Monthly Archives: March 2013

A macro shoot

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2013-03-25_026A macro shoot

This is a new crab for me- hidden amongst the substrate on the lagoon floor. The camouflage was so excellent I can easily understand why I have never seen them before…. however now I have a new challenge. If anyone has an idea what they’re called, I’d much appreciate a heads up. Potentially it is some type of ‘decorator crab’ however it was pretty much naked when I saw it.

It was a strange dive for me. In an area about 5m square I saw the following creatures: 2 mating nudibranchs, a tiny banded pipefish, a beautiful juvenile lionfish, a hermit crab, a peacock sole and some weird looking shellfish.

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Mating nudibranch

Mating nudibranch

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New turtle reef

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New turtle reef

A few days ago Jude and I jumped on an unexplored reef for a look-see. It was deep by our standards- approx 16m to the top of the reef…..

….however there were a bunch of humungous Green turtles which were relatively calm with our presence. For some reason, the Green turtles here in Laamu are much more wary of divers than the Hawksbill variety.

The photo above was taken at around 30m- not bad quality considering the depth. It was resting on the bottom and I was trying to get Jude in the background- however the extra distance to Jude really affects the quality of the shot as you see below.

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Finally this is a different Green turtle -this time at about 20m. It was really relaxed around me but unfortunately I was shooting up towards the afternoon sun. This dive is a ‘deep’ dive on average- it is really only suitable for divers who have very good breathing control to allow maximum time on the bottom.

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A romantic couple

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A romantic couple

Wouldn’t you know it… I have been seeing these flatworms (Chelidonura varians) in the lagoon on my last few dives there with guests and of course I never had my camera. So yesterday I made a quick jump and spent…. over an hour looking and found nada.

The battery life on the S95 leaves something to be desired and when the battery icon started flashing I headed back when I came across a pair. A couple of shots and then the camera went flat.

I guess I may have disturbed them and they split up… sorry guys- you should have left a ribbon on the door handle.

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Grrrrrrrrr

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Grrrrrrrrr

Fushi Kandu- perhaps the best Grey Reef Shark dive site that I have experienced in the Maldives. 2 days ago I counted more than 20 greys and a few whitetips…. who don’t have the courage to mix it with the big girls.

The next day there were ‘only’ a dozen circling an ever-decreasing school of hapless big-eyes.

With Jude over-seeing the divers, I managed to take a couple of cheeky pics, but at 25m, shooting with ambient light, it really shows my inability to get well-balanced shots.

Lightroom helps boost some colours but that in turn blows out the sand or gives it a reddish tinge. But,…. ya get the idea- Fushi Kandu ROCKS!

Below are some more shots of the first dive at Fushi Kandu and the second at Mundhoo Kandu

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