I've lost count how many times I've been to Bali, but every trip is a different experience! This time we planned for 3 days of diving, but only did 2 - first at Seraya & Tulamben, then at Nusa Penida for the M&Ms. Seraya did not disappoint even though the first dive was a dud because of strong currents. I also finally saw the pygmy seahorse at Tulamben, all the way down at 30m and about 15m off the right side of the bow (or stern?) on a small seafan.

Currents were crazy at Nusa Penida, and we saw a large Mola getting pushed up by the currents to 10m where we were! We spent the rest of the dive hooked in and swinging in the currents. Had several close encounters with the mantas, and none with the molas on our 3rd dive.

Spent the 3rd day eating and spa-ing, which was a great way to relax. I think we should always leave a day of non-diving in future!

My first time in a shootout competition, where competitors can only submit pictures shot during the competition period. This meant that we would all be shooting in the same conditions, same sites, etc. So all that's left is creativity, skill, and luck. It was an eye-opener and I made several friends and pros who were more than happy to share tips and strategies on winning.

The diving was so-so, definitely nothing like what was promised at Tomia where the famous (for it's US$400/night price tag) Wakatobi Resort is. We dived in Wangi-wangi, and it was barrel sponges and seafans and more barral sponges and seafans.

My first time to Moalboal in the Philippines to see the famed sardine shoals. They were truly breath-taking in their sheer numbers. It's like a poor man's Sardine Run, just minus the dolphins, diving gannets, sharks, and whales.

Overall diving was pretty decent, with healthy reefs and colourful walls blanketed with seafans and corals. The airplane wreck was also interesting, except we had the misfortune to enter the water together with another boat packed with 20 divers.

Also be sure to check out the video below. Watch it in 1080p if your computer can handle it!

Escape to Moalboal from John Lui on Vimeo.

My second trip to Sogod Bay at Peter's Dive Resort, and it was better than the last! The reefs were still as rich as before, and the night dive at Burgos Jetty is still the best ever. In fact, all the jaded divepros actually went for the night dive! The moon definitely turned blue that night.

We had an amazing encounter with a juvenile 4m whaleshark that circled us for a good 30 minutes, and played chicken with us the whole time. We had to scramble to get out of its way many times. It was the highlight of the trip. Over the 2 days that we went whaleshark snorkeling, we had about 8-9 sightings. A very good hit rate if you ask me!

Next December, anyone?

A lucky 2 days of diving in Bali, where we saw 4 Molas on a single dive, with a total of 5 Molas and 2 Mantas in a day. Another day was spent at Seraya with all the macro I could shoot. Missed an orang-utan crab, and no sign of the pom-pom crabs as well.

We then traveled to Lombok via ferry from Padang Bai and stayed overnight at Sekotong before heading to Belongas Bay to dive the Magnet - for hammerhead sharks! Conditions were really rough with 2-3m swells, and surge up to 20+m. Every dive was a negative entry, and charged with adrenaline. We had a great 6 dives sighting 3 hammerheads, lots of big white-tips, 5-6 eagle rays, and 30+ mobula rays on 2 separate dives.

I think we're planning to return next year again!

We escaped to Bali over the Lunar New Year for some diving and relaxation in the villa. Squeezed in 2 days of diving followed by 3 days of luxurious living! Tulamben and Seraya didn't fail to delight, and we did 6 dives of at least 80 minutes each. We're already planning our next trip back!

My 4th trip to the Similans, and probably one of the best so far. We had 2 boats up filled with crazy divers who more than made up for the lack of Mantas and Whalesharks. The weather was sunny yet breezy for a perfect dive holiday!

The crew of Orpheus DIve descended upon Dayang before the monsoon closes in for a weekend of wild fun and a taste of the good ole days. Diving was pretty decent, and we made a very good decision to quickly do 2 dives at Pinang and Pinnacles first thing in the morning. After the dives, a cold front hit Dayang shortly after we surfaced, and it rained and blew for the rest of the afternoon. Only 4 dives for the weekend! That's what a holiday should be!

A last minute trip to Pulau Hantu with the hantublog. We saw a few turtles on the surface, but sadly not while diving. The usual stuff we see at Hantu, except Peimin found a pair of Snaky Bornellas! Otherwise, still pretty fun on a nice lazy Sunday afternoon. If only it was cheaper!

A trip that I wasn't really keen on going until Julynn told me about $115 air tickets. Overall a pleasant and leisurely trip, except waking up at 5am every morning isn't my idea of fun! Still, we were lucky to see the Threshers 2 times out of 3.

Also saw my first Harlequin Shrimps! To think we were considering whether to skip that dive. I'm glad we didn't!

Thresher Shark Divers was pretty well run, with no hiccups, and helpful boat crew and dive guides. Massages were cheap at only 300p for an hour, making it less than $10. What a great way to end the day!

It was originally a birthday surprise for Shihui's friend, but the friend gave her a surprise and had a last-minute engagement. So we invited Edwin along to dive with the sharks and rays in the tank! It was a good experience to be able to get up close and personal without worrying about no-interaction rules.

A wonderful week spent in great company aboard the MV Eagle Ray. 21 dives later, we enjoyed the company of a large pod of dolphins, schools of Mobula and Eagle rays, played with a huge Napolean wrasse, frightened by sharks on a night dive, danced with Manta rays, and had a surreal encounter with a Great Hammerhead shark.

The boat was comfortable and service impeccable. Food was in abundance as were smiles from the crew every day.

We're already planning to go again in March 2011!

Coloured

Black & White

After a long hiatus, I went back to diving the Kuantan Wreck, or Nichi Asu Maru when it was still whole and carrying crude oil. It's been a while since I was on the Beach Boys,and it's only gotten better! Gone was the huge TV, and in its place, a sleek shiny Sony LCD TV mounted on the wall. No more loud crashes in the night when the TV falls off the shelf!

We ran into a heavy storm on the way out, and I didn't expect to make it out to the wreck. To my surprise at 8am in the morning, we were moored over the wreck! Conditions were superb, with calm seas, no current, and great visibility. Visibility suffered a little due to the overwhelming number of fish, which made it difficult to see your buddies across the wreck.

It was a great trip with 6 new Wreck Specialty divers, and just diving on our own was really refreshing!

Underwater

Land

Whenever possible, we make our annual pilgrimage to Perhentian to pay our respects to the King. Princess Hana toddles around and demands attention now, and it must surely be a sign that she's going to take her Rescue Diver course soon.

We had some great fun with a bunch of sporting and fun-loving divers. The dives were pretty average, but the divers made them great! My group also went to "explore" a less-dived site called Black Reef. The site was rich and fabulous, and getting there was an adventure on its own. Not everyone enjoyed it, but I know we did!

Be sure to check out the land shots to see what divers do on Perhentian after the dives are over!

The first trip to Dayang is always greeted with apprehension and nervous anticipation. Will the seas be rough? Will the visibility be poor? Will we spot whalesharks or mantas?

The answer is no to all the above. The sea was flat as a lake, visibility was ranging at least 15m or more, and we didn't spot anything bigger than 1.7m (the size of your average diver). I did spot 2 cobias on separate occassions, and spent the next 45 minutes looking around to no avail.

This was also a trip with the magic filters, and they have performed admirably. Most of these shots were taken beyond the recommend depth of 12-15m, and it still managed to balance the colours pretty well. The macro shots were at 18m, and incloudy waters during the late afternoon.

Soundslide

or

Flash album

One of the best dive trips ever, 4 and a half days of diving in Sogod Bay in Leyte, Philippines. The 12 hour travel was worth it! We were lucky and saw about 6 whalesharks in 4 sightings on the first day, and we went back for more on the third day and were rewarded again.

The diving was good, with untouched reefs carpeted with corals and visibility never less than 15m. The lack of currents also made for good photography. The night dive at Burgos Jetty was definitely the best night dive I've ever had! Just imagine 140+ shots in 1 dive. Lots of shrimp, hermit and reef crabs, a dozen free swimming seahorses, snake eels, cuttlefish, star-gazers, octopi, what more could you want? We were just missing the blue-ring octopus, unfortunately.

We had a blast of a time with all the fun and crazy divers, especially with the snorkel party on the last night! Congrats to all our newly certified Advanced Open Water Divers!

We're definitely going back again next year! Woohoo!

Once again, we did our part for reef conservation at Pulau Dayang over the long weekend. We spent two and a half days diving, clearing up crown of thorns and also conducting reef health checks where the results will be updated in a database.

The diving was pretty decent with good vis, but the marine creatures must have been scared off by the many divers in the water. Overall still a very fun trip with lots of gossip and fun!

A truly delightful weekend at Dayang. We saw what we came to see; from lionfishes (3) to cuttlefish (lost count), bumphead parrotfishes (14) to Whale Sharks!

Yes, after 300+ dives, I saw my first gentle giant.

The company was great fun with new divers and old, and there was hardly a dull moment on the island. Here's looking forward to seeing you guys back diving with us again!

Soundslide

or

Flash album

Our third trip to the Similan Islands, and we didn't know what to expect. The first time had rain everyday, but nice water. The second trip saw great sunny weather, but 22degree thermoclines on every dive.

This time, we had the best of both worlds! Best of all, we had great customers who really knew how to have fun.

Congrats to Carole, Jaymond, Kaymond, Mr Yee, Jerry, Jamie, and Jacy for earning their Junior and Advanced Openwater Diver certification! Hamish and Hong Teng also completed the DUP specialty. Hamish and Kit also learned more about buoyancy by completing the Peak Perfomance Buoyancy specialty. It's always great to see divers who are serious about continuing education!

Diving was good as usual, with visibility ranging from 15-25m and beyond. We didn't see much the first few dives as the guides were in a hurry, but it got much better after we had a chat with them.

Highlights of the trip were definitely the mantas during our only dive at Koh Bon. 100% hit rate at Koh Bon for the 3rd year running! We also saw an octopus dragging another back into its den for food or mating. Lionfish were abundant at Richelieu Rock, and it really blew us away with its rich marine life and gardens of coral.

Using the 350D and Ikelite set-up was much easier this time. The clamp didn't fit, so no zoom for the first 2 days. Finally rigged a home-made solution for the 3rd and 4th days just in time to catch Manta Claus.

Are we going back for the 4th time in 2008? I definitely think so!

My first and last trip to Perhentian this season, with a new toy in tow.

Our main aim for this trip was to scout out new sites for Perhentian. We went to Pulau Lang Tengah, Bamboo to look for frogfishes(a floating buoy 330 degrees from radio tower on Kechil, 30 degrees from tip of Besar), Sugar Wreck in search of purple seahorses, and even did muck diving in front of the village to find seahorses.

Sad to say, we found none of the above, but had a very good time. The company was fun and always had a joke to share. Congrats to Caden, WK and Norman for earning their AOWD card, and also thanks to all the leisure divers for being such great fun!

Finally brought the 350D to go diving. WA with the 10-22 was easy to use, but the tiny viewfinder made it quite a hit-and-miss affair. Can't imagine doing macro with that! Still, not bad for a first time with a 35% keep rate. Seriously considering using diffusers to improve the quality of light. Or am I just screwing up the strobe power adjustments?

Next on the list: 15mm FE, 100mm macro, 5D, and maybe a MacBook Pro?

We returned to Bali in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the M&Ms (Mantas and Molas) again. Some of the group went earlier, and did extra dives on the 10th, and saw more than enough M&Ms for the whole trip.

Suresh and I went the long way via Jakarta on Garuda, and spent 3 hours in transit lounges over there. Arriving on the 10th, we missed most of the big fish action.

We had a great time there, but the dives at Tulamben were a little disappointing. Apparently it was a Thai national holiday, and we had at least 60 divers swarming over the Liberty. Most of the critters were hiding at Coral Garden, but the Drop-Off was still as colourful as ever.

Thanks to Lester for making all this happen! Otherwise I would have been stuck high and dry back in Singapore...

Pretty sad to say that I only managed 20+ shots out of 8 dives with the A620. Not many land photos as well 'cos it wasn't very safe bringing the 350D around with so many divers around the area. Most of the photos in the album are taken with the Nikon D200 in S&S housing, Tokina 12-24, and dual Inon strobes. It's obvious which is which from the colour and level of detail in the photos.

I guess it's a sign that it's time to move on to something bigger and better?

My first trip of the season to Tioman with 3 very fun DUP students together with 8 OWC, 3 AOWC, and 1 diver on a CCR.

A very hectic weekend for the crew, I logged 10 dives and even a 96min dive. Ouch. The visibility wasn't very good, but the very fun divers more than made up for that!

Took the D200 and Tokina 12-24 for a couple of dives with surprising results. Poison!

Another weekend at Dayang with a very fun mix of divers.

We had Kiki the durian queen, Aprene, KH, and Chris from SIA, Kenn, Danette and Tingting the archi students, "The Bear" and Major Ong from RSAF, and 3 other OW students.

Lots of bumpheads during this trip; almost a sighting every other dive, and we saw a parade of 16 bumpheads on the last dive at Crocodile Rock. Also spotted a juvenile sweetlips playing hide-n-seek, some squids, turtles, and the usual nudibranchs.

A very fun weekend at Dayang with the Yee family (Yee, Jacine, Jamie, Jerry), Louise, Jason, Andy & Karla.

It's always nice seeing a family having fun together, especially when underwater! Congrats to Yee and Jacine for completing the Open Water Diver course, and Jamie and Jerry for being certified as Junior Open Water Divers!

Not forgetting Louise who spent the first week of her vacation earning her OWD certification, and Jason who needed a nitrogen fix. Hope you had fun with your new toys!

Land photos by Shihui

My first diving trip of 2007, having stayed dry for more than 5 months. We went on a 6d5n package, and had 4 diving days at the Seaventures 'resort'.

Our little adventure started early in the morning, when we received a message that our flight was delayed from 12pm to 4pm. But our transport to Senai is already on the way! So we spent 6 hours playing scrabble at Lavender Bistro in Senai. During check-in, we had to pay luggage overweight charges for 12kg, but managed to bargain for 11kg. What we didn't like was that we weren't informed that we were overweight, and the counter girl just shipped everything down the conveyor belt before turning to us and saying, "Oh, you're overweight, have to pay extra." We didn't even have a chance to repack or take stuff out!

We spent a night in Tawau at Dragon Inn, before boarding the speedboat for a 30min ride to Seaventures. Arriving at 10am, we were greeted by friendly staff and a glass of orange juice before heading to our rooms to change. By 11am, we were 18m below sea level on our orientation dive at the rig.

We did 14 dives in total over the 4 days since we didn't want to push ourselves on account of the deep dives we've been doing at Sipadan. Furthermore, we were there during neap tides, and the current was very strong in evening as we found out first-hand. That was the first dive I have ever aborted within 10 minutes.

Sipadan was everything the guidebooks and magazines rave about, with its lush walls and rich marine life. I have never seen so many jacks before! Check out the video here: Dance of the jacks (need a fast computer to adjust contrast and add music! Anyone?). I couldn't help but wish Andy was here with his video camera! The weather was also fantastic, with bright sunny days and mirror-calm seas (look at photos by Shihui). Diving there was simply pure bliss!

We also witnessed an amazing incident, where a tiny clownfish got its retribution for picking on a turtle. We were following a turtle at Mandarin Valley (Kapalai), when this little clownfish suddenly came up and attacked the turtle repeatedly. The turtle got fed-up, and ripped up the anemone of the clownfish. Watch the video here: Nemo gets pwned!

Finally, a very very big thank you to Lester and Wai Yin, for generously loaning me their precious equipment, without which these photos wouldn't have been possible. It was great travelling with $4k of equipment that isn't yours!

*Wide-angle is a must-have for Sipadan. Leave those macro lenses at home! Couldn't help but wish for a 10-22...

We spent Christmas on the Really Wicked Witch at Koh Bon, enjoying the company of Manta Rays and foolish divers from the other boats.

5 days and 14 dives in the sunny Similan Islands later, we had 4 Manta Ray sightings, 5 leopard sharks, tons of octopi, heaps of lionfish, and Ellie the moray eel still sheltering under the table coral at East of Eden.

The weather was great this time (compared to my previous trip!), but the water was just terrible! We were perpetually diving in 26 degree waters, where thermoclines go as low as 22 degrees. To think that we came all prepared for the sun with rashguards and boardshorts...

This was also the trip that Aminah got to use her wide-angle adaptor, Andy logged his first dive with his Christmas present, Ben got poisoned and bought a strobe...and I finally decided to get the Canon G6 and Ikelite housing...

Congratulations to both Huan for completing his Advanced Open Water Course, and Wen Seang certifying his first student! Esther and Albert also earned their Digital Underwater Photography Specialty Card, and had lots of time to practice, practice, practice. Hopefully, they've learned skills that would protect their equipment, the environment (no kicking leopard sharks!), and this:

Photography is not just taking a photo; it's about creating an image you want people to see

We spent 4 fantastic days diving at the Lembeh Straits at Manado with Bastianos Resort. Airfare was a steal at only $301, and we spent about $1k on the whole trip.

Visibility was a pleasant surprise, ranging from 15m to less than 10. We had an even bigger surprise when we found that we could dive in boardshorts and rashguards in 28degree water.

The dive sites were great, with lots of weird and wonderful creatures to be found. A quick list: hairy frogfish, giant frogfish, weedy rhinopias, ghost pipefish, and the dimunitive pygmy seahorse (hippocampus bargibanti, denise).

The resort was comfortable with very friendly staff, although it got a little warm at night. Don't forget your mozzie repellent or you'll be eaten alive! The food was ok too, but not the best around. We actually missed Dayang..'s food. Still, for that price we paid, it's pretty reasonable.

Many thanks to Yikai and Andy+Karla for providing the photographic equipment used to capture these wonderful images. Shooting with a strobe is absolutely delighting. I had about 250 shots a day, with a 90% keep rate. I sure had a hard time choosing photos to share!

I know it's going to be hard to click through 200+ photos all at once, so I've separated them into 4 days of diving for easy viewing.

28 divers and crew descended upon Tioman after braving a 3 hour boat-ride from Mersing. We had a great time diving the waters around Tioman which was a bit of a home-coming for me, since that's where I got my Advanced certification.

The sea was as calm as a lake, with barely a ripple on the surface. Still, some of our newer divers decided to feed the fishes. The vis was decent, and temperature getting a little chilly. Highlights of the trip include diving the 7 sisters, beautiful cuttlefish, and serene turtles.

I hope I managed to get as many of you in the pictures! If you don't see yourself in here, then you really have to go diving with me again. *grin*

Next stop: Manado and Similans in December!

This year's Project Aware was held at Perhentian, where we did our bit as divers to help save the wonderful underwater environment that we all enjoy so much. The theme of the trip was "Saving the living reefs", and we had an introduction to coral planting.

The highlight of the trip took place on land, where the wager of the century was placed between two of our divers after each of them had a snorkel full of Lester's weird mix. Want to find out more? Book your space to Dayang this weekend!

Again, I apologise if I don't have everyone's pictures here. The vis wasn't very suitable for taking people pictures (you can see for yourself later), but I hope everyone had a great trip!

Experiment

It was the last trip of the season to the Kuantan Wreck before the monsoon races in and puts a stop to all diving activities in the South China Sea.

We had remarkably good conditions when we arrived, with fair weather and gentle waves. The first dive was especially good as we descended upon the wreck. Vis was decent, and a Guitar Shark and its escort of Cobias decided to visit us for awhile.

We also had 5 divers certified as Advanced Open Water Divers, 5 earned their Wreck Specialty, and we also certified our first Digital Underwater Photography Specialty divers! Congrats to Andy, Karla, and Michael! Do send me your shots if you want to share them here as well!

Next stop: Perhentian, for the 5th and final time this year.

Went up to Pulau Dayang with 12 other divers and the OrpheusDive Crew for a much-needed getaway.

When we reached Dayang, something looked different to me. Then I realised the beach was gone! No more bikini babes frolicking in front of us while we eat; only frothy waves lapping the beach.

Guys, hope you enjoy the photos! If you don't see yourself in here, then it probably means you need to dive more with me...I apologise for not getting enough photos of everyone, because we were all in different dive groups.

We went to the Land of Gods in search of the Oceanic Sunfish also known as the Mola-mola. Based at Sanur, we went for 2 days of diving at Tulamben and stayed at the Palm Beach Paradise Hotel. The rooms were comfortable and well-furnished, and the diving was great as well. Dive sites we went to: Drop-Off, Coral Garden, Liberty Wreck. We spent the last day diving at Nusa Penida to catch a glimpse of Mantas and Mola-molas. Unfortunately, conditions were bad, and we didn't make it to Manta Point. Also, the Mola-molas were a little shy and didn't show up.

As some of the other people didn't have enough leave, they left on the 8th. We spent the next day white-water rafting (b-oring..). Then we decided that we weren't going to leave Bali without seeing at least 1 Manta and Mola-mola, so we signed up for another day-trip to Nusa Penida with Andy and Karla who had just arrived. Thank goodness we did that, cos that's when we saw everything we came to see!

Also had a great time with the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 with its wide-angles and tack-sharp quality. Colours were also noticeably more vivid and contrasty, with minimal post-processing needed. Is it time to get one?

*Also see Land Shots with the EF-S 10-22 lens

Video: A glimpse of diving at Tulamben

Video: Nudibranch on its way

Video: A blue ribbon eel trying to catch its dinner

Video: Gwen, Wai Yin, Cassie having fun in the pool

We took a day off and ran away from work to Perhentian for a weekend to learn from the King.

Visibility was a marked improvement from the previous 3 trips this year, and seems all set for wonderful diving in August/September. Our check-out dive at Tukas Point was indeed a memorable one with 3m vis, and very strong currents, which made the subsequent dives even better!

Saw the usual suspects at Perhentian: Turtles, bumphead parrotfish (almost 30 of them!), lionfish, squid, nudibranchs, huge schools of snappers, trevallies, barracudas, giant and white-eyed morays, nurse sharks, and bamboo sharks (a personal first!)

Alot more keepers this time, maybe because I could take my time and nail the shot. Also had the time to experiment with manual white-balance as well as using manual exposures and trying out new shots.

Lionel, Llyod, and I had a great time with Azman who showed us the finer points of digital underwater photography, and most importantly, how to show divers that they can do it too! Thanks, Azman, it was a privilege to learn from you!

All this was made possible by OrpheusDive and Lester (same-same, but different). Won't want to dive with anyone else... Thanks, Boss!

Had a great time this trip where we had 3 new Rescue Divers and 7 divers who got certified as Open Water and Advanced Open Water Divers! And not forgetting Andreas, who joined us for a leisure dive and some time away from the city.

Vis wasn't very good, water was cold, but the dives were fantastic! Cuttlefish everywhere, squids, bumphead parrotfish, nudibranches, moray eels, lionfish, pinnate batfish..the list goes on...

Took these pictures so you guys can share with your friends and family what it's like to breathe underwater. A pictures says a thousand words, so why try and explain how it feels like? SHOW THEM!

Hope to see you guys diving with us again! Bali? *wink*wink*

Video: Making the Rescue Diver course as realistic as possible (turn on your speakers!) Sorry for the shaking; was laughing too hard)

Video: The underwater chameleon

Video: Spot the cuttlefish

A trip that I wasn't sure if I should go for, but now I'm glad I did. Didn't get as many usable shots as I wanted, mainly because I wasn't used to the Sony T3 I loaned from Ros (Thanks!). The camera tended to overexpose even with spot metering, and had a problem dealing with contrast. Shutter speeds tend to be slow (can't control that), and the AF was shifty. Still, the flash produced remarkably good colours with minimal processing required. That was a pleasant surprise.

We only faced a surface current, and it was peaceful and serene once we descended beyond 10m. Just seeing the wreck was awesome...Still, it's not a dive I would do on my own. Thanks Lester for all the preparation! I'm not sure I would want to go with anyone else...Enjoy the photos!

Catch the video of the liberated marble ray here!

Third and last trip for the season to Perhentian on Vesak Day. 95% of the shots were by Aylwin, because I was too busy having fun! Great divers, great dive sites, great dives. Vis could be better, but the stuff we saw more than made up for it. Enjoy the photos!
To make it extra special, here's an exclusive Wall-paper just for you guys!

Crew trip to Perhentian during the Good Friday weekend. Had a great time with 34 customers and 5 other crew from Orpheus Dive. Didn't get many shots because I was too busy arranging logistics, and worrying about my divers. Saw yellow boxfish at Tukas. Time to get a strobe...

7 wonderful days of diving in Similans, Surins, and other places. Great visibility, clear waters and few divers. Lots of turtles, morays, lionfish, and 1 manta on the last day

*Also see: Land shots, Simon Cabaret Show

Spent 2 wonderful days diving at Flora Bay Divers. Great visibility, colourful corals, and lots more marine life compared to Dayang and Tioman.