SteveD.'s photostream  

Had an extraordinary dive yesterday. Manta rays are common in Hawaii, but the normal daytime encounter shorediving is a "flyby", leaving little chance to interact or photograph. I've huffed through a tank of air pretty quickly trying to keep pace with a manta and get a pic or two.

Yesterday was a different story. I'm alone, 10 minutes into the dive, and here comes one manta, and then another. Breaking with their normal behavior patterns, they simply stuck around and played with me for 40 minutes - barrel rolling, circling, charging me simultaneously from opposite directions...on and on, 'til I ran out of air. Surfaced with a big smile on my face. All is right with the world on days like this...

Took almost 200 photos. More at www.stevedunleavy.com

Steve

13 years diving in Hawaii and I've never seen one of these, much less thought about getting a picture. Deepwater, nocturnal schooling predator, and all of a sudden there are dozens of them near shore in ten feet of water. Go figure.

Good eatin' (in Japan) I've heard. More undewater stuff at: www.stevedunleavy.com

Cheers, Steve

New Years Resolution: make it through the season without ruining any underwater camera gear.

Shore diving in Hawaii can be tough on equipment. Last years mortality rate:

1 Canon G9.
1 crappy Canon Underwater housing for G9.
2 underwater strobes (one flooded, its replacement died, both swapped under warranty).
1 cracked Ikelite housing back.

Maybe I need to reconsider my hobbies.
As you can see from the above, everything's working properly now, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Steve

Back to the islands.

When I first visited Hawaii more then 20 years ago, seeing even one turtle was an event. In 1978, the Hawaiian population of the green turtle was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. Now, you can't swing a dead cat (love that phrase) without hitting turtles, on land or underwater. They've made a huge recovery, though green turtle population levels are still thought to be below pre-western contact, and probably pre-World War II levels as well.

Predictably, there's now talk of removing them from the ESA...: www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/November-2011/...

Cheers!
Steve

Tahoe's always at it's best when its calm and glassy. Taken last week, I was hoping the sunset was going to go boom, but it didn't happen. If you've been here, you can see the traditional comp would require hip waders...

Peace, and Happy New Year,
Steve