The ultimate diving and snorkeling thread!

[ndrwater]

If you are looking for a great place to dive, Bonaire is a great place. I've been a dozen or so times. Hawaii is always nice. I prefer the East side of the Big Island.
Of course there is always Fiji, or Tonga, both off the beaten path..
But honestly, one of my all time fave spots is right here in Southern California. No, it's not the warm waters of the aforementioned spots, but a good day diving here can be like flying through the forrest.
Been a lot more places than those mentioned above, but without writing a book here.. Those are probably best waxed poetic over and adult beverage at RAP Orlando or California..

 

[MBX5]

Some of you may have seen my post on Curacao with photos before https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/curacao-dive-trip-photo-heavy.357334/
A few photos from other trips with my old GoPro 4
South Florida

Curacao last year

Belize
Bad photo in the Blue Hole

Look closely in the rock

 

[MBX5]

Heading back down to Florida next week hope the weather works out for a few dives around West Palm.

 

[saltyhog]

Great pictures MBX5! What did you use to take the macro shots of the nudi's?

Can we tell by the sponge growth which one of us was in Curacao first?

 

[NY_Caveman]

This photo is incredible.

 

[MBX5]

@saltyhog haha you got me on a few years. That photo was with the hero4 and a flip macro lense. Stepped up the camera this year hope to get better with the new one.

 

[MBX5]

This photo is incredible.

Thanks. I need to get the ones of them mating. They curl up in a ball and look like marbles all over the sand.

 

[saltyhog]

@saltyhog haha you got me on a few years. That photo was with the hero4 and a flip macro lense. Stepped up the camera this year hope to get better with the new one.

Actually, I was gonna say you were there first. That small sponge down on the face wasn't there when you took your photo. We were there only a year ago this month.

Old GoPro 4....I'm still using my GoPro 3+. I have used the Backscatter Flip 5 (mainly the dive and deep filters) for the last couple of years. Just got a Macromate for it a few weeks ago.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It's my experience that a lot of reefers are also divers. Let's use this thread as place to share our love for diving, pictures from our dives, gear recommendations and reviews of great places to dive!

Here's a few pictures from my most recent trip to Little Cayman.




We all know what this guy is.

I thought I saw some nice reefs. this is picturesque !!!!

 

[chefjpaul]

Pics of a Recent dive. (forgot my filter)
We need to find our external drive with the Pacific and GBR dives.
I do Love So Cal, (from there), Wanting to get on a live aboard out of Channel Islands.
Anyone have Red Sea Dives? - On my Bucket.

Defiantly Due for a new camera though, my wife bugging me to get one before next trip in August. Recommendations ???

 

[dhof]

I recently took these photos and videos in Cozumel (with more of a focus on coral than fish).


Playlist of the top video clips I took this trip:

Top 150-ish photos from the various videos during this trip (I tried to identify the various coral types, so if you hit the "i" button you can see the description: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gmJEngBvi6s26whr2

My Youtube channel (with a bunch of prior scuba videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZKvRScI5jmXov29tN6EzQ?view_as=subscriber

 

[chefjpaul]

I recently took these photos and videos in Cozumel (with more of a focus on coral than fish).


Playlist of the top video clips I took this trip:

Top 150-ish photos from the various videos during this trip (I tried to identify the various coral types, so if you hit the "i" button you can see the description: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gmJEngBvi6s26whr2

My Youtube channel (with a bunch of prior scuba videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZKvRScI5jmXov29tN6EzQ?view_as=subscriber

Great shots.
We're going there in August then Curacao.

Hey, couple questions, was the cave system devils throat?
My wife wants to know if you heard that toad fish making noise.

What camera was that.

Thanks

 

[dhof]

Great shots.
We're going there in August then Curacao.

Hey, couple questions, was the cave system devils throat?
My wife wants to know if you heard that toad fish making noise.

What camera was that.

Thanks

We dove with the local resort dive center (Pro Dive Mexico), who doesn't normally do Devils Throat from our resort. No loss because every site off the island is amazing and there are plenty of sites with swimthroughs. I have heard great things about Devils Throat, but honestly there isn't really any such thing as a 'bad' dive in Cozumel off of a boat. I've dove some of the same sites 2 or 3 times and I'd still dive those another 2-3 times and never see the same thing. Once, I did a walk-out dive at Chankanaab, and that would qualify as 'not impressive, but better-than-anything-in-Indiana'.

The 'swimthroughs' were on sites called "Palancar Cuevones", "Colombia Pinnacles", and even "Palancar Gardens" (which is huge and has several different styles of dives possible on the same reef). In Cozumel there is always a strong current, so sometimes it is too strong for them to safely take you to swimthroughs or even near a wall. When the guides take us to a 'swimthrough site' almost the entire dive is going through sequential swimthroughs, so it is great fun.

Incidentally, I did a dive in "Cenotes" over on the mainland and that was seriously more of a 'cave' than the swimthroughs (but there are no corals or fish). This is freshwater but the stalactites and stalagmites are impressive and everyone should try a Cenotes dive someday. 2 videos: and

Splendid Cozumel Toadfish: I've "seen" dozens of these in my dives in Cozumel. I say "seen" because there is usually a guide pointing at something way under a rock and you go to look and can basically only see a beard since the thing is so terribly frightened. The pictures I had this time were by far the best view ever, and they were pretty limited. I've never heard anything from the toadfish, but my hearing is pretty poor to begin with. I have had guides point out pistol shrimp whose snap is definitely loud enough for my bad ears to hear (at 5:50 in ).

Thanks,

 

[MBX5]

Actually, I was gonna say you were there first. That small sponge down on the face wasn't there when you took your photo. We were there only a year ago this month.

Old GoPro 4....I'm still using my GoPro 3+. I have used the Backscatter Flip 5 (mainly the dive and deep filters) for the last couple of years. Just got a Macromate for it a few weeks ago.

That photo is from April 2017

 

[MBX5]

Defiantly Due for a new camera though, my wife bugging me to get one before next trip in August. Recommendations ???

What kind of stuff you looking to do with it more video or still? Have a price point in mind? Willing to buy lights and/or strobes?

 

[chefjpaul]

What kind of stuff you looking to do with it more video or still? Have a price point in mind? Willing to buy lights and/or strobes?

Mainly still, the gopro kinda sucks imo, vut it'll work for video.

It's mainly for my wife, she always hords the camera underwater. Ill just use the gopro.

Looking at the -Backscatter Olympus Tough TG-4 - with housing good for 150ft?
I like their other ones, but want to keep it under 1k.

 

[saltyhog]

One thing that I've started doing is taking nothing but video and extracting still shots from the video. Seems to work very well. For macro shots I'll probably still switch back to stills.

 

[NY_Caveman]

One thing that I've started doing is taking nothing but video and extracting still shots from the video. Seems to work very well. For macro shots I'll probably still switch back to stills.

I do this a lot as well. Especially when trying to get pictures of my quick kids.

 

[Sipec]

It's my experience that a lot of reefers are also divers. Let's use this thread as place to share our love for diving, pictures from our dives, gear recommendations and reviews of great places to dive!

Here's a few pictures from my most recent trip to Little Cayman.




We all know what this guy is.

Nice. I recently went snorkeling in the Florida keys. It was incredible.
I unfortunately dont have pictures, but i saw some barracudas, some queen angelfish, some grunts, and lots of other stuff too

 

[MBX5]

Mainly still, the gopro kinda sucks imo, vut it'll work for video.

It's mainly for my wife, she always hords the camera underwater. Ill just use the gopro.

Looking at the -Backscatter Olympus Tough TG-4 - with housing good for 150ft?
I like their other ones, but want to keep it under 1k.

I've used the Nikon AW130 and had good luck down to about 30'. Going to take it with me to Florida this week and see how it works on a real dive. Honestly lights are the big difference for me on any setup. The deeper you go the more you need them even on the GoPro I was amazed how much better it worked. I'm 1/2 tempted to look at the Kraken Smart housing for my phone. Some of the photos people are getting look amazing! http://www.krakensports.ca/Smart-Housing.php Again I would think a lighting system is key