I really hope FCD finds interest and time and some feedback about the divers thread interest! There's a lot of funny things to say and share and also interesting details, for sure a distraction from all the negativity.
Meanwhile, here are some photos I could snap with lent equipment. Some are very old and some relative recent. It's a world that stays hidden for most so I want to share. I had the chance to snap most of these during 'vacation' on a research vessel when I was a teen / young woman. I was not part of the research but I helped out a bit here and there. And hat a lot of free time. Sometimes when reefs were near I would go on dives with someone else from the team or a family member while off work. I got the diving license sponsored by company that let me join, that was very generous of them. So I helped a bit on deck like washing dishes and preparing the rooms and filling diving bottles. What they let me do after some time but were not complete comfortable (young woman/teenager in Egypt). First few days I puked a lot but then something changed and since then I am hardened lol.
So I used that to the fullest and did tons of pictures about over a timespan of 8 weeks over two years. For what was possible back then with the camera and what I could carry. They had bigger ones too. They showed how to handle the lights on the rails and how to make sure the shot is fired, and the underwater casing for the camera, closed and made sure it is tight. Plug and play for me, and off I went. Some photos are from private travels when I saved enough money to get a ticket and rent a room on a small boat to go on diving trips two times. It's much cheaper than staying at a hotel where tourists are. It would be useless anyway because I get up at 5am and come back at like 6pm into harbor and why should I pay the hotel when I can sleep on the boat. Even without a room it's okay for a week because you can always sleep somewhere on deck, the climate down there is okay and the food is also much better because it's like house made and the crew it's eat too.
For beginning, just a small collage until I figure out a way where to upload large versions. These are raw, means I did not use any software filters on them but physical ones over the lens and camera lights. Well they did all the settings not my accomplishment. As a diver, you do not see it as colorful like that though. Also everything appears 1/3 more closer because water refracts light different than air. That's why the feet look funny bent when you look down into the water.
(03-24-2022, 04:21 AM)guohua Wrote: The colors are beautiful. Thank You.
I tried ibb image upload because I don't want to spam the server with my pictures and found out if I use the "add image to post" button I can give an image address. Is there a way to get to their direct image url on ibb? I tried but I do not get .jpg ending. Only number as parameter.
03-24-2022, 08:19 AM (This post was last modified: 03-24-2022, 08:24 AM by FlyingClayDisk.)
Beautiful pics!! Thanks for sharing!
BTW - The Moray isn't really "poisonous", but it does have a mouthful of really nasty bacteria which absolutely WILL get infected if you tangle with one of those badboys! I've seen some monster morays too, as big around as your thigh! I saw one so big one day I didn't even think it was real...until it moved. I was like...WHOA!! They're grouchy bastards too!
Dove with lots and lots of sharks, many times. Never worried about them too much, except some of those big hammerheads; they were pretty crusty bastards too. The only fish that I ever really worried about were the Barracuda's, and they were all over in the Andaman. They'd come out of nowhere like a missile and hit you right in the face! I knew 4-5 people that had that happen to them. Smashed the tempered glass on one guy's mask even! Tinting the glass wouldn't help either, but they make coatings now for it.
(For those unfamiliar - Barracuda's see the flash of reflected sunlight off a diver's mask and they go after it like prey, just like fish go after a fishing lure...except it's your FACE! Most divers will get hit shortly after they jump in the water. And Barracuda's look like a bullet traveling underwater they're so damn fast, just a blur, and then BAM!!)
ETA - Got a couple good stories about those guys too! LOL!
I tried diving one time and got very claustrophobic. A friend took me diving in a deep river in Moncks Corner , South Carolina to look for confederate artifacts and fossilized sharks teeth. We were about 10 foot down, and I looked up and saw an alligator above. I looked down and there was a big drop off that I could not see the bottom. I said nope, get me the fuck out of here.
Never had the opportunity to dive like that, but did some weak-assed snorkeling when on holiday.
What I saw among the rocks and seaweed is a world that reminds us we're not that important in
the grand scheme of things and seeing a different type of living helps us ground ourselves in who
we are.
I think I'd react like KDog, though if in his situation!
(Great pics, TDDA!)
I have a friend who works on the undersea fuel pipes and he told me he'd never felt so alone as the
time he was fully-equipped with his tanks etc and working off the coast of Norway. No colourful fish,
no vibrant aquatic communities, just grey water sitting heavy on top of him!
Lovely pics, but I have a phobia of fish, and could never go diving, because if one touched me even the people on land would hear me screaming! I can't even go paddling on the beach for the same reason.
I don't have a problem with fish from the supermarket though, they're tasty!
(03-24-2022, 09:39 AM)WonderCow Wrote: Lovely pics, but I have a phobia of fish, and could never go diving, because if one touched me even the people on land would hear me screaming! I can't even go paddling on the beach for the same reason.
I don't have a problem with fish from the supermarket though, they're tasty!
Offline, WonderCow... you're not Chief Brody from Amity Island are you?!
(03-24-2022, 09:39 AM)WonderCow Wrote: Lovely pics, but I have a phobia of fish, and could never go diving, because if one touched me even the people on land would hear me screaming! I can't even go paddling on the beach for the same reason.
I don't have a problem with fish from the supermarket though, they're tasty!
Offline, WonderCow... you're not Chief Brody from Amity Island are you?!
(03-24-2022, 09:43 AM)WonderCow Wrote: Offline, WonderCow... you're not Chief Brody from Amity Island are you?!
Haha no.... but that movie didn't help any.
My wife is in the same league as you and as just told me she appreciates your view.
After fully -and I mean fully, explaining the cost to dive, the prowess and responsibilities of a Professional
instructor, the glorious environment that awaits a person decked out with all the safety-checked equipment
and the simple fact of being in a group that wants an enjoyable experience without problems...
She looked at me as I asked again, if she was sat on the edge of a boat with her mouthpiece in and the
instructor asking everyone if they were ready, would she feel the same way?
She answered "If one those things even came near my goggles, I'd scream and probably drown everyone trying to get away!"
(03-24-2022, 08:19 AM)FlyingClayDisk Wrote: Beautiful pics!! Thanks for sharing!
BTW - The Moray isn't really "poisonous", but it does have a mouthful of really nasty bacteria which absolutely WILL get infected if you tangle with one of those badboys! I've seen some monster morays too, as big around as your thigh! I saw one so big one day I didn't even think it was real...until it moved. I was like...WHOA!! They're grouchy bastards too!
Dove with lots and lots of sharks, many times. Never worried about them too much, except some of those big hammerheads; they were pretty crusty bastards too. The only fish that I ever really worried about were the Barracuda's, and they were all over in the Andaman. They'd come out of nowhere like a missile and hit you right in the face! I knew 4-5 people that had that happen to them. Smashed the tempered glass on one guy's mask even! Tinting the glass wouldn't help either, but they make coatings now for it.
(For those unfamiliar - Barracuda's see the flash of reflected sunlight off a diver's mask and they go after it like prey, just like fish go after a fishing lure...except it's your FACE! Most divers will get hit shortly after they jump in the water. And Barracuda's look like a bullet traveling underwater they're so damn fast, just a blur, and then BAM!!)
ETA - Got a couple good stories about those guys too! LOL!
Yeah I forget to say that every time! Just like with some reptiles like the comodo dragon. And the worst is, these little pointy suckers go right through 7mm Neopren. The pressure will inject the infectious saliva even deeper into the skin. They won't bite instantly though, at least those in the Red Sea, one scared the ghost out of me once coming right at me. Yes I have seen some huge ones too and also videos chasing one while snorkeling. When I say chasing I mean, spot, and dive down and get closer from behind. Not like harrasing them.
Sharks it seems I used up all my luck with the whale shark that early. I had like 50 dives at that time, 12 of those were training dives in pools and fresh water lakes. I saw silouette of a hammer head shark once. I was distracted by a little snail on a coral rock and heard a clicker, looked around and saw it it vanishing into the deep blue.
I saw barracuda at "Shark Reef" in Ras Mohammed. It's kind of creepy when they ley eye on you and move around you, too.. That was spooky, because I was not sure about it's intention because I heard nasty things about them. It was staying just under the surface and was hard to see because of the waves reflection. A pusher fish once went after me and bit into my right fin! It must have had babies nearby and extra annoyed by me. I felt the snap up to my ankles, the impact. They can bite of coral pieces with their beaks even.
Once saw a giant dusky grouper. You have them in Florida too! At first I thought it's a bull shark but then it came up going for a turtle I was watching. It opened the mouth but aborted, a child would easy fit into it. I bet one could ride these like horses underwater if you had means to hold on :D. Yeahaaa. I wouldn't want to have them bite me though. I read on wikipedia when I went for the english name, that they can get up tp 450kg in weight.
03-24-2022, 01:25 PM (This post was last modified: 03-24-2022, 01:34 PM by TDDA.)
(03-24-2022, 09:39 AM)WonderCow Wrote: Lovely pics, but I have a phobia of fish, and could never go diving, because if one touched me even the people on land would hear me screaming! I can't even go paddling on the beach for the same reason.
I don't have a problem with fish from the supermarket though, they're tasty!
I never have been touched by a fish, in all my dives :) Not once, so no worries. The only situation what would count is a pusher fish getting angry at my fins and taking a bite.
Add: I had a lot more incidents with other divers. Things like them rumbling into me or cutting me off and hitting my face with their fins, beating the mask off my face. That's nice in 20m depth or so /sarc, free nose cleaning if you do not react fast enough and make bubbles out of them. And the salt water burns in the eyes, we train that so we don't panic when it happens.
If you think car driving and think about the things happening on the road... now think 3D lol. They can come from all sides and may even just descent on you. At least when they come from below I can see them and the bubbles and get out.
(03-24-2022, 08:19 AM)FlyingClayDisk Wrote: Beautiful pics!! Thanks for sharing!
BTW - The Moray isn't really "poisonous", but it does have a mouthful of really nasty bacteria which absolutely WILL get infected if you tangle with one of those badboys! I've seen some monster morays too, as big around as your thigh! I saw one so big one day I didn't even think it was real...until it moved. I was like...WHOA!! They're grouchy bastards too!
Dove with lots and lots of sharks, many times. Never worried about them too much, except some of those big hammerheads; they were pretty crusty bastards too. The only fish that I ever really worried about were the Barracuda's, and they were all over in the Andaman. They'd come out of nowhere like a missile and hit you right in the face! I knew 4-5 people that had that happen to them. Smashed the tempered glass on one guy's mask even! Tinting the glass wouldn't help either, but they make coatings now for it.
(For those unfamiliar - Barracuda's see the flash of reflected sunlight off a diver's mask and they go after it like prey, just like fish go after a fishing lure...except it's your FACE! Most divers will get hit shortly after they jump in the water. And Barracuda's look like a bullet traveling underwater they're so damn fast, just a blur, and then BAM!!)
ETA - Got a couple good stories about those guys too! LOL!
I dont dive, but I sportfish in southern CA, and worked one summer as a galley wench on a party boat, long ago.
Here’s a story I heard, but ya’ll know how fish stories are, so with that disclaimer:
On a long-range trip off southern Mexico, a group were playing poker in the galley, exhausted from hauling in big fish all morning. It was hot as heck, so the porthole window above the table was open. There were people still catching fish right outside the window along the deck rail.
Fish called wahoo, basically larger crazier barracuda, were on a hot bite. A fellow was jig fishing with a chrome lure, which a fast fish can be chasing, that you arent aware of, if you are reeling in real fast. so this guy was reeling to beat the devil, and lifted his jig right up out of the water as it reached the boat. The wahoo jumped out of the water after the jig and just sailed right thru the open galley window.
The poker player that was placing a bet, didnt miss a beat, when he said, “Yeah, and I’ll raise you a wahoo!”
03-24-2022, 05:13 PM (This post was last modified: 03-24-2022, 05:15 PM by DesertBorn.)
(03-24-2022, 01:25 PM)TDDA Wrote:
(03-24-2022, 09:39 AM)WonderCow Wrote: Lovely pics, but I have a phobia of fish, and could never go diving, because if one touched me even the people on land would hear me screaming! I can't even go paddling on the beach for the same reason.
I don't have a problem with fish from the supermarket though, they're tasty!
I never have been touched by a fish, in all my dives :) Not once, so no worries. The only situation what would count is a pusher fish getting angry at my fins and taking a bite.
Add: I had a lot more incidents with other divers. Things like them rumbling into me or cutting me off and hitting my face with their fins, beating the mask off my face. That's nice in 20m depth or so /sarc, free nose cleaning if you do not react fast enough and make bubbles out of them. And the salt water burns in the eyes, we train that so we don't panic when it happens.
If you think car driving and think about the things happening on the road... now think 3D lol. They can come from all sides and may even just descent on you. At least when they come from below I can see them and the bubbles and get out.
I once had a delightfully itcklish experience, while snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez, in just a swimsuit in the warm water, and suddenly be surrounded by a large school of sardines, who it seemed, all wanted to taste that thing floating near the surface…me.
Thank goodness sardines dont have teeth, like piranha.
Beautiful pics! Cool how there are some of the same species all over the world.
03-24-2022, 05:24 PM (This post was last modified: 03-24-2022, 05:24 PM by BIAD.)
(03-24-2022, 01:21 PM)TDDA Wrote: Once saw a giant dusky grouper. You have them in Florida too! At first I thought it's a bull shark but then it came up going for a turtle I was watching. It opened the mouth but aborted, a child would easy fit into it. I bet one could ride these like horses underwater if you had means to hold on :D. Yeahaaa. I wouldn't want to have them bite me though. I read on wikipedia when I went for the english name, that they can get up tp 450kg in weight.
Yeah, maybe WonderCow and my wife are overreacting when it comes to fish in the sea!
(03-24-2022, 01:21 PM)TDDA Wrote: Once saw a giant dusky grouper. You have them in Florida too! At first I thought it's a bull shark but then it came up going for a turtle I was watching. It opened the mouth but aborted, a child would easy fit into it. I bet one could ride these like horses underwater if you had means to hold on :D. Yeahaaa. I wouldn't want to have them bite me though. I read on wikipedia when I went for the english name, that they can get up tp 450kg in weight.
Yeah, maybe WonderCow and my wife are overreacting when it comes to fish in the sea!
Groupers.
Oh dear God! That's the stuff of nightmares right there!
That does it! I'm never going near the sea again.
