Dive Briefing Copyright © 2004 Craig "Monty" Sheppard and Michelle Gaut

- click to see photos -

August 21, 2004 - Wickham Island, Marovo Lagoon (Dives 26-30)

Dive 26: Camera: Canon 1Ds, Canon 180mm USM Macro, +2 diopter, 2 x Ikelite DS-125
Dive 27: Camera: Canon 1Ds, Canon 180mm USM Macro, +2 diopter, 2 x Ikelite DS-125
Dive 28: Camera: Canon 1Ds, Canon 180mm USM Macro, 2 x Ikelite DS-125
Dive 29: Camera: Canon 1Ds, Canon 100mm USM Macro, +3 diopter, 2 x Ikelite DS-125
Dive 30: Camera: Canon 1Ds, Canon 100mm USM Macro, 2 x Ikelite DS-125

Green and murky! A "Shrimp Condo" is just off of the stern at around 45' and is home to many, many coral banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and Durban hinge-beak shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis). There are lots of small coral heads in the sand, each hosting large gorgonian sea fans, soft corals, and lots of macro critters. I spent most of my first dive here waiting for a blenny to yawn/stretch its mouth out. I saw him do it once as I was approaching, but in the 40 minutes I sat there watching him, he didn't do it again. :(

During the second dive, I spent much of the time stalking gobies -- after wandering off alone. As much as i enjoy the company of other divers, in sloped sandy areas there is just too much potential for an uninvited sandstorm! There are some beautiful two-spot goby pairs (crab-eye gobies) in the rubble area on the right-hand side of the dive site. There is also a second Shrimp Condo near the point (perhaps around 20' from the point towards the boat, at around 60' in depth); the underside of one large rock is covered with tunicates that look like they are made of pink plastic. On the tunicate surface were lots of Durban hinge-beak shrimp, a couple small pipefish, and a juvenile scorpionfish. Also in the sand were various snake-eel heads poking out of the sand. They are sort of creepy looking.

When I surfaced from dive #3, Monty was waiting for me at the swim step with news of an emperor shrimp on a knobby red sea cucumber just below the boat! The crew were amazing here: I mentioned that I was going to swap lenses (in favor of a 100mm macro lens with +3 diopter), and by the time I was on the boat my camera had been dunked in fresh water and dried off, ready to open up. They really are good. I swapped lenses and tanks and headed back down into the murk. There were actually two of the emperor shrimps on the cucumber, but I wasn't able to get a photograph of them together. Shooting macro on a steep sandy slope is not easy. Monty tells me that Chris Newbert (who leads trips to the Solomons every year) uses a ski pole-like spike in his hand to anchor him in the sand. That is a fantastic idea, and I'm going to have to rig something up like it.

During the night dive, I had just set up to photograph a nice flatworm I spotted when a huge black fin smashed into my camera, my face, my subject, and then the gorgonians in front of me. Argh. After recovering and purging the water out of my mask, I swam away very quickly so I could be alone for the rest of the dive.