Ever have one of those days? Couldn't find one fin. Phone kept ringing with annoying work things. Finally got loaded and started to head for the launch ramp...5 miles out of town, driver (who shall remain nameless), looks down to discover that the car actually has no fuel. Back to town for fuel. Wind picks up and changes direction. Should we go or not...let's just go and see what happens.
Launch. Gets windier and COLD. DH takes the long way out and I sit curled up behind him trying not to turn to ice (it's cold for me!) We head out of the passage and the swell is also up - this means huge surge for our dive. Won't be taking the Ike strobe on this dive either as these are not the conditions I need to practice with the modified tray/arm set-up I have been able to piece together until I make a decision on new gear. <sigh>
Beautiful blue water, though.
Then DH says - hey, there are some dolphins! We cruise over to look...not dolphins but mantas feeding! I grab the camera and slide in - beautiful blue, warm water (28C) and four mantas. All huge. All female and all feeding.
I cruise with them and three more mantas join in - mostly it is one or two next to me and the others cruising back and forth along this line of concentrated food. Rarely do any of them get close enough together for a group shot, but I have a couple - unfortunately, because they are feeding, the couple shots I have show one manta turning around!
I cannot get over how much food is in the water - I can feel the little creepy crawlies on my exposed skin. Yeech. But the mantas love it! The camera does not.
Getting close doesn't seem to be a problem today...they are routinely rubbing up on me and brushing me with their wing tips - changing direction to interact with me. I have to say this is very cool!
I spend over 45 minutes with them - mostly just swimming with them and now and then taking some photos and trying out a bit of video on the 5050...I didn't want to eat up too much memory, so I messed that up by not taking long enough segments. Oh well.
I got back on the boat to head back to the main area - had followed a huge female farther down the reef - and when I dropped in and looked down...four eagle rays with various markings swimming together! I looked up at the mantas and chose to speed off with the eagles...having to abruptly detour as I almost swam through the second black manta ray!
The eagles were down near the bottom at about 16m and my freediving ain't what it used to be. I swam with them for about 10 minutes, but they were mostly in this greeny, dirty water - I think I only took 5 or so shots. I was amazed at the difference in markings!
I took another detour from the eagles as a huge school of barracuda joined me. I followed them for a while...the big guys (from about 4 - 5.5 feet) were on top and there were about 3 times as many smaller ones (about 2 - 3 feet long) under them about 4 or 5 meters.
I am tired now!
We head off for the dive, the swell is big, it's still windy...it was dive, ripping current which we didn't expect...excellent school of huge batfish - but you've all seen those before. Skip the dive...except when we got to the surface the wind had died out.
On the way back to the boat ramp, DH (an excellent creature spotter, even if he doesn't always ID them right) suddenly slows down and whispers "dugongs!" I look around and there are FOUR on the surface about 100m away. We go into idle, I throw my stuff on and grab the camera. It is highly unusual to be able to see them underwater here, but what the heck...don't know if you don't try.
I drop in about 50m away and fin very slowly and calmly. I keep my head up so I can see where they are and if they are getting spooked. At the first sign they are unhappy I will head back to the boat. Then these two actually change directions and come CLOSER to me! Yippee - head under camera ready...
Into view - they are so cute with their little smiles! Water is green and has many floaties, but pretty clear. Couldn't tell from the pictures I ended up with. I only take about 8 or 10 as I know they are out of range for the most part...I realise as I do these they are holiday snaps but what a treat! I also take a little video - it actually turns out quite well. I swim with them for over 10 minutes.
They loop around, go to the left then bank around and head back to the right. The big one pushes the small one over its back - not away from me but so it is on my side! They swim in tandem, then one above the other, then glide one behind...
I am in awe...this is yet another amazing day. Only the fourth time in the water for any real length of time with dugongs since I moved here in 1996!
Sorry for the length...I could go on and on...also sorry for the quality of the pics. I would appreciate any pointers on getting around the problem of too much food! I turned the strobe off right away and didn't attempt any with flash.
This first one is the same manta as the second close up shot...I am still amazed by the amount of krill etc in the water...
"one of those" days turned out to be "ONE OF THOSE" days - gotta love it!
Launch. Gets windier and COLD. DH takes the long way out and I sit curled up behind him trying not to turn to ice (it's cold for me!) We head out of the passage and the swell is also up - this means huge surge for our dive. Won't be taking the Ike strobe on this dive either as these are not the conditions I need to practice with the modified tray/arm set-up I have been able to piece together until I make a decision on new gear. <sigh>
Beautiful blue water, though.
Then DH says - hey, there are some dolphins! We cruise over to look...not dolphins but mantas feeding! I grab the camera and slide in - beautiful blue, warm water (28C) and four mantas. All huge. All female and all feeding.
I cruise with them and three more mantas join in - mostly it is one or two next to me and the others cruising back and forth along this line of concentrated food. Rarely do any of them get close enough together for a group shot, but I have a couple - unfortunately, because they are feeding, the couple shots I have show one manta turning around!
I cannot get over how much food is in the water - I can feel the little creepy crawlies on my exposed skin. Yeech. But the mantas love it! The camera does not.
Getting close doesn't seem to be a problem today...they are routinely rubbing up on me and brushing me with their wing tips - changing direction to interact with me. I have to say this is very cool!
I spend over 45 minutes with them - mostly just swimming with them and now and then taking some photos and trying out a bit of video on the 5050...I didn't want to eat up too much memory, so I messed that up by not taking long enough segments. Oh well.
I got back on the boat to head back to the main area - had followed a huge female farther down the reef - and when I dropped in and looked down...four eagle rays with various markings swimming together! I looked up at the mantas and chose to speed off with the eagles...having to abruptly detour as I almost swam through the second black manta ray!
The eagles were down near the bottom at about 16m and my freediving ain't what it used to be. I swam with them for about 10 minutes, but they were mostly in this greeny, dirty water - I think I only took 5 or so shots. I was amazed at the difference in markings!
I took another detour from the eagles as a huge school of barracuda joined me. I followed them for a while...the big guys (from about 4 - 5.5 feet) were on top and there were about 3 times as many smaller ones (about 2 - 3 feet long) under them about 4 or 5 meters.
I am tired now!
We head off for the dive, the swell is big, it's still windy...it was dive, ripping current which we didn't expect...excellent school of huge batfish - but you've all seen those before. Skip the dive...except when we got to the surface the wind had died out.
On the way back to the boat ramp, DH (an excellent creature spotter, even if he doesn't always ID them right) suddenly slows down and whispers "dugongs!" I look around and there are FOUR on the surface about 100m away. We go into idle, I throw my stuff on and grab the camera. It is highly unusual to be able to see them underwater here, but what the heck...don't know if you don't try.
I drop in about 50m away and fin very slowly and calmly. I keep my head up so I can see where they are and if they are getting spooked. At the first sign they are unhappy I will head back to the boat. Then these two actually change directions and come CLOSER to me! Yippee - head under camera ready...
Into view - they are so cute with their little smiles! Water is green and has many floaties, but pretty clear. Couldn't tell from the pictures I ended up with. I only take about 8 or 10 as I know they are out of range for the most part...I realise as I do these they are holiday snaps but what a treat! I also take a little video - it actually turns out quite well. I swim with them for over 10 minutes.
They loop around, go to the left then bank around and head back to the right. The big one pushes the small one over its back - not away from me but so it is on my side! They swim in tandem, then one above the other, then glide one behind...
I am in awe...this is yet another amazing day. Only the fourth time in the water for any real length of time with dugongs since I moved here in 1996!
Sorry for the length...I could go on and on...also sorry for the quality of the pics. I would appreciate any pointers on getting around the problem of too much food! I turned the strobe off right away and didn't attempt any with flash.
This first one is the same manta as the second close up shot...I am still amazed by the amount of krill etc in the water...
"one of those" days turned out to be "ONE OF THOSE" days - gotta love it!
