If you are an advanced /experienced diver definitely head for Molokai and Fish Rain.  This is the place for Hammerheads and a beautiful pinnacle that literally “rains” fish as you look for the elusive Hammerhead sharks.

On Maui, there are several good places but two of my favorites are Molokini Crater and Mala Pier.  You can dive Mala Pier as either a boat dive or a shore dive and it is really a great night dive and one of my favorite spots in Hawaii.  Easy entry (off the boat ramp) and usually great visibility, always sharks and turtles and great for ambient light photography.

On the Big Island you have to do the Manta Dive.  Check out the phases of the moon (seriously) before you head out as it seems that the Mantas can be seen more in the waxing and waining phases of the moon.  You can also check on daily sitings and help determine when it is your best chance at seeing the most Manta Rays.

For information on other dive sites go to my Hawaii Dive Sites page.. and visit my website for images of fish from around the world and reviews of other great dive sites.

The pool is open…

Menjangan Island, in the north-west of Bali, is where diving first really started on the island back in about 1978, under the sponsorship of the Indonesian Navy, when it arranged a get-together of the country’s main diving clubs – Possi, Ganesha, Nusantara & Triskati.

That lead to Menjangan Island establishing itself as the premier dive location in Bali and many of the attendees went on to become the pioneers of commercial dive operations across Indonesia.  About a year later the Liberty wreck was explored for the first time since it had slipped down the slope at Tulamben in March 1963 and Menjangan Island was soon relegated to the background of Bali diving.

Menjangan Island is part of the 19,000 hectare West Bali (Bali Barat) National Park that was first established in 1982.  However, the island was made a game reserve by the Balinese Council of Kings in 1950 and has been fairly well protected ever since.  Both the relative difficulty of getting to the Menjangan Island from the normal tourist spots on Bali plus the fact that the site has been relatively protected since 1950 has resulted in a coral reef that is both vibrant and flourishing around the island.  The Liberty wreck in Tulamben is also still a favorite dive site, but has a very high amount of diver traffic and the site has predictably shown quite a bit of wear and tear.

Getting to Menjangan Island, if you are in the Nusa Dua, Kuta or Sanur area, will normally take you around 3.5 hours assuming no bad “jams” as the locals refer to the often crowded conditions of the roadways on Bali. It can take up to six hours if the roads and traffic do not cooperate.  The best alternative is to stay at a local resort while diving on the north side of the island.  The Matahari Beach Resort and Spa in Permuteran is a favorite and is located next to the Coral Project in Permuteran Bay.  The hotel is definitely 4 to 5 stars and the largest of the resorts on this side of the island with excellent service, food and access to diving sites. I love the dive operator on the property, a Swiss German expat, who runs a very competent organization.

You can reach the dive sites via boats off the coast of Pemuteran Bay in front of the dive resorts or a boat from Banyuwedang Bay or perhaps the boat service run by the parks service.  If you are staying at one of the resorts around Pemuteran Bay, taking the boat in front of your resort is the way to go.  The boat trip is about 30 to 40 minutes and the seas are usually fairly flat as the area around Menjangan Island is fairly well protected.

Diving is quite good year round and even in the “rainy winter season” the visibility is normally quite clear.  The island is not big and does not have any fresh water and does not have much runoff that will impact visibility.  There can be some current on various sites around the island so you may dive some of the sites as drift dives.  Remember to listen to the instructions of your dive master and enjoy the dive.

Come preview the gallery, the pool is open…

We have been extremely blessed this year and I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and a wonderful start to 2013.  We are traveling in Asia for the next few weeks and hopefully getting in some great dives.

During 2013 there will be many opportunities for each of us to make a difference in the lives of people around us.  Take time to consider what you have to offer and how you can impact different people in your life each and every day.

I have a vision where we can all work together to restore, preserve and protect our coral reefs.  In 2013 I will be focusing on coral reef systems and how individuals, companies and nations can:

1. Better understand the state of reef systems around the world
2. Evaluate impacts of over fishing and pollution and coastal development
3. Identify the reef systems that are in the highest state of danger over the next 5 to 10 years
4. Review and assess methods being used today to help protect and/or restore and preserve those reef systems
5. Create a set of tools to help educate students, parents and governments about our coral reefs and the importance of managing this incredible resource for future generations
6. Partner with local communities to establish one or two long-term projects that will focus on restoring and preserving a specific coral reef systems

    2013 Challenge - Share What You Will Do in 2013 to Positively Impact Those Around You.
If you hear of interesting reef projects or have ideas on reef preservation and restoration please share them and let’s work together to help care for and nurture our reefs.

Happy New Year 

Magical and almost mystical, the kelp forests of California provide a unique and interesting habitat that stirs and inspires the imagination.  Giant Kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, forests thrive along the western coast of North America,
SouthAmerica, South Africa, Southern Australia, and New Zealand where water temperatures typically range from 50° to 60° F (10°–15.5°C).  The Giant Kelp can also thrive in depths up to 30.5 m (100 ft.) depending upon the clarity of the water and the amount of sunlight available at depth.  As the largest kelp species, giant kelp attains heights up to 45.7 m (150 ft.) and inideal conditions, giant kelp fronds can grow as much as 0.6 m (2 ft.) per day.

Swimming through these magnificent forests is special.  With their tree-like structures swaying gently in the current, the

Giant Kelp provides a perfect habitat for a wide variety marine creatures.  These life sustaining structures provide a critical foundation habitat to a number of fish, crustaceans,  sea anemones, corals, jellyfishes, sea otters and much more.

These gentle creatures live in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic climates and are exceptionally smart.  They roam under the icepacks and yes as a mammal must find holes in the ice or air pockets to breath.  They can hold their breadth for up to 12 minutes but must use sonar / echo sounding capabilities to find air  pockets, holes in the ice or thin places in the ice where they can “ram” through in order to breath.  Quite remarkable creatures.

From a conservation perspective, the beluga is considered “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; however the subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is considered critically endangered and is under the protection of the United States’ Endangered Species Act.  Of seven Canadian beluga populations, two are listed as endangered, inhabiting eastern Hudson Bay, and Ungava Bay.

You can find out more information on Beluga whales at the following:

Beluga Whales Seaworld

Beluga Whale | CSI Computerized Scanning and Imaging Facility

Beluga Whales, Beluga Whale Pictures, Beluga Whale Facts – Animals

I am doing some research on several whale species and will hopefully post an article on my findings within the next 3 to 4 months.  Whether you are watching the Blue Whales off the coast of California, admiring the Humpback Whales in Hawaii, Alaska or off the coast of Australia or one of the other many species of whales they are truly remarkable animals.

I encourage you to join me in helping to preserve and protect this treasure for our generation and those to follow.

The pool is open…

I had a lot of fun putting these images together and creating some really interesting fine art and vintage photos of the Carthaginian II shipwreck in Maui Hawaii.  When I dive on a particular site a number of times I tend to equate a certain feel or mood for the site.  The Carthaginian II, originally aGerman cement transport ship, is almost 100 years old and was originally built and launched in 1920.  The ship was purchased by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation and extensive refitted to make the ship resemble a 1800′s period whaling ship.  The ship was used as a floating museum in the harbor of Lahaina for over 30 years.  Remembering the ship floating in the harbor and now seeing her laying on the sea floor just outside of the harbor brings up a certain sense of nostalgia.

What I wanted to create was a sense of the age of the ship and the purpose that she served in Maui and even in Hawaii more generally.  When I dive on the ship, although she is not large, I sometimes get a sense of the “ghosts” of periods past associated with this aging wreck.  The ship’s main mast collapsed in the summer of 2011 and is now situated on top of the ship.  The hold is buckled significantly but makes a great shot if you lie down on the floor of the cargo hold of the ship.  There are a number of hard corals that have attached themselves to various portions of the wreck and you can usually find a reasonable variety of marine life on board.

To get the feel I was looking for, I choose to take a number of wide angle shots where I can see the entire ship and also a few photos where I would have interesting features that would lend themselves to a sense of age and provide a certain forlorn aspect to the photo.  As many of you can appreciate, getting a great photo to work with is the first part of the endeavor and I then went to work in Photoshop to give the images the exact look and feel that I wanted.  As I began to work with the images I kept coming back to black and white images with good contrast with interesting textures and/or features to bring out the moodiness of the dive site.  These photos will go well with whale song form the Humpbacks that you can typically hear if you dive the site from late December up to late April or May.

I hope will agree the final images provide a sense of mystery and intrigue as well as a sense of discovery.  Though the ship continues to age and various parts continue to deteriorate the wreck still continue to be a great dive for a long time.  The key on this dive as most dives is to go very slow.  This is a small sight and while she lies at about 80 feet you still have plenty of bottom time to explore.  Let you imagination run away with you and imagine the life of the whaler and the importance of whaling in the development of  the Hawaiian Islands.

Go to my website and see the Carthaginian II Gallery for a complete photo review of the ship.

The pool is open…

They are very acrobatic and on this dive you will be able to see them perform aerobatic flips and rolls as they glide through the water all about you.

View other underwater photography on my website or vist my post – Diving with Manta Rays

The pool is open…

Coral reefsare definitely related to each of these but they are much, much more.

Bluestripe Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira, Molokai Hawaii

While Coral reefs cover less than one tenth of one percent of the earth’s oceans these same reefs are estimated to contain one quarter of known marine fish species.(Smithsonian Institute).

Corals are tiny animals which belong to the group cnidaria (the “c” is silent). Other cnidarians include hydras, jellyfish, and sea anemones. Corals are sessile animals, meaning they are not mobile but stay fixed in one place. As corals grow and expand, they will form one three reef types:

• Fringing
• Barrier or
• Atoll

Bubble-tip Anemone, Grand Cayman

All three reef types of coral reefs—fringing, barrier and atoll—share similarities in their bio-geographic profiles.

This series of articles we will answer the following questions:

What are Coral Reefs?
Where are Coral Reefs located and How were Coral Reefs formed?
What are the different types of Coral Reefs?
What types of creatures inhabit coral reefs?
What are the threats to Coral Reefs?
What are the potential impacts of these threats on us from the impacts to our economy, to food supplies, to medicines and more
What if anything should we be doing to help the coral reefs?
How can you help?

So come join in the discovery of our coral reefs and the underwater world that is so amazing and important to each and everyone one of us.

Be sure to follow on our continuing series of articles as we explore the amazing world of coral reefs.

Marine Species Galleries:

Ridged Cactus Coral, Mycetophyllia lamarckiana, Grand Cayman

Coral Reef Images
Pictures of Fish
Sea Turtles
Crustaceans and Echinoderms
Moray Eels

Detailed Information on select Marine Species:
Caribbean Fish
Hawaiian Fish
Sponges
Crustaceans, Invertebrates, Mollusks, Echinoderms

Blue Dragon, Pteraeolidia ianthina, (Angas, 1864) Molokai Hawaii

These reef systems have been built up over thousands of years by tiny  calcium-producing organisms.  The reefs are a haven for countless forms of life, some of which seem totally alien in form. It is a “Star Wars” world of bright colors, ever changing patterns and odd shaped creatures that look as though they came directly from central casting. Only on the coral reef can one find living examples from nearly every group of organisms.

Scuba Diving on a coral reef gives you some idea about what it would be like to explore another planet. Drifting weightless across this diverse landscape enables you to appreciate some

Close up, Green Sea Turtle Maui, Chelonia mydas, Maui Hawaii

of the tremendous complexity and simplicity that makes up the coral reef.  Man has spent a relatively modest effort scientifically exploring the world’s oceans compared to the time and money that has gone into exploring the surface of the Moon and other planets. Yet, the growing and ongoing exploration of our oceans continues to bring the discovery of new species, the identification of different environments where marine life flourishes and a

Sleepy Sponge Crab Close up, Dromia dormia, off west coast of Maui, Hawaii

little more understanding of our underwater world. It is a place of never-ending wonders.

The world of the coral reef is also an extremely fragile environment, and it is under considerable pressure and facing real dangers to its continued existence. The distress and destruction of coral reefs has a noticeable impact on our lives from the foods we eat to the air we breathe.   From the Florida

Grooved Brain Coral, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Grand Cayman

Keys to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, to the atolls of the Pacific and islands of the Indian Ocean our coral reefs need our help. If we wish to leave a healthy and thriving reef system to our children and their children we need to understand the threats to this amazing environment and understand actions that can be taken to preserve and restore our reefs.  These are our oceans and the first step to helping protect coral reefs is education.

This segment provides a high-level overview of the basic types of creatures found on the coral reefs, including:

White-tip Reef Shark, Triaenodon obesus, (Ruppell, 1837), mano lalakea, Maui Hawaii

• Sponges
• Corals and Anemones
• Sea Worms
• Echinoderms
• Crustaceans
• Mollusks
• Fishes
• Sharks and Rays
• Marine Reptiles
• Marine Mammals

Come join us as we “dive into” this amazing and mysterious world.