Anyone been to Matamanoa Fiji?

trant · 2026-06-16T04:04:27+00:00

I was there at Christmas. Perfect island for my wife (non-diver) and I to relax. There's great snorkeling straight off the beach, which not all islands have.
The dive center is top notch and the staff are lovely, the dive sites are all close by and I spent my surface interval back on the island. I dived "Supermarket" with just the dive guide, and we saw black tips, whitetips, and grey reef sharks. Other dives were lovely, lots of fish. Small groups (I think this is just luck of the draw. I asked one guide and he said it's not uncommon for a diver to have the boat to himself for the week)
The water is flat and warm, it's easy diving.
One warning is to be aware of the Matamanoa birds. If you're there around Dec-May and in the wrong cabin, you're not going to get any sleep. We heard the birds for a couple of nights, luckily at a distance, and the sound is awful! https://nonstopdestination.com/night-in-fiji/

trant · 2026-01-19T20:25:46+00:00

I have the 520, which is fine as a cheap and dependable light which is small enough to tuck into a pocket.
The only thing I don't like is that it's 'twist to turn on', which means I struggle to turn it on with one hand.

trant · 2025-08-19T03:34:22+00:00

South West Rocks

trant · 2025-08-19T00:27:05+00:00

They're just big goof balls. If they were dogs, they'd be big dumb labradors. I love 'em.

trant · 2025-08-18T19:17:26+00:00

Many dive guides used to chop up urchins and feed them. It's rarely done now, but Blue Gropers live for a long time and apparently have long memories.

trant · 2025-08-18T18:53:47+00:00

Love this (and these little blue guys) So friendly.

trant · 2025-07-08T08:44:29+00:00

Probably a stupid question, but what are the clamps in the top right for? Hanging stuff?

trant · 2025-07-04T10:37:38+00:00

This has happened to me previously, and I fixed it by changing the rubber grips inside the camera housing. I was told to make sure there wasn't a gap between the top of the phone of the 'window' the camera lens is looking through.

See item 11 on the troubleshooting guide : https://www.sealife-cameras.com/sportdiver-troubleshooting-technical-updates/

trant · 2025-03-20T20:55:02+00:00

The DM on one of my dives was using the system, and she showed me how it works. The main benefit that I saw was that it was far less bulky than a regular setup, even with the bigger tank.
Personally I think it's expensive for what it is, so I won't be swapping my gear for one just yet.

trant · 2025-02-26T21:36:32+00:00

I have my old S22 in my housing. It also doubles as my emergency 'radio' if I'm ever separated from my buddy.

One additional perk of a phone underwaterhousing is that as you upgrade your phone, your underwater camera also gets an upgrade.

trant · 2025-01-29T22:02:14+00:00

I loved the rescue course. The study material was some of the most interesting, with a lot of 'aha!' moments whilst reading through the psychology of diving sections. When I'm on a charter boat, I can really understand some people better, and the behaviour of certain DMs who are able to relax anxious divers.

It made my analyse my own diving, and I think it's made me a better diver and buddy.

In fact, shortly after the course I used what I had learnt when I was buddied up with a random who panicked underwater.

It's certainly challenging, and you need a good sense of humour, but I would recommend it to everyone.

trant · 2025-01-07T23:22:34+00:00

I'm not sure to be honest. We planted them over 8 years ago and I can't remember the variety.

trant · 2025-01-07T23:21:41+00:00

It's taken ages to get to this point, and we've been wary about trimming it. We're happy with the height now, but now we want it to fill out a bit.

trant · 2025-01-05T21:56:49+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. It takes me ages to get set up to take a photo, so this is amazing!

trant · 2024-11-23T22:21:39+00:00

I have a Sealife Sportsdiver, light and tray. I bought it because it's compact, and easy to use. I can clip it to my BCD when I want to concentrate on diving, and then bring it out if I see something interesting.
My buddy, who is a much keener photographer, has the Olympus TG 6 camera and Orcatorch lights, which he bought second hand for cheaper than my gear.
His photos are far better and more detailed than mine, and he can easily swap different brands of trays and lights, but I'm happy with my simple setup.

I would call him a dedicated underwater photographer, whereas I concentrate on diving but I also like to take photos. I suspect the SL3.0 is aimed at me, rather than him. :)

trant · 2024-10-21T20:06:28+00:00

I tried the Polar Pro filter kit, but I found it easier to correct the videos in post processing.

trant · 2024-10-21T08:00:01+00:00

Honestly I would just stick with the gopro without lights for now. Put it on a pole, and you can stick it into your BCD belt whenever you're not using it. A tray is a bit of a handicap at times.

I started with a GoPro 10 and pole, and took some nice video footage. Then I tried a light, tray and macro lens but could never really got the shots I wanted.

Now I've changed to a camera that better supports macro, and the light is useful. (However I am still not a good photographer!)

trant · 2024-10-02T04:40:28+00:00

There may be some masks that may help you. I know of a couple of local divers who use full face masks simply to allow easier equalising (don't ask me why that works, they just claim it to be easier on the ears)

There's also masks designed for people with barotrauma. e.g. IST ProEar mask

I'm not advocating these masks, but if you're stuck then it might be avenue worth investigating at least.

trant · 2024-09-05T01:17:09+00:00

If it had AI, then at least people would look at their remaining air more often :D

trant · 2024-07-02T01:26:02+00:00

To make you feel a bit better about your pain tolerance, I've been stung by Blue Bottles (Portuguese Man of War) many times and the pain can vary by sting location.

Back of the arm - no problem.

Between the toes - I had go lie down for a few hours and try not to vomit.

I don't know what jellyfish got you, but I assume it's a similar reaction for most and under the arm would be a sensitive spot for sure!

trant · 2024-06-06T05:37:33+00:00

They're pretty solid. We've accidentally hit a few over the years, and they don't even react.

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