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I've used Ikelite strobes for almost 20 years. DS-125, DS-160, and now DS-230's. Pros: Straightforward to hook up and use, especially with an Ikelite housing obviously. Never had an issue setting them up with my Canon cameras or getting TTL to work properly (with the Ikelite adapter/dongle...

My primary rule is don't dive with a camera rig you can't afford to lose. Not so much due to negligence on my part, but emergencies can happen and if it's between my camera and a life (my own or someone else's) that's a no brainer. Yes that means you absolutely do take your hands off your...

Ikelite housings will compress to some extent at shallower depths than that, so you may have control issues even if the housing remains intact (which I'm pretty confident it would to at least 200 feet). I had to send them my R5 housing to adjust a couple of the top buttons like the video record...

Garuda is the flag carrier for the entire country of Indonesia, so not really in the same category as the discount domestic carriers. They fly all over the world, though mostly within Asia. We don't really have a national carrier in the US, but Garuda is much more along the lines of a Delta or...

Yeah that's normal and fine. Most resorts in Fiji have something like that in their FAQ to educate people about the culture there and present alternatives to straight cash tips to staff and crew, which are common in many other parts of the world like the Caribbean for example. That said, I...

Yeah, tipping isn't really a thing in Fiji. Many resorts have "christmas funds" or other similar pools to benefit staff, their families, and communities. It's common for people to unload any remaining Fijian cash at the end of their trip as a gift to those, but it's not mandatory or even...

In fairness, it's not like the liveaboards are all longlining their way across RA all day long. I'm sure they obtain and load provisions in Sorong (or wherever) prior to departing. There's no way the tiny amount of seafood they consume, even multiplied across all the liveaboards, makes a dent...

Yup. Having been diving hoseless/wireless AI computers for over 20 years now, I'll always have a small analog SPG somewhere. The Teric/Swift is more reliable than my old Aeris computer and transmitter and I haven't yet had any drop outs, but you do this long enough and you will have issues...

Ah, we're talking about jpeg editing, ok. If you can't shoot RAW, yeah I guess use whatever can get you the best "look" in the least amount of time. I feel like the suites from Adobe, Apple, or their competitors could probably get similar results, albeit likely with more effort/fiddling...

Is there a reason you don't use something like Lightroom?

Not as familiar with AOI, but the quality/design/materials looks very similar to Seafrogs. The main difference I noticed is that AOI housings are depth rated to only 45m while Seafrogs (and Ikelite) rate and test to 60m. It's nice that they include the flash trigger and vacuum pump/port...

Ikelite is a decent middle ground if you're like me and find it hard to justify spending $8-10K+ for a Nauticam housing and ports alone. Used them for almost 20 years now with no major issues and great support when needed. A bit clunky in places yes (mostly aesthetics), but battle tested and...

Please don't do this. Not only do you have a high risk of having them confiscated, but if so you're also inconveniencing everyone behind you at the security checkpoint. Be considerate and follow the rules. It's not just about you folks.

Yeah you want a dome for wide angle. Flat ports are great for macro because they effectively give you some bonus magnification, but for wide angle you run into some serious issues with both distortion as well as just the geometry of the port possibly blocking edge of the image at very wide...

Pretty much everywhere in the Caribbean with "good" diving is going to be a zoo, especially at low price points. There are a few smaller more secluded places far offshore you can go, or a liveaboard, but neither of those are cheap. And they don't have night clubs. So decide what on your list...

I've done both January and June at TDR. January was hot but still manageable with the breeze and ceiling fans (I like to sleep cold). By June it's a non-issue cause it gets into the 60's at night. I think you'd probably be ok in late March, though as was pointed out it's still the rainy...

The DS-200 is a ~20 year old strobe, hence the price. It sounds like you want video lights. There are tons of options out there in all price ranges. Ikelite does sell the DS-232 strobe that is their top-end photo strobe with a 2500 lumen video light (on the weak side but serviceable for...

I was being a bit hyperbolic, fair enough. Anyways, off topic. Don't touch the coral. We can all agree on that.

Sure it's obviously not gonna fix everything, but I feel like it's better than nothing. Just as some inexperienced underwater photographers cause damage, some very experienced ones do as well. And as you point out the majority of divers don't have cameras and there are plenty of bad ones in...

Yeah I'm fine with this. Not sure what constitutes a "deep" dive, but I'm guessing deeper than around 20m/66f since I think that's around where certain certification agencies technically want you to have AOW (as silly as that seems).