GoPro Cameras coming to all Underwater Connection locations
You’ve seen the footage, you’ve seen them advertised everywhere, and now you can buy them at The Underwater Connection. GoPro cameras are the hottest imaging gear to hit the market! HD video, 11mp stills and unbelievably small and lightweight, these camera systems blow everything else away in terms of performance vs. price. Check out this video to see what we mean.
UC Photographer Featured on Marine Photobank
Our own Colin Zylka had one of his photographs featured on the Marine Photobank website this week. They do a series called “Ocean in Focus” that highlight ocean issues as well as promoting ocean conservation. Colin is a regular contributor to Marine Photobank, and some of his photographs have been used in scientific research papers and during conservation seminars. Here is the link to Colin’s photograph
Bonaire Trip Update #3
Bonaire diving has to be some of the easiest anywhere….just ask anyone who has been here before. Today we dove the wreck of the Hilma Hooker, a confiscated freighter that was intentionally sunk in 1984 after being abandoned in the harbor. It sits in about 99 feet of water, and is totally intact, lying on it”s starboard side. Even though the dive is relatively short (about 20 minutes, more for nitrox users), it is still a great dive. We saw tarpon inside the holds and at the reef area surrounding the wreck. Parts of the wreck allow divers to enter and swim through with relative ease.Here are some sample photos from the dive today and yesterday:
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- Spotted Moray Eel
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- Tubastrea coral
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- Anchor on the house reef at the Divi
A few of our group rented cars today and toured the island….lots of interested photo opportunities, especially on the windward side, where the waves can reach over 30 feet. We did have a few brief showers, but nothing to interfere with our fun! The only thing the rain did was make things more humid. Last day of diving tomorrow, then it’s time to pack and head for the cold!
Bonaire Trip Update #2
Fantastic weather, warm, clear water and gorgeous reefs…what more can a diver ask for? We have had some really great dives over the past few days. The conditions have been superb, the dive crew has been great and the hospitality excellent. Everyone is having a great time, diving a lot, learning a lot about diving (we have some brand new and relatively inexperienced divers in our group) and enjoying each others’ company.
Some of our group went shore diving away from the resort today, and came back with dive reports. Some of the sites they chose had less than ideal entry conditions, so they changed and went to other, less challenging sites. That’s the beauty of shore diving on Bonaire….find a site that looks up to your skill level, and go for it!
During our boat dives today, one of our rental Sealife DC1200 cameras was used by Margaux Huismann…here are some of the shots she took:
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- Puffer fish
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- Sharptail eel
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- Seahorse
The Sealife DC1200 sure is an amazing camera system. Even though a lot depends on the skill of the photographer, this camera makes it easy to get good snapshots with ease. Adding the external strobe makes all the difference, to bring out the true colors of the subjects under water.
Anyway…current dive conditions: water temperature consistently 81-83, visibility anywhere from 80 feet generally to well over 100 feet at the dive site called “Rappel”.
Bonaire Trip Update #1
After a nervous couple of days thinking about the weather in Chicago and Atlanta, we finally made it to Bonaire and the Divi Flamingo Resort. Thanks to Serge, the dive operations manager, we got all checked in, got our gear lockers assigned, dive paperwork completed and then it was off to happy hour at the beach bar. Needless to say, everyone was ready for some adult beverages after getting up around 230am to catch the flight out of Chicago! Early to bed, and then get ready to start the diving week on Sunday.
We did the mandatory orientation dive to get gear checked, weights adjusted and for some, their first dive in the ocean. After the check-out dive, we had lunch and then an afternoon boat dive at Klein Bonaire at a dive site called “Keepsake”…lots of beautiful orange sponges, clouds of small tropical fish, and good visibility. The water temperature has been a steady 82-84, with the warmer temps in the shallows. Today (Monday), we did two morning boat dives, then some afternoon dives for fun and also teaching the PADI Digital Underwater Photography course. Here are some of the shots we took today:
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- Blackbar Soldierfish
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- Purple tube sponge
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- Tiubastrea corals AKA Orange cup corals
These were all shot with the Sealife DC1200 camera and external strobe….not bad for some first attempts at underwater photography! More to come….stay tuned.
Tomorrow we will finish the formal photography coursework, then then it’s on to shooting and reviewing everyone’s photos at the end of the day.
Roatan Trip Update #3
The diving so far has been fun and relatively easy…the seas are almost flat calm with little wind. The afternoon dives get a little more wavy, but not so much as to impair the diving. Tuesday we did four dives, including a night dive, which had a lot of surge. We spent most of the night dive in shallow water looking for octopus and toadfish. The first dive was a wreck dive in about 110 feet of water. All broken up, yet still offered some nice photo opportunities.
Looking up the mast
The second morning and the afternoon dives were done on shallower reefs, which afforded lots of bottom time. The great thing about the divemasters here is that they will wait for everyone to finish taking photos before continuing the dive.
As all the dive sites are within about 15 minutes from the resort, the boat trips give everyone just enough time to get suited up and before we know it, we are at the site. The water is still holding at about 81-82 degrees. We did get some brief rain showers on Tuesday when we got back from the second morning dive, which made us glad we brought our rain jackets. It’s amazing how people get crazy with a little rain…..we’re in the tropics! As promised, here are some photos:
French Angelfish
Turtle feeding on algae
French Angelfish
Ocean Views Photo Competition
If you enjoy underwater photography you probably have pictures of which you are particularly proud. Why not enter some in a photo contest?
Here’s the link to the Natures’ Best Photography website
From the competition website:
The Ocean Views Photo Competition was created to inspire greater understanding and stewardship of ocean ecology through the art of nature photography. Photographers at all levels of experience worldwide to are invited enter your best shots.
The deadline for entering this photo competition is December 20, 2010, with winners receiving Aggressor Fleet trips, dive gear, photo gear and more.