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    Raja Ampat Video

    For those of you heading off to Raja Ampat in the future, I stitched together a video of my January trip to whet your appetite. The diving though is not as easy as you might imagine watching the video.
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    Returning to Cozumel in Feb. Any suggestions? All the Same?

    If you have some flexibility, we found the Ultramar ferry a much nicer ride, larger, more stable and a coffee bar. After New Years they expanded their morning schedule relieving some of the crowding, though I'm not sure they are staying with that schedule. The latest times and dates (odd or...
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    THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

    The vertical position is certainly more comfortable, and is preferred by guides who can easily rotate to watch other divers. They often add weights to their tank straps. However when you are using a camera, you have to get close to the reef, and know that your fins won't bash into anything...
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    December Roll call?

    We should be there on exactly those dates. I say should because United has changed our flights 5 times so far.
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    Cancelled/postponed trips due to COVID - please share your outcomes

    Yes, the contract the balance was due 90 days out, which has been the case the past few liveaboards I've been on. If it were due 30 days before and a larger group cancels, the boat likely wouldn't be able to fill the spots, jeopardizing the trip for the other divers.
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    Cancelled/postponed trips due to COVID - please share your outcomes

    According to the contract they had their behinds covered in a situation like Covid and can keep the deposit (I can dig up the wording later), EXCEPT in the case that the boat cancels the trip, which they weren't going to do, or if the Indonesian government declares that no tourists will be...
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    Cancelled/postponed trips due to COVID - please share your outcomes

    The deposit was $2,200 for a $7,400 trip on the Arenui, Jan 5, 2021. I guess all those boats are trying to make the best of a lousy situation.
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    Cancelled/postponed trips due to COVID - please share your outcomes

    I got an email a couple weeks ago inviting me to send in the balance for my Raja Ampat trip for Jan 2021. If I didn't, I would lose my deposit, but if I did and it was canceled I could use the entire amount as a credit for a future trip. I decided to let it go since there are so many unknowns...
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    Night Diving in Cozumel

    33 years ago when we were young and dumb, my buddy and I decided to do a night drift dive starting north of the El Presidente, pole #56, to our hotel, La Perla. Of course we didn't have enough air so we had to come up and surface swim a lot of the distance. When we got to the International...
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    Housing/Camera for deep photography. Need help

    I haven't seen a housing rated at that depth, though Aquatica housings have been known to be sturdier than most, but for the depths you're talking about its not going to be light and easy to travel with, nor cheap. Being a Canon person as well, I will be waiting for the new R5/R6 to be tested...
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    Safety? Bare Feet or Dive Boots on Liveaboard Decks?

    On my last liveaboard trip in Asia, shoes and flip flops were not allowed, and all were collected in bins at the beginning of the trip. Booties to and from diving were ok. I assumed this policy was made based on lots of experience. All walkways had the thin non-slip mats, which in the sun...
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    Sleeping in the tropics.

    It also depends on the clientele you cater to. Its well known that Americans prefer AC while Europeans can do without it. Also the more upscale your resort, the more likely you should have them. If your area is more rustic those whining machines might take away from the ambiance.
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    Do I want a Spare Air

    I pretty much use a spare air all the time on dive vacations now. Its a compromise like most things in life. Carrying a pony bottle is a bigger compromise, in my opinion, lugging it around on a dive boat and in luggage. The spare air is easy to pack and can be mounted unobtrusively in a...
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    Video Etiquette

    I took this video clip a few weeks ago. As I bring the lights up to the coral wall, the colors pop out. Even with these lights you still have to get close, inside of 3 feet. As I rotate away from the wall slightly, you can see the wall turning blue. The same rules apply as your strobes which...
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    Video Etiquette

    I leave them on most of the dive. You never know when you might drift into something, like a hidden cuttlefish or octopus that will scoot away before you can turn the lights on. When on I have the camera pointed straight down into the reef when not pointed at a subject.
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    Video Etiquette

    Thanks for the replies. Next week I'll be in Raja Ampat, and on this boat I have the option of paying for a private guide if there is a problem. On night dives I do macro still photography with only small modeling lights. Turning those video lights on at night could simulate a nuclear...
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    Video Etiquette

    Hi All, I’m just getting back into the sport after a couple decades. I’ve really taken a liking to video and have a pair of Bigblues at 15,000 lumens each. On my first liveaboard trip a couple was a bit upset with my lights. I never deliberately pointed the lights at them but they would...
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