Need advice (& thoughts) on UW photography for Rangiroa diving....We're about a month

[diver 85]

out of going to Rangiroa & I like to take UW pics---etc etc etc........In looking @ 'the things' we might encounter(we're diving with Top Dive), it looks that WA is about what I need to be thinking of???--ie any macro 'stuff' to shoot???......I LOVE shooting WA vs macro(to me it's kinda like cheatin' UW..) and---always take my macro lens---but in reality is most shooting gunna be WA???.......tia for your advice/previous experience situations/&-or comments......

 

[diver 85]

'lil bumpety-bump-bump-bump-------TTT, to the top.......Now on 2nd page of the Pacific Islands sub-forum, lots of views---but no responses.....Anyone have any idea(s)??.......tia......

 

[mmmbelows]

Not sure why nobody has responded to you... Rangiroa is big stuff, sharks, mantas, dolphins, lots of current, closer to the shore you'll be in a ton of surge, three five to feet of orbital horizontal movement in the water column as you surge forward and back, forward and back, not really safe to be shooting marcro with all that hard coral ready to cut the crap out of you... so wide angle for sure. Doesn't mean there isn't plenty of macro subjects that you could find, but most of the time you're going to be in lots of current and have plenty of big stuff to focus on. I'd reconsider top dive with your experience level and think about 6 Passengers for your dive op.

 

[mmmbelows]

Hey, I couldn't remember if you said you were staying at the Kia Ora or not? If you are, just wanted to advise you not to miss the nightly shark show. When we stayed there every night we spent some time at the bar they have that sits on the water watching the sharks come in and feed on the bait fish that are in the shallows there. Most of the sharks are in the 3-4 foot range but on a couple of nights there was one that looked like it was 8-9 feet but he wouldn't come in too close to the lights, more like a phantom in the water.

We had an over water room and I remember on the first day I had told my wife that it would be fun to do a night snorkel around our bungalow, since they have lights in the water and they would attract a lot of fish... well, that first night walking back from dinner as we walked over the dock to our bungalow over the water I started seeing big shadows in the water... when we got to the room I stood on the deck watching shark after shark swimming under and around the room... and every few minutes there was an explosion in the water just outside the range of the lights where an unlucky fish got chomped by one of the sharks... needless to say I never did a night snorkel. LOL

 

[Cali_diver]

I don't know what you are shooting with so it is kind of hard to advise. That being said, some of my best shark pictures where taking with my 60mm macro lens. I even have a couple really nice manta pics from fakarava. I also shoot sharks with my 10-24mm. I would get bored with only wide angle so I throw on my 60 to get some nice fish photos.