings.

 There was almost no need to ever leave the villa......except to eat their amazing breakfasts, and go diving...

With a little dusting off...we're back....this time in the MALDIVES !

Like an old gramophone with low-scratchy-sounds quickly turning into a full bodied melody, so too will my little blog slot right back into showing what we've recently been up to!!

The Maldives....Indian Ocean.....lots of atolls......warm inviting water......super abundant marine life....a very nice place!

The first stop was the Alifu Dhaalu Atoll...needless to say the first thing I did on arrival was ditch the traveling clothes and jump into the warm inviting waters. But...the trouble with not freediving for a long time is that you lose your ability to hold your breath..but you THINK you still can do it. So you take a deep breath and go down deep. A third of the way down you find yourself running our of air and needing to surface immediately!!!! .... "has it been THAT long since I last went freediving???"   Answer: Yes

So, the first order of business is getting back into shape, which surprisingly doesn't take that long.....just gotta expand those lungs again ...and re-grow flipper feet :)

.....Going a little deeper each time......

...while taking in the views of the abundant marine life which seem unafraid of humans ....getting very close and swimming right up to me!

Mafushivaru provided the perfect introduction to the Maldives. A quiet, clean, relaxing and very inviting location to forget where you just came from!

It didn't hurt that they had a private island that you could have all to yourselves as well...

...where you can have dinner on the beach.....by yourselves....

Europe Trip (Favorite Photos) - ICELAND Reykjavik- October 2013

ICELAND!!!!

Probably not the place you'd go to for a scuba (dry-suit) experience...but that's exactly what we did....

I believe the water temperature was 2 degrees Celsius....it was pretty cold, but to have the experience of diving between the continental divide (AND BEING ABLE TO TOUCH BOTH SIDES AT THE SAME TIME) is something I'm quite proud to have done.

Putting into practice all that i had learned about underwater videography, into THIS particular drive was extremely challenging. This was because we had to wear dry-suits and fight off the cold at the same time.

The dry suits in themselves were very difficult to move in but extremely necessary. In addition to this, dry-suits are extremely buoyant AND you further fill them with air from your tank! Xontrolling assent and decent was a challenging to say the lest.... let alone fiddling with cameras and trying to get the right angle and not shake!

Oh and then there was the fact that the gloves we had to wear had only THREE FAT GIANT FINGERS...which made using the Gopro rather difficult.

Still, I had fun :) and here's the result (remember to watch it in HD..click on the little cog on the bottom right and choose 720p):

And this is the other thing i will always remember about Iceland.....to see this live and with your own eyes is an unforgettable experience.....The Aurora Borealis!

Europe Trip (Favorite Photos) - Dublin - October 2013

Dublin, Ireland....I actually like this city and country....we came here to attend TBEX which was great fun, got to meet, like-minded and friendly people! (and of course learn some cool stuff as well). The two things i will take away are:

1) Cool tips and tricks re. photography; and
2) "Tato" Brand - Cheese and Onion flavor! - (chips/crisps). I didn't think i would find one of my most favorite and tasty junk foods in IRELAND....i mean one would think you'd find it in the USA or ASIA....but IRELAND???

We stayed at some very quaint and comfortable places...including CASTLES!! the below was the Clontarf Castle i believe:

(Photo taken in the rain...fortunately my camera still works and that the rain didn't actually come out in the photograph)


And this little homely room was located in the Fitzwilliam Hotel right in Dublin CBD itself!

(I liked the different colors....purple, green, red and white...)

Got to have a nice lunch too...very classy......(quite unlike my style)   ;)

(Primarily focusing THROUGH the glass)

Thanks to the local council we were given a number of free trips around Dublin city and the Irish countryside:

Dublin was surprisingly lively at night too!

It was a pity it rained a bit but it was still a nice place to visit....

Europe Trip (Favorite Photos) - Singapore Stopover - October 2013

So on the 7th October 2013, on our way to Europe we stopped by Singapore, we only spent a couple of days there but it's always good to take in some good food and good views:

Sometimes the simplest food are the best (congee)...perhaps because it also takes me back to memories of my younger years...

We were also lucky enough to spend some time at a hotel (I think it was the Ritz Carlton), it was quite nice, especially the view at night :

(Photo was taken with an exposure of about 15 seconds)

After Singapore it was onto Ireland......(PTO)