Sipadan with a not-so-compact, not-so-wide angle

[Gymrat76]

Hi all,

Like Gooseberry, first trip out with cam and strobe setup. Not wide angle cos the G9 is 35mm at its widest, and can't afford WA lens!

Welcome your comments and critique for improvement! Cheers

#1


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#4

[Gymrat76]

#5


#6


#7


#8

[Gymrat76]

#9


#10


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#12


#13

[diver-hloc]

Hi Bro.... you're back !! Hows the trip ??

I do like #07 & #09..... good compose for #07

But did you shoot in RAW or Jpeg ?? And did you photoshop your pics..... ?? Cause personal, I think you could try and add some saturation into some of the pics. But of course, It a personal taste thing.

Great 1st time Bro, much much better than my 1st time. Hahaha..... I don't even dare to look at the old dive photo I took during my 1st time.....

[Gymrat76]

Hey dude,

Trip was very good, though the vis was not at the 20-30m that Sipadan is famous for. But saw a whole lot of stuff on this trip, really redefines my definition of 'school' of Bumpheads of Barracudas when I next go to Dayang :P

All were shot in RAW, some minor PS was done, mostly to reduce backscatter and some sharpening. Thx for your comments, will try and see if I like more saturation

[maxteo98]

#7 is my fav. #10 will be great if u move closer.

[nikkie]

#12 is very very nice! you swimming w the sharks?
it's very nice. almost like a painting.

[diver-hloc]

Originally Posted by Gymrat76 Hey dude, Trip was very good, though the vis was not at the 20-30m that Sipadan is famous for. But saw a whole lot of stuff on this trip, really redefines my definition of 'school' of Bumpheads of Barracudas when I next go to Dayang :P All were shot in RAW, some minor PS was done, mostly to reduce backscatter and some sharpening. Thx for your comments, will try and see if I like more saturation

Luckily you !!

My A650 IS don't have a RAW mode.

Btw.... how you get infornt of that 'flying' Gurnard in the 1st place ?? I tried doing that in Lembeh last year. They just keep swimming away at top speed...... I only manage to get a few shot of them with their 'Wings' open up..... nothing as intresting as your #07.

[Gymrat76]

Originally Posted by maxteo98 #7 is my fav. #10 will be great if u move closer.

Thanks maxteo98. My first time seeing the flying gurnard, and we saw it on the next 3 dives also

Will take note and try to move closer next time, but I didn't wanna spook them, as a pair I saw earlier retreated into their hole when I got too close.

[Gymrat76]

Originally Posted by nikkie #12 is very very nice! you swimming w the sharks? it's very nice. almost like a painting.

Thanks nikkie, its one of my fav pictures also, though its not so clear (prob cos I wasn't close enough, and vis wasn't great). Quite spectacular seeing the bunch of sharks circling the school of jacks

[Gymrat76]

Originally Posted by diver-hloc Luckily you !! My A650 IS don't have a RAW mode. Btw.... how you get infornt of that 'flying' Gurnard in the 1st place ?? I tried doing that in Lembeh last year. They just keep swimming away at top speed...... I only manage to get a few shot of them with their 'Wings' open up..... nothing as intresting as your #07.

I believe there's a hack which allows your A650 to use RAW, and best of all, it doesn't damage your camera or firmware cos its installed in your memory card. Perhaps you could try googling for it.

For the flying gurnard, I got lucky

We saw this one on our night dive, and I think the bright focussing light from my strobe kinda 'blinded' it so it didn't know where I was. Coupled with a clear sandy bottom (no obstructions or cover for him to run under) and I managed to get a few nice closeups of it. Wasn't as lucky on the subsequent ones which we encountered on day dives

[diver-hloc]

Originally Posted by Gymrat76 We saw this one on our night dive, and I think the bright focussing light from my strobe kinda 'blinded' it so it didn't know where I was. Coupled with a clear sandy bottom (no obstructions or cover for him to run under) and I managed to get a few nice closeups of it. Wasn't as lucky on the subsequent ones which we encountered on day dives

Aah..... Night Dive, the flying gurnard is likely 'asleep'. But still a very good photo Bro.

[Gymrat76]

Originally Posted by diver-hloc Aah..... Night Dive, the flying gurnard is likely 'asleep'. But still a very good photo Bro.

Thx dude. And no, it wasn't asleep, as he kept turning round and round trying to find a way to escape the light. Pitied him after a few shots and moved away

[neons]

Hi,

I will be going to Sipadan on 3rd June. How's the weather there now ? I heard there were storm , was really that bad ?

[Gymrat76]

Originally Posted by neons Hi, I will be going to Sipadan on 3rd June. How's the weather there now ? I heard there were storm , was really that bad ?

Well, the weather alternated between bright sunshine and evening or early morning storms when we were there. A bit hard to predict. But when we left it had been bright and sunny for 2 days in a row without rain, so keep your fingers crossed

[neons]

Originally Posted by Gymrat76 Well, the weather alternated between bright sunshine and evening or early morning storms when we were there. A bit hard to predict. But when we left it had been bright and sunny for 2 days in a row without rain, so keep your fingers crossed

Thanks for the update.

Any special dive spot you want to highlight / share during your trip ?

[Gymrat76]

Well, Sipadan island's famous Barracuda Point is the main highlight for pelagics, didn't find the other sites on the island very interesting in comparison after that!

For other sites, we liked the Mabul Island Paradise 2 dive site (near the jetty). Lots of macro stuff, wide variety. The Seaventures house reef was also very nice, did a lot of dives there, always managed to find something new!

[neons]

Just came back from Mabul/Sipadan. Yah, Barracuda Point in fact an amazing site , guarantee big school of barracuda.

In Sipadan Mid Reef , one place spotted with 20 reef shark patrolling the area .

My family (wife and kids) loved snorkeling at Drop-off , were wow by the sharp drop off 600m . Turtles were always there to greet .

One of amaze site I found was Lobster wall at Mabul. Where there is one long section of flat straight wall.

It rained everyday , but still managed to get through 3 dives per day. Daily Sipadan dive was ensured, even though limited daily quota/permit were issued.

I stayed at Borneo Diver Resort, and loved their staff and service. All bros stayed in Mabul before , care to share your lodging experience in Mabul ? Backpack / Water Village / Uncle Chang ?