OP
lovely thanks.. nothing wrong with a little shake now and then
Aussie Diving November 2012
- Thread starter bowlofpetunias
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Mantra
Contributor
We dove the good coast seaway yesterday and it was 19 deg too. It felt cold after our last few dives! Ha. I fear I might be soft when it comes to water temps, but fortunately am protected from doing anything too chilly by my wfe who is even worse
Unlike me, she carries little bioprene, so in 19deg it is a skin, a 5mm hooded vest, and a 7mm semidry farmer John for her. As I say, she gets a pass because she is so skinny. I don't know what my excuse is I have a question for you guys. BF and BOP, you both seem really skilled at spotting the small stuff like those snapping shrimp and Pygmy pipehorses. How did you learn to do that? Just lots and lots of practice and diving with people who helped point them out at first? It seems to be that a lot of experienced divers go from being awed by the big stuff to being awed by the tiny
As you dive more, you become more relaxed and start noticing your surroundings a lot more. You will also start to learn to slow down and when you approach critters you will not scare as many away (there will still be some that will never let you get close however!)
As for the big stuff, I love that too. The problem with the big stuff in Melbourne is the water visibility (or lack of it), shooting wide angle in poor vis is very frustrating! We do get sharks and big rays, but whenever I see one I'm setup for wide angle they never appear.
19 degrees is not that warm is just feels a lot better than the 9 to 10 degrees of winter I dive year round in a drysuit, I just adjust what undergarment I wear when the water warms up.
As for the big stuff, I love that too. The problem with the big stuff in Melbourne is the water visibility (or lack of it), shooting wide angle in poor vis is very frustrating! We do get sharks and big rays, but whenever I see one I'm setup for wide angle they never appear.
19 degrees is not that warm is just feels a lot better than the 9 to 10 degrees of winter
I dive year round in a drysuit, I just adjust what undergarment I wear when the water warms up.
OP
X 2 here. Our viz forces macro shots. I don't have a strobe so backscatter is my enemy!
I'd say the most important thing is to move slow and study the environment. Traveling fast burns up air and energy. The only things you see if you are moving quickly are the departing tails of larger creatures who can out swim you easily:doh:
A few little tricks...
1) Watch for eyes. You may get reflection from the eyes from your torch or ambient light.
2) Watch for things that don't move with the sway of the growth
3) Learn about the cleaner fish in your area, what they look like and what growth they prefer. Find a cleaning station and just hang back and watch. If you are still after a while they will ignore you. Study the behavior of the fish as they approach the station and the action of the cleaners. This is a good starting point to learn to notice behaviors that help you spot more critters.
One last bit of advice talk to the other divers. I will not share the location of some critters with any diver I think would be a danger to them. That means we share the locations of the special stuff with a few other divers who will not trash them or tell everyone about them. They share their finds with us.
I learned this lesson the hard way when someone "caught" me taking pics of a colony of 5 pygmy pipehorse. One of them poked a dive knife at them to show the rest of the group! I grabbed the guy's wrist and pushed the knife away and signaled "Danger there are more small ones around". His dive buddies floundered in as I cringed and tried to protect the creatures. The next day the entire area for 2M around it was trashed and not a single one of the colony survived!
IMHO you don't have to have perfect bouyancy... I will show things to newer divers who clearly respect the creatures. I once showed a special critter to a VERY experienced diver who was more concerned with taking the photo than their fins hitting another one. I wound up staying with the other creature to protect it. Needless to say that person came off my list!
I'd say the most important thing is to move slow and study the environment. Traveling fast burns up air and energy. The only things you see if you are moving quickly are the departing tails of larger creatures who can out swim you easily:doh:
A few little tricks...
1) Watch for eyes. You may get reflection from the eyes from your torch or ambient light.
2) Watch for things that don't move with the sway of the growth
3) Learn about the cleaner fish in your area, what they look like and what growth they prefer. Find a cleaning station and just hang back and watch. If you are still after a while they will ignore you. Study the behavior of the fish as they approach the station and the action of the cleaners. This is a good starting point to learn to notice behaviors that help you spot more critters.
One last bit of advice talk to the other divers. I will not share the location of some critters with any diver I think would be a danger to them. That means we share the locations of the special stuff with a few other divers who will not trash them or tell everyone about them. They share their finds with us.
I learned this lesson the hard way when someone "caught" me taking pics of a colony of 5 pygmy pipehorse. One of them poked a dive knife at them to show the rest of the group! I grabbed the guy's wrist and pushed the knife away and signaled "Danger there are more small ones around". His dive buddies floundered in as I cringed and tried to protect the creatures. The next day the entire area for 2M around it was trashed and not a single one of the colony survived!
IMHO you don't have to have perfect bouyancy... I will show things to newer divers who clearly respect the creatures. I once showed a special critter to a VERY experienced diver who was more concerned with taking the photo than their fins hitting another one. I wound up staying with the other creature to protect it. Needless to say that person came off my list!
Mantra
Contributor
Thanks for those tips! One thing I really appreciate about being a new diver is that so much good stuff is still ahead. If I could take perfect photos and see every critter right now it would feel like I wasn't earning it
My buoyancy started to feel like it was beginning to come together after about dive 30 I reckon. Nowhere near perfect, of course, but starting to not require so much concentration. I really need to get my propulsion down so I can make fine adjustments, but I can more or less get my face within a few centimeters of something now and hold more or less still without needing to hang on to anything. We are really conscious about not wanting to damage the environment in any way, so being able to get close without touching is something we practice carefully each dive. That's heartbreaking about the Pygmy pipehorses.
Because we dive a lot of tourist sites like Byron, the default speed of guides seems to be quite fast. We have learned just to hang back and take things at our own speed.
You two continue to inspire. Thanks for the virtual comradarie!
My buoyancy started to feel like it was beginning to come together after about dive 30 I reckon. Nowhere near perfect, of course, but starting to not require so much concentration. I really need to get my propulsion down so I can make fine adjustments, but I can more or less get my face within a few centimeters of something now and hold more or less still without needing to hang on to anything. We are really conscious about not wanting to damage the environment in any way, so being able to get close without touching is something we practice carefully each dive. That's heartbreaking about the Pygmy pipehorses.
Because we dive a lot of tourist sites like Byron, the default speed of guides seems to be quite fast. We have learned just to hang back and take things at our own speed.
You two continue to inspire. Thanks for the virtual comradarie!
OP
No worries... and who knows.. maybe we will get to dive together in the real. I have been fortunate enough to meet and dive with a fair number of people I have met online first. None have disappointed me. Of course there are some I wouldn't bother trying to meet but the ones I have got to be cyber friends with have turned out to be exactly who they presented themselves to be!
I noticed in my books it was about dive 30 where I started feeling like I was getting the hang of the bouyancy issue. Many of our dive sites here you can safely put a finger or hand to the rock or the bottom if you use care and look at what you are touching. You don't have to have perfect bouyancy.. IMHO being situational awareness and consideration of the environment/critters come before that. I know instructors who have perfect control but lack consideration!:doh:
I noticed in my books it was about dive 30 where I started feeling like I was getting the hang of the bouyancy issue. Many of our dive sites here you can safely put a finger or hand to the rock or the bottom if you use care and look at what you are touching. You don't have to have perfect bouyancy.. IMHO being situational awareness and consideration of the environment/critters come before that. I know instructors who have perfect control but lack consideration!:doh:
ferris213
Contributor
Nice video mate, it was great diving with you guys the other week.
I realize this is aimed at others but for me using my torch got me focusing better and looking in cracks and holes etc. also going slowly and searching a small area thoroughly helped.
Cooly dive at cook island are happy for you to go and do your own thing, plus it is an easy site so there is no stress. For me, following a guide makes it heaps harder to take the time needed. As petunias and bfowels have shown, the closer you look, the more you see.
Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
I have a question for you guys. BF and BOP, you both seem really skilled at spotting the small stuff like those snapping shrimp and Pygmy pipehorses. How did you learn to do that? Just lots and lots of practice and diving with people who helped point them out at first? It seems to be that a lot of experienced divers go from being awed by the big stuff to being awed by the tiny
I realize this is aimed at others but for me using my torch got me focusing better and looking in cracks and holes etc. also going slowly and searching a small area thoroughly helped.
Cooly dive at cook island are happy for you to go and do your own thing, plus it is an easy site so there is no stress. For me, following a guide makes it heaps harder to take the time needed. As petunias and bfowels have shown, the closer you look, the more you see.
Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
Mantra
Contributor
Great to hear from you, mate! I thought of you when BOP was talking about meeting SB people in the flesh. You definitely fit the bill of someone who is as good in person as virtually. (And for the record, BOP, it would be an honor to dive with you any time). You and Phuong are the two people I've dived with from SB so far, and you're both top blokes.
The torch trick sounds like a good one, as well as looking for eyes. Will do that for sure.
I prefer not having a guide on a familiar site for sure, unless it's one who can really critter spot the amazing stuff. That's the exception for me I reckon.
Thanks for the info on cooly dive. The unidive club go there pretty often too, and also let you do your own thing. It works out about $65 for a double dive with them including the skipper Charlie cooking up some snags and onion etc on his barbie during the SI. They're next heading out there on the 15th.
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