DAY 1#IntroToAdventure

So where are we? To get your bearings, Palau is in the western Pacific, north of the equator and east of the Philippines, on a small coral archipelago that’s part of the Caroline Islands chain in Micronesia (near to the Marianas Trench, deepest part of the ocean). We’re here for a week of diving aboard MV Solitude One.  

Our first day is spent close-by the port town of Koror, easing us into the week ahead. 

Dive 1 is on a casualty of World War II – a Japanese Aichi E13A reconnaissance seaplane code-named #JakeSeaplane by the Allied Forces. Dive 2 took us deep inside one of Palau’s limestone islands itself, through 4 linked chambers that together make up Chandelier Cave. Each chamber has an air pocket at the top so we could pop up and have a chat! Dive 3 was another wreck, a small ferry named Hafa Adai … our first Night of the trip, full of colour! 

Day 1 got us off to a fabulous start! #MyTankIsTooSmall I’m not going to be able to keep up with my buddy Jasmine Carey ’cause #SheHasGills .

DAY 2 #Edges

Today we’re out of the reef edge to the west of Koror and things have ramped up a bit. It feels like we’re flying in the clear water off these precipitous walls , their sheer faces draped in whips and fans, bursting with life and colour. The walls disappear below into the cobalt deep and off in the blue reef sharks patrol and flash mobs of jacks, barracuda and snapper seem to wrestle the reef for attention. 

The mouth of Siaes Tunnel leads into an enormous amphitheatre–sea fans hanging from the ceiling and lining two giant windows that draw the light in and provide vistas out into an ocean of life.

I’m getting a taste of what Palau diving is about, dropping in on edges, corners and channels where huge volumes of water are moving under the pull of powerful and unseeable forces. The dive team aboard MV Solitude One are weighing up many factors in their decisions on which sites we dive when, with great results. 

The unhappiest moment of each dive is when Caroline our guide sends up the SMB and we know it has to end. 

Three sites today: Oolong Channel, Siaes Corner and SiaesTunnel.

DAY 3 #Blue

Today’s the day we are to dive Palau’s famed Blue Corner for the first time, but not until we’ve done an early morning dive at German Channel (very scenic spot to park the boat), known for its cleaning stations bommies.

At the right time of year you get mantas availing themselves of cleaning services and reef sharks are also visitors. We were lucky to see one manta fly-by, but at the edge of visibility. Others in the group had a close encounter with the same one, and also saw a second behind it. I spent most of the dive at a spot our guide Mitch introduced us to… a cute bommie covered in fish and circled by a group of grey reef #sharks. I sat in the one spot for ages just watching the show, it was beautiful and bright and thoroughly entertaining, guessing when the sharks would glide by.

Next dive was to Blue Holes a massive cave system entered through one of 4 holes in the reef top and opening into a massive cathedral with light tumbling in and creating an ethereal beauty i won’t forget. Next was famed Blue Corner… was to be our first chance to hook: I process local divers developed for divers to attach to the reef edge by a strong hook and line so you can glide stationary in very strong current and watch the show.

More about hooking tomorrow… suffice-to-say the Palauan currents were playing tricks on us today, and our Blue Corner dive was virtually current free… so instead of hooking we got to hang with fish, fish and more fish! (and a green turtle) Such an awesome, epic day. 

Three sites today: GermanChannel , BlueHoles , BlueCorner

The most challenging shot of the day was the one of Jasmine… she was hanging with so many fish, getting a clear moment proved time consuming!

DAY 4 #fishessssss

Fourth day on  Solitude One and wow man, soooooo so many fish! Big, fish, little fish, red fish, blue fish! Fish with bones, fish with cartilage. Fish with teeth, Fish with serious rock-breaking beaks. 

I love all the fishes (except maybe some damsels that are too feisty and territorial and like to take bits of skin off you when you’re sitting quietly trying to photograph some stationary marine critter) but today my choice of favourite fish in the sea was solidified when a gang of bad ’n’ mean bump head parrotfish swam out of the blue, across Blue Corner, straight towards me. These guys are seriously angry looking fish. Like I said this was not a school, it was a definitely a gang. In some oceans they wouldn’t be allowed to gather for fear of arrest. Their beaks are made for breaking coral rock so they can feed on the tiny coral polyps. 

There are plenty of prettier, more delicate, more colourful fishes… but I’m definitely impressed by this fish’s attitude. 

All three of todays dives were fishy … grey reef and white-tip reef  Sharks, Barracuda, Bluestripe Snapper, Trevally … plus countless others … you name it and I think we swam with it!

Three sites today:  #BlueCorner,  #TurtleCove , #NewDropOff … all amazing, awesome and epic.  Thanks Mitch for the great guiding on days 3 + 4! 

DAY 5 #reverence

The Solitude One crew had a plan for us to do two dives in the south today, off the island of Peleliu. We’re aiming first for Peleliu Cut, a wild isthmus where the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean currents collide. It’s only a 50/50 chance we’ll be able to get in the water even with the best predictions, as the full moon is approaching adding more water movement into the mix, and at this site there’s a thin blue line between exciting action and outright danger. When we arrive, the tumultuous sea tells us “no, not today”. So instead, under heavy skies we dropped into the dark sea and drifted with the current along the reef of Orange Beach. In the early morning of September 15, 1944 US Marines in landing craft crossed this very reef and went ashore under deadly fire onto Orange Beach–signalling the start of the Battle of Peleliu, a two month offensive with the aim of capturing the island’s small airstrip from the occupying Japanese. Initially planned as a 3-day battle it turned into two months of fierce fighting that left an estimated 20,000 U.S. and Japanese soldiers dead or injured–including Australian wartime photographer Damien Parer, killed by machine-gun fire as he filmed.

Drifting over the coral ridges and valleys, the reef was awakening again, just as it did 75 years ago. Above us today only rain drilled the surface. The ocean was hauntingly dark. Waves of snapper, a gang of bump heads, sharks patrolling. After an hour at the whim of the ocean, Mitch deployed the SMB and we bobbed quietly atop the grey sea.

Three sites today: OrangeBeach ; the incredible colour and detail of BigDropOff ; and some serious hooking with sharks and friends at BlueCorner.

DAY 6 #RedSnapping

I don’t really know where to start when describing this day. Suffice to say there’d been a great deal of anticipation for one possible outcome from this trip. If the moon aligned with the currents and with the weather and with our timing and with a whole lot of known unknowns and an untold bunch of unknown unknowns, we MIGHT just get to see one hell of a spectacle. 

A Red snapper spectacle. Not one, not one hundred, not one thousand… but thousands upon thousands of red snapper. Getting together under the pull of the full moon. For sex. Well for “asex” really.

Woken very early, coffee and toasting in the dark, preparing gear in the dark, boarding the skiffs in the dark, travelling to the dive site through the rain. As the sun rose behind thick sodden clouds, we entered the water in the all-but-dark. 

We descended onto the reef platform at around 25m and were immediately greeted by a very healthy Bull Shark approaching out of the gloomy dark. The water clarity was pretty good, but it was very dark. I remember thinking about how I wanted the sun to break the clouds just to give us some more visibility, more light to better capture whatever was to happen. Shooting large spaces at depth and creating readable images is a challenge even at the best of times… and this was not the best of times to be “drawing with light”… definitely pushing the tech to the limit.

Then I saw an indistinct shadow on the hazy distant shadow. The shadow became a giant writhing mass of fish flowing towards us. There was so many fish you could hear their pulsating bodies rub against each other as they swam. The first fish passed close and then disappeared into the distance, and at the same time more continued to stream, creating this endless flow that reminded me of lava relentlessly pouring down the slopes of a volcano.

The giant flowing mass started to circle back and began breaking into smaller groups. Suddenly one of the lighter coloured fish (a female) escaped the group and darted up toward the surface, pursued closely by a male, with a dozen or more others chasing hot on her fins.

At the peak of her ascent, she released her cloud of eggs into the water, and the males released their swimmers into a fertile mix. Then another group ascended and exploded into a cloud. And another. And another. Like New Year’s Eve over Sydney Harbour or the Burj Khalifa. 

Some things you see stay with you forever. This will be one of those. Sincere thank you to the extended Solitude One team for your expertise and your pursuit of the extraordinary. I can’t create images like this in isolation and I feel so fortunate to have been put into the sea to witness this by a great crew. Thank you, thank you.

Three sites today: SharkCity ; OolongChannel drift across the ocean’s largest lettuce coral patch; and lastly SiaesCorner for the final dive of the trip. 

Thanks, Julia for being our most awesome ocean-obsessed guide again today

DAY 7 #Jelly

Today is our scheduled no dive day to allow the nitrogen that’s accumulated in our blood during all those #divedivedives this last week 24hrs to dissipate before we fly.

The  Solitude One crew has a very special day on and in the water planned for us, visiting Milkyway, Jellyfish lake and a natural rock arch amongst Rock Islands.

Jellyfish Lake has been devoid of Jellyfish the last couple of years, rangers believing the loss of the animals was due to a combination of factors including extended dry el Nino conditions and the impact of sunscreen, other chemicals, and invasive organisms being brought into the lake by swimmers. But the jellyfish are back, and the rangers now don’t allow visitors to use sunscreen and you are washed down before you are near the lake, to remove outside pests.

After we were greeted at the dock by the rangers, we climbed the 160 steps up over the hill and down to the lake. We had the whole place to ourselves which was amazing. I saw my first jellyfish as I entered the brackish water, and as I swam across the lake to the sunny side, the numbers grew until it truly was a lake of jellyfish. Maneuvering amongst the bells and finding open water between the mass made for much joy and I was very sad to have to leave

We had also visited white clay mud bath of Milky Way, which is said to have rejuvenating properties … so that was a popular stop, and the skiff ride to Natural Arch, weaving in and out of channels between the perfectly magical limestone islands topped with tropical forest was both beautiful and thrilling. 

Thank you to the entire Solitude One team for providing such an amazing live-aboard dive trip. 

#Last DayBlues

This is the fourth time (previously in 2007, 2009, 2010) that I’ve won the category, which was this year sponsored by Nik Software. In it’s 36th year, the 2012 awards attracted over 3000 entries from all sectors of Australia’s professional photographic community.

The four images that make my portfolio this year were captured on trips in Tonga and South Australia and on last December’s Expedition to the the Coral Sea. The image of the great white shark was awarded a Silver with Distinction and my other three images received Gold Awards. The total points scored gave me the highest aggregate of points in the category, hence the category win.

Congratulations go to Adam Pretty whose fabulous portfolio of sporting images earned him the overall title of 2012 Australian Professional Photographer of the Year. A gallery of winners from the various categories, covering all aspects of professional photographic endeavour, can be found here. See Canon’s Press Release announcing the winners.

Monday 12 September 2011 – Tonga’s no-work Sunday laws have left everyone refreshed and ready to get back on the water and see whales today! The enforced day off is a lovely way to experience a bit of island life, with just a few eateries open, but nothing else. So for some it’s a visit to church for a taste of the amazing harmonies of the local congregation; for others a lazy brunch and a kayak paddle across to the island of Lotuma for a spot of snorkeling.

As Dreamcatcher heads south from the Mystic Sands jetty, the group’s fresh eyes spot the blows of two whales ahead in the sheltered channel between Hunga and Nuapapu. We catch up with them and they become interested in the boat, swimming with us as we continue southward. We make our first drop, and as expected we get no more than a cursory glance as they swim by. We make a second drop – again a brief encounter – but the whale’s curiosity is building and they turn toward us they pass. On drop three we’re rewarded as one of the animals, a male, decides to show off his underside, rolling through 360 degrees just below the surface, pecs outstretched amongst the morning’s shafts of sunlight. We get a few more drops as they head into the clearer water beyond Foeata, before we leave them to continue their journey without distraction.

It’s lunchtime now and we’re close to the coral gardens between Nuapapa and Vaka’eitu, so a hearty meal and a chance for some reef snorkelling is in order. The colour palette at Coral Gardens is a subtle mix of greens and lilacs, painting a rich scene of marine diversity in a crystal sea.

As we head around the bottom end of Foeata for a northward run on the outside of Hunga, things get a little lumpy but it isn’t long before we are in shelter of the high seacliffs. Blows are spotted well out to sea, so we head westward into the open to investigate. The blows are from a resting mum and cautious calf who’s interested in us from a distance only. Mum will let us swim above her… and the calf sneaks a peek from beneath mum from time-to-time. The afternoon light shafts are making their way down into the blue, and so I position the group to take best advantage of them.

From 2013………

Saturday 10 September 2011 – It’s very still this morning, with a glassy sea surface- but the showers are back. We’ve got both skipper Al along with Ali working together to help make the most of the day. We encounter whales early- what turns out to be 3 pods on the move in the sheltered water between the main island and Hunga.

We choose to work with a juvenile, possibly a yearling that’s made the return journey to Tonga with mum after being born here last season and spending summer in the Antarctic. Mum’s now left him to the independant life. He’s lying around on the surface, lolling about, with what seems to be no particular agenda for the morning. Our first encounter is a lengthy one, he allows us a close look for a few minutes while he plays on the surface. Then he’s dives and we loose him in the dark water. He’s easy to spot from the boat as he’s spending lots of time just hanging out, doing the occasional pec slap and even a little breach now and again, but he’s in no hurry. We try for a few more drops, but one as successful as the first- he’s decided he doesn’t want to play any more, and he gives us the slip. Still playing around, he’s in his own blue world.

He’s led us out into the open, and Al and Ali decide to head back into the area we had seen the other pods. They spot a whale surfacing and diving in a regular pattern off Tu’ungasika. It’s probably a singer- a mature male whale announcing his presence to the rest of the humpbacks in Vava’u and beyond. I’ve encounter singers in the area before, it’s a natural amphithatre from where the whale’s signature song will be heard all around the islands. The crew pinpoint the place they think the whale will be hanging head down, fluke up 15-20 metres below the surface. I slip into the water to confirm, and sure enough, from the moment I enter the water I can hear the song and feel the low frequency vibrations of the whale song continue through my body. Away from the sound of the boat, I can even hear whale song with my head above the surface- he is very close. Although I can’t get a visual on him, I call the group into the water for there first experience of feeling the sound of a whale, and nobody is disappointed. The whale sound is reverberating through our bodies and we are now part of the sea.

By now Ali has found the source of the sound and beckons us over. Peering down into the depths, we can just make out the faint white outline of the whales pec fins. His countershading (dark pigment on top white underneath) is a perfect disguise. As we hang on the surface right above him, we feel all his range – from deep gutteral growls to bird-like chirps… and many in-between.

With whale song still filling the senses, we motor to the island Nuku for a quiet lunch and a snorkel on the seagrass beds, with their colourful anemones and resident damsels and anemonefish. Nuku is also home to a plot of garden eels, shy fingerlike eels that “grow” from holes in the sand.

The rain is coming in again- heavy now- as we head back to town for an early afternoon.

Friday 9 September – Last night Vava’u was inundated- the streets thoroughly awash and the kids making the most of flooded footy fields. But by Friday morrning, Thursday’s strong SE tradewind has swung around to the north and the sky is clear.

We head on our favourite morning course out into the open sea and southward around the island of Hunga. We sight a few pods, but all are set on travelling. With the northerly quite fresh, the morning is a little frustrating.

By lunchtime we found ourselves sheltering amongst the turquoise reefs and palm-studded coral islands to the south, where we encounter a beautiful mum and her calf. The light and visibility is a vast improvement on the previous day but at first we have a little trouble picking her up underwater. On our second drop, again thwarted by the visibility, we’re about to return to the boat when a huge fluke begins rising vertically through the surface of the sea around 30 metres from our group. As we fin over toward her she begins to materialise from the blue, and we can see her floating prone in the water column, fluke up/head down and her calf sheltering below and rising to the surface for a regular breath. We hang quitely by mum’s side as the calf repeats its routine. This mum is possibly afluke -up feeder positioning herself in this way to facilitate nursing her young.

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Thursday 8 Sepember -Today I headed out with the first of my Whaleswim Photo groups for 2011, here amongst the beautiful Vava’u island group, in the Kingdom of Tonga.

While the weather may not have been our best friend today, close-by E’uiki Island we were introduced to a friendly calf, her mum and escort… Kiat and Eyre got their first close-encounter of the baby whale kind.

Oh, and that’s my first use of the Canon EF 8-15mm f4L Fisheye on the 7D. I think I’m going to love it!

This coming October, photographer Michael Snedic from Trekabout Photography Workshops is hosting their Lord Howe Island Experience.

In this short video you can enjoy some of my Lord Howe images, set to “By Water’s Edge”, a piece by my friend David Pickvance from his album “Tempest” (available on iTunes).

The 2011 AIPP Event is shaping up as a the year’s premier weekend of photography education and inspiration (and 50cpd points to boot).

Hear from 20 experts covering all genre from Advertising to Video in the beautiful city of Adelaide, South Australia 23-26 October.

We came together in the steel town of Whyalla at the head of Spencer Gulf to capture the annual aggregation of Australian Giant Cuttlefish off Point Lowly. An informal welcome dinner and a few pointers on what to expect from diving with the cuttlefish got us under way, and while dive day one dawned a little wet, by the time we were on the bus en-route the dive site, Whyalla was shining.

Spencer Gulf’s Giant Australian Cuttlefish rendezvous on this shallow rocky shoreline each year in what is thought to be the only breeding aggregation of its type on the planet. Over two hour-long dives the group was captivated as these masters of camouflage went about their complex rituals amongst the seaweed and rocky ledges just off shore. Most picture-success was had by those who chose a group to study and photograph as behaviours unfolded in the changing light.

An early start to get day two underway as we headed southward on the Lincoln Highway. It was a pretty quiet bus as the warm sun created the perfect environment for extra snoozing! By mid-morning we’d arrived at the jetty in time to see Princess II steaming in to meet us. On board the team met expedition leader Andrew Fox and the rest of the crew: Divemaster Jennifer “Tinker” Taylor; baitman Dirk; skipper Aaron; and most importantly, chef “Patto”. Before long everyone was gearing up for an afternoon with with the Leafy Seadragons. Much harder to find than the cuttlefish, these delicate creatures are one of the most beautiful animals imaginable. With the help of local knowledge and Patto’s spotting skills, over the course of the afternoon 3 specimens were located within reach of the boat. Given the delicate nature of these animals, the dive/photo brief included some tips on dragon-shooting etiquette: very low strobe power; shooting test exposures before lining up the animals; and the recommendation to limit the number of shots that each photographer would take. The last divers exited the water on dusk and soon after our skipper had Princess II under way, next stop the Neptune Islands!

We awoke in Main Bay on the morning of day three in the heart of Great White Shark territory. We had sharks checking out our baitman Dirk on the back platform before breakfast, and photographers in the surface cage at first opportunity. Throughout the morning we had visits from a number of animals, including a very large, unrecognised female at least 5m long, and everyone had the chance to see her and her friends up-close and personal. After lunch the bottom cage was deployed to visit these awesome creatures deep in their realm.

Seeing the shark-world below 20 metres is possible only with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions. They pioneered surface cage diving with Great Whites over 40 years ago, after Andrew’s father Rodney survived a Great White attack while spearfishing. Wanting to learn more about these awesome creatures led to the development of bottom cage diving, where a 4-diver cage is lowered to the sea floor from Princess II.

At depth Great Whites have a different character to when they are on the surface, with not just their power, but their grace and majesty also on display. Along with the usual rigours of underwater photography, shooting from a shark cage has its unique challenges– restricted angles, dealing with difficult sea conditions, surge and visibility issues. But the group rose to the challenges, with some great images being captured during our four days of nearly constant shark action at the Neptunes.

On our last day, with the weather closing in, Andrew and Dirk worked together to tag two new sharks with acoustic tags that will plot their movements around the coastline, part of ongoing data collection in collaboration with researchers from the CSIRO.

Although sea and weather against our sea lion swims, the inaugural Southern Wonders photo expedition is complete! I’d like to thank all our participants and crew for their enthusiasm and camaraderie amongst the amazing marine life of South Australia.

If you’re interested in next year’s expedition, drop us a line and we’ll keep you informed of plans.

The time I had on Mabuiag Island was amazing, I was made to feel very welcome by both the 200 (or so) residents of this remote community, and the research team I was there working with.

Yesterday I took the ferry from Horn Is to Thursday Is and spent a few hours around town including a visit to Gab Titui, the region’s Cultural Centre and Gallery.

TI is pretty quiet on a Saturday afternoon, but I managed to find a chocolate milkshake and shoot some images along the esplanade and on Milman Hill, the highest point on the island and site of  a number of World War II-era gun emplacements.

It was really nice to see the sun yesterday…the same sun that’s been hidden behind thick cloud and torrential rain for the past week… and the 360 degree views from atop Milman Hill lended themselves to some pano stitching.

Look out for some stories featuring Mabuiag Island in upcoming editions of Australian Geographic Journal.