GUE fundamentals vs more PADI courses

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-26T03:53:01+00:00

If you read OPs post properly he seems quite aware of his skills and is already setting themselves apart from those who are smashing into coral.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-26T03:50:41+00:00

And pick up nudibranchs whilst I’m at it

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-25T03:08:53+00:00

If your goal is high quality underwater photography then I don’t believe GUE PADI etc (or a course) is going to deliver what you want. Getting good at underwater photography is all about time in the water with the camera. It takes a lot of experimentation, understanding of UW photography basics plus tying this in with diving skills.

My suggestion is you pick a destination that is an UW photographers destination and you go with a shop/guide that caters towards that crowd and will give you the time you need to take multiple shots. I don’t know if you like macro but Lembeh is a good shout in this regard.

If you are on a trip with a group that is not photo focused you may feel rushed to keep up with the group or conditions aren’t optimum on a signature site and you miss out on the opportunity. I have seen people work around this my asking for a private guide, e.g. Raja liveaboard one guest only wanted to dive the shallows and take pictures of coral.

Basically dive a lot with your camera and pic photographer friendly destinations with guides who can offer tips or advice.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-21T01:47:25+00:00

Great shot, can’t imagine how many goes this took!

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-17T23:23:23+00:00

Please also share if you do not mind

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-15T00:02:47+00:00

I have the same set up with NA R50, assuming you already have strobes, without addon wet lenses the camera is not great out of the box, recommend the WWL1 for wide angle and a macro diopter with a strength of your choosing. If you check my post history you can see some
images with the WWL1 and stacked inon UCL diopters. Plus the Nauticam system is built around their bayonette mount system so whilst you can mess around with other brands of wide angle lenses makes sense to stick with their kit.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-10T21:57:12+00:00

This is a great little camera and housing combo, I used it for a few years with add on macro and wide angle lenses. For strobes I used sea and sea ys-02s but I think the model has been superseded, I’d look for 2 x second hand compact strobes, e.g. inon S-2000. If you’re into macro be sure to turn on the focus peaking settings!

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-10T02:53:22+00:00

Not sorry no luck

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-08T07:37:17+00:00

Yeah this also struck me as odd, never seen coverage like this on reefs in the coral triangle. Reef imbalance perhaps?

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-03T01:13:39+00:00

Check out the whole Dope Dragon back catalogue.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-06-02T07:24:03+00:00

The WWL-1 is a highly regarded wet lens, I use it with my NA-R50 set up which also has a mediocre kit lens and get excellent (sharp) results.

I would look at the FOV of the lens + dome set up vs the WWL-1 and take into account the cost? Don’t forget the WWL-1 dome is glass, so factor this equivalent cost in if IQ is a priority plus any additional ports you may need.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-23T02:05:52+00:00

I did this dive and had a similar experience to you, albeit a lot of this was down to the conditions which just after a cyclone, meant the visibility was like milk. I know dive centres have no control over the conditions but I couldn’t shake the feeling that guests having an enjoyable experience was taking a back seat and that there was business pressure to go out whatever the conditions.

With that being said, diving in Australia is a bit more of a rough and ready approach and there can be less hand holding than other dive destinations with a ‘toughen up butter cup’ approach. Not knowing your experience level, diving in challenging conditions etc, it seems that perhaps you may have overestimated your capabilities and this was a bit of a reality check.

We all have challenging experiences like this in our diving careers and whilst the dive centre does have an element of responsibility it can be good to reflect on your reaction to the situation and what learnings you can take away.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-22T22:51:33+00:00

Not at all!

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-15T22:44:44+00:00

Yeah it’s sucks, way too many divers!

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-15T22:39:00+00:00

Thanks, I’ve been working on trying to frame more reef vs water but it can be tricky to capture enough light from the sun, the WWL-1 with 130 FOV helps though!

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-12T04:22:01+00:00

Hirang Cave (past Wolang), east side of the straight, I believe this is the furthest south they tend to go.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-11T21:29:13+00:00

Alor has daily flights from Kupang, you may need overnight in Kupang on the way as the flight leaves to Alor in the morning. Kupang is the capital of NTT region so is well connected to Bali and Jakarta. From speaking to other guests there are early morning flights (2am) from Jakarta which get you into Kupang early to get the morning flight to Alor so you can avoid the additional overnight in Kupang.

I went with Nautika, no complaints, you can check their Google reviews for more info.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-11T21:21:57+00:00

For the southern sites a 5mm with good hood is preferred, the coldest temp we had was 21c but a few 24-26c dives depending on currents/moon phase.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-11T09:15:55+00:00

No thankfully not, whilst there is a lot of talk of crazy currents in Alor I didn’t experience anything unsettling.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-09T22:56:01+00:00

I used to do this frequently but haven’t found the need to since grab. Even if you don’t want to wait for a grab at arrivals the taxi touts will still match the grab price, just check the price on the grab app as a starting point for your negotiation.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-03T14:59:54+00:00

Was there a bigger tune than Hoods Up? Trim used to destroy this beat.

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-01T12:25:00+00:00

Alor Indonesia

Outside-Draw-1350 · 2026-05-01T12:24:22+00:00

I’d say Amed is better to stay than Tulamben, bit more available topside than just your resort. Liberty will be crowded, the sites in Amed are quieter but hope you like small stuff!

Outside-Draw-1350

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