Scuba anyone?

[Karol]

@Giles a heaven for macro Photography

[Giles]

Just ordered very expensive magnifying glasses. Honestly, even if I had 20:20 vision, these little fuckers are minute

[Karol]

That should do it! I had the same situation when I went to Lembeh Strait. Suddenly everyone started to pull their magnifying glasses and I was like WTF!
It feels that the photographers have the most fun in such conditions, but for me the whole muck diving experience was less impressive compared to regular dive in the Red Sea.

[Go For Chill]

Mala Pier. An old cruise ship pier that failed and sunk in Maui.

[Giles]

@Karol said in Scuba anyone?:

for me the whole muck diving experience was less impressive compared to regular dive in the Red Sea

Different strokes.....

I absolutely love diving here, I feel that I am going to find something really worth seeing at all times. I'm doing 65 minute plus dives and want them to go on for ever. The Red Sea, I find crowded and uninspiring, won't be going back......

Anyway today, I dived with my iPhone and housing for the first time.

This is some sort of Nudibranch. Species yet to be confirmed. Edit: It is a Phyllodesmium briareum

A very large Frogfish....

[Karol]

@Giles The housing and the phone work just right - cool photos, and since you like it so much I guess we have another muck diving enthusiast among the divers.

[Giles]

I do love diving here (partly because above the water, the place is wonderful - Sharm and Hurghada are the polar opposites of here), but I also love big stuff too. We have some Shark and Manta stuff planned for later this year.

Thank you, re: the photos. I will never become an underwater photographer, but I will likely dive with the phone and housing in a pocket for when I see something outstanding. I do NOT want to become a diver who takes slightly out of focus, incorrect colour balance photos (like the Frogfish above) and then proudly bores the shit out any poor soul who shows a modicum of interest.

I like to live in the moment under the water and am more than happy just looking. Plus (gets onto soapbox), it's inherently dangerous playing in a world we do not belong in, we don't need distractions.

[JDelage]

WRT the Red Sea, I think the way to get the most out of it is to do a live aboard and go to the pinnacle islands way off shore (Brothers, Daedalus, etc). You get both small reef life and large pelagic, and no crowds. I loved it.

[Karol]

@Giles You said it well about the shoreline cities in Egypt. I only go for safaris, so luckily, I don't really spend much time there, but when You mentioned the crowds, I immediately thought about situation that happened to me first time I was diving in south Red Sea .

We were at one of the decent reefs, maybe Claudia or Brothers, and all went well during the day. There were several other boats but we were not seeing any traffic underwater. Then the time comes for a night dive. We went in and on the surface went over to the reaf and then down. As soon as I descended I realized thet we are in between two groups that are heading in opposite direction. We just landed between them. Holly shit, sudenly in 29 degrees celcius watter Im beeing pushed to the reaf by a guy in a drysuit, and with fucking gloves! Freaking bedlam. Our group got compleatley lost and for next 2h after dive we were collecting people from various boars where they eventually ended up when they joined wrong teams

[Karol]

@JDelage Exactly!!!
And with good crew the enjoyment is great! Last october we did most of the dives in around 85min.
OK all of us use 15L tanks but the key is to have around you the people with similar SAC and its all peachy!

[Giles]

When we went to Hurghada on the first day going out a reef (no idea which one it was because I have done the best to eradicate it from my mind), I looked behind us as we steamed, there were less boats crossing the English Channel on D Day. Once we started diving, the boats dropped name plates into the water so you know which boat o get back onto....If I never go back, it will be too soon.

We tried Egypt because it would be great to have a good dive destination "close" to home, but we realised that for us, time is not of the essence and doing really special shit is more important than convenience.

We have friends that absolutely love Sharm, but I simply cant see us being persuaded to go again.

[Giles]

New relaxed straight cuts...

[Karol]

@Giles how's the buoyancy?

[Giles]

Made no real difference, but i had a little negative buoyancy when I took my mask off, and could not see I was sinking

[Giles]

Some we saw today...Not my pics because all mine were utter shite.......

This little guy mimics the soft coral that surrounds him. And does a bloody good job of it...

What we really, really wanted to see - Melibe colemani - Ghost Nudibranch

And this little critter, another Nudibranch, probably 4mm long. I saw a brown splodge, I had no idea what it was until Shiela showed me this photo

Nudy orgy....

Scorpion Fish

Yet another couple of Nudy's...

[Nick]

Stunning images!

[Giles]

[Karol]

@Giles Not sure if that was seal team six or six teen seals.
Would love to join You, it's been nothing but 4 degrees Celsius dives here in Stockholm's archipelago during the spring.

[Giles]

Getting ready for a muck dive with @Madame-Buttonfly. You'd never know I had just bust the zip of her wetsuit.

[Karol]

@Giles time for some cable tie.
Looking great guys!