NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2006

 

FORTHCOMING PROGRAMME

OCT 10th:      Norway - Above The Arctic Circle - July 2006 by Trevor Rees 

                         Nassau by Pam Murphy

COMPETITION PROGRAMME

OCT 10th:  Abstract (click here for full year's programme)

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

OCT 10th Meeting

The Meeting (start time 2000hrs) will be at our normal venue (click here for how to find us).

Please try and be on time as we have to keep the main doors locked while we are using the building. However, there is an intercom entry system so you should be able to get in if you are running late.

There are two presentations - Trevor Rees will be showing images from his recent trip to Norway. Expect to see some great images and some comparisons with how his housed SLR is performing compared with the compact he previously used. Pam Murphy will tell us all about what Nassau has to offer for the underwater photographer. If you are a James Bond fan you may recognise some of the locations.

The monthly competition theme is 'Abstract'. Send your digital files to Bob Anthony (anthonyrez30@tiscali.co.uk ) or bring your slides on the night (let Bob know if you will require a slide projector and screen).

RECENT EVENTS

St Abbs Splash In

Eight of our group made the journey North to St Abb's for the traditional Bank Holiday weekend Splash In. The weather was particularly favourable and a good time was had by all. The variety of marine life in this area continues to impress.

The Competition was split into two categories -film and digital, although there were almost four times as many digital entrants compared to film. Our very own Cathy Lewis, with a great shot of not one but two wolf fish, took the Digital Marine Life Portrait category and went on the win the Best Digital Image category also. Well done Cathy.

© Cathy Lewis

BSoUP Focus On International

The BSoUP monthly competition for August was their annual international competition, attracting entries from all over the world. I am pleased to say that Ralph Mortimore took second place with his brilliant shot of a dolphin in front of the wreck of the Giannis D. See the June Newsletter for details of how Ralph took this picture.

 

© Ralph Mortimore

I had not seen the BSoUP results until after our September Meeting and Ralph kept quiet about his success, so we did not congratulate him. However, we can put that right - well done Ralph.

September Meeting

Bali and Beyond by Bob Anthony and Arthur Kingdon

The main presentation covered a recent trip where Bob and Arthur went to Bali and then on to Wakatobi, where ten days were spent on a liveaboard - the Pelagian.

With only three days diving planned for Bali, Bob and Arthur opted for some muck diving as this was likely to be completely different from what the Pelagian would offer. The Bali diving was co-ordinated with Aquamarine Bali who did a great job of sorting out hotels, providing transport, packed lunches, cylinders etc as well as providing advice on dive sites and a really good dive guide.

Staying at the Taman Sari hotel in the North West of the island gave easy access to Secret Bay, a popular dive spot with good local facilities.  The bay acts as a holding tank for all manner of juvenile fish and the creatures that prey on them such as frogfish, sea horses, mimic octopus and flying gurnards to name but a few. There are also bankai cardinal fish which are not supposed to be in this location. They were originally thought to be only found in Lembeh.

It is a low viz site which really needs to be dived on the flood, which unfortunately was not possible on this occasion. However, some good images were captured such as this hairy anglerfish.

 

Due to the unfavourable tide times, only one day was spent at Secret Bay. The other two were spent at Puri Jati which had better visibility and just as many weird critters.

There were lots of emperor shrimp on sea cucumbers - see Bob's winning shot from July. Mimic octopus were plentiful (although only found due to the sharp eyes of the dive guide) but it was difficult to say whether or not they really mimicked other creatures (I'm not convinced - Arthur). Quite a number had missing tentacles and the best shots were of them as they emerged from there hiding place in the sand.
The black, volcanic sand made for a non-distracting background although it was often difficult to get some separation for the subjects. Lots of shrimps, sea cucumbers, nudibranchs and worms live in or on the sand. This colourful creature could not be identified by anyone on the night - any ideas?
The sand provides little cover for the non-burrowing creatures so there were many items which had become 'home' for the needy eg. beer bottles with blennies and empty shells with tiny octopus.
On every dive there were fascinating displays by sand divers, with the males dashing around and then, briefly, erecting their dorsal fins and flaring their pectorals. They would then dive into the sand and quickly disappear from view. Not the eaiest thing to photograph but a subject that deserves a bit of time and effort.

The three days were over far too soon and it was then off to the airport to be greeted by the Wakatobi Resort team and receive VIP treatment. A three hour flight, followed by a short boat ride, was all it took to get to the liveaboard that was to be home for ten days.

The Pelagian was built in Norway as a long range cruising yacht and proved exceptionally comfortable. It offered plenty of space for camera kit and, once your dive kit was installed in one of two RIBs, there was no need to touch it again until you put it on to go diving. An Italian couple, Marco and Sissy, were the dive guides who did a great job of looking after the nine divers (three down on the maximum).

The diving can best be described as mainly wall diving on pristine reefs. All the reefs were healthy with no sign of coral bleaching. There probably are some that have been damaged by climate or by fishermen but, cruising on a boat, you can pick out the best the area has to offer - and it is a big area.

The reefs offered a wide variety of marine life, although big pelagics are not that common. However, there was more than enough to keep the underwater photographer happy.

Moray eels with cleaner shrimps were regular sights and, occasionally, a blue ribbon eel to add some variety and colour.
Crocodile fish were seen on almost every dive and certainly on all night dives. To see two together as here though, was rather fortunate.
There were plenty of clownfish of various types, often on unusually colourful anemones. Sometimes it becomes a bit of a bore to photograph clown fish but, every now and then, you might get a bonus such as here, where the anemone shrimp has hitched a ride.

Pygmy sea horse were seen on several dives - only thanks to Sissy or Marco. Never the easiest of creatures to photograph, a bit of teamwork will usually produce the best results. It was also possible to visit some of the sites a couple of times if requested - to go back and try again if you failed the first time. There was even a muck diving site but this was not as good as what Bali has to offer.

All together, Bob & Arthur managed thirty two dives apiece and had an excellent time. The whole trip could not be faulted but the boat and crew stood out as being exceptional.
The images here are a small selection from what was a very good presentation - if you want to know more about Bali or the Pelagian, then contact Bob or Arthur.

Monthly Competition

There were two competitions to run this month as the August competition had to be held over due to technical problems with the projector.

The theme of 'Reflections' produced some interesting interpretations but the winning shot by Jan Davies fitted the theme perfectly:

Arthur Kingdon then took the next three places with images of lionfish and a crocodile fish eye:

Also picking up votes were images by Jim Drake and Rob Kemp. Both showed imagination and artistic interpretation. Jim's was shot under Swanage pier whilst Rob's shows a snorkeller entering the water.

The September theme was 'Wrecks' and there were a surprisingly high number of entries as this is not a popular subject with some. The clear winner was Pam Murphy with her atmospheric shot of a wreck interior. I believe this is the wreck of The Tears of Allah as featured in a couple of James Bond movies but, if I'm wrong, I'm sure Pam will enlighten us next month when she does her presentation.

In joint second place was Jim Drake, with a good black & white shot from Vobster, and Bob Anthony with a Newfoundland wreck image.

There were five images that picked up a vote apiece, including all three from Trevor Rees with images from places as far apart as Norway and Stoney Cove:

Ian Lightfoot's beautifully simple image worked very well in black & white, using classic techniques emphasising shape and texture. While Ralph Mortimore's image really emphasised the scale of this Red Sea wreck.

MISCELLANEOUS

Fake Memory Cards

Two friends of mine have been caught out in an eBay scam where memory cards have turned out to be fakes. It is a big enough problem for eBay to have put out a warning. Click here for link.

Ocean Optics Visions in the Sea

Ocean Optics are organising an underwater photography treat over the weekend of 4/5 November. Check out their website http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/menu.htm

Note: There seems to a glitch with the 'full details' link but select 'download full programme' to see what is on offer. There are some great speakers. Having been to these events before, I can highly recommend them.

Bovisand Diving

Sally Sharrock (who insists she is not on commission!) tells me that Bovisand is now open for diving seven days a week with air, shop, cafe etc and the rib shuttle is running. Shore diving is no problem and parking is £5 per day but that includes a free air fill (sounds a bargain to me). There is also B&B available in the accommodation block. See www.discoverydivers.co.uk

New Website for Underwater Photographers

A new website, full of good stuff for underwater photographers, can be found at http://www.divephotoguide.com Check it out - it requires registration but is very useful.

BSoUP Competitions

There is no excuse now for not entering the BSoUP competitions as they are now accepting entries via email. Also, our monthly competition programme mirrors and precedes that of BSoUP, so you can try out your images the month before. We have a great deal of talent within the group so why not give it a go? Let's show the London lot what we can do in the provinces! Check out www.bsoup.org for further details.

 

Arthur