Naia Tonga trip then few days land based...where to go? Camera advice?

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bluedogs

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Messages
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4
Location
California
# of dives
200 - 499
Bula!

This will be my second experience on the Nai’a liveaboard but first experience on the Tonga trip. First 2 weeks this Sept.

3 questions:
1. Recommendation for land based resort for solo female diver in Fiji for short post cruise stay?
Lalati Resort in Beqa was recommended to me by Naia staff but seems a bit isolated.
Kadavu? Taveuni? Don’t want backpacker place but some social life might be nice. Budget $200-400/nt plus diving etc.

2. camera for snorkeling with whales? thinking Go Pro 6 with stick...
I don’t have an underwater camera and likely won’t buy one for this trip. I do have the Go Pro 6 but not the underwater housing or tray etc.

3. exposure protection for snorkeling and diving in Tonga? what are sharkskins? I have a 5/4/3 wetsuit and 3 mm vest and 1 mm hood (detached)...
 
The two times I've been on a Fiji liveaboard, I followed with a 3-4 day stay in Pacific Harbour to do the shark dives in Beqa Lagoon. The Pearl Resort was nice. There were two dive operators offering the shark dives when I went: Aquatrek and Beqa Adventure Divers.
 
I remember Tonga being cold! I was there in September as well and it was in the low 70s.
Sharkskins are neutrally buoyant exposure protection, it is an Australian brand I believe. Think it is about equal to a 3mm suit.
 
Depends on your idea of "social life". I could describe Kadavu and Taveuni as isolated as well. Kadavu more so than Taveuni. Note that you'll have separate flights out to those islands. Some resort on Taveuni might have some life but generally, it's all about enjoying nature.
 
Hi bluedogs.

I’ll be in Tonga aboard Nai’a just prior to your visit. The Nai’a pre-departure bulletin recommends a 5 to 7mm wetsuit for that time of year, and notes that some guests wear light-weight dry suits. You can expect to be on a skiff and in and out of the water for hours at a stretch while searching for whales, and the warmer you stay, the happier and healthier you’ll be. Keep in mind that during SCUBA dives the water temperature at depth may be quite a bit lower than at the surface. I’m undecided as to wether to bring my 5mm semi-dry and hooded vest or lightweight DUI suit, but will most likely opt for the lighter suit. Both options have their strengths so will make my decision as departure time nears and I get updates about water temperature this year.

As to your interest in cameras: If you are familiar with your Go Pro, it should serve you well, but I most strongly recommend that you opt for a tray as opposed to a stick, and for a variety of reasons.

  1. A tray will afford you a stable platform and allow for a vast reduction in camera shake as opposed to a stick.
  2. Using a tray will allow you to have a much better view of what you are actually recording as opposed to the spray & pray images that I’ve seen from many stick mounted cameras.
  3. You will hopefully be making images of leviathans. If you get close enough to make any kind of useful images, the extra 24” of proximity that a stick will allow you will likely prove insignificant.
  4. This is purely personal, but I’m a somewhat well seasoned professional photographer and will try not to be overly condescending: I cannot count the number of images that I’ve had to consign to the rubbish heap over the last few years because another diver has seen fit to thrust a Go Pro laden selfie stick into my well composed frame just as I was depressing the shutter. Even greater have been the instances when I chose to forego tripping the shutter at all because of the presence of those ubiquitous metal, plastic, or graphite shafts in what I had hoped would have been a wonderful composition. Your companions will have likely invested quite a bit in making the journey, and by exercising common photo courtesy and situational awareness you will be more likely to make everyone’s experience as rewarding and pleasant as possible.
 
Thank you for your response and the suggestion for the tray vs stick. I only just purchased the Go Pro on a short trip to Hawaii a couple months ago, so , unfortunately no I don't have a lot of experience with it yet. I'll probably bring both.

I am not dry suit trained so will have to rely on my neoprene--3/4/5 full suit and 3 mm vest plus hood...might look into a warmer suit..I do chill easily being a petite female. I am also assured by Nai'a staff that they carry a few extra shorties etc.

AS for photography etiquette--having used my Dads old film camera Nikonus V for a few years back when I first started diving (he was an accomplished UW photographer) I know how frustrating it can be to have others interfering with "your" shot (most commonly kicking sand up as they scramble to see the subject matter) . However, I also resent the photographers who hog the scene for long durations barely giving others even an opening to see what they are filming much less get a shot themselves. So it works both ways. We all pay dearly for our overseas scuba adventures, not just photographers. I am pretty courteous but if a "photographer" is hogging a scene I will do what I need to for my own enjoyment of it as well.
 
In Fiji a few weeks ago on the Nai'a one of the DMs/cruise directors wore a heated vest with water temps around 80F, and the season is only getting cooler. After a few cloudy days, we all felt a little chilly. Based on that, if I were going to Tonga in their "dead of winter," I would bring nothing less than a 7mm.
 
Guess I better go shopping..cold is no fun...I gave up California diving (where I live --N.Calif) due to the cold...
 
I don't know about Tonga beyond having been to Fiji but i was a bit surprised to hear 7MM suit for Tonga (since I use one here in 53 degree CA water) so I looked up air and sea temps. Data I saw showed sea temps between 73 and 76 degrees and air temps from high of 77 degrees to low in low sixties, but with 74% humidity.

Adding another viewpoint, since I'm likely from the same "essentially no humidity" area as the OP, I'd note that people acclimitized to hot climates are used to very warm and humid weather so they tend to get cold when it gets below what might be still warm to others (80 degrees). Fiji was such a place with two of our dive guides literally teeth chattering when the temp fell below 80. Respectfully, if Lorenzoid is from Hotlanta then maybe same acclimation there.

I'm wondering how it will be in a 7MM suit at 75 degree air temp with 74% humidity while waiting for the whales to appear. Those temps say 5MM to me but that's me.
 
@Shasta_man I learned to dive in San Diego where I lived for many years, but it was always too cold for me to enjoy local diving. At 73-76F, diving multiple times a day for multiple days, I would take either a 7mm or a drysuit and thin undergarments, as I did for a Red Sea trip in December. Around the 68-72F Florida springs, a 7mm, if not a drysuit, is not uncommon for people doing multiple dives per day (say, a student taking a cave course).
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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