Auld Lang Syne

Well we started with good intentions this morning with the first dives of 2014. However the despite the dive centre advertising they'd be open today (just like last year) they decided not open, which was a bit of a waste of a morning.

However undaunted, we came up with plan B and with a wink and a nod and a funny handshake we got access to another dive site that wasn't open to the public today but seeing as the lads knew us, they let us sneak in for a few hours, which was nice of them.

Masses of fusiliers and some very large and frisky snappers surrounded us as soon as we got in the water. I think they missed us. There were also some epic sized groupers hanging around, watching us in the shallows.

The viz wasn't amazingly stunning, but it was better than it has been for the last couple of weeks and there was a very minor Northerly current, so quite good conditions all round.

We cruised down to about 42 metres to check out some the great rope and barrel sponges as well as see if there was any big stuff hanging off in the blue, but none showed up on this dive unfortunately.

However we did get a visit from jebus fish, with his blinding halo of light, promising to feed the masses with his five loaves and two humans, as evidenced below, which was fitting for this festive period.

The second dive was a bit experimental as I was trying out some DIY snoots on the strobes which generally I was quite pleased about considering I made them for a grand total of 23 dollars, saving over 1100 dollars if I had ordered them online. They still need a little tweaking and fettling to get them to a where I need them to be but pretty good so far. Ideal for when you're shooting ultra macro as evidenced below.

We also had a very large visitor on this dive which is always the way when you're shooting with macro. A whopping big turtle sat down in front of us and had a good nosh on a sponge. It was that big I could only get head shots and that was from about a half metres distance just to get it in frame. He was completely non-plussed as he went about having his breakfast.

Got some video as well which you can see below or if you'd rather watch it on Youtube, you can see it HERE

After the excitement of the big stuff it was time to root out the little stuff, like this fine selection of roughhead blennies. Lovely.

And last but not least we have a fine example of a squirrelfish doing a unicorn impersonation  with an isopod stuck to it's head.

And of course it wouldn't be New Year without stopping off for the obligatory post dive drink christmas drink. Altogether now......"I'm dreaming of a white russian, just like the ones we used to know......."

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Top 5 of 2013

IF you aren't already a follower of PADI on Facebook, you may not have seen their top 5 shots of 2013 which have netted 50,000 likes between them. Well worth checking out to see some of your most like phots, including one of the Kittiwake by some tall, Scottish, hairy person. Me!

Link: HERE

"What does become apparent looking back over the year is that certain photo subjects really appeal to you; Turtles, Octopuses, Wrecks and Fresh water shots have all done really well and also a large number of black and white photos have done really well.    In this gallery I have selected 5 of your favourites from the year which between them have notched up close to 50,000 likes."

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Rockin' around the christmas tree

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Hey brother, pour the wine

A blustery day on the high seas couldn't dampen the enthusiasm for jumping in the water today with an 11 knot Easterly wind, a strong Northerly current and limited viz doing it's best to ruin the diving. But once we had battered our way through to calmer water on the main wall, all was right and well.

Spectacular shoals of fusiliers and trigger fish were wafting back and forth like a giant fans in the wind as well as regular visits from barracudas on their way to wherever it is that barracudas go to at weekends.

We made a sweep to the left and investigated some of the tighter cuts to see what could be seen and were rewarded by a hoard of angel fish that were mooching around not to mention some fantastic rope and barrel sponge formations that proved to be very photogenic indeed.

We hopped out on shore for a bit to let the sun slide lower over the horizon and also to allow the little stuff a chance to make it's way out onto the hard pan and get settled before we got back in to begin our hunt.

The bristleworms were out in force this evening, scuttling out in the open as well as getting onto and into everything they could find. It's like watching a miniature loo brush doing some sort of twisted mating ritual, lots of fun to be had.

I was particularly pleased to find an absolutely tiny grape-cluster nudibranch hidden away on a single strand hydroid, a very lucky find as blink and you would miss it. One of my favourite nudibranchs to photograph so far this year.

Not to be out done for attention, the crustacean contingent made a strong showing this evening with some fine examples of mud crabs, sanddollar pea crabs and star eyed hermit crabs.

Of course as the old adage goes the best is always saved till last and just before we got out, I had the good fortune to spend some time with this little fellow which put the icing on the cake for me.

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Waterloo Sunset

Guess who's in the newspapers again? This time it's a nice little shot of the the sunset over Seven Mile Beach. This is why we moved to a small Caribbean island.

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Little secrets

We decided to do a double macro dive today which proved rewarding and frustrating in equal measures as not only where there some fantastic small critters to shoot but there were some big ones making an appearance as well which is not ideal when you're on a macro lens. A lot of surge and and very lumpy conditions didn't make things any easier but a dive is a dive is a dive.

We were diving up at our old stopping grounds of Lighthouse Point today, and just like Black Carr, theres never a bad dive at Lighthouse. We headed off South down the miniwall and went with the slight Northerly current.

There must have been a moray explosion in the water over the last couple of weeks because there were loads of them all over the place, both free swimming and in holes. It was like watching a plate of spaghetti going mad.

We had fly-bys of turtles and rays off in the blue but nothing that could be captured on the lens I was shooting with today. A good selection of crabs around on the hard pan and hiding amongst the corals including this little pea crab doing it's best to look invisible.

There were a lot of barracudas hanging out in the shallows and at cleaning stations, this big bruiser was more than happy to let me get up close and personal before disappearing off into the blue.

We had a good long scour along the hard pan and found some lovely little rough head blennies. The second one of which was trying to eat a piece of fishing line nearly as big as itself. Obviously never had any breakfast this morning.

Plenty of filefish, pipefish and needlenose puffer fish were hiding out amongst the sponges and hydroids, apparently not fans of the worsening conditions.

But this didn't seem to bother the juvenile orange sided gobies sitting out on the coral waiting for their turn under the camera lens.......

And one of the best parts of the morning? A po boy wrap with extra chili and a vanilla protein shake at the end of the dive, fresh out the kitchen from Chef Jen. Nice.

Om-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom

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Dreamweaver

Yes indeed, as REO Speedwagon once sang "Ooh dream weaver, I believe you can get me through the night,Ooh dream weaver,I believe we can reach the morning light".

And with those immortal lyrics firmly imbedded in your brain, that makes a nice segue into the subject of this weeks photograph of the week, taken at Dreamweaver on the North Side (see how smooth that transition was?). Yet another snapshot makes it into the local rag.

Yes indeed, if you haven't picked up the local papers this week, rush out and get your copy to see the magnificence that is diving on the North Side of the island.

Or just enjoy it online if you're feeling particularly lazy..........

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