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Quick video from my recent Socorro trip. Best watched in 4K. Anyone have any tips on reducing noise with Sony cameras when shooting video?

If you have not yet dived (dove?) at Komodo, you should really give it a shot; flying to Bali is quite cheap from many places now, then another quick flight to Labuan Bajo. The best months are April through August, once November hits the currents change, and can be so strong that visibility is quite limited. The north of the park tends to have the best sealife, which is generally avoided from November through February when dive shops go south. Go see the mantas, check off that bucket list item.

I went looking for whalesharks, earlier this year.... no luck there, but plenty of mantas! [media]https://vimeo.com/352696720[/media] Mantas are at the beginning and again at 2:45. Panasonic GH5, Nauticam housing. Cheers, Matt

Announcing another of our very popular Dive/Photo Trips for October/November 2015. This trip begins in Bali where we fly to Flores to start our live-board trip through the central and northern regions of the Komodo National Park. We explore the very best macro and wide angle photo opportunities of this very rich area. From sea fleas to manta rays, from tiny nudibranchs to massive schools of pelagics. We know these waters well enough to make every dive a photographic dream. From Komodo we head west to Gili Banta for more remote reefs, then Sangeang Island an active volcano with some of the best black sand macro dives in Indonesia. Further west we explore Sumbawa Island's coastal reefs and finish in the muck dive heaven of Bima Bay. Here we have found nearly every sought after critter for photographers, blue ring octopus, wunderpuss, mimic octopus, frogfish, coleman shrimps, devil scorpionfish, stonefish, juvenile batfish, nudibranchs in every shape and size.... the list goes on! This trip is organised once per year around the best weather, tide and dive conditions for this area. The trip is inclusive of airfares from Bali to Flores & Sumbawa to Bali. 10 days/9 nights on the live-board, all meals, diving and twin shared air-conditioned accommodation on the live-aboard. Join other keen underwater photographers and get personal free help with your photography and post editing with Australian photo journalist Jeff Mullins. Dates are October 31 to November 9. Cost is USD$3490. Check out full details on our website at: http://www.reefwreckandcritter.com/flores-to-sumbawa-trip-information.html or contact us via email at: reefimages@ii.net The trip currently has only 4 vacancies. NOTE: On our November 2014 trip we found and photographed 4 of the rare nudibranch Melibe colemani (Coleman's Melibe). In 2015 we will be visiting these same dive sites to search and photograph them again!

Only 5 or 6 spots remain on this awesome trip to the Maldives (12 pax total). Dates are Sep 28 - Oct 7 2015. Price From $4,700 per person based on double occupancy. Airfare is not included. If you are interested, message me and I will send you information ASAP! Best,

Socorros on the New Nautilus Belle Amie Liveaboard, March 10-18, 2015 Join Us for an 8 Day Liveaboard Photo Expedition Starting at only $3355! The Revillagigedos Islands, also known as the Socorro Islands, are located 250 miles offshore southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They form an oasis for pelagic life amongst their volcanic shores. Many hammerhead and silky sharks, giant manta rays, dolphins, sailfish, schools of jacks and tuna come to feed, mate and get cleaned by small endemic Clarion Angelfish. These animals tend to be quite friendly towards divers at times, allowing for fantastic interactions and blue water photo opportunities. Giant Mantas: The giant Pacific mantas which you will meet at Socorro are the largest of the rays and we believe they are the most majestic creatures in the ocean. They swim by moving their wing-like pectoral fins, which can grow up to 7 meters wide, but usually average about 5 – 6 meters. What is even more extraordinary is that the local population of bottlenose dolphins have learned to mimic the behaviour of the giant mantas. It is very likely that these wild dolphins will also move in close and intimate to divers during your trip. Shark sightings are also very good at Socorro Island with common sightings of silky, galapagos, hammerhead, white tip and silver tip sharks. Humpback Whales: Optical Ocean Sales has organized this trip to go at a perfect time of year to see migrating Humpback Whales. A population of 1200 humpbacks moves into the island’s waters in early spring and chances are excellent that you will have encounters with these mighty giants. You may even hear them singing through the hull of the ship at night as you lie in your bunk. New Nautilus Belle Amie Liveaboard: At 140' in length and 300 tons, the Nautilus Belle Amie redefines luxurious diving. Staterooms are located on three decks and are very spacious with ensuite heads and twin beds and no bunk beds! Three high-speed rigid inflatable 28' dive skiffs are loaded on/off the stern, you just step on and off, your gear is ready! A hot tub and bar complete the upper deck, with a comfortable saloon and dinning room and another bar on the wheelhouse deck. The ship is stabilized, fast and comfortable in a seaway. In fact, it's the only boat to offer 6 full days of diving on a week's trip! Departs beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Optical Ocean Sales: owner Jack Connick (making his 4th trip to the islands), will help you get the most of your underwater photo opportunities. Included are: 8 nights/9 days aboard the Nautilus Belle Amie, with 6 days of 4 tank dives Twinshare cabins; either Premium, Superior or standard Staterooms. Fantastic meals, snacks and more! Tanks & weights (special pricing on other rentals) Park Fees & taxes Not Included: Airfare Airport Transfers Hotel the night prior to departure Alcoholic Beverages Nitrox $65 Port fee *Deposits are non-refundable, but transferable to another person. Download our flyer! Sign up at: Socorros 2015 with Optical Ocean Sales or Email Us! Or call: 800-359-1295, or +1 206-284-1142

Returned several weeks ago from an amazing trip to Misool Eco Resort armed with my tiny Sony RX100 and Nauticam housing. I love this combination and my only regret was spending money on a macro dioper and strobe and not a wide angle diopter and the latest Light and Motion video lamps. That not withstanding I captured some pretty reasonable footage (IMHO) Take a look at this sample of mantas captured on Misool's famous 'Magic Mountain' Original format AVCHD 1920x1080p 50fps, subsequently converted to Apple ProRes and edited in FCP. No post production colour editing. https://vimeo.com/66623968

Just came back from my forth trip to the Maldives (last time almost 8 years ago). This year I was on MV Theia, a quite comfortable liveaboard (but without enough proper places for camera storage, and no Nitrox), on a 10 day trip. We encountered some problems in the beginning, due to a broken engine of the dive vessel ("Dhoni"), which caused a start delayed by two days. The rest of the trip was nice, including encounters with whalesharks and some very nice dives with manta rays at channels in the western side of Ari Atoll. You can see some of my images here (hope you enjoy): My current impressions of the Maldives as a diving destination are as follows: - still a good combination of pelagics, some nice reefs and good macro shooting opportunities, all this in very warm waters - unfortunately, most of the touristic islands are now suffering from the epidemic of water bungalows, resulting in a strong impact on the formerly idyllic landscape - shark populations dramatically smaller than 8 years ago, presumably due to still strongly ongoing finning - where I frequently used to see groups of maybe 10 grey reef sharks, now you are lucky to see one or two - many dive sites crowded (even in low season) - at some sites that used to be beautiful (e.g., Fish Head) we saw groups of 30 Asian tourists at "discover scuba diving" sessions, not having any bouyancy skills at all - Fish Head and Maaya Thila now almost destroyed I might be too spoiled as a diver already, therefore commenting a bit harsh, but maybe this will help somebody to plan for the next diving vacations. And I would wish the clock had stopped 15 years ago, when the Maldives used to be quite simple, but with beautiful reefs full of life. Coral bleaching hit them hard in the past, but finning and kind of touristic development are their own responsibility. Merry christmas, everyone. Gazpacho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4M8B9QkLOM&list=UU0xLw1wpdE5mHWLE3XAV03Q&index=1&feature=plcp This footage is not my own but the Mermaid Liveaboards videogrpher Nu. The footage was all taken from a ten day liveaboard on the Mermaid 1 and just a small snippet of the time we had. Stew