Topside

As usual for liveaboard trips, the group of passengers on board were very experienced divers (with just a couple of exceptions). Many of them have almost literally been everywhere in the world, and being American, I am not used to the company of such people, except when I travel myself. :) Also, the crew were wonderful, and our guides were nice and friendly.

Darren Rice was on board, collecting video footage for a Peter Hughes promotional video. He is so far the best videographer I have ever met, and his skill in the water was legendary by the end of the week. He was the only person any of the guides have met that could follow a whale shark around on its circuit at Darwin. Most of us ran out of air after swimming by a whale shark for not very long (actually, most of us just couldn't keep up. we would follow for awhile, and then give up, in exhaustion), but Darren would accompany a whale shark out of site, and return with it fifteen minutes later, still filming. We surmised that it was their common, tear-dropped shape that made it possible for them to swim together for so long. Or maybe it was his training in the British Navy. :)

We had two other photographers on board, both shooting film. Surprisingly, no one else on board was shooting with a digital still camera.