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....

Filming Underwater #2

So needless to say when you're diving and filming at the same time you can easily get distracted takeing in your amazing surroundings and accidentally forget that your filming!

This leads me to my second point...

Lesson #2: Secure loose cables or they WILL get caught!!!

These are, of course, rather "common sense" things to say/do but when you're in-the-moment and just itching to jump into the water/sea you may forget to do this (as I did).

So take a moment, get your dive buddy to check your gear. Besides obviously checking each other's BC, regulators and other dive equipment, take a few moments to make sure you secure (tuck-away/tie-together/tape along side) any camera cables, mono-pods, cases etc. floating behind you.

It wont take long, and believe me it'll save you more time in the long run, not to mention it'll save your shot/clip.

The video below shows me getting snagged onto coral just as I am doing a follow shot into a world war two Japanese wreck.


This is what happens WHEN YOU DO NOT SECURE YOUR GEAR.....

Warning
As side note, wreck diving is fun but can also be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Being underwater and in a confined space can cause inexperienced divers to get disorientated and panic. If you're new at diving, please don't go into a wreck alone, and definitely do NOT be filming or trying to fumble around with cameras or settings or cables. The last thing you want is to get tangled up with cable/coral, in zero visibility (because you have panicked and kicked up all the dust and silt around you), and be in an enclosed area/wreck where no one can see or help you. Always be safe.

Freediving / Underwater Videography

 

Taking video clips underwater uses very similar techniques as taking a photograph underwater, so all the previous tips apply. There are however slight differences. When first starting off you will find that your videos will be shot "blair-witch-project" style (i.e. very rapid movements which don't allow the eye to focus on any one thing)...which is horrible...you cant see much and you'll make whoever watching it really dizzy. So this leads me to my first tip....

Tip #1. Have a very steady hand

Again I totally understand that this is very hard to do given waves and sea currents, but the more smooth you are the more watchable your videos will be. You will see in my example below that i too often struggle to keep a steady hand! Employ the old "grab on to something" trick and you'll find that things get much better.

If you are adventurous you can try swimming underwater while filming at the same time....but given that your camera will most likely be in your hand, and we humans naturally tend to move our hands a lot (especially underwater), you have to be extra vigilant in keeping your camera hand LEVEL and STEADY.

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Tip#2. Do Not Chase Your Target

As humans, we evolved out of the sea many millions of years ago and grew legs, but those animals that STAYED in the sea retained their fins and have become very proficient at using them, i.e. you will not be able to swim faster than a fish, turtle, shark, manta-ray, moray eel, whale etc. As such if you try to swim after them to get a shot, you will most likely scare it off and you will not be able to catch up to it! Take a look at the video below you will note some turtles towards the end of clip, i "tried" swimming after them and they just swam away as fast as we humans would walk away from a chasing snail!!!!

My suggestion to you suggestion to you would be to STALK your target...swim around it and slowly approach it. If you want to go down underwater, do it at a distance or with the cover of larger coral (i.e. use the geography to hide the fact that you are creeping up on it). When you get close, move slowly and take your shots/clips. Again, difficulty exacerbated by the fact that you have to do all this while holding your breath!!!

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Christmas Island (Australian Territory) - Indian Ocean

Below is a YouTube video i compiled from a few clips thrown together of my time free-diving/snorkeling just off Christmas Island (CI) . I know CI is predominantly known for more troubling circumstances pertaining to asylum seekers however this does not negate the fact that of all the places i have visited/lived in, CI has the clearest waters i have ever seen and also the most beautiful coral gardens!!

The varity of marine life is second to none, including massive whale-shark migrations (i just missed seeing this), turtles, stingrays, sharks, octopuses, eels, GTs, squid, lobsters and giant coconut crabs!!!!

In the clip you will see the pictures i have shown you in the previous post relating to underwater photography and also a couple that i threw in for good measure. The entire video clip was taken and filmed with the Cannon Powershot D10. Take a look!

Well this just about brings my underwater segment to and end (for now). Hope you enjoyed it!!!

Underwater Photography - Part 4

On my travels i have not met many people that do not enjoy floating in the sea and watching fish or cephalopods swim around you!.... Or enjoy looking down into an amazing and infinitely colorful coral garden where tiny little fish swim and play!

So...your challenge now will be to try to capture "some" of what you see when you are amongst all those amazing sights. I find that you will never be able to capture everything you experience or feel! But when has that ever stopped me so "try" to do any way..... :)

So without further rambling let me get to my next tip.

Tip #6 Look beyond your target.

What i mean by this is, inevitably behind "that fish" or "that piece of coral" there is likely to be an amazing backdrop. The scenery itself can be totally breathtaking! I realize that when you get into the water there is so many things to look at and its hard to "take everything in". But if you have the time and you know you'll be there for a few days or at least a few snorkeling session then "slow down" and try to force your eyes to "look around".

Also just like above-sea-level geography (where there are cliffs and drop-offs and gullies and hills), the same thing can be found underwater as well! And these are just as nice to take as above-sea-level ones! So if you look beyond your intended target you may see some of these. Below are some examples...








To the left is a picture of a coral garden that is also a natural gully...almost like a foot-path along a garden..... It has formed something like a nice little miniature canyon (if you were the size of the fish).
























To the right is an underwater CLIFF!!!! Fortunately unlike above-land geography you CAN NOT FALL TO YOUR DEATH!! Instead you can fly and float on-top of it!!! You can try to swim down to it but underwater cliffs/drop-offs tend to be very deep!











Any how that't it for now....got to forage for some food and get ready for work....I hope some of the things written here has helped you in some way.....

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Underwater Photography - Part 3

Now...chances are that some or most of you have gone to the sea before and you've tried snorkeling/freediving. As such you'd probably be thinking to yourself by now "Yeah Right!! As if you can ever stay still long enough in one spot to compose and take a shot!!!"

You're right....it is indeed difficult to hold a steady position/angle simply due to the waves and current in the water. Not to mention the fact that out to human physiology/buoyancy if you dive down a couple of meters, your body is going to want to float upwards naturally. SO...when you've dived down or when you've snorkeled to your "spot" here's what i suggest....

Tip #4. Grab onto something!!

But BE CAREFUL!!!! There are many things in the marine world that can hurt you, quite a lot of them have very sharp spikes/teeth and some even have venom! On top of that coral themselves can be very sharp and will easily graze/cut you. Finally, be careful not to damage the coral, they are living organisms too!

By grabbing onto, say a large rock with one hand, you'll be able to stay underwater without having to constantly swim downwards. Plus with your other free hand you can be holding onto your camera and snapping away.

Grabbing on will give you those precious few seconds to steady yourself, compose your shot, take the shot and then shoot up for AIR!!!! I know this sounds crazy but after doing this a few times (and over a few days/weeks) you'll find that you'll be able to stay underwater for longer periods of time. You'll still need air of course but your body will be accustomed to you holding your breath. This leads me to my next tip...

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Tip #5. Once you've reached your spot, be calm!

When i first started to do this i was flapping about trying to get the shot, kicking my fins/legs frantically trying to keep myself at the right depth (i hadn't learn Tip#3 yet, i.e. to grab on to something). But in doing so all the marine life got scared off!! So try your best to be smooth, quiet and calm when diving down to your spot. Once you've reached your spot, just compose  your shot and stay still for as long as you can (or as long as your one breath will allow you too). You'll find that the fish will come back, the colorful clams will open back up, the little playful clown fish will swim out of their shelters and you can snap away to your heart's content! But they will not come out if they fear you......








Try your best not to be flailing your arms about, or kicking the sand up, the faster you blend into your surroundings, the faster the marine life comes back out! The shot on the left was taken at about 7m and it didn't take long for the fish to come back out once I settled near the coral at the bottom. It was really amazing to see the three brightly colored yellow fish almost dancing in synchrony!!

Underwater Photography - Part 2

Part 2

So it seems like I'm back for more of this "blogging" shenanigans...i dont mind it really.... I mean, some of these things took me ages to learn (and often i did it the hard way) and if i can save you (the reader) a few minutes of pain/frustration then I would have succeeded!

So without further stalling, let me continue with more tips for taking underwater photographs....

Previously i discussed the scenario if you entered the sea and the visibility was  bad....but WHAT IF the visibility was good!!?!??!?! Happy Days is what!!! :) Besides the most awesome fun you would have just swimming/snorkeling/driving about amongst the amazing marine life and sea-scape you "may" find some time to take a deeper plunge down and take a few snaps!! Of course this is subject to your penchant/desire to take a freedive down to a deeper depth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely no pro at diving or freediving, the absolute max i can hold my breath for is probably 45 seconds and max depth i've gone on one breath probably 15m and thats REALLY PUSHING IT FOR ME! (i.e. struggling to resurface and feeling like i'm about to pass out!! yes, i realize this is not very smart but sometimes curiosity just gets the better of me when i see something facinating!).

There's no need to go deep though, in fact i found that i've been able to take some very nice sea-scape shots closer to the surface! Plus, the closer to the surface you are the more sunlight will hit your target and make it Shine for you ;)



Tip #3. Be the Rock...or in this case..."Be the Coral"

You can take some nice shots while floating on the water's surface but i find that if you try to get a little lower and shoot from at least 45 degrees downwards, your shots get much better. Try to avoid a direct 90 degrees shot downwards unless thats what you really want!! To the left is a shot that kinda shows an angled shot, showing shadows below corals and their relative sizes compared to each other.


















If you can manage it, try taking a sea-scape at level or just a little below the level your target, I find this really brings out the sunlight rays, gives "perspective" and generally looks better. The below photo is taken at an angle just above level with my target....

To give you an idea...the following three photos  are taken just about level with my target (which is in this case a nice clump of coral/rock that has caught my eye and caught the Amazing Rays of Sunlight). Each photo is taken from a different perspective BUT OF THE SAME CLUMP OF CORAL .....but each time I've moved back a little and swam around a little...


  

Photo #1. This photo is rather close, but it captures the colors and structure of the coral quite well

Photo #2. In this photo (of the same clump of coral), I have now moved a little further back to capture a more clusters of coral



























Photo #3. In this photo I wanted to show not just the color but the size of entire structure with a background for perspective.

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Waw...this post is getting rather long...perhaps i should bump the next tip into the next post.....

Underwater Photography - Part 1

Part 1

So this being my first ever post i thought I'd start off with something i find really cool...i.e.  taking underwater photos!

I'm no expert but I've spent enough time in the sea to have a few tips of my own. My methods aren't complicated and have basically been gathered through lots of trial and error (mostly error!!) hahahaha!!!

I know this should go without saying but first of all you'll need a camera that can function/operate underwater. Preferably one that goes to about 10m underwater. There are a number of these on the market these days Nikon, Cannon, Panasonic, Pentax and even Olympus makes a couple. My choice and my favorite so far however, is the Cannon (left). I've used the Cannon Powershot D10 to take some pretty neat underwater shots (all my underwater shots have been taken with the D10).

This is the Cannon D20, and its something i'd really like to try out but have not had the opportunity yet....it offers HD recording which the D10 doesn't have...i'm sure it has other goodies as well.

I have used the Olympus too and though i do prefer the body / physical structure of the Olympus (to the left), the Cannon chip/processor still is second to none (in my opinion). The colors/sensors tend just pick up more and is more vibrant.

Having said that though though I am a very firm believer that it is not the equipment that makes a good photographer but instead it is the photographer's skill and ability to see and "feel" where a really "neat" shot can be taken from. You can have the most fancy-shamcy gear but if you dont know how to use it then its no use.... With the most modest of cameras (as i have), you could take some pretty decent shots!

Anywho.....I was on Christmas Island not too long ago, and though this tiny island has had some bad press lately, I have come to love the amazing marine-life and underwater sea-scape.

So Tip #1 Sunlight Is Your friend!!! 

You can never get enough sunlight....The reason for this is that naturally, there are particles in the seawater which in greater quantities reduces visibility drastically (which is bad). You cant control the visibility of the sea water so you're going to have to make do (i'll explain this later). The more sunlight you have the more vibrant the colours of the marine life come out!! Even mundane creatures like the common (and very menacing) sea urchin displays almost luminescent qualities! BUT DONT GET TOO CLOSE trying to get the shot, you know you WILL get stabbed their needles!! The below photo was taken completely with sunlight and no other light or flash of any kind.

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Tip #2 If in doubt...go MACRO!!

In the event that the visibility is crap (but there is still good sunlight), then adapt and experiment with Underwater MACRO Shots!! Most point-and-shoot cameras have the Macro function, and "most" of the time it works fine...but i would advise you to try going into its manual manual settings and seeing how close you can get without spooking the marine-life:

Example A - the tiny little Christmas trees you see on the side of coral, very elegant and very colorful but if you spook them they'll just disappear and shrink into the rock!

Example B - Your ordinary clam, often overlooked by snorkelers/free-divers as its so common...but in fact they are very colorful!

The auto-focus Macro function may not always work smoothly underwater (i know my little D10 had a bit of trouble), i suspect that it is because, inevitably underwater, you will always be moving (even just slightly) and the little camera's processor can't keep up. Hence if you go into manual mode and lock it at a certain distance, you can always try to anchor your hand near your target and take several snaps at its sharpest image.

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So remember, if you've got good sunlight but low visibility underwater it does not necessarily mean "game over" for your day of taking underwater snaps...just experiment, play around with your camera's settings. Its all about having fun, understanding what your camera likes and how you can best feed it! :)

Ok that's it for Part 1, its getting late over here and I didn't realize its already 11:48pm!!