redsea reefer
New member
WOW, Fantastic pics....I'm jealous, Thanks for sharing.
Fiji Pictures
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More Fiji Pictures from 2007
More Fiji Pictures from 2007
Thank you uchiha, resea reefer and jodfielj. Yes indeed, very nice reefs.
I'm at work right now (good distraction this website here), but I happen to have just a few pictures from my prior Fiji trip to Beqa Lagoon and Cousteau & Namena here which I've downloaded into Photobucket. Here you go:
This above picture would've popped if I wasn't using a CoolPix and its flash as my only means of illumination. It gives you an idea, however, of the fish desnity swarming above the reefs (which I'm unable to capture in my other photographs).
The picture above was taken at Chimneys at Namena. The current was wicked (as seen by the fish and anemone) and just as I took this shot I got smacked in the face by a jellyfish. See what happens when you're not paying attention?
The remainder were taken at the Cousteau Resort (on Vanua Levu) at sunset:
I would sit for an hour outside on the beach every night to watch this sunset. They were truly "pinch me 'cause I can't believe I'm here" moments.
This last picture is for laughs. A fishing boat came back in with this barracuda - only 1/2 of it was extant as the remainder had been eaten by a shark before retrieval.
More Fiji Pictures from 2007
Thank you uchiha, resea reefer and jodfielj. Yes indeed, very nice reefs.
I'm at work right now (good distraction this website here), but I happen to have just a few pictures from my prior Fiji trip to Beqa Lagoon and Cousteau & Namena here which I've downloaded into Photobucket. Here you go:
This above picture would've popped if I wasn't using a CoolPix and its flash as my only means of illumination. It gives you an idea, however, of the fish desnity swarming above the reefs (which I'm unable to capture in my other photographs).
The picture above was taken at Chimneys at Namena. The current was wicked (as seen by the fish and anemone) and just as I took this shot I got smacked in the face by a jellyfish. See what happens when you're not paying attention?
The remainder were taken at the Cousteau Resort (on Vanua Levu) at sunset:
I would sit for an hour outside on the beach every night to watch this sunset. They were truly "pinch me 'cause I can't believe I'm here" moments.
This last picture is for laughs. A fishing boat came back in with this barracuda - only 1/2 of it was extant as the remainder had been eaten by a shark before retrieval.
Anemones and Clownfish and Shrimp
Anemones and Clownfish and Shrimp
You are welcome Jbray84 and Gmar716. Thank you for your kind and colorful comments.
As promised, here are more pictures. The posts are by subject, rather than reefs dived. The first subject is anemones and anemonefish. In Fiji there is an equal population distribution between skunkfish, clarkii, and melanopus (or frenactus - tough to tell sometimes the difference between the two). The anemones are varied and most are brown. The rose bta that is prized in the aquarium trade is RARE. I've only seen it twice - and never when diving with a camera.
The Clarkii below are huge. The mama is about a foot long. I framed their anemone in the shot to remind me how far away they can wander from home base (around 5 meters or 15 feet). These fish can also be aggressive (if you've got them in your tank you will be able to reconfirm this). I've been bit more than once taking pictures of them.
And anemones with shrimp:
These shrimp are impossible to spot without the aid of a knowledgeable dive master ("DM"). My DM kept pointing at these anemones making audible grunts. I looked at the anemones and the areas around them trying to figure what was making him so excited.
Anemones and Clownfish and Shrimp
You are welcome Jbray84 and Gmar716. Thank you for your kind and colorful comments.
As promised, here are more pictures. The posts are by subject, rather than reefs dived. The first subject is anemones and anemonefish. In Fiji there is an equal population distribution between skunkfish, clarkii, and melanopus (or frenactus - tough to tell sometimes the difference between the two). The anemones are varied and most are brown. The rose bta that is prized in the aquarium trade is RARE. I've only seen it twice - and never when diving with a camera.
The Clarkii below are huge. The mama is about a foot long. I framed their anemone in the shot to remind me how far away they can wander from home base (around 5 meters or 15 feet). These fish can also be aggressive (if you've got them in your tank you will be able to reconfirm this). I've been bit more than once taking pictures of them.
And anemones with shrimp:
These shrimp are impossible to spot without the aid of a knowledgeable dive master ("DM"). My DM kept pointing at these anemones making audible grunts. I looked at the anemones and the areas around them trying to figure what was making him so excited.
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Next subject: NUDIBRANCHS and FLATWORMS
Being SPS-centric, I am indifferent to these nudibranchs and flatworms. However, if you have a great macro lens (which I did not), these creatures are the easiest to photograph (fish are impossible). The DM's point these out as well. You'll note that some are well disguised, blending into their background.
The above nudibranch is impossible to spot even when the DM points at it. Can you spot it?
Can you spot the 2 above?
Being SPS-centric, I am indifferent to these nudibranchs and flatworms. However, if you have a great macro lens (which I did not), these creatures are the easiest to photograph (fish are impossible). The DM's point these out as well. You'll note that some are well disguised, blending into their background.
The above nudibranch is impossible to spot even when the DM points at it. Can you spot it?
Can you spot the 2 above?
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Fish
Fish
Taking good fish pictures is impossible. By the time your digital camera actually takes the shot, the fish is long gone. I have only a few pictures of fish and they are just O.K.:
Besides the dot and dash butterflyfish, this coral's been a parrotfish target.
A 3' (1 meter) humpnose bigeye bream
A fusilier school:
Unicornfish are easy to spot from the surface. The school stick their horns out of the water. When you jump in with them, they don't dart away. Whatever they are feeding on, keeps them distracted.
(Uninteresting moray eel shot, I know. Focus on the sponge instead.)
The yellow damsels are huge (as big as a large man's outstretched hand) and solitary. They really stand out on the reefs.
Fish
Taking good fish pictures is impossible. By the time your digital camera actually takes the shot, the fish is long gone. I have only a few pictures of fish and they are just O.K.:
Besides the dot and dash butterflyfish, this coral's been a parrotfish target.
A 3' (1 meter) humpnose bigeye bream
A fusilier school:
Unicornfish are easy to spot from the surface. The school stick their horns out of the water. When you jump in with them, they don't dart away. Whatever they are feeding on, keeps them distracted.
(Uninteresting moray eel shot, I know. Focus on the sponge instead.)
The yellow damsels are huge (as big as a large man's outstretched hand) and solitary. They really stand out on the reefs.
Some Interesting Corals
Some Interesting Corals
Pipe organ coral colony:
Encrusting montipora. It's not "Superman", so I doubt anyone's interested.
I really didn't know what to make of this coral. Is it bleaching? Is it dying? Or is it really a two-tone blue and dark brown stag?
Encrusting montipora with sea squirts.
A nice table. In the wild, they range from BIG (even when young) to room sized. Due to their large size, I'm not sure I would ever place one (even a red one) in an aquarium.
For those good at coral identification, any ideas of the aroporas below? The blue speared coral is about 10 feet tall.
Chromis infested staghorn bush:
Some Interesting Corals
Pipe organ coral colony:
Encrusting montipora. It's not "Superman", so I doubt anyone's interested.
I really didn't know what to make of this coral. Is it bleaching? Is it dying? Or is it really a two-tone blue and dark brown stag?
Encrusting montipora with sea squirts.
A nice table. In the wild, they range from BIG (even when young) to room sized. Due to their large size, I'm not sure I would ever place one (even a red one) in an aquarium.
For those good at coral identification, any ideas of the aroporas below? The blue speared coral is about 10 feet tall.
Chromis infested staghorn bush:
Reefscapes
Reefscapes
Sometimes pinnacles and bommies give interesting perspectives. From a distance, all color washes from the photograph (unless you have a great camera and you are a pro in photoshop), so if you can, imagine a more vivid color scape.
A bleached or digested or diseased coral colony to the left:
Can you tell it's raining above? You'd think I was night diving!
Reefscapes
Sometimes pinnacles and bommies give interesting perspectives. From a distance, all color washes from the photograph (unless you have a great camera and you are a pro in photoshop), so if you can, imagine a more vivid color scape.
A bleached or digested or diseased coral colony to the left:
Can you tell it's raining above? You'd think I was night diving!
Soft Coral
Soft Coral
Fiji is known for soft corals. The country bills itself (after Cousteau said it first) as the "Soft Coral Capital of the World". Taking pictures of soft corals is difficult. First, the current is WICKED when the soft corals are at their prime. There is no way to stabilize yourself or your camera (which is vibrating against the current) to get a focused shot. Second, you've got to have more than one flash to illuminate the scene (I have a small camera with built-in weak flash) and it has to be a big flash. Third, most soft coral fields are at depth along walls. Perspective is lost in the midst of the infinite.
There are a few famous sites in Fiji for soft coral (Great White Wall, Jack's End, Purple Wall, Fantasea, Kansas, etc.), but the most varied and spectacular show is found at Seven Peaks (seven rounded bommies in the strait between Taveuni and Qamea). There are just a few days in the month that this site can be dived unless you are an Olympic swimmer. I didn't dive at the right time and I am not an Olympian - thus, I only saw 2 of the 7 bommies and I used up 3,000 lbs. of air in 20 minutes. You read that right: 20 minutes and this includes decompression of 5 minutes drifting in the open ocean. But in those 15 minutes, I saw a show of color beyond belief. I don't have any pictures of this site because I was fighting just to keep my mask on my face and my regulator in my mouth, meanwhile kicking as hard as I could.
The pictures below are pathetic compared to what you will see. Please do not use them as a basis for deciding whether you want to dive Fiji. My camera housing was also fogging.
Purple Wall
Still Waters (if ever there was a site that did not fit the name, this one is it):
Soft Coral
Fiji is known for soft corals. The country bills itself (after Cousteau said it first) as the "Soft Coral Capital of the World". Taking pictures of soft corals is difficult. First, the current is WICKED when the soft corals are at their prime. There is no way to stabilize yourself or your camera (which is vibrating against the current) to get a focused shot. Second, you've got to have more than one flash to illuminate the scene (I have a small camera with built-in weak flash) and it has to be a big flash. Third, most soft coral fields are at depth along walls. Perspective is lost in the midst of the infinite.
There are a few famous sites in Fiji for soft coral (Great White Wall, Jack's End, Purple Wall, Fantasea, Kansas, etc.), but the most varied and spectacular show is found at Seven Peaks (seven rounded bommies in the strait between Taveuni and Qamea). There are just a few days in the month that this site can be dived unless you are an Olympic swimmer. I didn't dive at the right time and I am not an Olympian - thus, I only saw 2 of the 7 bommies and I used up 3,000 lbs. of air in 20 minutes. You read that right: 20 minutes and this includes decompression of 5 minutes drifting in the open ocean. But in those 15 minutes, I saw a show of color beyond belief. I don't have any pictures of this site because I was fighting just to keep my mask on my face and my regulator in my mouth, meanwhile kicking as hard as I could.
The pictures below are pathetic compared to what you will see. Please do not use them as a basis for deciding whether you want to dive Fiji. My camera housing was also fogging.
Purple Wall
Still Waters (if ever there was a site that did not fit the name, this one is it):
jarrett shark
New member
were there reef sharks were you dive, because when I was there there were tons of black tips right next to you as you dive
Video, Thank You, and Answer to Questions
Video, Thank You, and Answer to Questions
Hi all, thanks for your comments Peteyp923, 6-line, JKT2001, gophilau, fishbait2, and jarrett shark. I think that's everyone from the latest installment!?
Jarrett shark: Yes, on almost every dive I see white tip reef sharks. However, I've never seen a black tip! I'd love to see a live black tip! You're so lucky! I also occasionally see gray reef sharks. I hear that hammerheads are occasionally seen on some of the grand wall dives, but I've been unlucky. I did go on the Beqa shark dive though and saw lots of bulls, nurse, silver, and grays. It was hard to see the sharks though through the mass of jacks, remoras, trevally and other carnivores.
Fishbait2: Funny. I've actually taken 2 of my sisters to Fiji. The third I subsidized by buying her and her husband's dive gear. Fiji is unfortunately expensive to get to from the US. If we were in OZ or NZ, we'd at least have the advantage of $300 flights. Damn them!
I've put a video together of The Wreck dive site. I'm still working on it trying to make it less jumpy (can't overcome my weak camera/video camera lighting limitations though). You start the dive in a great sps coral garden. It then starts to get murky and you see why: a large wreck has obliterated the reef. As you leave the wreck, it gets clear again. Interesting how the coral keeps the sediments cemented. Anyway, here's the draft video (w/ Fijian music!):
http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/ScotterP/Fiji%202009/The%20Wreck/?action=view¤t=TheWreck.flv
Video, Thank You, and Answer to Questions
Hi all, thanks for your comments Peteyp923, 6-line, JKT2001, gophilau, fishbait2, and jarrett shark. I think that's everyone from the latest installment!?
Jarrett shark: Yes, on almost every dive I see white tip reef sharks. However, I've never seen a black tip! I'd love to see a live black tip! You're so lucky! I also occasionally see gray reef sharks. I hear that hammerheads are occasionally seen on some of the grand wall dives, but I've been unlucky. I did go on the Beqa shark dive though and saw lots of bulls, nurse, silver, and grays. It was hard to see the sharks though through the mass of jacks, remoras, trevally and other carnivores.
Fishbait2: Funny. I've actually taken 2 of my sisters to Fiji. The third I subsidized by buying her and her husband's dive gear. Fiji is unfortunately expensive to get to from the US. If we were in OZ or NZ, we'd at least have the advantage of $300 flights. Damn them!
I've put a video together of The Wreck dive site. I'm still working on it trying to make it less jumpy (can't overcome my weak camera/video camera lighting limitations though). You start the dive in a great sps coral garden. It then starts to get murky and you see why: a large wreck has obliterated the reef. As you leave the wreck, it gets clear again. Interesting how the coral keeps the sediments cemented. Anyway, here's the draft video (w/ Fijian music!):
http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/ScotterP/Fiji%202009/The%20Wreck/?action=view¤t=TheWreck.flv
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