Macro Mantas
Fiji's reefs are all great for beautiful wide angle coral shots, so when guests ask "Which lens WA or macro?", you can always take great WA or macro on the dives. So this week at Jim's alley in Gau i recommended macro & even put my macro lens on, what do you know, the moment we hit the water a Manta turned up & refused to leave!!. So we all forgot about the Halameda Ghost Pipe fish that we had gone to shoot & got some great shots none the less. Non camera people would be forgiven for smirking at this point as they just enjoy the big & small no matter what. Geoff & Rae have the ideal partnership, one shoots macro & the other wide angle - marriage made in heaven. As you can see from the slide show Geoff & Alex got some great shots as the manta swooped in time & time again whilst feeding. We did make it back to Jim's & i had cunningly swapped back to WA in the hope that the manta was back, but alas no - although the Ghost Pipe Fish had a buddy.
A beautiful encounter captured by Geoff
Soft coral crab on the wreck at Cat's. Captured by Alex
More Females with mating scars, lots of pups to come, taken by Geoff
Divemaster Mo singing at the Kava party.
Beautiful village kids from Somosomo, Gau. Taken by Alex
Manta feedin at Anthias Avenue. Taken by Alex
Close enounter with a Manta, taken by Geoff
Spadefish passing the bleachers, taken by Geoff
Richie, smiling as ever!.
Blue spotted sting ray, taken by Alex
Great night dive in Namena. Taken by Alex
Grey Reef cruising the Nigalli Passage, taken by Geoff
Rae gets a great macro shot of the Popcorn Shrimp
Sunset from Somosomo Village, taken by Alex
Alex finds another Nudi.
Picasso Trigger fish, takeb by Geoff
Whip Coral Gobi taken by Meijin
Halemeda Ghost Pipe Fish taken by Alex
Alex finds another Nudi.
Alex the Nudi king strikes again!
Great perspective shot demonstrates Meijin talent
Female Grey Reef displaying mating scars, taken by Geoff
Ribbon Eel pokes its heads out for Rae
Close encounters with Grey Reef Sharks, taken by Geoff
Royston & his monster in silhouette, taken by Meijin
Flying in formation, captured by Geoff
Lonely Fire Dart Fish. Taken by Geoff
Trumpet fish hunting & using the Grouper for cover captured by Geoff
Lucky Anenome fish are small!. Taken by Geoff
Nudi looking for food, taken by Meijin
Another great moment captured by Geoff
Huge Gorgonian Sea Fan, taken by Meijin
Rae gets the Octopus on the move.
So much colour on display, captured by Meijin
Time for a manicure in Namena, taken by Meijin
So much colour on Fiji's reefs, taken by Meijin
Cathedral at dusk, taken by Michael
Colorful Soft Coral, taken by Michael
Meijin looks small compared to the huge Sea Fan, taken by Michael
So much color, taken by Michael
Captured by Michael
Nudi feeding, taken by Michael
Lion Fish hovering on the wreck at Cat's, taken by Michael
A pair of Yellow Nose Gobi's pose for the camera
Healthy reef shot, taken by Michael
Nigalli passage was awesome. The grey reefs have been mating. The females are covered in scars and very friendly. Waiting in the bleachers for the next fly by was non stop action. Great to see such a healthy shark population & judging by the scars long may it continue.
James M. was back from Canada, making his 16th trip aboard Nai'a. The happy friendly people combined with great diving is hard to resist & will always pull you back. Alex & Katrin had travelled from Switzerland to Fiji for there honeymoon - all 6 weeks of it!. Alex did really well with his little point and shoot, especially getting a great shot of the Soft Coral Crab. The Soft Coral crabs on the wreck at Cat's seem to be getting bigger & soon i may have to recommend a WA lens for these oversized critters.
Royston kept us all entertained during the trip. Always smiling and joking around he doesn't get many holidays but certainly knew how to enjoy his!. Working for an Aquarium & being a biologist he knew his reef life.
The village visit was hosted by Somosomo in Gau. The ladies in our party danced the mekke, whilst the boys sat & drank grog with the villagers. A beautiful village on an unspoiled Island surrounded by reef - what more could you want!
Our Guests...
Comments
“This trip was better than I expected. And I expected it to be pretty frickin’ great. Thanks to all the crew who made our first liveaboard so memorable.”
~ Craig