419 Dive Log Australasia AUGUST 2026

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AUGUST 2026 | No 419 digi tal

AUSTRALASIA

PHOTOGRAPHING MODELS AND DIVERS by MIKE SCOTLAND SECRETS OF THE BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS by VADIM BELAKHOV UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE CH 7 WIDE ANGLE PHOTOS by MIKE SCOTLAND

OFF THE GRID DIVING by DAVID FLEETHAM NUDIBRANCH DEFENCES by DAVID MULLINS

FRANKLIN ISLANDS by CONOR MOORE

MIKE SCOTLAND UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY Editor Dive Log Australasia

Announcing Mike’s sensational new book. The groundbreaking Underwater Photography in the Wild. Mike has been one of Australia’s most recognised and highly published U/W photographers since 1983. His latest book has so many tips and tricks based on many thousands of dives. It covers Controlling light, Close Up, Wide angle, Night, Wreck, Fish and shark photography. This world class publication is the absolute best quality coffee table book with hundreds of outstanding images. It is the penultimate learning guide to master this most difficult of all types of photography. If you want to improve your U/W photography, this book is a solid gold gift. It will be printed in time for the Go Diving show, BOOK RELEASE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WILD

This absolutely fascinating PHOTO presentation showcases an overview of each chapter of his new book “Underwater photography in the wild” and a spectacular cameo on SEA HORSES, SEA DRAGONS. PYGMY SEA HORSES, GHOST PIPE FISH,

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Mike has been diving and studying Sea Horses and Sea Dragons and their relatives for many years. His talk on the MARINE BIOLOGY OF THIS FAMILY is thoroughly researched with a comprehensive array of the best photos collected from all across the Pacific Ocean over many dive trips. Mike is a trained scientist, a professional educator With a BSc and Diving Instructor. This thoroughly researched talk will make you into an instant expert. The talk discusses their anatomy, reproductive cycles, behaviour and explains everything you need to know about this amazing family of fish. Don’t miss this awesome presentation.

Good morning Mike I just read your article on seahorses and it's hands down the most comprehensive and fun article I ever read on it! Thank you I am reaching out because I am documenting the Exmouth Gulf and we have been finding lots of amazing creatures and also there's an opportunity for an article on king reef (an artificial reef over 4 years ago ) Violetta B. (Vee) bluemediaexmouth.com Dear Mike, Your Marine Biology book is fabulous and I have been enjoying it immensely. Mike Scotland has earned international respect and admiration for his journalistic skills, underwater photography and especially his knowledge of our marine critters. Terry Cummins Image wise this publication is exceptional and this is due to the fact that the author, with decades of underwater photography experience, is also one of Australia's most accomplished photographers. Kevin Deacon

I am always interested to understand more about the life of the underwater creatures. So your details and stories of their daily struggles gives me an extra dimension to the experience underwater. It also answers a lot of questions I had and many I didnt even think of. Your flatworm story is incredible and better than science fiction - it reminded me I had several pics of 2 of the Persian flatworms rolling around apparently fencing. Congratulations as its a great read and the pics are high quality. I cant wait for the next one in the series. Thanks Steve Rothfield

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MVOCEANIA/J' Our newest dive liveaboard operating out of Walindi Resort since 2019. Diving Bismarck Sea and Milne Bay

rest5ft

mv

LIVEABOARD MV FeBrina has been operating from Walindi Resort since 1991. Bismarck Sea, Including New Britain & Kavieng

Walindi Plantation Resort celebrates 40 years of operation. Diving Kimbe Bay Reefs

Fishers need to realise that the fish they take are the livelihood of sharks. Sharks need it to survive. Our oceans are more than 90% empty. Millions of industrial fishing boats scour the world’s oceans desperately trying to make a dollar. Research scientists warn us that mass extinctions, total collapse of fisheries, overfishing with many threatened species are the legacy of rampant human plunder. Someone has to sound the alarm! That is me. We need to find a better balance between feeding the world and satisfying the need for seafood and total collapse of fisheries worldwide. The solution is simple. At least thirty per cent of the oceans must be marine reserves that allow no exploitation. Mother Nature needs a helping hand to recover from the pressure of endless slaughter. Humans have difficulty seeing the long-term benefit of protecting the sea; bank loans have to be repaid. Given a chance, ecosystems will recover given time and return to the super abundant underwater paradise where life began. On a darker side much closer to reality, more people will fall victim to shark attacks in the near future as a result of depletion of fish stocks. Dive Log shares a positive message of hope that scientists have been warning us about for years. A light shining on the way forward and a solution to fix the situation where every ecosystem on earth is out of balance. This issue of Dive Log Australasia is yet another blockbuster magazine filled with great reading. Make sure your share it your friends and your dive buddies so they can get the BUZZ. Dive Log is all about the celebration of Marine life, motivating people to dive with a sprinkling of education, great photography and creativity. Dive Log strives for excellence in photo-journalism and to match it with the world’s best. It is also FREE! To that end, I have created the next chapter in my absolutely free Underwater Photography book. It provides deep insights into secret techniques that will help you to improve. It uses an analytical and sharing approach. No diving witch Doctors were harmed in giving away all these secrets for free. It explains how to make use of composition to develop skills to allow you to gain more mastery. You can learn loads of hints, tips and special techniques, all for free. It also has a detailed insight into photographing models and divers. Some people would call this course a Master Class in advanced U/W photography. If you are serious and want to improve, this is for you. David Fleetham takes us diving with Manta Rays and loads of great reef dives on Kadavu Island, Fiji. Vadim presents an outstanding report on Blue Ring Octopus from Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne. David Mullins takes us further into the wonderful world of Sea Slug Defenses in another excellent article. Conor Moore takes us diving in the Franklin Islands south of Cairns. Dive Log is proud to welcome back regular columnist Melissa Senatoa with her Snorkel Queen feature on free diving at Forster. Be sure to read Des William’s column. This one features amateur divers who made a Diving Hookah out of a hot water bottle. True! Be amazed at the inventiveness and ingenuity of old divers. The August issue of dive lof Australasia is another Rip Snorter of a read, full of razzle dazzle diving, a positive message of hope and direction and inspiration. Whether you are from the “Big smoke” the Back of Bourke, have a gander and give Dive Log a burl. You will be glad you did! This is your editor here Shootin’ and hootin’, Hootin' and hollerin' about another awesome issue of Dive Log Australasia. Read on and enjoy. Better still, send in your photo masterpieces and articles so you can experience the absolute joy of being seen in Australia’s longest running diving magazine. This is your magazine so send in your creations for me to publish.

Dive Log is deliberately focused on the celebration of marine life. The sea is a watery world of wonder filled with so many incredible life forms waiting to be discovered. My mission is to go one or two steps beyond the simple act of sighting these wonders of nature. After capturing a photo. I like to delve deeper into each lifeform and learn about their anatomy, their secret lifestyle and life cycles and then to share this knowledge with our readers. Value adding, if you like. It is absolutely a case of the more you learn, the more interesting it becomes. To learn about the anatomy of a Sea Urchin, for example opens the door to understanding their absolutely astonishing anatomy and how they function. This real knowledge opens the door to wonder and a higher appreciation. The greatest achievement in life is to immerse yourself into Mother Nature. Many of us yearn to get away from the mad sterile world we live in and go diving or exploring in a forest or mountain wilderness to find adventure. Under the sea, it is easy to discover what is in the mind of Mother Nature. She nurtures all life providing food and support for all. Nature is also a source of knowledge, adventure and wisdom. The greatest moments in life are seeing Mother nature in operation; whale watching, shark diving, swimming in a cloud of thousands of fish.... all exhilarating and uplifting experiences. Life on Earth showcases incredible invention and ingenuity. The sheer complexity and imagination of life is easy to see underwater. The Octopus, for example, is a shape shifting, chameleon like, mollusc with thinking skin filled with light sensitive proteins opsins. They do crawl across the sea floor but can use ‘jet power’ underwater to escape danger. A humble Sea Urchin is part animal and part machine. Sea Urchins come complete with Ball and socket joints on each spine, water filtration system, hydraulic tubes, mechanical jaws and some have a balloon for blowing away solid wastes, the Poo Shooter. They are part Meccano set and living tissue. Mantis shrimps venture into space age technology with Polaroid vision, the hardest high-tech space age material in the cement on their hammer, the fastest strike in the animal kingdom and advanced plane polarized vision. Diving satisfies that need for so many people. The exploration of the oceans is one of the greatest pastimes, a doorway to grand adventures, excitement discovery and learning. I predict (hope?) that diving will grow as a sport as more people yearn to engage with nature. Here in Australia, you can jump into the water and have a world class adventure minutes from home and see many exciting creatures alive, bang, smack in the heart of one of the world’s great cities. Some of the things on offer include the world’s largest Stingray, as well as the world’s largest cuttle, Sepia apama. We have what I believe to be some of the most wonderful Sea Star populations on earth, the greatest biodiversity of Leatherjackets and the family which includes Sea Horses and so many Nudibranchs. We are indeed very lucky to live in Australia. Divers don’t have to fly to the other side of the world to witness something spectacular such as a Polar Bear or a magnificent Lion. A close encounter with our local massive Stingray or a school of sharks in the wild is totally world class encounter, a short drive from home. Sadly, much of humanity is more focused of taking from Nature without giving much back. They see the sea is a place for plunder and exploitation, creating an imbalance. Paul Watson tells us the Krill from Antarctica is now targeted for chicken feed on an industrial scale for a trillion chickens born each year. Krill Harvesting robs whales, penguins and many fish of their livelihood and is a sinister and irresponsible injustice against Mother Nature. All for profit. Here in my home town, half a million human predators have done a great job in exterminating most of the fish life in our local waters. It is a crying shame. OUR COVER PHOTO Magnificent diving from febrina N/E of Alotau in the Solomon Sea is showcased here by Mike Scotland.

Happy diving. Mike

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CONTENTS

AUGUST 2026

digital

N o. 419 NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE : Issue 420 Oct 2026 Advert bookings 12th Sept Artwork due 15th Sept Editorial material : 11th Sept

Feature articles

02 GO DIVING TALK Sea Horses by Mike Scotland. 015 OFF THE GRID FIJI by David Fleetham 032 . U/W PHOTO WIDE ANGLE by Mike Scotland. 091 NUDINOTES DEFENCES by DAVID MULLINS. 051 SPOTLIGHT WIDE ANGLE PHOTOS 054 BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS by Vadim Belakhov 060 PHOTOGRAPHING DIVERS AND MODELS 075 THE FRANKLIN ISLANDS by CONOR MOORE 084 SNORKEL QUEEN. by Melissa Senatoa 089 COLOURS OF WAKATOBI by Mike Scotland 099 HERON ISLAND 107 SECRET TO BREATHHOLD DIVING by Dylan Boag 07 -Mike Ball Expeditions 10 Aust Diving Safety Foundation 12 PNG Resort Listings 71 Hot water bottle hookah unit by Des Williams 48 NudiNotes Behaviour David Mullins 53 Spotlight Sydney at night 73 DAN News Decompression sickness 81 Flourescent Lizardfish by Kevin Deacon Regulars

EDITOR Mike Scotland mike@divelog.net.au Editor/Designer Mike Scotland divelog@divelog.net.au PUBLISHER mike@divelog.net.au ADVERTISING mike@divelog.net.au MENTOR Barry Andrewartha barryandrewartha@outlook.com

Mike’s Contact details: Tel: + 61 0415158168 mike@divelog.net.au www.divelog.net.au Editorial and photographic contribution guidelines: divelog@divelog.net.au The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the shoeshine boy, publisher, or its editor. REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS No part of the contents of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the publisher. All images are copyrighted by the authors and photographers.

82 In Deep Column- Simon Pridmore The appeal of Alor 93 Paul Watson The aquatic chicken 95 Steve Sinclair 50 Great Dive challenge 96 Dive Boat Directory- 101 Parting Shots 99 Marine Biology of Sharks 100.Go Diving

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Great Barrier Reef on the August

View from the Bridge Trevor Jackson - Spoilsport Skipper www.mikeball.com/blog

PHOTOS FROM MAY/JUNE

by Trevor Jackson “Hello?’… “It is time.” Knock Knock

These are the first sounds of the morning. The night watchkeeper is telling me its 0600….Anchor’s about to come up. 5 steps and I’m on the bridge. A cup of black coffee fogs up the window just in front of the engine panels. Port engine start. Starboard engine start. On the front deck, two crew in beanies and long sleeves watch for the signal. A tiny nod and the anchor chain begins its 5 minute ‘clunk clunk’ on board. Once its locked away, our twin hulled magic carpet does a slow turn to face directly downwind. Moving now. Revs slowly increasing. Our next adventure is 20 minutes away. Through the door the sounds of breakfast being set up. Mostly it’s the clink of cutlery and the hum of a vacuum cleaner. The crew are busy now. On the closed circuit tv, the dive deck are checking that tanks are topped, water tubs are full. A gentle roll has them sloshing about. “What is the tie up skip?” Each time we come to a different mooring, we secure the boat to best suit the terrain and conditions. Each one is unique. “Port side bridle”, I reply. Divers away now. I’m watching the descent from the wheelhouse windows. The water is sapphire blue, viz must be 40 of 50 metres, it gets like that out here…A lot. Little grey torpedoes are darting there and about. They know what’s coming. Some of them are not so little. All of them are ready for the excitement. The dinghy hovers above. A drum filled with tuna heads duck dives into the coming frenzy. The lid is popped, 30 seconds of mad action and its over…the torpedoes go about their business. Some got a feed, many didn’t. We don’t feed them so much that it affects the natural balance. The divers on the bottom fan out. There’s so much to see here at North Horn, all within reach if we don’t dawdle. And always there is that sapphire visibility that shakes our sense of reality. On deck an hour later, the place is humming like a nightclub. It’s all smiles and ‘WOWS’. Happy people in paradise. For me it’s a day at the office. Another knock at the door. Another cup of coffee fogs up the window. Port engine start. Starboard engine start…. our next adventure is 20 minutes away.

1st. Gabriel Gazman

2nd. Jan Culbertson

Check out availability of Expeditions on Spoilsport. www.mikeball.com/availability

3rd. Derek Gil

Matt Curnock

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“The reef systems here are some of the most pristine I have seen anywhere in my dive travels around the globe, and Wakatobi resort and liveaboard are second to none. The diversity of species here is brilliant if you love photography.” ~ Simon Bowen

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Up to one third of diving deaths are due to heart conditions, mainly in divers aged 45 or more.

Many of these divers were unaware of any problem.

Diving includes many stresses on the heart, including: immersion itself, exertion, breathing restriction, and gas changes in the body, among others. PREVENTION: Have your heart health checked by a diving doctor at age 45, or earlier if unwell.

Photo by Dave Bryant

Don’t dive if feeling unwell.

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The Australasian Diving Safety Foundation

The Australasian Diving Safety Foundation (ADSF) is an Australian-based Health Promotion Charity. The main aim of the Foundation is to reduce diving-related illnesses and deaths.

The ADSF supports its aims predominantly by undertaking research, providing education on diving safety, and offering grants for relevant research, diving safety promotions, dive medical training, oxygen equipment and AEDs. Funds have been allocated to support up to AUD$250,000 per year for appropriate research projects. In addition, the ADSF offers grants of up to AUD$25,000 to fund safety- related projects within the diving industry . Full details of these grants, as well as applications are available at http://adsf.org.au.

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PACIFIC OCEAN

• Diving is possible all year round with the optimal season typically from mid April to mid June, and mid September to mid December.

KAVIENG

NEW IRELAND

MANUS ISLAND

VANIMO

BISMARCK SEA

• Water temperature from 26º along the edge of the Coral Sea and up to 31ºC in the Bismarck Sea. • Visibility ranges from 50 to 150 ft • PNG has a hyperbaric chamber maintained to international standards • The use of permanent environmental moorings ensures minimal anchor damage to reefs. • Weekly flights to Port Moresby from Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Honiara, Nadi. Daily flights from Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney. • For the best dive and air package pre-book your complete tour with a recognised PNG dive travel specialist.

RABAUL

WEWAK

KIMBE BAY NEW BRITAIN

MADANG

TARI

HOSKINS

MT HAGEN

GOROKA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

BOUGAINVILLE ISLAND

LAE

SOLOMON SEA

GULF OF PAPUA

TUFI

PORT MORESBY

MILNE BAY

ALOTAU

www.walindiresort.com

www.lissenung.com “Instruction, gear rental, 8 rooms (6 with ensuite, 2 with semi ensuite), free WiFi, full resort facilities. A visit at Lissenung Island Resort is truly exclusive! info@lissenung.com

Instruction, gear rental, Nitrox, 12 bungalows, 8 plantation house rooms, all ensuites, internet, pool, full resort facilities, English. Voted the 'Best diving from a resort anywhere in the world', Walindi comprises fern-draped bungalows set in tropical rainforest gardens on the shores of Kimbe Bay.

resort@walindifebrina.com

MV OCEANIA LIVEABOARD www.mvoceania.com

www.mvfebrina.com

Gear Rental, Nitrox, 10-12 passengers, English MV FeBrina cruises from Walindi Resort, diving Kimbe Bay, Witu Islands, Fathers Reefs, Rabaul and New Hanover. febrina@walindifebrina.com

Gear Rental, Nitrox, 16 passengers, English

MV Oceania is the most recent liveaboard addition to Kimbe Bay. A 27 metre catamaran, Oceania began operation in 2019 with itineraries including Kimbe Bay, Witu Islands and Fathers Reefs as well as further afield at select times of year. reservations@mvoceania.com

Image credit David Doubilet

LOLOATA ISLAND RESORT www.loloataislandresort.com

DIVE KOKOPO & WATER ADVENTURES www.facebook.com/kokopodiveandwateradventures

Luxury Island Resort with 68 - rooms/villas, two restaurants and bar, a swimming pool, recreational beach, fully equipped dive shop, spa and conference centre. Importantly, it sits on the edge of the Papuan Barrier Reef and 29 dive sites around the island where experienced divers can explore its reefs, spectacular sea life and shipwrecks.

Instruction, gear rental, WW2 wrecks, wall dives, reef dives, muck dives, shark dives. Full resort facilities, land & marine tours, wifi, pool. At Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort with tropical bungalows in the heart of Kokopo-Rabaul with private beachfront. diving@kbb.com.pg

There are also excellent snorkelling sites. Loloata’s PADI-certified dive and activities centre is opened now, so learning to dive is also now an option. t: +675 7108 8000 / 7914 3966 e : gm@loloata.com

NIUGINI DIVE ADVENTURES www.niuginidiveadventures.com

TUFI RESORT www.tufiresort.com

Discover Tufi in a boutique resort with 180 degree panoramic views over the sea and the only fjords in PNG. Experience diving in a secluded paradise with abundant sea life, coral reefs and wrecks. The warm crystal clear waters of Tufi are a divers paradise. Gear rental, water activities, village stays, cultural and land tours. 24 air conditioned ensuite guest rooms, pool, full resort facilities. reservations@tufiresort.com Fly across mainland Papua New Guinea to remote and magical Karawari Lodge. The lodge overlooks the Karawari River whose waters flow towards the Sepik River. Stilted villages line the edges of the waterways. Dugout canoes glide by. Lodge guides introduce guests to the complex and mysterious tribal culture. Conversations with villagers are fascinating. Photo opportunities abound.

The only dive company established within ‘beautiful Madang’; the PADI certified facility, NDA is one of the most experienced dive operators in Papua New Guinea. NDA offers resort courses taught by our team of multi-lingual, PADI certified instructors and dive masters. The crystal clear waters surrounding Madang offer some of the world’s best diving

experiences for divers to discover. Most dive sites are only 5-10mins away! Underwater peaks climbing from 600m to 4m and sheltered lagoons where old wrecks, dating back to World War II, are waiting to be explored... Contact info: nda@madangresort.com

KARAWARI LODGE www.pngtours.com

TAWALI RESORT www.tawali.com

Instruction, gear rental, Nitrox, 22 ensuite rooms, Broadband, full resort facilities.Where it all started, discover the dive sites that place PNG into the world class map of scuba diving. Situated on a limestone bluff backed by densely rain

forested hills overlooking the clear and protected water of Milne Bay, Tawali offers travellers a unique location to dive, relax and enjoy the unspoiled wonders of this magnificent part of the world. reservations@tawali.com

service@pngtours.com

AMBUA LODGE www.pngtours.com

RONDON RIDGE www.pngtours.com

Explore mainland Papua New Guinea based from eco-friendly Ambua Lodge. The lodge is nestled in the highlands, overlooking the magnificent Tari Valley, home of the famous Huli Wigmen. Visit their traditional lands and learn about their fascinating culture. Follow walking trails through mid-montane forest, over traditional vine bridges and along clear mountain streams to secluded waterfalls. Watch for Birds of Paradise.

In the mountains of mainland Papua New Guinea, above the town of Mount Hagen, sits Rondon Ridge. Rising mists enhance the lodge’s panoramic views of the historic valley below. Orchids thrive here. Hours of walking trails offer opportunities to spot exotic birds, including Birds of Paradise. Lodge

guides share the history and traditions of the Melpa people. Rondon Ridge is conveniently accessible on scheduled flights between Port Moresby and Mount Hagen. service@pngtours.com

service@pngtours.com

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Off the Grid Finding Solitude—and Extraordinary Diving—at Fiji’s Matava Resort Text and photos by David Fleetham S ome places require a little effort to reach. Matava Resort is one of them. That, I would soon discover, is part of its charm.

Our Pacific Sun Airlines flight held sixteen passengers, a pilot, and a co-pilot. That was the entire manifest. There was no cockpit door separating us from the crew. Looking up the aisle, I could watch every instrument, every adjustment of the controls, and eventually the narrow strip of pavement that served as Kadavu’s runway. From my seat it felt less like commercial travel and more like riding shotgun with two very competent bush pilots. The landing was smooth. Outside, Fiji immediately slowed the pace. Two smiling Fijians greeted us beside the tiny airport terminal and quickly loaded our luggage—including what seemed like an unreasonable amount of camera equipment—into a pair of well-used pickup trucks. Digital SLR bodies, housings, strobes, ports, lenses, laptop computers;

enough electronics to power a small newsroom, all destined for a resort that proudly described itself as off the grid . The drive to the pier lasted only a few minutes. Waiting there was one of Matava’s dive boats. Within moments we were underway. The boat slipped inside

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the protection of the barrier reef where the sea became remarkably calm. It reminded me of perfect mornings in my youth water skiing on the lakes of British Columbia, when the surface becomes polished glass before the wind awakens. Only this wasn’t freshwater. It was impossibly clear tropical ocean. From the bow I watched schools of reef fish scatter beneath us as we crossed the shallows. Coral bommies drifted silently below the hull, their outlines so sharply defined that it felt as though we were flying rather than floating. There are few better ways to arrive at a dive resort. Nearly an hour passed before the jungle-covered shoreline opened to reveal Matava. There was no imposing hotel. No rows of identical buildings. Instead, the resort seemed to emerge naturally from the hillside, tucked among palms and rainforest as though it had always belonged there. It was immediately obvious that someone had resisted the temptation to overbuild. Matava isn’t trying to impress you with size. It wins you over with quiet. I had known before leaving home that the resort operated entirely off the electrical grid. Knowing it on paper, however, was very different from arriving with several heavy cases filled almost entirely with digital

Typical coconut lined coastline in Kadavu

photography equipment. Photographers become surprisingly attached to electrical outlets. Every evening meant batteries to charge, memory cards to download, hard drives to back up, and camera systems to prepare for the following morning. I found

Magical Manta moment

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myself wondering how comfortably modern digital photography and island simplicity could coexist. As it turned out, remarkably well. The resort consists of just ten traditional Fijian bures scattered discreetly across the forested hillside. A bure (pronounced ber-ray ) is Fiji’s traditional thatched dwelling, but these were considerably more comfortable than the word “hut” might suggest. Polished mahogany floors reflected the afternoon light filtering through louvered windows. Spacious bathrooms, comfortable queen and king beds, and wide verandas overlooked the sea. Everything felt handcrafted rather than manufactured. Luxury here wasn’t measured in marble countertops or room service. It was measured in silence. Each package included all meals, served family-style on the covered deck adjoining the bure levu , the resort’s large communal gathering house. The food quickly became one of the week’s unexpected highlights. Much of it came directly from the resort’s own organic gardens. The seafood arrived fresh from surrounding waters, often caught only hours before it

appeared on the table. The sashimi served that first evening remains among the finest I’ve eaten anywhere in the world. There was no elaborate presentation. It didn’t need one. Fish that fresh speaks for itself. The chef happily accommodated every dietary preference among our small group, but I decided early in the week to simply eat whatever appeared in front of me. It proved to be an excellent strategy. Not once was I disappointed. Dinner lingered long after the plates had been cleared. Divers are natural storytellers. Perhaps it comes from spending our days in places few people ever see. The table eventually fills with tales of close encounters, impossible photographs, equipment failures, and fish that somehow become larger with each retelling. Some stories were undoubtedly improved by memory. No one seemed to mind. Eventually the evening dissolved into quiet conversation as guests drifted back toward their bures. With no streetlights, each of us selected one of

Fiji’s Golden Blenny

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Four reef Manta Rays, Manta alfredi

Black Mantas at Manta Bommie

a dozen lanterns waiting outside the dining area before following winding jungle paths back through the darkness. The dive shop disappeared behind me. The sounds of conversation faded. Only the chorus of insects remained. Inside my bure I lowered the mosquito net around the bed, listened to the forest breathing outside the windows, and fell asleep wondering what waited beneath Fiji’s reefs the following morning. Morning arrives early at Matava. Not because of an alarm clock. Because the jungle wakes first. Birds begin calling just before sunrise. The breeze carries the smell of salt and damp earth through the louvered windows, and somewhere below the hillside the dive

crew is already preparing tanks while the first coffee is being poured. By breakfast everyone has one thing in common. We’re eager to get underwater.

Astrolabe Reef One of Matava’s greatest advantages is its location. Astrolabe Reef lies directly offshore. Stretching more than seventy-five miles, it is the fourth-largest barrier reef in the world and one of Fiji’s great diving treasures. More than twenty established dive sites lie within five to thirty minutes of the resort, making long boat rides unnecessary. Every morning felt as though another section of an

Clown Trigger fish

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NIght colours of the Unicorn fish

enormous underwater wilderness was waiting just around the next point. Divers often associate Fiji with forests of brilliantly colored Dendronephthya soft corals cascading down vertical walls. Those iconic images certainly exist elsewhere in the islands, but Astrolabe Reef offers something different.

Here, hard corals dominate. Massive table corals stretch outward like giant umbrellas. Delicate staghorn colonies form intricate cities for countless reef fish. Boulder corals, brain corals and lettuce corals blend into one another until the reef resembles a carefully landscaped underwater garden rather than

Coral Clam has red eye spots

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Fiji’s endemic Anemone fish, Amphiprion barberi

Huge female Red Anemone fish protecting her tiny male

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Blue Ribbon Eel

a random collection of animals. Each dive site had its own personality. Some were sculpted by current. Others seemed almost peaceful. Each invited exploration. One of my first photographic surprises waited almost literally on the resort’s doorstep. Only fifty feet from one of Matava’s permanent moorings lived a magnificent blue ribbon eel. It became an easy excuse to extend a dive. Blue ribbon eels have always fascinated me. Brilliant cobalt blue with a vivid yellow dorsal fin, they spend

most of their lives protruding from a single burrow, opening and closing their mouths rhythmically to move water across their gills. They appear almost artificial, as though someone had imagined a tropical eel while experimenting with neon paint. I visited this individual several times during the week. It never disappointed. Manta Ridge Then there was Manta Ridge. Every dive trip has one site that quietly becomes everyone’s favorite. For me, it was this one. The dive briefing always ended the same way. “Remember, manta sightings are never guaranteed.” It was a sensible disclaimer. Wild animals have little interest in dive schedules. Fortunately, the mantas apparently hadn’t read the briefing. The site consists of several long coral ridges running parallel to the main barrier reef. Between them lie broad channels, while the seaward side drops steeply into deep blue water. Along the tops of the ridges, rising to within about forty feet of the surface, lie several cleaning stations visited by a local population of reef mantas. Everything about the site seems designed for them.

Nocturnal Sea Spider

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Below: Golden Damsel fish is being groomed by a cleaner wrasse Above: Juvenile Black Tip Reef sharks live in the shallow protected waters.

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On my first dive a single manta appeared almost immediately. Then another. By the end of the week I had watched six glide past at one time. They never seemed hurried. There was an effortless confidence in the way they moved, each slow beat of those enormous pectoral fins carrying them silently along the ridge before they banked into graceful turns and returned for another pass over the cleaning stations. I found myself becoming less interested in chasing photographs and more interested in simply watching. Eventually I settled on a different strategy. Rather

than following the mantas, I chose a likely section of reef, planted myself against the current, and waited. Patience has always been one of the most valuable tools an underwater photographer owns. The mantas rewarded it. Several times one materialized from the blue with no warning, growing larger with astonishing speed before passing directly overhead. At those moments the reef seemed to disappear. There was only the manta. Its broad white belly filled my viewfinder before slowly eclipsing the sunlight itself. Even after photographing

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manta rays in many parts of the world, that feeling has never grown old.

Life Between the Flybys The mantas, however, were not the only attraction. Between their visits I explored the reef more carefully. Large sea fans projected into the current. Schools of anthias hovered over branching corals like clouds of orange confetti. Cleaner wrasses busily attended their stations while butterflyfish and surgeonfish queued patiently for inspection. One section of the ridge stopped me completely. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t deep. It was simply covered with an astonishing field of sea anemones. They stretched across roughly thirty by forty feet of reef, so densely packed that it became impossible to tell where one animal ended and the next began. Every available space seemed occupied. Each anemone hosted its own resident clownfish. Dozens upon dozens of them. Well over fifty individuals darted among the tentacles, defending tiny territories from neighbors only inches away. The reef shimmered with constant movement. Finding a composition became challenging. Every time I thought I’d settled on the perfect angle,

something distracted me. Usually a manta ray. More than once I became so engrossed photographing clownfish that an enormous shadow suddenly drifted over me. I would look up to find another manta passing only a few feet overhead, seemingly curious about the photographer who had stopped paying attention. It almost felt deliberate. As though they knew precisely when my eyes were elsewhere.

Occasionally you will be rewarded with a special moment such as this overhead pass of a Manta Ray

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A Reef the Size of a Volkswagen Late in the week I mentioned to one of the guides how much time I’d spent with the blue ribbon eel. He smiled. “I know another place you’ll like.” Calling it a dive site might be generous. Calling it a coral head would be more accurate. Imagine a Volkswagen Beetle sitting on the sand. Now imagine another Beetle balanced on top of the first. That was about the size of the entire reef. It rose from a gently sloping sandy bottom in only forty feet of water. By most standards it was insignificant. It became one of my favorite dives of the week. The little coral head looked almost insignificant. It rose from the sand no more than twenty feet high, alone on an otherwise featureless slope. Many divers would have swum past it without a second glance. That would have been a mistake. It reminded me of a small apartment building in the middle of nowhere, every available room occupied. Anthias hovered above the reef in constant motion, darting out into the current to snatch passing plankton before retreating to the safety of the coral. Cardinalfish clustered around shaded crevices, and several of the males carried the next generation safely inside their mouths, patiently mouthbrooding hundreds of developing eggs. Pairs of pipefish drifted so perfectly with the bottom that they seemed to disappear whenever I looked away. Tiny blennies peered cautiously from perfectly round holes in the coral, retreating the instant my lens

Spindle Cowrie on Whip Coral

Fire Tail Goby

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It takes a great deal of patience to get a

Octopus come out to hunt in the darkness

Male Black Spot Angelfish

edged a little too close before curiosity inevitably drew them back outside. Coral hermit crabs decorated every available crack. Every few inches another photograph presented itself. Macro photography has a way of changing your perception of time. You stop looking at the reef as a whole and begin exploring it one square inch at a time. An hour disappears. Then another. Eventually I glanced at my dive computer. Even forty feet has limits. Reluctantly I left the little reef behind and worked my way slowly up the sandy slope toward the boat, already thinking about what I had missed. The best dive sites often aren’t the biggest. Sometimes they’re the size of two Volkswagen Beetles stacked one on top of the other. Life Above the Surface Part of Matava’s appeal has very little to do with diving. The resort attracts an interesting collection of people. Perhaps that’s inevitable when there are only ten bures and everyone shares the same dining table each evening. One young couple seemed determined to make the most of the romance of being far from the rest of the world. We saw them occasionally, but never for very

long before they disappeared once again up the hill toward their private bure. Another group had gathered from several different countries for a family reunion. Their common language wasn’t geography. It was diving. The conversations around the dinner table flowed effortlessly between grandchildren, travel plans, camera equipment, favorite dive destinations, and the fish we’d seen that day. An Australian couple traded stories with a German couple while another pair from the United States compared photographs on the backs of their phones. By the second evening introductions were unnecessary. By the fourth, it felt less like a resort and

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Dive Log Australasia #419 August’26

Bubble Shells

Known locally as yaqona , the drink is prepared from the powdered root of the kava plant and has been central to Fijian culture for generations. Its appearance does little to inspire confidence. Imagine muddy water stirred with a stick and you’re not far off. Its importance, however, has nothing to do with

more like a gathering of old friends who simply hadn’t met yet. The kitchen added its own surprises. Several dinners would not have been out of place in an upscale city restaurant, yet here they appeared from a kitchen hidden deep in the Fijian rainforest. Each meal somehow seemed better than the last. As darkness settled over the resort, dive stories inevitably surfaced. Some grew slightly more dramatic with each retelling. Fish became larger. Currents became stronger. The perfect photograph somehow moved just beyond reach. No one objected. Exaggeration has always been one of diving’s oldest traditions. Eventually the lanterns were lit once more, and we each wandered back through the jungle to our bures, already anticipating tomorrow’s dives. One Last Evening The week passed with surprising speed. It always does. One moment you’re arriving by boat, wondering what an off-grid dive resort might be like. The next you’re realizing tomorrow morning you’ll be leaving. Our final evening began seated in a circle on woven mats around a large carved wooden bowl. Inside was kava.

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The Golden Head Shrimp Goby

appearance. One by one the coconut-shell cup made its way around the circle. Each person accepted it with a clap. Drank. Clapped again. Then passed it to the next guest. Conversation slowed. Laughter became easier. The ceremony was simple. The experience

memorable. Later the staff invited us outside. Throughout the afternoon they had been preparing a traditional lovo , Fiji’s earth oven. A fire pit had been lined with hot stones before layers of meat, seafood, vegetables, and root crops were wrapped carefully in banana leaves and buried beneath the earth to slow

Sleeping Bullet head Parrotfish

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Looking Back The following morning our boat retraced the same route back toward Kadavu Airport. The sea was just as calm as it had been on the journey in. As we rounded one familiar point I recognized the break in the reef. Manta Ridge. From the boat it looked almost ordinary. Nothing suggested that only a short swim beneath the surface enormous rays would be circling patiently through invisible cleaning stations while tiny wrasses went about their work. That is one of diving’s great lessons. The most

Square Spot Anthias

cook for hours. When the covering was finally removed, fragrant steam rolled into the night air. The feast that followed was every bit as memorable as the diving. Dinner stretched late into the evening beneath unfamiliar southern stars while another bowl of kava quietly made its rounds. Nobody seemed in any hurry for the night to end.

extraordinary things often happen where, from above, nothing at all seems to be happening. By the time the little airplane lifted off the runway I was already replaying photographs in my mind. Not the ones I had taken. The ones I hadn’t. The manta that passed just behind me. The composition I almost found among the sea of

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anemones. The tiny blenny that refused to hold still for one more frame. Photographers are always planning the next image before they’ve finished enjoying the last one. I suspect that’s why places like Matava stay with us. Yes, the diving is exceptional. Astrolabe Reef deserves every bit of its reputation. The manta rays alone are worth the journey. But what lingers longest isn’t any single dive. It’s the feeling of being disconnected from everything that usually demands our attention and reconnected with the things that

matter instead. The rhythm of tides rather than traffic. Lanterns instead of streetlights. Conversation instead of screens. And reefs so healthy and full of life that they remind us what much of the Pacific once looked like and, in fortunate places like this, still does. As our aircraft banked north toward home, I found myself looking down through the window at the long ribbon of Astrolabe Reef disappearing beneath the wing. I wasn’t thinking about the trip that had just ended. I was already planning the next one.

Chaetodonn rafflesi, the lattice Butterfly fish

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The perfect present for divers and your library. An awesome inspiration U/W photographers These books have excellent photography and make a superb coffee table book or a world class study manuals for learning about Marine Biology.

The great age of exploration under the oceans Mike Scotland Marine Biology in the wild

GET YOUR COPY NOW

Mike says “I have invested a lot of energy into the book, having put my heart and soul into both the photos and the text. My main motivation is to celebrate the beauty of life and to marvel at the ingenuity of mother nature; the inventiveness and genius of the design of lifeforms. It is also to educate marine enthusiasts. To wonder and contemplate the beauty of nature is surely the greatest of all human experience. Everyone longs for adventure and exploration and close encounters with nature, a swim with a whale or a shark or a bright sea shell.”

To buy these magnificent books, email mike@divelog.net.au OR CALL 0415158168 Cost is $40 each plus $8 postage or $70 for both plus $10 P&P et.au www.divelog.n

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Divelog Australasia #41 9 August ' 2 6

WIDE ANGLE PHOTOGRAPHY PART 7 Text and Photos by Mike Scotland

My web site www.mikescotland.com.au has lots of hints tips and settings W ide Angle underwater photography is the best way to capture the magic and adventure of diving. Wide angle photos allow the viewer to place themselves in the picture. This article explores the elements of Wide Angle photos and how to get better photos. Many of these elements remain citically important, even with use of the latest digital cameras that do ot require much mental input. PHOTO COMMENTS:

Top photo of a Spotted Sweetlip from Komodo. As I entered this cave, I was amazed by the fairyland colours. I adjusted my camera settings for the low light, moved strobes and tried to breathe very slowly. I have to move in at a snail’s pace so as to not spook the fish. Then, I had to wait until the fish was centred, the position I wanted to capture. Left: One of the Polish guests on board Oceania wanted to pose with a turtle. Notice how I shoot slightly upwards to capture the blue water and balance strobe light on her face and the Hawksbill. I had to move strobes to avoid over exposing the shot. Exposure should always for lightest and brightest, i.e. faces.

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KEEP IT SIMPLE, SCUBIEDIVER Have one main subject that your eye is drawn to. Put less into the frame! Have a clear stand out feature that your eye is drawn to instantly. If there is no clear point, or main subject and nothing is standing out as the feature, it is likely to be a weak photo. Various elements of the photo compete for your attention and may detract from the desired result. Composition gets the viewer to see what is important. Subtraction in photography means removing over busy subjects that might be distracting. A strong photo often has a clear point such as one main subject that draws your eye in. A weak photo has too many subjects competing for your attention. In this selfie, the viewer can visualise themselves having finished a wonderful tropical dive in the warm waters of PNG PHOTO COMMENTS: Top Right photo is a selfie taken after a dive on Febrina in Walindi. The most important aspect of photogrpahy is to please yourself. I wanted to capture a selfie with Febrina in the background. I had to move strobes to point into my dial and change settings to balance the bright surface light and the flash. This is known as Flash Fill Photography.

Bottom photo: This is a selfie from 1985 at Seal Rocks. The technique is to extend the right arm with the housing facing you, look at and over the dome port . The reflection in the dome port was used to compose the shot. Then it was wait for the shark to come over

your shoulder. Then, take the shot. It is good clean fun, solo diving!

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My fearless model, Laura is making friends with a big Java Moray in Fiji. Even though there are two main subjects, the photo is about meeting wildlife and it works because Laura is watching the Moray and her gaze engages the viewer. She is a great model! Photo comments: Below Left: My buddy, Andrew posing in a coral window in Munda, Solomon Islands. I like these windows of colour to frame the diver. Notice how the flash has captured the colourful corals and the blue water. Below right: Belinda from Munda posing in the sunlit caves at Mbiga Mbiga, her favorite dive site. Notice her perfect buoyancy and zero distracting bubbles, minimum skills needed for diver photos.

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