Okay, here it is – the long-awaited third instalment
of my Great Barrier Reef trip report.
In case you missed Parts 1 & 2:
GREAT BARRIER REEF 2012 - PART 3
We sailed from Cairns on the Thursday afternoon and
headed east for Holmes Reef. Spoilsport rode comfortably through the night with only an
unfortunate few succumbing to mal de mer.
Friday morning opened fine and clear [nautical terminology
that; it means it was a nice day]. Our
first dive was at Nonkie Bombie. Like
the first dive of most trips, the crew were checking out the divers to see who
needed hand-holding and who was safe to roam.
First impression: THE VIS.
You know those magazine pictures where the visibility appears endless and the blue water just seems to go on forever. It was like being in one of those pictures. From 30 metres deep I could see the surface.
Second impression: How on earth do I photograph
this?
I’m used to diving in poor to average vis, and have
an arsenal of tricks for getting a shot.
Confronted with being able to see forever, I had no idea where to start! I didn’t even know what to shoot.
I fell back to the old adage: Good vis = wide
angle. Poor vis = macro.
I tried a few near-and-far shots. Interesting subject in the foreground, big
stuff at the back. Man, this balanced
lighting thing is hard to do! And I
suppose I can’t just expect a random diver to be a model.
It’s often said the best part of a reef is in the
top few metres, so why dive deep? Well
this shot is at 30 metres and the colour kept going…
And this was only the first dive of the trip.
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