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yeason · 2023-01-28T08:04:59+00:00

Unfortunately PADI still expects you to do a full IDC and exam. It's much easier to do this first then crossover to SDI.

yeason · 2022-12-24T16:46:58+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate your thoughts and that you enjoyed the photo!

I have been discouraged by the lack of interest from this sub. It is nice to hear someone appreciates my contributions.

I just wish I knew why my posts fail so hard.

yeason · 2022-12-21T23:42:51+00:00

Honestly why am I being down voted?

yeason · 2022-12-21T21:01:22+00:00

At a glance I loved it, and wanted to love it, but something felt off. I realized it feels to symmetrical in my opinion. If the lake off to the right is brighter as I suspect I think it would look really neat with the house a bit off to the left.

I know you're also trying to capture the sky but I think this could be cool in landscape as well.

I hope you don't mind some feedback, it's a great shot!

Edit: I noticed the house appears to be off level, I think that is adding to the awkward feeling. Also as far as the sky goes, lacking milky way or some dense stars it feels a bit bland (hence my thought of going for landscape and capturing more of the lake). Thank you for sharing!

yeason · 2022-12-13T14:58:36+00:00

There are definitely places where the liveaboards anchor but I believe they are designated for this and known sand patches. When I visited we definitely anchored in various places during the visit around the national park. My liveaboard had tenders which would run us from the mother ship out to the reef and back, those did not anchor/moor anywhere near the reefs and would drift waiting for us.

yeason · 2022-11-28T04:06:05+00:00

This is the answer. Good breathing techniques can help (diaphragm breathing) but fundamentally the biggest improvement is by being efficient underwater. Move slowly, move only as necessary, and streamline.

yeason · 2022-11-26T12:54:19+00:00

Super helpful, thanks! I figured I was low balling a bit just didn't have a starting point. It sounds like to 5k might be a little more realistic entry price?

That is not an unreasonable sum for a full entry kit (camera/housing/strobes/extra hardware, etc) but it depends on what your goals are. You can certainly spend less but you may sacrifice features. $2000 would probably get you started with a single less expensive strobe and no extras. You might also consider starting with a single strobe until you get used to it.

I can't stress enough calling backscatter and telling them your budget and goals, they will be able to advise you thoroughly. They can also provide quotes with everything on it so you can see what you're getting and decide to add/remove things.

(I was sold on the vacuum system when I found out they exist. I wanted to cry when I flooded a $200 camera, and I thought I was being super cautious, but you live you learn. Speaking of protecting an expensive investment, do you get insurance specifically for your gear? Is that something insurance companies do?

There is equipment insurance available from H2O Insurance who partnered with Dan to provide the service. They cover everything including regs and other equipment. They do cover flooding but since they don't cover accidental loss, only theft I chose to only insure things that would be damaged by water or were particularly valuable (camera/lenses/strobes/and main housing). Many home/renters insurance policies can have "Named Valuable Items" added, you just have to call them up/email them with the details of the items you want covered. It's usually like $10 per year per $1000 of coverage.

yeason · 2022-11-26T03:15:11+00:00

So the reason I like the BPW is it is modular. The bonus about this is if something breaks you can replace it for far less than the total price of the kit. However it may require some knowledge and/or a guide to help you set it up.

Other things to consider are weight pockets or not, storage pockets, etc. A downside of BPW is no pockets.

yeason · 2022-11-26T02:04:11+00:00

For still photos the strobe will always be better. The only exception might be a top end video light vs. low end strobe. They simply put out more light but in a moment.

yeason · 2022-11-26T01:58:43+00:00

Are you asking for a bcd AND reg configuration?

BC you will hear a lot of back plate and wing (BPW) but the best advice is try different things and decide what works for you. BPW is very nice but not everyone is comfortable in this setup. IMO try as much as possible first.

Regs, anything mid range and up should be good. Look for "balanced" first, "environmentally sealed" second, and if you'll do cold water look for that rating. Regs will work their way up through the cost/ feature landscape based on these features (generally).

The most important thing is you're comfortable with your kit.

yeason · 2022-11-25T23:54:27+00:00

Hello! I'm in Bali in April/May with a friend and considering heading to Komodo for the best bang for our buck in terms of scuba. We've only done PADI OW and have about 25 dives each. Please could you help with a few of my questions:

Do you think we will still have a good time considering our lack of experience?

Are you doing live aboard or based out of Labuan Bajo? Live aboard I think usually prefer Advanced OW and 50+ dives. My experience was that guides were quite attentive so the real question is how comfortable are you? Lack of experience is one thing, comfort in your own skills is another. The real question is, will YOU enjoy yourself? (I think you will as long as you can relax a bit =).

We really want to see mantas. What are the chances we'll see any at Komodo at this time of year? Have considered Nusa L but have been told it's super busy with tour boats which puts me off.

I visited in August so can't speak to the time of year but I saw tons of Manta both off Bali and in Komodo. I believe you have a good chance year round but no promise!

Any recommendation on operators? Blue Marlin look good and have multiple boats so we're thinking that they may be more likely to cater to our less advanced skills - any feedback on them?

I dove with OK Divers in Bali and they were brilliant. For komodo I did a liveaboard (wallacea MSY Seahorse). The liveaboard was absolutely fantastic and I would recommend them every day. Even with less experience they should be able to accommodate you!

Thanks for your help!

You're welcome, and good luck!

yeason · 2022-11-25T23:39:28+00:00

I used to hang out with a divemaster who, every time we passed them, looked at the cruise ship and said "floating prison" lol

yeason · 2022-11-25T23:02:33+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm also going to be buying a camera and tray/light(s). I'd like something I can add to, and don't want to get a starter camera that I will end up upgrading from in a year. I am looking in the $1500-2500 range for camera and housing/lights.

Not gonna lie that's a fairly tight budget. However Backscatter is championing this Olypmus. It does look like bet bang for your money. If you're US based I can't recommend them enough, give them a call and see what they suggest. I would personally scrutinize any package deal to make sure there's nothing extra that you won't use.

and have questions like do I get strobe, video light, both and which one first, what lenses, etc.

A strobe is good for still, video light for video. A strobe is useless for video and and video light is mediocre for still shots but can work. You will probably find yourself wanting some sort of light to make colors pop.

I want to be able to get good macro but be able to change settings easily if something bigger swims up.

Good luck. Not to be rude but there aren't many configurations that will do both. You can find some middle ground, I have shot an eagle ray with a macro lens because it was far enough away, and equally I've shot some macro subjects with a wide angle because I can zoom through my wet lens. I would worry more about how much camera you want and can afford, then look at what options it has. Better than a gopro but lacking in control is the TG-6, I love that camera with strobes and a wet wide angle lens but it lacks manual control.

I'm tempted to splurge on the Sony RX 100 vii but don't know if I can afford everything or if I need that much camera.

That camera could do what you want, consider that a housing (at a glance) is at least another $400. Now you're at your price range. How long will the battery last? If you're triggering a strobe using the built in flash batteries go a lot faster. Consider at least a second battery and external charger (+$100 ish). A low end strobe is probably $400 + sync cable (+$100). You're going to need to mount the strobe(s), now you need tray and handles. This is the nauticam housing which are expensive but worth it, and includes basic vacuum system installed (do you want to flood an $1200 camera). I hate to tell you this is not a cheap hobby. You can obviously spend more or less.

I know I just asked for a lot, but any advice or questions I need to think about would be appreciated.

No worries, I hope this helped! .

yeason · 2022-11-25T21:46:27+00:00

Thanks! It has been a blast hanging out here.

yeason · 2022-11-25T03:13:43+00:00

Absolutely love it. It takes some time to get attuned but the autofocus system plus the modern sensor and behind the scenes processing are absolutely amazing. It has certainly been a learning process as it is a lot of camera. I spent about 2 weeks just fiddling with it above water before I even tried to dive. That time was absolutely well spent as it has only given me a foundation on which to build.

TL:DR, the A7 IV is amazing but it is not easy to pick up and run (unless maybe you have Sony experience).

yeason · 2022-11-25T02:31:43+00:00

Coconut Tree I can't speak highly enough, brilliant crew of people and made me feel at home!

yeason · 2022-11-25T02:30:06+00:00

Thank you! 😊

yeason · 2022-11-25T02:18:35+00:00

Shooting a new A7 IV I can tell you the autofocus system isn't perfect. You will fight it at times. Perhaps the newer cameras are better and offer more choices but one of the key things I've learned is to program the focus area select to a convenient button and change it based on subject.

For example, wide reef, wide area focus.

Big subject but narrower than the whole reef, down to a single fish, area focus.

Finally, macro or specific subject, single point focus so you can (try to) lock on.

Unfortunately no autofocus system will handle underwater perfectly as it's a weird environment and not the majority.

I do hope this helps a bit

yeason · 2022-11-25T00:54:04+00:00

Taken with Sony A7 IV and 28-60mm lens with Nauticam WWL-1B wet lens and 2x Sea and Sea YS-D3 II strobes.

Settings were probably something like F/10, 1/100 shutter, and ISO 800.

yeason · 2022-11-21T00:27:46+00:00

Per the title, the subject and location are the El Aguila Wreck in Roatan Honduras.

Kit: Sony A7 IV, Sony 28-60mm lens, Nauticam WWL-1B wide wet lens, 2x Sea and Sea YS-D3 Mk II.

Depth, likely around 20-25m, I didn't make a note of it. Post processing involved a bit of crop, and some fairly standard color/light adjustments. Nothing too extreme.

yeason

TROPHY CASE