Dive Happy

Pearls Of Borneo – EZ Dive Magazine

Chris — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:22:17 +0000

My story about scuba diving in Indonesian Borneo is now out in EZ Dive magazine - exploring the islands of Nabucco, Kakaban, Derawan and Sangalaki - and the hidden reef of Palau Sambit

EZ Dive Magazine - Pearls Of Borneo article

Back in May I did a trip on the Tambora liveaboard to explore the coastline of Indonesian Borneo. The article I wrote has now been published in EZ Dive magazine. You can see more of the photos I took during the trip from my previous post Scuba Diving In Indonesian Borneo on the Tambora Liveaboard. I'll put the article up here in full once it's out of print.

EZ Dive Issue 4, 2010

Sardine Run South Africa 2010: Death From Above And Below

Chris — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:03:34 +0000

South Africa's annual Sardine Run sees millions of sardines spawning and travelling northwards up the country's eastern coast - closely followed by thousands of dolphins, sharks and gannets all anticipating a feast...

A pod of dolphins charge through a sardine baitball

Imagine being dropped into 18 degree green water, with 2 metre visibility, and just about making out the glint of a large baitball of sardines in front of you. Then imagine the constant sound of gunshots overhead - but it's not gunfire, it's the deafening crack gannets make as they divebomb from the sky above into the baitball to effortlessly snatch a sardine 10 metres down and then shoot back to the surface. Then imagine seeing six dolphins coming straight at you, so fast that trying to move would be pointless because collision is inevitable, only for them to corkscrew away at the last moment with laser guided precision. And just as you get your breathing under control again, the sharks turn up... that was essentially my experience of South Africa's Sardine Run in July 2010.

A baitball of sardines shifts in unison as a shark noses into it

A gannet plunges in from above to catch its prey whilst a shark twists past

Despite all the video I'd watched and photos I'd seen, nothing prepared me for the sheer sensory overload of being in the water during the Sardine Run. Everything happens so fast - and all at the same time - that it's almost impossible to consciously follow the sharks, dolphins and birds swirling around the baitball a couple of metres away from you. They weave in and out in a split second, on the edge of vision one moment then right up close the next and then gone the next.

Two sharks make a baitball of sardines scatter around them

Dolphins scatter a sardine baitball while a gannet attacks from above

Was I scared? Absolutely, but not to the point where I wouldn't get back in the water. The adrenaline rush of being able to witness this incredible spectacle (and this was considered a so-so Sardine Run by repeat offenders, not a vintage year) was enough to keep me going back into the water, although every time I floated on the surface before submerging I half expected to get a divebombing gannet embedded in my skull. Watching them thunder in from above and zero in on their prey, leaving a white wake behind them as they sped down and then back up was mesmerising. There are plenty of dead birds floating on the surface of the water above the baitballs to show in-water collisions with something much bigger and more lethal than a sardine does happen.

A shark comes in from below into the sardine baitball

Dolphins shoot up through the sardine baitball in a sudden attack

There were truly incredible numbers of dolphins present during the five days we were out chasing the sardines - we literally saw scores of them breaching the surface and circling our boat each day, their playful nature on the surface in distinct contrast to their piledriving purpose under the water as they herded and then routed the sardines.

Sardines shift as a shark comes into the baitball from below

As for the sharks... they were far more languid than the dolphins, preferring to languidly circle the baitball before eventually making their lunge into it. Tellingly the deeper you went, the more sharks there were... And they were circling all around the baitball and also us, the divers. At one point I felt something nudging my side and decided that I wasn't even going to look what it was - the shock might make me drop my camera.

Gannets seize sardines underwater

A shark noses into a large sardine baitball

As you can imagine, it was a truly memorable experience - even if it was hard work at times. Not every day saw us finding action underwater, although there were plenty of breaching humpback whales to keep us entertained on the surface. Even so, being stuck on a small boat for 7 hours in pitching seas when you're wet and cold while waiting to find something, anything, can stretch the definition of "fun" quite far. That said, I would go back and do it again like a shot and my only regret on leaving was that I hadn't signed up for the second week of diving.

The trip was organised by Jason Heller at DivePhotoGuide.com who is a truly lovely guy to hang out with - laid back but hyperorganised, and very generous with advice on photography. (Follow the link above for some of his incredible Sardine Run images. You'll notice that Jason's photos have a lot more light on their subjects - that's because he wasn't a wuss like me and got a lot closer...).

I will certainly be joining Jason again on another trip, not least because the rest of our group was a pleasure to dive and hang out with too. The boat and dive operation was handled by Walter Bernardis, pioneer of diving with tiger sharks on the Aliwal Shoal and widely regarded as the best skipper to read and navigate the vagaries of the Sardine Run - he can watch a humpback whale submerge on the surface and then give you a countdown to the split second when it will breach out of the water - absolutely amazing. Walter's own site is African Watersports.

Aperture: f/11
Camera: NIKON D90
Caption: Gannets seize sardines underwater
Taken: 8 July, 2010
Focal length: 16 mm
ISO: 320
Shutter speed: 1/125 s

Great White Sharks In Australia Magazine

Chris — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:23:15 +0000

My great white shark encounter with Rodney Fox in southern Australia was featured in the UK's Australia & New Zealand magazine recently

Just remembered this was published a few months ago - a syndication of my Rodney Fox and the Great White Sharks story originally written for Asian Diver magazine. The story appeared in the UK's Australia & New Zealand magazine, a title aimed at British people thinking of emigrating Down Under. Not sure if the thought of encountering great whites is going to help persuade them to make the move, but still...

Australia & New Zealand Magazine, Issue 44

Great White Sharks article, Australia & New Zealand magazine

Geri Murphy kindly provided the images again, as she did with the original story. I think the Art Editor at Australia mag did a fantastic job of laying out the story - it looks great, especially over so many pages. You can read the full text of the Great White Sharks and Rodney Fox article here on Divehappy, with some of my shark videos from the trip.

Palau Scuba Diving Story in EZ Dive Magazine

Chris — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:39:06 +0000

My story about diving in Palau's epic seascapes amongst the sharks is now out in the June 2010 issue of EZDive magazine, the bilingual Chinese-English dive magazine

A quick sneak peek of my Palau feature for EZ Dive magazine, published this month with photos by Jez Tryner (and one by Tim Rock too). Palau is one of those truly incredible places to dive, a unique atmosphere and one of the few places left to see a lot of sharks. EZ Dive is on sale now.

Palau article, EZ Dive magazine

I've been to Palau once before this trip, for a very quick 3 day stay in 2007 - you can read my Palau Liveaboard trip notes here on Divehappy.

Pattaya Clownfish Release

Chris — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 09:13:56 +0000

You can never have too many clownfish, and to celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8th a group of Thai divers released one hundred clownfish in Pattaya to help replenish the reefs.

Clownfish at Koh Haa in Thailand

As part of World Oceans Day on June 8th, a group of volunteer Thai divers in Pattaya took part in a clownfish release into the city's waters. Led by Serm Phenjati, a consultant for the Dusit D2 Baraquda Pattaya hotel, the group of divers were joined by hotel staff to assist the in the clownfish release.

The clownfish were bred in captivity at Percular Farm, which is Thailand's first and largest clownfish nursery, set up with the specific intention of trying to boost clownfish numbers in Thai waters, as many have been taken by illegal poaching for the aquarium trade. One hundred of the clownfish were then taken to Sattahip pier. Before they were released, thirty divers entered the water to locate sea anemones to which the clownfish could be introduced and so make their new home, which would offer them protection from their many natural predators.

As Serm told the Bangkok Post: ''We can't just open the bags and release them from the surface of the water,'' Serm explained. ''By the time they reach the sea anemone if released from the surface, most would be eaten up by bigger fish. Additionally, while releasing them the divers must also look out for other clownfish that live around the sea anemones because clownfish are very protective and tend to attack outsiders.''

Hopefully this will become a regular event, as the art of reintroducing clownfish into the wild in Thailand is still in its infancy. There have been several clownfish releases on Koh Lanta as well, pioneered by Pimalai resort, the island's first 5 star hotel.

For more information on World's Ocean Day, visit www.theoceanproject.org

How To Get To Raja Ampat

Chris — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:06:25 +0000

Raja Ampat is for the many the ultimate diving destination - but how do you get there? Here's a rundown of the different ways of getting this amazing and remote dive location in Indonesia.

To get to Raja Ampat, you need to fly to the Indonesian airport of Sorong. It's located over on the far east of Indonesia, at the northern end of Papua island, which is politically divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Virtually all Raja Ampat liveaboards depart from or arrive at Sorong.

To get to Sorong, the five main routes are

1) Singapore - Manado - Sorong
2) Bali - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong
3) Jakarta - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong
4) Kuala Lumpur - Manado - Sorong
5) Kuala Lumpur - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong

For visitors to Raja Ampat who don't live in Asia, transiting through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong is probably best as they have the most up to date facilities - see Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel, Hong Kong Airport Hotels and Singapore Airport Hotels: A Quick Guide for transit info if you need to stop over.

At the time of writing, these are the current airlines flying each leg - please only take this as a rough guide to help you start your research for planning flights. If anyone has experience of flying these routes and has advice to offer, please leave a comment - thanks!

Tip: Use Skyscanner to see what flights are available on these routes and compare prices between carriers where available. Please note that most domestic Indonesian carriers do not allow online booking - see note below.

1) Singapore to Manado is serviced by Silk Air.
Manado to Sorong is serviced by Lion Air.

2) Bali to Ujung Pandang is serviced by AirAsia and Garuda.
Ujung Pandang (Makassar) to Sorong is serviced by Lion Air

3) Jakarta to Ujung Pandang (Makassar) is serviced by Garuda, Merpati and Lion Air.
Ujung Pandang (Makassar) to Sorong is serviced by Lion Air

4) Kuala Lumpur to Manado is serviced by Silk Air.
Air Asia terminated their Kuala Lumpur to Manado route in February 2010.
Manado to Sorong is serviced by Lion Air.

5) Kuala Lumpur to Ujung Pandang (Makassar) is serviced by AirAsia.
Ujung Pandang (Makassar) to Sorong is serviced by Lion Air

Tip:
Don't forget that Manado is the nearest airport to Lembeh Strait and Bunaken, so if you want to dive there as well it makes a great stop off point.

Really Important Tip:
Note that Ujung Pandang was previously called Makassar and the names still appear interchangably on flight tickets and departure notice boards in airports and in use by airline crew over the cabin intercom. Spare yourself the stress of wondering if you got on the wrong flight, in the middle of the night, during a thunderstorm, as me and my dive buddy did, by remembering this ;-)

Booking Flights On Domestic Indonesian Carriers
You will need to use domestic Indonesian airlines to get to Sorong. The main airlines are Garuda, Lion Air, Wings Air and Merpati. It is very difficult to buy tickets for domestic Indonesian flights online, as these airlines do not accept credit cards issued outside Indonesia. Their websites are also for the main part quite primitive so perhaps it's not wise to rely on them to secure your booking. You can also use third party agents based in Indonesia to book these flights for you but, from personal experience, I've found them to be pretty useless at responding in a timely fashion.

Your liveaboard company should be able to book all your domestic flights for you as a matter of course. They will probably charge you a nominal fee e.g. 10 per cent to do this. Because they are based in Indonesia, they should be able to secure cheap fares for you on domestic Indonesian carriers. Their liveaboard representative will usually meet you at your port of entry into Indonesia so as to give you the domestic tickets and help you check onto the flight.

Scuba Diving In Indonesian Borneo On The Tambora Liveaboard

Chris — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:19:38 +0000

Indonesian Borneo is now being explored by liveaboards, making the islands of Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakoban and Maratua accessible in one trip

I recently dived in Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of Borneo - with Tambora, a newish liveaboard that is pursuing an ambitious yearly itinerary across Indonesia. (See Tambora's current schedule and prices). The Tambora was recommended to me by Dom at Dive Advice - thanks Dom. The trip was a round trip from Terakan and revolved around four islands which are all dive hotspots in their own right - Sangalaki, Derawan, Kakoban and Nabucco. We also explored a huge submerged atoll which isn't accessible by daytrips which yielded some of the best dives of the trip (and some of the worst too ;) - I'll be writing a full report for EZ Dive magazine and publishing a separate liveaboard review of Tambora here on Divehappy soon (as I have done previously with other Indo liveaboards like MSY Damai, Siren and MSY Seahorse). In the meantime, here's some of the photos I took as a taster of the journey

Tambora Liveaboard

A huge battery of barracuda hundreds strong at Big Fish Country (Maratua Channel)

Reef at Kakoban

Cuttlefish at Kakoban

Kakoban Reef Scene

Sunlight on a plate coral bommie

Clownfish and diver

Fan coral and diver

So flat calm the clouds in the sky are visible through the ocean surface

Flat calm seas on an early grey morning

Raindrops falling on the surface above plate corals

The reef reflected in the mirror surface of the sea

Sunlight

Close Manta encounter, Sangalaki

Manta ray feeding at the surface in the sunlight at Sangalaki

Mantis shrimp getting a bit angry, Derawan

Flabellina and egg ribbon, Derawan

Criocodile Fish, Derawan

Jawfish with eggs in its mouth - you can see the eyes of the babies if you look closely

Jawfish releasing the eggs - they're the squiggly bits in top right of photo

Thailand’s Underwater Sights

Chris — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:43:21 +0000

My story about Thailand's Underwater Sights was published today on the CNNGo website

CNNGo - Thailand's Underwater Sights

CNN launched a new website called CNNGo.com a few months ago that covers life in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Mumbai and Shanghai. As part of their current Relax Asia series, I wrote an article about how laid back scuba diving can be, especially in the beautiful waters surrounding Thailand. This story is also illustrated with underwater photos I took myself, which is the first time I've had my own dive photos running alongside my copy. (Usually I write the words and the pix are provided by another photographer). So I am quite chuffed that I've finally got good enough at taking underwater pictures to get them published, although I have still got a lot more to learn and practice to get some really great shots. You can read the full story here.

Tonga Humpback Whale Expedition 2010

Chris — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:48:29 +0000

If you've ever wanted to see humpback whales up close and personal, a photographic expedition being put together for September 2010 might be one of the best chances you can get.

Just a quick headsup that underwater photographer Tim Rock is putting together a very special charter expedition to go and see the humpback whales in Tonga in September 2010. This will be a very small charter, with only 3 places up for grabs, alongside Tim and cetacean specialist Douglas Hoffman - which means you get Douglas' insight into the whales and Tim's help trying to get the best photos. The trip will go on for 9 full days between September 20 and 30th and as it's a charter boat, it means that there should be a lot of time spent alone with the humpbacks rather than with other boats and swimmers. I am seriously tempted to go myself if I can find the money. Full details about the humpback whale expedition are on Tim's blog Guam and Micronesia Dive Travel. He is also putting together a couple of trips this year and next year on MSY Damai and is scheduling a 2012 expedition to Biak in Indonesia - another place I'd love to explore.

Canon Powershot S90 Camera and WP-DC35 Underwater Housing

Chris — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:10:57 +0000

The Canon Powershot G11 was widely anticipated by underwater photographers - but the Canon Powershot S90 is smaller, lighter and seems to do the same job for a cheaper price. Which one to choose?

I recently wrote about the Canon Powershot G11 and its WP-DC34 underwater housing
, describing how it was one of the most anticipated cameras by underwater photographers for some time. Canon's G series have brought a whole new level of image quality to compact cameras and get a lot of hype as a result. I'm personally in the market for a new compact camera myself too, so I was poised to buy one - until I heard about the Canon Powershot S90.

Canon Powershot S90

The current price for the Canon Powershot S90 is $399 on Amazon and $174 for the Canon WP-DC35 S90 Underwater Housing on Amazon - that's at least $50 cheaper than the Canon G11. Yet the camera has a full-sized image sensor (sort of), a f2.0 zoom for low light, and shoots RAW format photos. So it basically seems to do everything the Canon G11 can do.

Canon WP-DC35 S90 Underwater Housing

The clincher for me is that the S90 is smaller and lighter - possibly small enough to fit in a BCD pocket. Similarly, on land the S90 can fit in your pocket comfortably whereas the G11 is quite bulky. I am going to wait until I get to play with an S90 -- I'm sure there will be someone on my next dive trip - but I am pretty sure this could be the compact camera I will buy next. If you've been using an S90 underwater, please let me know your thoughts, good or bad, about it.

You can browse the latest Ebay auctions for the Canon Powershot S90 and Underwater Housing WP-DC35 below: