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PHOTEC NEWS
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Destinations
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Workshop Update We have just returned from the Seaventures photo workshop where the group have enjoyed some excellent and varied diving between the three islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai. Some excellent images were produced during the week and the well deserved winner of the competition was Panos Fafalios with an image of a Sipadan turtle.
Susanna and I then travelled on the the new Lembeh Hills Resort where we enjoyed a relaxing and indulgent week of diving in the Lembeh Strait. The resort is very well appointed and has very comfortable boutique style rooms all with a wonderful view of the strait below. The resort offers full service and has delicious food on offer in the restaurant. The diving in the Lembeh Strait needs no introduction of course and the range of critters and macro subjects continues to amaze me. We will host a workshop here in December 2012.
The workshop dates for 2012 are as follows:
Red Sea: 14-21 October- contact info@Oonasdivers.com
Lembeh Strait: 1-8 December Book directly with me, further details here.
British Wildlife Photography Awards This competition is in its third year and open to all photographers shooting in the UK. I entered for the first time this year and was lucky enough to score a highly commended and editors choice plus several images in the book. The overall winner was an underwater image and the book features many underwater photographs as well as some stunning surface photography of British wildlife and is well worth the cover price.
Workshop Update Some workshop dates for 2012 in case you are planning ahead:
Red Sea: 14-21 October- contact info@Oonasdivers.com
Lembeh Strait: 1-8 December This workshop will be at the new Lembeh Hills Resort which we will visit in December. Book directly with me, further details here.
We still have some spaces available on the Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai workshop between 3-10 December if you cannot wait until 2012. Based at the Seaventures resort at Mabul offering a mix of reefs, walls and muck diving between the three islands and an excellent house reef dive at Seaventures. Book directly with me.
Numerous Nudibranchs The cold winter has produced a slightly later breeding season in the water, but now there is frantic activity for both nudibranchs and sea hares. I thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight the variety of species we see here in the UK. Have a look here and dust off your macro lens before they disappear.
Getting Snooty Snoots were very popular in the 80's and 90's for double exposures on film in photosub competitions. They are now making a comeback and the latest iteration is the fibre optic snoot which can deliver a very narrow beam of light if desired. Another option to consider for different lighting in your images. I got mine from Ken Sullivan (www.kensunderwaterphotography.com).
Spring Workshop Update I have spent the last few months working in Norway with lots of travel to and fro. The water in the fjords looks very clear, cold and inviting but so far I have not managed any diving. But we have just had a superb Easter week her in Cornwall with unusually calm seas and plenty of sunshine. Although that means that the plankton is now thickening up the spring breeding season is most definitely here with plenty of nudibranchs, sea hares and cuttlefish and squid beginning to appear. I have put a few pictures up here.
If you are thinking of warmer water diving we still have space on the two 2011 workshops:
7-14 October in the Red Sea departing from Hurghada and exploring some new sites south towards Safaga. Contact Ooonasdivers to book (info@oonasdivers.com)
3-10 December Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai based at the Seaventures resort at Mabul offering a mix of reefs, walls and muck diving between the three islands and an excellent house reef dive at Seaventures. Book directly with me - deposits due 1 August but let me know soon if you are interested and I will pencil you in on the list.
2011 Workshops For 2011 we will have one workshop in the Red Sea and one in Malaysia diving at Sipadan, Mabul & Kapalai based at the Seaventures Dive Platform at Mabul island.
Red Sea Workshop 14-21 October 2011 For the 2011 workshop we plan to take a slightly different route from Hurghada to dive some of the sites along the coast towards Safaga to increase variety and perhaps introduce you to some sites that you may not have dived before.
Sipadan, Mabul & Kapalai Workshop 3-10 December 2011
For 2011 we have a new destination in Malaysia. This will be based on the Seaventures dive platform at Mabul island just a stones throw from the famous walls of Sipadan and the reef and muck diving at Mabul and Kapalai. The package will include unlimited diving on the excellent reef and muck right below the dive platform, with its unique dive lift access. If you are interested just contact me for further details and to get your name penciled in.
Seaventures Mabul Island I returned in February from a successful trip to Mabul, Sipadan and Kapalai where I stayed on the Seaventures dive platform. The diving throughout this area is excellent and offers the perfect mix of coral, walls and big fish action at Sipadan together with shallow reef and muck diving at Mabul and Kapalai. If your focus is on time in the water then the Seaventures platform offers an excellent budget choice. Directly below the rig is an excellent reef and muck dive with everything from pygmy seahorses to frog fish and schooling barracuda. You are transported to and from the water on a lift, truly effortless diving! Watch this space for details of a Seaventures photo workshop in 2011.
2010 Workshops Workshop planning is underway for 2010. So far we have one confirmed date in the Northern Red Sea on Blue Planet 1 exploring the classic sites between Ras Mohammed and Hurghada - 1-8 October 2010. Contact Oonasdivers for further details: www.oonasdivers.com
2009 Workshops The final 2009 workshop was held in the first week of November at Lembeh Resort exploring the extraordinary range of critters and marine life that inhabit the Lembeh Strait. As always there is a surprise on every dive here and we were blessed with sunny weather all week, despite the beginning of the rainy season looming. The competition was won by Lucy Proudfoot with a portrait of a pygmy seahorse taken with a Nikon D80 in a Sea & Sea housing.
The first 2009 Red Sea workshop was held in May on MY Blue Planet 1 diving some of the classic sites of the northern Red Sea - Abu Nuhas, Ras Mohammed, Small Passage, Shag Rock. We enjoyed some great weather and some great diving and produced some pleasing images. You can see some of my images here. The competition for the best image of the week (judged by the crew) was won for a second time by Alan Larsen with a D200 in a Subal housing.
The Second Red Sea workshop was also on the Blue Planet 1 between 2-9 September diving Fury Shoal, Ras Banas and Sataya. The competition for the best image of the week (judged by the crew) was won by Bartosz Strozynski with using a Canon 1Ds II in a Seacam housing.
Macro with a 10-17mm Zoom
Read more here.
Marsa Shagra Eco Village Susanna and I enjoyed a relaxed week of diving at the Marsa Shagra eco village in March. It was great to do some shore based beach diving again in the Red Sea. You can see my review of the trip in UWP49 (www.uwpmag.com) and see some of my images here. Book through Oonasdivers.
Beneath Cornish Seas events:
BBC Radio Cornwall have a book review and interview with Mark - follow the links from here: www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/nature/
Pictures from Beneath Cornish Seas will be featured in three exhibitions celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin who had strong connections with the port of Falmouth in Cornwall. Voyages of Discovery - 14 February to 18 April Species - 25 April to 27 June Expressions - 12 September to 7 November
Copies of Beneath Cornish Seas will be available at the London International Dive show where the book will also be presented to winners of the winners of the BSoUP/Diver Magazine annual print competition. We will be on the Oonasdivers stand, BSoUP and retailer stands on 28 March.
Mark will be hosting an evening event in Waterstones Truro branch in Cornwall on Tuesday 26 May. There will be a presentation centered on the book, a Q&A session and the opportunity to purchase signed copies. See Waterstones website/events for details:
2009 Workshops
Red Sea workshops in 2009: 15-22 May Red Sea - Classic sites in the North 2-9 September Red Sea - Fury Shoal, Ras Banas and Sataya
Lembeh Strait workshop 2009: 31 October to 7 November
As usual the Red Sea workshops are booked through Oonasdivers but the Lembeh Strait workshop will be booked directly with me.
Beneath Cornish Seas - Copies have now arrived from the printers and are available online from the publishers at www.alisonhodge.co.uk at on £10.95. They will shortly be available through other distributors and retailers. More book details here.
2008 Workshops
We have just returned from the final workshop of 2008 in Bali. Our base was the newly refurbished Tauch Terminal located in the centre of Tulamben Bay. Here we enjoyed some excellent wide angle and critter diving on the reefs and famous SS Liberty wreck. The trip also included excursions to Seraya, Amed and Kubu where the group captured some excellent images.
See a selection of images from the Bali Workshop here.
The first Red Sea workshop of 2008 was on board MY Blue Planet diving at Hurghada, Abu Nuhas and the Brothers. Some excellent diving was enjoyed by the group and some spectacular images were produced during the week despite some windy conditions. The competition for the best image of the week (judged by the crew) was won by Valerie Reid with a D200 in a Seacam housing.
See some of my images from the workshop here.
The second Red Sea Workshop in October started off quite breezy but produced some fantastic photo opportunities during the week and closed with a memorable dugong encounter. The competition for the best image of the week (judged by the crew) was won for a second time by Valerie Reid with a D200 in a Seacam housing.
See some of my images from the workshop here.
Philippines In February 2008 we returned from a pleasant and productive week in the Philippines based at the Atlantis Resort at Dumaguete on Negros Island. The resort and dive centre are excellent and the mix of diving and photographic subjects will keep your camera busy for a week or more. Look out for the trip report in Underwater Photography Magazine (www.uwpmag.com), read more here and see some pictures in the gallery here.
Ocean Optics Open Day We held a successful second open day at Ocean Optics on Saturday 12 January 2008. The day included two presentations on wide angle techniques and composition and a picture clinic.
We hope to hold more of these in the future - please e-mail Steve Warren for future dates:
Under the Sea Exhibition
A new exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth has recently opened which celebrates and illustrates undersea exploration and diving. The exhibition includes a selection of my underwater photographs together with Alex Mustard and JP Trenque in an exhibit which charts the history of underwater photography. There are some milestone equipment examples on display including a Rolleimarine housing, an original Calypsophot and a Scoones MD600 Olympus housing. Beneath Cornish Seas A new book to be published in late 2008 or early 2009. This will be predominantly a pictorial presentation of the colourful and varied marine life to be found below the temperate waters surrounding the south western peninsula of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The book will be of interest to snorkellers, divers, underwater photographers and anyone with a passion for marine life and natural history. The publication date will be announced later in 2008, but for the moment click here for a few sample images. Publisher: Alison Hodge Publishers - www.alison-hodge.co.uk Workshops For 2008 we have three workshops planned – two in the Red Sea and one at Tulamben in Bali, Indonesia: 13 - 20 June Red Sea 1- 8 October Red Sea 26 November to 3 December Tulamben, Bali As usual the Red Sea workshops are booked through Oonasdivers but the Bali workshop will be booked directly with me. You can find more details here. If you are interested in Bali please let me know and I will pencil you in early – we expect this workshop to be popular. 2007 Workshops We held a very successful workshop in in March in the Lembeh Straits in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. This area boasts an incredible array of exotic creatures, mostly in the macro range, in very easy diving conditions. We stayed at the Lembeh Resort on Lembeh Island which is very comfortable, has excellent facilities for photographers and a first class dive centre with a team of very skilled spotters/guides. Our group of fifteen included clients from the USA, Germany, Austria and the UK - mix which blended very well and produced some great images and lively discussion. You can see some of my images taken in 2006 and 2007 by clicking on these links.
The second workshop held in May in the Red Sea was on board the MY Blue Waves. The group enjoyed some fantastic diving at the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone. For the shark enthusiasts there were sightings of hammerheads, threshers, silky and grey reef sharks along with some very large tuna and all the regular reef species which kept the cameras busy all week.
The final workshop in September 2007 was in the Red Sea workshop on board the Blue Seas live aboard. Although the weather was unusually windy we still managed to enjoy some excellent diving and make the trip to St. John's Reef. |
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Darwin 200 Celebration
28 and 29 March
2009 ExCel London Docklands
Truro, Cornwall 26 May 2009
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