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crubie

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Posts posted by crubie

  3. Posted

    Hi,

     

    Finally got round to posting a few shots from my first try at Macro / Super Macro during a trip to Wakatobi.

     

    Was mostly concentrating on getting sharp focus... Found it pretty challenging with the straight viewfinder during the first 2 days.

    A 45 degree would help.

     

    (Was using the Canon 5D MKIII, Canon 100mm F2.8, Nauticam housing, 2 Inon Z-240s and the Nauticam Super Macro converter.)

     

    Below is a selection of the best results.

     

    Minor post processing in Lightroom, a little spot removal and vignetting.

     

    Would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions.

     

    Many Thanks

     

    post-17825-0-42738100-1491415614_thumb.jpg

     

    post-17825-0-03531500-1491415696_thumb.jpg

     

    post-17825-0-09507800-1491415720_thumb.jpg

     

  6. Posted

    Hi,

     

    Travelled to Belize a few years ago especially for the Whale Shark Aggregations in Gladden Spit.

    The best place to stay as a base is Placencia a small town / village that is about a 60-90 min boat ride away (depending on sea conditions) from the protected marine park.

     

    The trips a usually day trips with 1 dive in the morning and 1 early pm on the site. They limit the number of boats on site to 1 hour slots. In between dives the boat usually anchors on a reef nearby. Divers are free to snorkel during that time

     

    Important to note that although comfortable the boats are usually small with no toilets.

     

    The dives themselves are blue dives and basically can be hit or miss. On some dives we had up to 6 whale sharks, dolphins, Bull sharks, inquisitive raymoras and thousands of snappers and on a couple other dives, just deep blue dives....

     

    It was however a fantastic experience.

     

    I stayed in Placencia itself at The Turtle Inn (owned by Francis F Coppola) and used their dive shop which was great with few divers on each trip. Some other operators on larger boats might have a mix of divers / snorkelers...

     

    Placencia itself is a fantastic village that feels relatively untouched by tourism (they have managed to keep the Cruise business at bay so far). Local people are very friendly, and there are some very nice local restaurants.

    To me the town had a typical carribean vibe without the usual downside re safety etc... People can walk around the place at night without a worry (at least when I was there...)

     

    Hope this helps and don't hesitate to let me know if you have any specific questions

     

    Christophe

  9. Posted

    Hey everyone, I will be going on a trip to ft. Lauterdale Florida From the 30th of December to the 7th of January and am wondering where are the best spots to hit. I also would like to know of a good, cheap dive shop because I am a college student on a budget. I am really interested in shark diving preferably no cage and would also love to shoot a lot of macro for my portfolio. I have strobes so depth is not an issue.

     

    I would check out Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures in Palm Beach.

    Shark dive Specialists and do dives at Blue Heron Bridge.

  10. Posted

    I will have a chance to go to Belize for several weeks in March. Will be staying on a boat so I don't need accomodations. What are the best dive operators and/or local dive guides? What are the best places to go?

     

    I can confirm that Placencia is fantastic.

    I used the dive shop from the Turtle Inn Resort who were very professional.

     

    The star dives during that time of year are the whale shark dives in Gladden Spit. These are blue dives with whale Sharks and the best Time to go is right around the full moon (3-4 days before and after).

    However one thing to keep in mind is that the boat ride from Placencia is 30-45 min sometimes more depending on sea conditions. Trips are usually for a full day. Gladden Spit is a protected marine area and they only allow a limited number of boat / divers in the area at any given time. Operators usually book on time slot in the morning and one in the afternoon and spend the downtimee moored at a nearby reef.

     

    Fantastic experience ! Not to miss this time of year !

  13. Posted

    I have used a sony HDR-HC7 (still prefer tapes for underwater filming, just a matter of convenience, especially when on a liveaboard...) with an Amphibico Dive Buddy Evo.

    Love the setup, and have received excellent service from the team at Amphibico.

    Used this rig quite intensively on a week long trip on the Shearwater and never had a single issue. Very well built in my opinion.

    PM me if you would like links to videos shot with this setup or have any questions.

  15. Posted

    For Sale :

     

    - Amphibico Dive Buddy Evo HD

    - Amphico 10 Arc Video Light

    - Amphibico Travel case

     

    - Sony HDR-HC7

    - Extra batteries with charger

     

    Kit is in great condition, only used once on the Wetpixel / JASA Shark & Dolphins Expedition

     

    Can provide pictures of Kit and sample videos shot with this setup on request.

     

    Asking $4000. for full Kit or best offer

     

    Contact : chrisrubie@mac.com

  18. Posted

    Was on Veligandu - Rasdhoo Atoll a few years ago.

     

    Great resort - good house reef accessible in just a short swim even for snorkeling.

    Saw turtles, dolphins, rays (sting, eagle & Mantas) white tip Sharks, even before I put on any scuba gear !...

     

    But the best is that it is close to the Hammerhead point dive.

    Early morning blue dive with a good chance of seeing hammers.

  19. Posted

    One other note re: the whale-shark diving: we just booked a trip to Belize for the June full moon, and in reading about the whale shark diving in the documentation the resort we picked provided us, they indicated that it is permit only, and the differen't operators have to be on a schedule as there's only a certain number of boats permitted on station a day. If you're coming in on a private boat, I don't know whether that means you'll have to get permits to do the same?

     

    Anyway, good luck and let the board know how it went, since you'll be there a couple months before me. :(

     

     

    I can confirm that is the case, it is reservation only. The authorities limit the number of boats allowed on dive the site in 1 hour slots.

    While I was there, (2 years ago) our operator would prebook 2 slots (1 morning, 1 afternoon). Boats have to check in with "security" on arrival at a nearby reef between dives at gladden spit.

    We would snorkel on the reef between dives (the site is rather far offshore).

     

    In addition I would suggest dives as early as possible in the morning as the snappers tend to sink deeper after a few dive groups and this reduces the chances of good up-close Whale Shark action.

     

    A few of our afternoon dives did end up being nothing more than blue dives.

     

    Hope this helps

  22. Posted

    Any opinions on the best place to film whalesharks? I'd love to find some in relatively clear water.

    Thanks,

    Steve

     

     

    Gladden Spit off the coast of Placencia, Belize is a good place.

    from March to April / May is the best time especially around the full moon time.

     

    In addition, Placencia is a great town to stay in.

     

    Daily trips are organised to the marine reserve (can be a 1h to 1h30 trip if rough seas). Marine Reserve usually limits to 3 dive boats at anytime on the site

     

    I have had good Whale Shark encounters in the Malidives but vis was limited.

  25. Posted

    It's no secret I'm an opponent of regular baited dives in one particular area. However, if someone is going to do it, at least do it safely and not be stupid about it. Looking at the sequences from Dolphin Dream's dives, full contact with sharks , dropping someone on top of a shark feed. It's ironic that JASA, with its stricter protocols, would suffer the first death as a result of the dives.

     

    My biggest objection are the kids in a cage and the piss poor wrangling of the GWS which caused it to scrap and injure itself against the boat and cage, with bloody results. It looked like the Nautilus Explorer's cage but I'm not certain. I certainly would not use that ops just for the poor wrangling and allowing kids in the cages. Sharks are being lured in for willing customers, so at least make sure the shark is safe. Ridiculous!

     

     

    Drew,

     

    I completely agree on your point concerning JASA. I was shocked to see what other expeditions do at Tiger Beach...It seems very disorganised and reckless...

    Unfortunately I don't think these so called "adrenaline dives" necessarily help the cause of sharks so much as perpetuate the myths...

     

    I have found Jim Abernethy to have the exact opposite approach, with a major focus on conservation, safety for the Divers and especially for the Sharks.

     

    In addition, I think there is a considerable difference between dives that employ bait to attract sharks (usually decaying fish in crates) and actual shark feeds.

     

    As for the shark wrangling part of the video, it is not the first time I see sharks being injured by poor wrangling (I remember seeing a great white getting a "bloody nose").

    To be fair however, on this video, I think what looks like a bloody injury on the shark is in fact paint/rust from the boats hull.

    Not that getting stuck between the boat and the cage could have been any good for the shark whatsoever...

    As you said ridiculous...

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