Photo of the Week (10/03/2012): Safety Stop

For the beginner diver this is one of the most discomfiting times of a dive, the safety stop, 3 minutes at 5 meters with the aim of eliminating microbubbles which are the cause of the dreaded decompression sickness or the ‘bends’. This can be an embarrassing time and as a beginner I used to flail around sometimes and I’ve even been dragged down by exasperated divemaster.



The pro’s make this look effortless, motionless in the water, maintaining their near constant depth sometimes even checking out their photographs from the dive. The trick to getting this perfected is to always check your depth and attune yourself to how your breathing affects your speed of ascent and descent. Being perfectly weighted especially with your empty tank in mind is also essential and with some practice being uber cool during the safety stop is well within reach.

Photo of the Week (09/26/2012): City of Angels?

To be fair it is not only natural landscapes that are breathtaking as there are a number of man made vistas that to the beholder are quite beautiful. What you don't see however is the urban blight, the concrete, the emissions and the gridlock that makes some cities, in this case Los Angeles a nightmare to live in and for the environment. So here's your ambiguous photo of the week, taken a couple of years ago from the Griffith Park Observatory.

 

Photo of the Week (09/14/2012): Truncated Tuna

A visit to the Negombo fish market is eye opening, if somewhat of an assault on the olfactory senses. For those who want a taste (figuratively speaking of course) of where their seafood comes from, a walk through the market is a must. It is not a pretty sight, especially for those who like rays and sharks (more to come of those) and the glassy eyed fish staring at you is quite eerie. It is hard to pass judgement on the people making a living off this, but it certainly is a good introduction to one sector that is impacting the ocean environment immensely.

Photo of the Week (09/05/2012): At night they feed

At night the Cargo wreck glows. What looks like slightly boring, if colourful, stubs of coral during the daytime come alive at night. Known as Tubastrea coral, these are non-reef building coral which do not host photosynthetic algae within them like the coral we are most familiar with.



These are usually found in deeper waters and in areas where they are exposed to currents. The polyps extend tentacles into the water during the night and feed. The effect is quite startling with entire sections of the wreck appearing to wave to and fro, shimmering in the torchlight as the corals feed. It is an unforgettable experience night diving with these corals.

Photo of the Week (08/29/2012): Green bee-eater close up

Something overland for a change, the green bee-eater is a common bird in our national parks.. From Wilpattu to Uda Walawe and sometimes even in Colombo you will see these green gems flitting back and forth. Keep a close eye on them and you can see them snapping butterflies and dragonflies out of the air.



They do have a habit of returning to the same perch after hunting so for the patient photographer offers a good chance of photographing launching or in the case above, if you're slow on the trigger, just about to take off.

Photo of the Week (08/22/2012): Taking the batfish for a walk

No dive on the Medhafaru wreck is complete without the Batfish. These large, spade shaped fish come in shoals of about 10 and are a delight. Some of the friendliest fish around its not uncommon to be given an escort by them and they love playing with bubbles, chasing them down and engulfing them.



True clowns of the sea and guaranteed to make your surface interval amusing.

Photo of the Week (08/15/2012): Tuna ballet

Another common site on the Cargo wreck, especially during the start and end of the west coast seasons (October-November and March-April) when the bait balls are in full force. The tuna come in and hit the shoals, small hunting packs of 3-5. You can see them flex their fins and gear up before in a flash of silver coming in and hitting the shoal for a quick meal.





The trick is not to get too distracted by the wreck itself and keep an eye on your surroundings and once you spot the fish, keep them in sight!

Photo of the Week (08/08/2012): Baby box fish

Every time I see one of these fellows, I hear a tinkling sound in my head. It seems so cartoonish, bobbing back and forth with no visible signs of propulsion. This is a juvenile Yellow boxfish, blessed with the lovely latin name of Ostracion cubicus. Later on in life, they get darker and more serious looking but the babies are bright, colourful and for me at least, quite amusing.





Not a very common site but look for them on the wrecks in Colombo in sheltered areas, being a few centimeters long they would be quite difficult to spot if not for the very bright colours. It is poisonous though, emitting a toxin when stressed, so it would be best to leave it well alone.

Photo of the Week (08/01/2012): Hunting Blue Fin Trevalley

Since I alluded to the feeding action on my last Photo of the Week post about the stoned octopus, I figured I would post an image of the action. The Wall, a dive site which was ridiculously convenient to get to from Vinnie’s dive center in the Andamans was full of life and amazing action. The top was home to shoals of bait fish and shoals of blue fin trevally would come charging in and in a flash hit the bait balls.



The focus lag on the DX-2G makes action photography a bit of a challenge but I managed to get some shots off. More to follow at a later date!

Photo of the Week (07/27/2012): A Blissful Octopus

A long, long overdue photo of the week. Octopi in Sri Lanka are generally quite skittish so I did a double take when I saw this octopus sitting serenely on a rock a few feet away from me at the Wall while diving in the Andamans. Getting closer to the fellow, I realized why it was so oblivious to me as I could see a cleaner wrasse diligently working it over.



The octopus was so obviously enjoying himself that he didn't even budge the closer and closer I got. In the end I got bored first as with the feeding action on the other side of the rock, there was only so much time I was willing to devote to a tripped out octopus.

Photo of the Week (06/04/2012): Green and Black Gem

A Green Pit Viper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) testing the air in Sinharaja.

Photo of the Week (05/25/2012): Crinoid on Coral, Channel 62 at Havelock Island, Andamans

Our first dive at Havelock, at Channel 62 left a bit to be desired, a boring rock without much life. Yet in such barreness there were still some opportunities for photographs, like this Crinoid on a purple coral.

Photo of the Week (05/07/2012): Bait ball at the Cargo

Bait ball! Towards the end of the season millions of tiny fish congregate on the Cargo Wreck where they are pursued relentlessly by other fish. They all bunch up and move as one in an amazing ballet as they try to avoid being eaten.

Photo of the Week (04/30/2012): The Cargo Wreck at Night

At night all the corals come out to feed and it looks like the Cargo is in full bloom. Amazing sight.

Photo of the Week (04/23/2012): Night Dive

An area I'm still a bit unfamiliar with, night diving!

Photo of the Week (04/16/2012): The Cargo wreck in full bloom

A wreckscape of my favourite wreck, the Cargo Wreck

Photo of the Week (04/09/2012): Soft Coral at Athnagulpita (B&W)

20 meters underwater a boat ride from Colombo, lies a huge bed of soft coral. Unfortunately these corals are under threat from ships anchoring and destroying them.

Photo of the Week (04/02/2012): Hanging out at the Car Wreck

The newest wreck on the block, the immense and lively Car Wreck!

Photo of the Week (03/26/2012): Kos at night

One of my favourite hang out spots in the world, the peaceful villa Kos.

Find out more here.

Photo of the Week (03/19/2012): Cargo Clown

The resident clown fish on the Cargo Wreck in Colombo. Resident at least until one of the fish collectors gets him.