That I would see an octopus on my fourth and final dive on my Open Water course could I never believe. To actually get to see one in real life and not just in a film was an amazing experience. To see it´s movement and behaviour under water just made me want to know more about this interesting animal.
Decommissioned in 2014, the RTN Kled Gaeow was purposely sunk via controlled explosion to create a new dive site . The 47 metre long wreck sits almost upright (20 degree list) facing north to south (bow-stern), some 800-1000m to the east of Piley Bay (Ko Phi Phi Ley).
Harlequin Shrimps are a species of saltwater swimming, decapod crustaceans. Their scientific classification name is Hymenocera picta. Harlequin Shrimps are the only species in the genus Hymenocera.
Harlequin Shrimps are beautiful creatures. Their shape is what makes them so distinctive. They look more like a blossoming flower than a shrimp. At Scubafish, we get very excited when we encounter them, as they are very rare.
Cuttlefish (Sepiida,) despite their name, are not fish at all, but molluscs. Cuttlefish belong to the class Cephalopoda, the same family as squid, octopus and nautilus. Cuttlefish are found in large numbers throughout the world’s oceans, from the warm tropical shallows, to the cold depths of the deep. Cuttlefish share the same characteristics as their relatives; squid, octopus and nautiluses, i.e. they have a large elongated body, with tentacles surrounding their mouth.
Cuttlefish are amazing and unique creatures. Most people have only heard of Cuttlefish being the piece of cuttlebone in a bird cage. However, the Cuttlefish is much more than a source of calcium for caged birds and hopefully after learning more about them, you will come to love and admire them as much as we do at Scubafish.
Leopard Sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum), also known as Zebra Sharks, are a species of Carpet Shark. They are a member of the Stegostomatidae family. They are frequently found around coral reefs and on sandy seabeds, in tropical coastal waters up to a depth of 70m. They are a popular attraction for divers and are a favourite with us at Scubafish. They can be seen at all the dive sites around Ko Lanta, but most commonly at one of our dive sites, Ko Phi Phi.
In the tropical waters of Ko Lanta there are a few standard basic camera settings which the Liquid Lense professional photographers almost always use, and teach students.
Our Liquid Lense professional underwater photographers are frequently asked about the process they employ out on the boats each day for storing, editing, showing and selling the photos they take of you and the wonderful things you see. So in our efforts to de-mystify here is our Pro Underwater Photographer Daily Work Flow!
Firstly, our Liquid Lense photographers have all chosen to install and use Adobe Lightroom as their editing software, and work on a combination of PC’s and Macs. Whilst some of the team also have Adobe Photoshop, for speed and ease on a daily basis, and for making quick edits (such as removing backscatter) their daily platform is Lightroom.
Giant Moray Eels (Gymnothorax javanicus,) are from the family Muraenidae.
Giant Moray Eels are cosmopolitan creatures, found in both tropical and temperate seas, although the largest populations can be found in the coral reefs of warm oceans. They are widespread in the Indo-Pacific region; being found in the Andaman Sea, the Red Sea, East Africa, the Pitcairn Islands, Ryukyu and Hawaiian islands, New Caledonia, Fiji and the Austral Islands. They are usually found in shallow water among the reefs and rocks and in lagoons.
If you are new to underwater photography, one thing you may find is that photographs you are taking using natural light, are coming out with a blue/green cast to them and the true colours are being lost. You can overcome this problem, by learning how to manually set the White Balance on your camera. White Balance is an aspect of photography that many digital camera owners do not understand or use, but it is something well worth learning about, as it can have a real impact on the photographs you take.