Fiji Pictures- not for dial-up!

[Zander]

Just came back from a great dive vacation in Fiji. This is my first attempt at underwater photography with a rental camera. Obviously needs some work, but a few pix came out fairly nicely.
Still waiting for more to get developed...
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181786_4510623022987656379_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181787_8339298951976193220_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181788_2187185921513569769_vl.jpg
Blurry, but there is a Long-nose hawkfish on the right
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181789_7180774191809755540_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181790_9104416931381490950_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181793_2472627291038309400_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181794_7327228211732374977_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181795_6245560195157403590_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181796_7352954133410852461_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181797_5096615837470922736_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181801_6001491644941078761_vl.jpg
Blue-Spotted Stingray
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181802_2443089705795725922_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181803_7056384025002814948_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181804_4511179135934098766_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181805_4462577866216407253_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181806_7729853469960535500_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181807_6467271137272580057_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181808_3819774987942927130_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181809_3921457596714850349_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181810_9049319436418892326_vl.jpg

[rbaker]

Awesome!!! How big was that clam?

Thanks for sharing,

Ryan

[Zander]

That calm was about 12-14 in. long. Wasn't the biggest or smallest I saw. I had some pix of other clams on the same roll of film, but they came out too blurry. I took other pix with a cheap underwater camera while snorkeling at low tide. Hopefully those will turn out okay. Some shots were of an eel, blue linckia, some maxima clams, nudibranch, clown trigger, and many acorpora staghorn/plating corals, etc. I hope they'll turn out-they may be washed out with blue due to lack of light. Will post them as I get them.

[Soccer]

Those are awesome;)!!! Post the snorkling ones too if you can. Oh ya i have a dial up connection and the wait was worth it:)

[Nek]

Thanks!!!

[Lunchbucket]

sweet!!

Lunchbucket

[Duce]

Nice:D
BTW does anyone know what is the 'thing' in the second last pic?

[Zander]

A few more from the same roll... still waiting for the others....

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181899_642259450477459169_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181900_5684417744365089176_vl.jpg
Clown Trigger
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181901_3435839849092055476_vl.jpg
Saddled Butterflyfish
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181902_2724261182974806109_vl.jpg
Nudibranch
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181903_5302020203480831972_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181919_4958165075711853309_vl.jpg
Parrot fish
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181920_8811954303480661992_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181921_641396394307027994_vl.jpg
White-Tip Shark
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181922_319992230022666302_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181923_5718489352589896389_vl.jpg

[gilman]

Thanks very much for sharing! Great shots! :D

Gil

[Reefanatic67]

Wow! :eek2: :eek1:

Thanks for sharing the pics....Keep 'em coming.

[Rock Anemone]

Awsome pictures, bet your vacation was AWSOME!!!

This is really weired!
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181803_7056384025002814948_vl.jpg

Anyways, I still need to get my pictures uploaded from Hawaii!!!

Rock Anemone

[colemanitis]

I've never been diving before - after seeing these pictures It's all I want to do. Awesome!

[Project Reef]

Originally posted by Rock Anemone
Awsome pictures, bet your vacation was AWSOME!!!

This is really weired!
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/181803_7056384025002814948_vl.jpg

Anyways, I still need to get my pictures uploaded from Hawaii!!!

Rock Anemone

I agree, that was an excellent picture. Award deserving.

[jersey]

Great photos, I can't stop looking at them. Can't wait to see the rest. I hope they turn out ok.

[Zander]

few more...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182235_5674456106143276019_vl.jpg
Lionfish
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182236_916666556988049045_vl.jpg
blurry Clam
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182237_466550081206439629_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182239_7248083114779999653_vl.jpg
Bi-Color Angelfish
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182245_8444491549948594500_vl.jpg
Nudibranch
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182246_1687619649543690846_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182247_774043807941369842_vl.jpg
Large Angelfish
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/182248_1456864090648020924_vl.jpg

[Jeff Hood]

I think you need to go back down to that Figi Island place and tell those people that some of the fish you saw were not REEF safe:D

[dupontsniper]

beautiful!!! looking at a tank in the house is sweet, but nothing like a brush of the hand against a dorsal fin or having fish peck at your mask to make it real! cant wait to get back down to the keys or Hawaii this spring. I thank you for the pictures, but the girlfriend doesnt! lol she isnt into diving so she knows what the bug means :)

[dannyV]

ok, time to blow the dust off the ol' dive gear and find some new dive buddies and hit the reefs again!

The little chunk of living room reef just doesn't comare:D


Great pic's

[Ilsimen]

Great pics!!! :D :D :D Makes me want to take up diving.

[tommy98016]

SWEET PICS......
anyone know what kinda trigger that is in the first group of pics?
Thank you
Tom

[jameso]

I love Fiji. Which island were you on? Where did you stay? Who did you dive with?

Cheers
James

[Nek]

Tommy--- Try a crosshatch trigger.

[gregmoeck]

Cool Pictures. I am a diver too but never been to the pacific, only Roatan and Caymans.

A couple questions for you.

did you see any evidence of reef destruction from collecting ?

Are the reefs healthy in your opinion?

[tommy98016]

Thanks Nek for the id

[Zander]

Glad all of you like the pics... hope to get more...

I stayed on the 174 acre Castaway Island, which is part of the Mamanuca Island group, off the west coast of Viti Levu.

Castaway was a great resort, with an excellent dive shop - infact the best I've ever seen. All the divemasters were great- very knowledgable and extremely helpful. They do 3 dives a day with ocassional night dives. They also had a brand new dive boat with dual outboard Yamaha 200's- the fastest in Fiji. I would definitley give the dive center two-thumbs up.

As far as the corals, I did not see any damage directly due to collection. I did hear some divers say that the spots we visited had deteriorated over the past 10 years or so. I witnessed a few bleached/bleaching acopora, and small "field" of dead staghorn corals all intertangled with each other- however there were many younger corals starting to grow on top. I was personally facinated by all the life, but I do think the worlds reefs are in danger.

Overall it was a fantastic vacation, and I think everyone interested in saltwater aquaria should become a certified diver.

[K. Lee]

Great pictures, I hope you post more of them soon too. Great to see the reef as it is.

In the picture with the lionfish, it looks almost like there is a trio of Longnose Hawkfish to "it's" right. Do you recall if this were so?

[baron_vonklyff]

Originally posted by tommy98016
SWEET PICS......
anyone know what kinda trigger that is in the first group of pics?
Thank you
Tom

Actually that was a Titan Trigger...

http://filaman.uni-kiel.de/images/Bavir_u2.jpg

Great pictures for a first try. You got a lot of great shots. I really enjoyed the shots of the lions in the first group of pics and the huge polyp colonies (I think that is what they were) throughout.

Keep up the good work, and post more pics as you get them developed.

[baron_vonklyff]

Deleting another Dog Gone, Blasted, Horse Pucky of a Duplicate post.

[King Jason]

How/Where did you plan this trip? I would love to go to Fiji! I dive in Hawaii almost every summer, but I would like to see some types of environments.

[David P]

I have been fascinated with the underwater world since 3 mos old (dont ask) and have always wanted to go diving but am afraid that I would be found on a corner holding a cardboard sighn saying "will work for oxygen" seriously! seeing these pictures almost makes the risk worth it.

[mjh]

Great shots!! What kind of camera are you using? We just got back from the Turks, in May we go to Roatan. Time to invest in a camera. Plus how did you post these, I always have to do it as any attachment?

[abraham]

Man, Those are some great shots! I'd love to do that. But I'd probably get busted trying to sneak some "samples" back into the States!:D

[Zander]

Most of the planning for this trip was through the internet, and making a lot of phone calls. We first started researching a year ago, and booked everything last April. Couldn't have been better. Already looking for another place to visit!

The camera used was a Sea & Sea MX-10.
http://www.seaandsea.com/images/PL-8.jpg
http://www.seaandsea.com/mx10.html

[Zander]

here are some more pictures as promised...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187588_9020590205508624736_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187589_2436191484987129608_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187590_2742525379414886617_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187591_601571143274636651_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187592_1523590083151181163_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187597_4552927299989823062_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187598_3845500078601331352_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187599_1425829530480821599_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187600_7696298393791590130_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187601_1688972312487753940_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/9560/p/187603_7000018505476150928_vl.jpg

will post more soon....

[tentacle]

Originally posted by Jeff Hood
I think you need to go back down to that Figi Island place and tell those people that some of the fish you saw were not REEF safe:D
Lol Jeff, I was thinking the same thing. :D

sdgtivr6 thanks for sharing these great pics with us!

[Zander]

more...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187607_4183142219806169872_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187608_6399820463502692764_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187609_2963549689259159047_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187610_8415757637571170194_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187611_368720225410616392_vl.jpg

[Zander]

more...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187613_6674450842633091519_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187614_8870622947235489135_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187615_8328050891042420757_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187616_6332960665202201919_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187617_4566200568973108776_vl.jpg

[Kites315]

This really makes me want to get certified, which if everything goes well i should be by the summer. Now just to get the money to go somewhere..........

Kyle

[Zander]

even more...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187625_7497817902534678607_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187626_4982463623201554592_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187627_6250719027498023663_vl.jpg
White-Tip reef shark in background
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187628_70769741422970495_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187629_4305052024215623456_vl.jpg

[Zander]

last ones...

http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187630_2214007648034324585_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187631_8637609909407834836_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187632_2019842632728023711_vl.jpg
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187633_7107734228145762850_vl.jpg
White-Tip in background
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/13316/p/187634_8749308628343707118_vl.jpg

[Reefanatic67]

What did you do scuba/snorkle in someone's aquarium? :D

Extremly nice picutres!

You're going to make me cash in my accumilated air miles now.

[kevinpo]

Thank you for sharing those fantastic, beautiful, awesome, sweet pictures! :D I'm planning a larger tank now :cool:

Regards,
Kevin

[jay jelly fish]

dude, stop showing pictures of my tank. just kiddin. jjf

[Leopardshark]

unbeliabable photos, I loved those acros

[Zander]

I wish my tank looked like this!!! Glad you all enjoyed the photos!

[skylsdale]

Glad you all enjoyed the photos!

Almost. Diving in Fiji--Vitu Levu even--and not a single shot of a Fathead/Sunburst anthias?! Unacceptable... :mad:

[melev]

Man, those were amazing picutures. I did some snorkling in Cancun last summer, and I didn't find nearly the amazing things you found.

I'm sure the pictures do no justice to what you had the opportunity to enjoy. Some of those pictures, like the one that was reposted a couple of times, looked like a massive matt of zooanthids. And some of it looked too clean, almost like someone was trying to start a new reef. I was amazed at some of the vivid color you were able to capture with some corals and fish in a number of shots. Thank you for sharing!

[jimroth]

Some of those tables...were as big as tables! Great pix, really enjoyed that. I thought you needed a Nikonos to take pictures that good.

[asdfjkl]

Great Fiji Pictures, I went to Fiji for 14 days in October and I know how hard it is to get a decent underwater picture.

I went to went to Australia for 5 months doing a semester abroad and did a bunch of diving in Fiji, Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand, and in temperate Australia. Fiji was spectacular, and if anyone does end up going, make sure you do the Big Fish/Shark feed with Aquatrek in Benqa Lagoon. It's fantasic and amazing experience to come face to face (without a cage) with large, potentionally dangerous sharks (not just the little white tips), i.e. bull sharks, lemon sharks, and a tiger shark. There's no other shark encounter dive like it in the word. The best diving in Fiji is on either Tavauni or Kadavu Island. There also are great dive spots in Benqa Lagoon which is easier to access because it's off the main island.

I'd also have to recommend the Great Barrier reef as well. The reefs there were just as spectacular as Fiji, and in some ways better because they use mooring lines instead of anchoring on the life reef itself as I saw all the time in Fiji - anchoring on the reef is an awful practice that just leaves tremendous gashes across the reef. I also saw so many beautiful clams on the Great Barrier Reef - true giant clams over 6 feet long (Imagine seeing a electric maxima 4 feet long), which wasn't so much the case with Fiji, because every table at every hotel I saw in Fiji, had a half clam shell as an ash tray. The fact that there was a noticable difference in clam population from Fiji to the Great Barrier Reef makes me wonder what wild clam collection for the reef trade is doing to clam populations in places like the Solomon Islands, Chuuk, Ponpei, and Vanuatu where they're all coming from. Pretty much any dive spot on the outer Great Barrier Reef is spectacular, but if you can ever get to Norman's Reef, Osprey Reef, or the Cod Hole, you will see some of the most pristine reefs that are within relative easy access.

I have to say while I reef keeping is a wonderful hobby, but it is really nothing compared to seeing healthy wild reefs in person; the color, amount of life, and biodiversity is mind boggling. I'm not putting down reef keeping at all, but diving in the pacific tropics just puts it in perspective and shows how nature intended it. It's just so much different that what I expected.

If I get around to putting my scanner up, I'll post some pictures of the diving I did around the Pacific.

[Nek]

Awesome......just what I needed after getting buried with 14" of snow!!!

[Finious]

Great Pic's....thanx alot:)

[Beach Native]

First let me say great pictures and I'm sure it was a great trip. You brought back fond memories of unreproducable trips from my past.

I would also have to second asdfjkl's comment about the Great Barrier Reef. I have had the opportunity to dive in many places (The Keys, The Channel Islands, Mexico, The Carribean, and The Reef), and there's definitely a reason they call it Great. It's beyond comparison (IMHO).

They're also, again as asdfjkl pointed out, environmentally aware. They not only have fixed moorings, but the boats all communicate and spread out their locations every day, and over the weeks, such that none of the spots get too much pressure.

I remember stopping at one place for lunch, where we snorkled but didn't dive, and seeing an anemone that was litterally 10 yds long and home to at least 50 clown fish. It was about 10 feet down, so we'd go down and hold onto the rock and watch the fish as long as we could hold out breath. It was one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen and one of the reasons I have saltwater in my house today.

Again, thanks for sharing the pics...:) :)

[Nanook]

Thanks for sharing those pics!!! Looked like an awesome place to spend some down under time!!


Nanook:)

[reefcam]

oh man, u da man... great picks... man now I can't wait to go.... the acros were just awesome :eek:

more... more... more.. more..

[Imdone]

All are outstanding. Thank you for sharing.

[Wee Man]

that thing on the fifht pic down i had one of those real cool coral its like called a cave somethin or other it was the exact same color and all just smaller