Snaphappy

I snorkeled at Crystal River 2 weeks ago and was strongly warned by the tour operator that I'd most likely be issued a ticket by the 'manatee gestapo' if I tried to descend. When I snorkeled there last year it was no problem whatsoever. Fortunately, there was no mention of strobes being prohibited. The manatees were plentiful at Three Sisters, but the vis was really bad. Does high tide usually offer the best clarity in the springs? I'll be returning to CR in about two weeks and I really hope that I don't encounter the same pea soup conditions! Robyn

Beautiful shots...esp. the last two! I'll be diving at the bridge this Friday and I'll be watching for these lovely hydroids (with full skin protection of course!). Robyn

I have two sets of Sea & Sea focus gear which has never been out of the box except to photograph each one. The first one is #46220 for a Canon EF 50mm lens. I'm willing to sell this for $50 which includes shipping and handling. The second one is #31110 for a Canon EF 100mm lens which I'm willing to sell for $75 which includes shipping and handling. Please see the pictures below. Thanks for looking! Robyn

Thank you so much Leslie and Jon! Robyn

My buddies and I were diving at Phil Foster Park on Friday when my buddy spotted this unusual worm-like creature. She and I have each been diving at the park hundreds of times and we've never seen anything like this. It had undulating movements and was about 8" in length when it was contracted and about 14" in length when it was stretched. Here's a few pics. Can someone please help to ID this? Thanks in advance! Robyn

Thank you so much Ellen! Your link provided me with lots of great info and I appreciate it. I'll let you know what happens. Best Regards, Robyn

Thanks so much for the reply Blueline. I guess it just needs to dry out some more. I agree that it's not good to over-lubricate the o-rings. As long as they still appear shiny, I don't put additional lubricant on them. I was diving by the bridge at Phil Foster Park in West Palm Beach yesterday and I'm pretty sure that some water droplets got inside when I opened up the housing to solve my strobe problem. I'm going back in today and I'm going to test and retest the strobes to make sure they fire before I enter the water! Thanks again for the feedback. Robyn

I shoot with a Canon 5D in a Sea & Sea 5D-DX housing. I was doing a shore dive yesterday and was frustrated when my strobes wouldn't fire. I quickly went to shore, opened the housing and fixed the problem by unplugging then replugging the connector into the hot shoe. I realize that this wasn't the wisest thing to do because I was dripping wet and a few drops of water got into my housing. Sure enough, the leak detector did what it was supposed to do and started flashing bright red. Luckily, the camera is fine and even though I've thoroughly dried the inside of the housing, the leak detector won't go off. I've tried removing the battery, but the light goes on again when I reinstall it. Is there a way to reset the leak detector? Thanks! Robyn

I went snorkeling with the manatees at Three Sisters Spring at Crystal River last week and had some fantastic encounters. I went in the water on Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday turned out to be the ideal day! The air temps were in the 40's which meant lots of manatees headed over to the spring for warmth. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I had great lighting for my shots! I hope you enjoy these images. Robyn

...and thank you for 'aiding and abetting' in all of the fun Ellen! Robyn

Thanks Ellen and rtrski. Although I'm not sure of the exact timeframe for the arrival of my winning certificate, I do remember that it didn't take too long. Maybe a week or less. As far as Scubaboard goes, it's never been my favorite board but I do lurk there every so often only because their members offer some outstanding posts. As far as their administrator goes...I think I'll reserve comment on that one. I think you'll find it interesting to know that the above-mentioned board co-sponsored a photo contest subsequent to the one I entered through Dive Chronicles and nobody got their prizes either. Birds of a feather??? Here's what I'm talking about: Win Free Memorykick I guess I'm way too trusting because I entered this one too and so did two of my friends! That's it, I'm done! If I'm going to enter any more contests from now on, I'm taking a close look at the sponsors! A happy, healthy new year to you too and thanks again for all your support. Robyn

As promised, I'm posting this to let everyone know how things turned out. After speaking with Brad and giving him my MC number instead of the Amex number that was originally accepted, my certificate for the free 4-night stay at the Divi Resort arrived in the mail. Bonnie H. from the reservations dept. at the Divi helped me to build a week-long dive package around the free stay I had won and everything went without a hitch. I returned from my trip a few weeks ago and was it ever a BLAST! Here's a link to my trip report and images if anyone wants to take a peek: Another Vote For The Divi! The moral of the story is that it pays to be persistant. Thank you Bonnie P. for giving me the nudge I needed to pursue this and thank you everyone for your support! Robyn

What an enjoyable thread! Thanks for sharing these incredible images everyone. Here's mine: This was taken in the Channel Islands last September. This was my first and only time having the chance to dive with sea lions and it was a dive that I'll never forget. We were entertained by nearly a dozen of the playful pinnipeds and it was a riot to watch their antics. The weather cooperated too which was an added bonus! Robyn

I took this shot at the Divi house reef in Bonaire, right near the dock. The fish was so tiny (less than 1/2 in) that if it hadn't moved I probably would have missed it entirely. Can someone please help me ID this one? Thanks, Robyn

Carol I'm very envious of your adventure and just fascinated by your captures. I can only image how difficult whale photography must be, but you've made it look easy! If there was ever a trip of a lifetime, this looks to be the one. Thanks for sharing the adventure and for giving us a glimpse of these spectacular cetaceans! Robyn