1. Fill lower bowl with pre-heated water
2. Insert upper vessel containing measured amount of coffee
3. Apply heat source to lower vessel – the water will rise and mix with the coffee in the upper vessel.
4. Once all the water has migrated to the upper vessel (there will be a little residual water) leave heat on for approximately 1 minute
5. Remove heat and watch the wonder of gravity and pressure differentials (the vacuum) draw the coffee back down
6. Remove upper vessel and enjoy your coffee

http://vimeo.com/34564139

For recreational diving where the majority of divers observe the 30m limit, so the design challenges aren’t too great and surprise, surprise there’s a kickstarter.com project to come to the rescue.  The as yet unnamed product is a custom underwater housing rated down to 100′ in salt water for the iPhone 4 & 4s.

While there are a couple of impressive videos of great white sharks (reminds me of a trip to Gansbaai years ago) but it’s missing out on the details of how the camera is operated.  There is a mechanical button which I’m guessing activates the volume up button to start and stop recording, but no information on whether or not you have access to the touch screen.

One of the most important features of an underwater camera is the ability to set the white balance manually.  Although apps such as Filmic Pro have a white balance feature, it will require access to the touch screen.  The iPhone 4s’ fixed aperture and low light performance may make it suitable for the shallower dives (18m etc) but will inevitably need additional lights when you go deeper – adding to the cost.

In summary, if you’ve spent your money on an iPhone and are willing to risk it while you go diving (I’ve seen so many cameras lost while diving and being a technical diver, found a couple!) then the additional outlay of £260 (kick-starter prices only) then it might be a good solution.

A Good camera bag

I’ve seen people shoving their expensive camera, lenses and filters into handbags, ruck sacks and even plastic bags.  Nothing beats having a good padded camera bag with the compartments for all your accessories. The National Geographic Midi Shoulder Bag is a perfect solution to carry your gear around.  Unlike most of the “camera” bags on the market which look a little too geeky and attract unwanted attention, the National Geographic bag is unassuming and functional.

Filters, Filters and more Filters

You can never understimate the importance of having the right filters with you.  From the basic UV Filter to the enhancing effects of the neutral density filters such as the Hoya 58mm HMC NDX4 Filter and on to the fantastic polarising filters such as the Hoya 58mm Circular PL Filter, you should invest as much money as you can as some of the cheap brands suffer from poor optical quality.  While not strictly a filter, you should also invest in a White Balance Lens Cap.  Trusting the camera to correctly calculate the white balance is something that you do not need to do.

A better view

Something big, very big!

One of my most prized and often used possessions is the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L Zoomlens.  Not only does it look the business, it delivers on every level.  If you like shooting people then this lens lets you get in very close without upsetting the subject.  If you like mother nature, then this will let you capture both wildlife and astronomical events with ease.

I’ve built a custom slider using the same components from Igus for my Canon 7D but the mobislyder looks a little more portable (given it’s only 35cm long).  Stylish and compact, mobislyder adds controlled flowing movements to your production, letting you create a variety of shots in an effortless and elegantly simple way. mobislyder comes with 5 different mounts so there are numerous ways to attach it to your device.

This is a great little tip, especially if you’re using an application like SlowShutter.  Although it does have the self timer capability, I find it better to be able to trigger the shutter when I want, and not have to guess the interval.

Camera+ is by far the best app for the iPhone for taking pictures, editing and adding effects.  The features which make Camera+ stand out the most are the independent focus and exposure locks, which is sadly missing in the native camera and video app.

Browsing the extensive video app section in the App Store reveals a number of contenders, namely FiLMiC Pro and Almost DSLR.  While sharing the key features of independent exposure and focus lock, FiLMic Pro stands out as it supports the native HD resolution of the iPhone 4s where as Almost DSLR only supports 720p (perhaps an enhancement is on the way).

Whilst the FiLMiC Pro app gives you that added control over exposure and focus, don’t forget to use your glif and tripod to capture those steady images. The other features provided by the app are:

• Variable Frame Rates (1-25 and 30fps) including both the US (24p) and European (25p) film production standards.
• Selectable Resolutions
• Framing Guide Overlays (4:3, 16:9, & 2:35.1).
• Thirds Guide for help with compositions.
• Audio Metering.
• Color Bars for Post Production.
• Film Production Style Slate for adding info to your clips, syncing dual system audio, and organizing your clips.

Specifications of the Lomokino

• Film type : 35mm
• Exposure area : 24mm x 8.5mm
• Frames per. roll (36 exp.) : 144 frames
• Frame rate : Approximately 3-5 frames per second
• Taking Lens : 25mm
• Angle of view : 54 degrees
• Aperture : f/5.6, f/8, f/11 (Continuous aperture)
• Shutter speed : 1/100
• Film Advancing : Manual
• Film Counting : Volume display
• Focusing : (Normal) 1m~infinity, (Press button for) 0.6m close-up
• View finding : Inverse-Galileo foldable viewfinder
• Flash sync : x-sync (hot-shoe)
• Tripod mount : Standard 1/4″ tripod screw

Read my post regarding the forthcoming iOS 5 as it appears that Apple have introduced support to playback the Canon MOV files.

I’ve been playing with various file formats to see what works on the iPad for (1) playback and (2) for editing within the recently updated iMovie.  To view the Canon 7Ds video on the iPad you have to jail break the device, use the camera connection kit and use something like iFile.  However, even though you can play back the 1080 and 720 footage using iFile, iMovie will not recognise it for editing purposes.  This is hardly surprising given that iMovie also transcodes the Canon files at import on the Mac to the AIC (Apple intermediate Codec).

A quick test to export the Canon 7D file using the Quicktime on the Mac yields partial success. I say partial, because I’m using my Mac as an intermediary.  Not much use when you’re in the field – as you’d be better just using a MacBook Pro(or other laptop of your choice!).

If you’ve access to a very fast wifi and accompanying network connection to you base workstation, you could automate the process to download from your Compact Flash card using the camera connection kit to DropBox, and have your workstation monitor a specific DropBox folder to do the appropriate transcoding.  Depending on how much footage we’re talking about, that may take some time.

So, I think at this point it safe to say that iMovie on the iPad 2 will not support the Canon 7D h.264 format (which everybody accepts is a delivery format and not one best suited for editing). I could just imagine starting up iMovie on the iPad and waiting it to transcode your files into AIC. I guess Apple just want you to use the built in cameras to record footage.  You never know, the secret project between Apple and Canon may not just be Thunderbolt but a collaboration on the Codecs used within the Canon product suite and Apples editing programs – i.e. iMovie and the eagerly awaited update to Final Cut Pro.

Well, you can still use video shot on your iPhone though – I’ve started using PhotoSync to move files to and from the iPad/iPhone with Bluetooth  – negating the need for wifi and the cloud.

Canon 7D set up for time-lapse outside the Bank of England

Shooting time-lapse is a relatively straight forward affair.  The equipment you need varies depending on the duration and or quality of the time-lapse you’re trying to capture.  At the basic end of the scale, all you need is a camera.  With just a camera, it all about you! All you have to do it take photos in series at a specific interval using the shutter release.  Obviously, if you’re doing it manually the end result may not be the most professional – but it will be a time-lapse non the less.

Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back.

Equipment

So, to improve the quality of the time-lapse you’ll need two things (three if you include the time it takes to capture!). The first is an appropriate tripod based on the camera you’ll be using and the location at which you’ll be taking the photos.  For the less intrusive camera positions (or more creative)  I always use my trusty Joby Gorillapod. For safe, wide open spaces where people aren’t an issue, I use my Giottos Carbon Fibre Tripod.

The second depends on your camera – the intervalometer.  Some cameras come with the feature built in to the software (or if you’re using an iPhone and suitable app), some cameras can be hacked to provide the feature and the rest will need an appropriate piece of equipment.

Canon 7D set up for time-lapse at the Tower of London

As a quick side note, the CHDK firmware enhancement for compatible cameras is great.  I’ve used it with my old Canon A620 to capture lightning during storms and sunsets with great success. But, as it says on the tin, it’s for compatible Canon cameras only.  Unfortunately that does not include the Canon 7D or Canon G series!

So, for shooting time-lapse with the Canon 7D you’ll either need to buy the Canon TC 80N3 or a more reasonable third party model. Both have the same features, it just depends whether you have to have the Canon badge on it or not!

So, you’ve got your camera positioned and intervalometer set up.  Next, what mode to shoot in, what resolution and what interval between shots?  As a general rule, I always shoot in AV mode with manual focus at a resolution of 4.5M (2592*1728) which resolves most issues with exposure metering and card space! The interval depends on a number of factors including the subject matter to be recorded and the desired duration of the resulting time-lapse movie.  With regards to the subject matter you’ll need to vary the shutter speed to capture the effect you want – i.e. long exposures at night to (a) gather enough light and (b) generate  suitable motion in the image.  Fast shutter speeds tend to result in a choppy time-lapse movie, so it’s good to get a little blur in the image to soften it down.  When considering the duration of the final time-lapse  movie, you’ll need to calculate the number of shots you need to take in order to generate the desired film duration at your chosen FPS (24 or 30 FPS is the norm).  So, for a 5 minute 24 FPS movie with shots taken every second you’ll need to capture 5 * 60 * 24 = 7200 individual frames.  If you don’t want to capture so many frames, then you can mess around with the frame rate as anything from 8 FPS can result in a pleasing movie.

Once you’ve worked out the number of images you’ll need, you can then estimate the size of the memory card you need and the likely hood of your batteries running out before you’ve captured all the images!

Software

So, you’ve captured the images and now it’s time to put them all together!  Now, if you’re on a Mac things couldn’t be easier – well, quite easy.  Firstly, you should resize all you images to your desired movie render – i.e. 1080 or 720 – but if you’ve got a fast mac and want incredibly ultra high definition movie then leave them as they are.  Once you’ve settled on the size, place all the files in a folder and make sure they’re sequentially named.  Then using Quicktime 7 (not Quicktime X) open the files using the “open image sequence” and select the appropriate frame rate. That’s it!  Just save your new movie and off you go. Further adjustments can be done using the usual programs such as Final Cut Pro/iMovie etc.

If you’re on a PC then there’s a couple of choices that I’ve seen around.  Microsoft Movie Maker has a similar image sequence import but is restricted to 8 FPS.  MakeAVI is a freeware app that will also resize your images while it generates the AVI file.

Example time-lapse shot at various locations around London

Having a look around on the market highlights some of the more popular but expensive video monitors – aka the Marshall line which start around £700. Not wanting to spend that much, a number of blogs point towards Lilliput. Lilliput are a manufacturer more commonly associated with the automotive industry – in providing headrest mounted monitors for people who want to add a little bling to their “ride”.

The model I went for was the Lilliput 669GL-70NP/C – 7″ HDMI monitor (bought of eBay with a spare battery, hot flash adapter and cable). It’s a nice package which can either be attached to the cameras hot shoe or, if space and equipment allow, on another tripod. Small enough to fit in my camera bag and with the extra battery it easily lasts the day.

As you can see from the first image, it’s great for when you’re zooming in on subjects with manual focus. Below is an image where I’m using it for macro. Shooting video using the monitor is a breeze – and if you don’t need to see the shooting info then you can utilise the full 16:9 ratio that the camera pumps out. Oh, it also comes with a hood shade – which projects out an inch.  Not that much use but given that it pops off easily, that’s not too much of a problem.

The only issue you’re likely to encounter with the lilliput monitor is the battery compartment.  To open the compartment you’ll need a philips screw driver to remove the cover.  A bit of a pain but not the end of the world.

As a side note, I’ve also powered the monitor using my Tekkeon MyPower MP3750 Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery for a long long time.  When plugged into the monitor it also charges the lilliput’s internal battery.

Tekkeon MyPower charging Lilliput Monitor

Canon Battery Pack LP-E6
Hoya 58mm HMC NDX4 Filter
Hoya 58mm Circular PL Filter
Ex-Pro 58mm White Balance Lens Cap.
Canon PowerShot G10
HDMI to Mini HDMI Cable
Air Duster
LCDVF LCD View finder
Giottos MH621 Sliding Quick Release Adapter Plate
Canon TC 80N3 – Camera Remote Control – Cable

And the two things that go over my shoulder are

Giotto – 4 Section Pro Carbon Fibre Tripod With Two-Way Column
Giottos MH5001

I stumbled across this post the other day, Modding the bloggie panoramic lens, about hacking the bloggie to enable it to record 360° movies in 1080p and not the standard 720.

The initial problem the leaves you with (apart from a hacked bloggie) is how to transform your polar movie to an equirectangular format.  The software that ships with the bloggie will only recognise the 720 footage. So, I’ve attached so test to show the difference between the Pano Pro video publisher and the open framework processing script.

Test footage from the Sony Bloggie using Sony PMB software (don’t forget to switch to 720p HD!).

The same footage from the Sony Bloggie processed using the Pano Pro video publisher (don’t forget to switch to 720p HD!). (unprocessed footage here)

Here’s the 1080p footage from the Sony Bloggie processed using the Pano Pro video publisher. As you can see, the quality is greatly improved and you only loose around 6% of the viewable image (due to the distance from the lens to the 360° attachment)

And finally, here’s the Canon 7D footage processed with the Pano Pro video publisher.

Finally, here’s the output from the unmodified processing script (need to play around with the OPTICAL_CENTER_X params etc)

And finally – really, here’s the Sony Bloggie’s 1080p output passed through the BloggieVideoUnwarp processing file with modified params.

If you just want to playback the output straight from the camera, just follow the instructions here from Ryubin’s website!

Once I’d passed my advanced open water course I bought an underwater housing for my Canon A620.  As a beginners camera (7.1 MP & 4x optical zoom) it performed pretty well as it had the all important “custom white balance” mode. For all those divers out there who’ve completed the PADI underwater – white balance is the most important feature when looking for a good camera.

Canon G10 Case

A natural upgrade was to the Canon G10 (now superseded by the G12 which is in many ways not as good).  As the G10 introduced a SD video mode, I began to experiment with shooting video.  Early tests were relatively successful – Canon G10 Sample Video.  The image quality on the G10 is excellent.  Out of water, the 28mm lens is great but underwater it’s just not wide enough.  Most of the wide lens manufacturers do not support the G10 – only the FIX Big Fish Eye.  Most reviews say that with the FIX Fish Eye vignetting becomes a big problem.  If you watched the video above, you’d have noticed that my buddy (Cath Bates) and I are approaching 55m on a technical dive.

The task loading of tech diving associated with the many buttons, white balance settings and exposure/aperture settings of the camera is too much when at depth (especially on deep air dives).  Add to this the recommended allowable depth for the underwater housing (40m for the Canon housings) and things become not just difficult but impossible as the buttons become unresponsive due to the pressure being exerted on the case.  In fact, the only problem I’ve had with the G10 (which remains my backup camera on all my trips – near and far) is that the button caved in (You have to use the afore mentioned button to change the aperture settings when underwater as you don’t have access to the scroll wheel – another pain in the ass as far as the case design goes).

So, with technical diving foremost in my mind I decided to look at the many new compact HD video cameras on the market.  The most popular camera at the time was the Flip HD – but with a little more research I stumbled on the Kodak Zi8.  Encouraged by the reviews and most importantly by the cost of both the camera and Ikelite Housing (60m rated) Amazon made a little more money.  What the Kodak lacks in features (most notably a custom white balance) it makes up for in low light quality and usability.

With just a stop/start button it doesn’t get much more simpler.  The only problem you’re left with is the depth at which you can use it.  Ikelite rate their case to 60m.  I’ve used it down to 80m but the buttons become slightly un-responsive – no surprise there. So, make sure you start it rolling before you pass 60m!  On the upside the battery life is amazing (the Canon G10 would normally last 1 and 1/2 dives – pain in the ass when it goes) but the Kodak will run continually for over 100 mins – Here’s a video to show you what the Kodak can do (110 min dive edited down to 20mins)

Would I still buy the Kodak?  Maybe not, but things have moved on and hindsight is a powerful tool (only after the event though!).  The Kodak is great, especially with the Inon UWL 100 Lens.  It’s light, easy to use, quick to charge and fits in your pocket when you’re out and about.  The key point here is light.  When you start to consider the cost, weight and logistics required to transport a DSLR underwater housing along with your dive gear (mine is in excess of 35Kgs already) it becomes silly.  Consider the cheaper Ikelite housing for the 7D.  The case will set you back (I’ll use Cameras Underwater in the UK for sterling and B&H in the US for Dollars) £1,279 ($1,499), dome port £454 ($524), peli case to transport £150 ($200) the camera and lens £1,500 ($1,500) and then the excess luggage fee and insurance.  I’ll not go into the cost of transport as it varies wildly between airlines.  The same issues exist for the fans of the more conventional video camera. For a quality HD camera and housing that will go to depth, your still looking at shelling out a small fortune and increasing you bag allowance.

So, what’s the alternatives on the market these days? Canon have updated the Powershot and Ixus range with varying HD modes with the all important white balance feature.  The Go Pro HD has popped up in a number of reviews but the image quality suffers (due to the current design of the housing).  A potentially interesting introduction to the market are the micro four thirds cameras.  Given their size and image quality (Philip Bloom highly rates the GH2) they may take over from the DSLRs – but only when the housing manufacturers start to produce the goods!

In summary, I’m going to stick with the Kodak for the time being but keep an eye on Go Pros – they’re just to small and good to be ignored (especially if they sort out the housing!)

Nine times out of ten, while setting up my technical gear on the boat I’m asked “How deep are you going?”. When diving the Thistlegorm the answer is 31m. Now, most people immediately respond with “what’s the point of 4 tanks and all that extra gear?”

45 minute Thistlegorm recreational dive prof

Normally the Thistlegorm can be a bit of a divers nightmare – you arrive after a particularly early start to discover a large number of dive boats with exactly the same agenda. The recreational timetable for the Thistlegorm is the briefing, external orientation dive (no penetration), surface interval and then finally the penetration dive. One difference to the normal day dives is the number of 15L tanks on board. For some reason (it’s not like they’ll be diving at 7ATM) most peoples air consumption goes off the chart. Most people manage a bottom time of around 35-40 mins (waiting for people to join you on the line to descend, people to take photos, people getting lost,etc) with some finding their computers giving them an additional deco warning. Experienced divers can normally stretch the time out considerably with less faffing to and from the line and minimal finning.

For the second dive you have to add in the issues associated with the penetration – it’s dark, disorientating and full of people reenacting a scene from star wars (very powerfull torch beams swinging wildly from jeep to wheel to boot!). Add in groups from other boats following different routes and you have a mildly chaotic scenario. From personal experience – I’ve had to abort two recreational dives due to people loosing the main group and freezing (perceptual narrowing ) and a low air scenario.

This is where technical diving enters the scene! Tech diving is not primarily about “Deep Diving” – indeed the first several courses focus on the concept of Decompression procedures and Extended Range. One of the key review questions during the TDI courses is

“What effects decompression obligations more (a) depth or (b) time?”

The answer is time – staying 3 minutes longer has significantly more decompression obligation that going 3 metres deeper.

Extended range introduces the skills associated with staying underwater for longer periods (irrespective of depth – that’s gas choice)

140min Thistlegorm technical dive profile

So, what’s this got to do with the Thistlegorm? Consider the scenario where you can spend 1hr 40mins (more than the recreational divers get with two dives) and that the recreational divers have to spend at least an hour surface interval which leaves the Thistlegorm empty! The standard tech dive plan is to start the dive 15 mins after the recreational divers and explore the area around the anchor and railway engine.  Then it’s a high speed fly by of the external hull structure (on X-Scooters as the current can be especially strong) before shallowing up to the mid level and penetration.  The recreational divers should be long gone by now so no torches are required inside the wreck – 30 mins of gliding over the trucks, bikes and boots.  30 mins later it’s time to shallow up and explore the upper decks and captain cabin and radio office (last time the radio was still there!).  Once that’s done and we haven’t messed up the dive plan it’s a short deco stop on the line and it’s up for lunch and a nap.

SS Thistlegorm on tech scooters from John Mason on Vimeo.

Other videos on the site include videos shot with both my Canon 7D and Kodak Zi8.

Over the years I’ve collected a number of gadgets to simplify and/or automate the acquisition of large panoramic and 360 degree photos – to varying degrees of success!  They range from the cheap to the silly…. and we start with the iPhone 4.  Excluding the cost of the iPhone – the 360 apps (£0.59 – £1.19) are by far the cheapest way to capture reasonable panoramas.

The two apps that I use are 360 Panorama – Occipitaland Panoramatic 360 – floaty have two different approaches and quality. 360 Panorama has a more conventional approach of panning slowly to capture the panorama (or 360 if you spin all the way around). It will only capture a single row of images (portrait or landscape) which limits the inclination of the final image. At the time of writing, Occipital have introduced a 3D option that is a little experimental.  Here’s a sample of what it can do :

Panoramatic 360 – floaty takes the quick route – literally! Built with speed in mind and assuming you’re in a well lit area, Panoramic 360 builds the immersive image as you scan around the location using the iPhones gyroscope. Results vary according to the lighting, background movement of people and objects and the method of capture (up/down or spining). Here is and example taken on Narrow St, Limehouse.

One issue with Panoramic 360 is that the images are stored on the Occipital servers and are not in an easily exportable format. You can hack around in the source that’s generated by their online viewer (4 images) which you download (along with the .js files, css, supporting images) to host externally.

Moving away from the apps brings me to the Sony MHS-PM5KV Bloggie High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 360 degree lens.  The innovative 360 lens miniaturises what is normally a large and delicate mirror that you have to attach to your camera (see info about the Pano-Pro system later). It’s a little clip on accessory that’s only sold with the camera (unless you go through the Sony Spare parts system – it’ll cost you the same, if not a little more that an entire camera package!  - so don’t loose or scratch it!)  When you attach the lens, the camera switches into 360 mode (there’s a little magnet in the lens package).  When in 360 mode you can either record 360 video (720p) or take a 360 degree still image.  Sony bundle some windows software which will allow you to convert to a watchable (windows) format or you can use the free Ryubin’s Panorama.  No conversion is required as it accepts the raw output from the camera. Here’s an example of the cameras doughnut output – not that easy to watch! The bloggie is small enough to fit in you pocket and is even better when attached to your bike!

Last but not least – the Pano-Pro with it’s supposedly “largest in the market” panoramic lens.  Primarily targeted at the property market (estate agents etc.) it can be attached to a number of cameras – compacts and DSLRs. I’ve used it with the Canon 7D and Canon G10. Both require an adapter to attach the Pano-Pro lens with the 7D needing a supporting brace (otherwise you’ll either ruin your lens or have out of focus shots!) Although the quality generated using the Pano-Pro and 7D is far greater than the bloggie, the software (at additional cost) lets the whole package down. Updates are less than frequent (only on Windows at the moment) and the package is especially obtuse to use. Oh, and it’s huge!

To build the slider you’ll need :

Cordless Drill
WK10-80 system plus carriage
Giottos MH7000-652 Series 1 Ball Head With Quick Release (one, but it’s easier if you have two!)
a couple of bolts

The only new pieces I had to buy was the WK10-80 system plus carriage.  To assemble the rig you’ll need to drill one hole in the igus plate to accept the tripod head and one in the centre of the rail so you can mount it on your tripod. I went for a 10mm hole in the rail as it’s the right size for the Giotto head bolt and 8mm in the plate.  To attach the tripod head to the plate I simply use a Camera Flash Hot Shoe Mount 1/4″ Tripod Screw Adapter with thread adapter so it’s flush with the plate and will not snag on the rail.

Now for the resulting video!

With a travel distance of over 13,000 km and nearly three days I arrived tired, hungry and filled with a the hope of some excellent diving.

A quick note on the airports – Dubai is like most modern airports with row after row of identical shops selling exactly the same products.  Manila, however, is something from the past and it’s very small.  Facilities are limited with one cafe and the bar is unfortunately the smoking room.  All in all, no a very pleasant stop over.

The flight to Palau is quite quick (just under 3 hours) and immigration a breeze followed by an efficient transf to the hotel – the Landmark Marina. The hotel is quite new and with all the usual facilities you’d expect these days.   The main reason to choose the hotel was the 2 minute walk around to the corner to FishNFins.

FishNFins are a very welcoming operation – a quick run through of all the dive sites and various trips and I’m ready to go diving.  I opted for the daily diving as time did not permit the liveaboard option. An interesting mandatory purchase at FishNFins is a waterbottle!  Having dived all round the world this was the first time I’d seen a dive centre actively reducing the amount of plastic bottles used.  They provide fresh chilled water on the boats during the day, and back at the centre.

The day normally consists of a 8am departure followed by three dives.  Normally two in the morning then lunch and a third dive but this is flexible depending on prevailing sea conditions and choice of dive sites. The dive sites are all within an hour of the dive centre given the very powerful speedboats in use.  Dive sites can be classified by geological curiosity or by the species of fish you’ll see.  Want caves? Then Siaes Tunnel, Chandelier Cave and the Blue holes are a must. Sharks? Blue Corner, Peleliu Wall & Cut and Siaes Corner are where you’ll find the action. The dive guides are excellent and understand the tidal movements so will time your dives to maximise current and therefore the opportunity to see the majestical sharks.

A possible candidate for entry as a wonder of the natural world has to be Jellyfish Lake, or Ongeim’l Tketau as it is called in Palauan. Once you’ve finished your morning dives and had lunch you head over to the southern lagoon, on Mecherchar Island. It’s a strenuous walk up the paths to lake but it is an amazing site.  Let the guide swim around the lake to find the jellyfish as the migrate around following the sun.  Then gently swim amongst the jellyfish – they don’t sting so the only thing you have to worry about is damaging the jellyfish.!

So, does Palau live up to all the hype? Well, yes it does. If you need proof, check out my collection on flickr.

Leaving Palau, I headed back to Manila for a quick one night stop over and a domestic flight down to Cebu followed by a 4 hr car ride to the port at Maya.  A little wait for the local boats to fill up enough and off we went to Bantigue Cove Beach Resort.  On arrival I was welcomed and shown to my room – very basic and lacking air-conditioning!  Eager to go diving I was extremely disappointed to find out that the in house dive shop did not provide Nitrox (a must for some of the key dive sites where the Thresher Sharks are to be found).  So, I hitched a lift on the back of a motorbike and set off down through the jungle to the main area.  Luckily I had also researched alternative dive shops so headed to the British run Thresher Shark Divers who delivered yet another disappointment – dives start at either 5 or 6am to catch the early morning action! Why a disappointment?  There’s no way I could get transport from Bantigue Grove to the dive centre at that time in the morning.  Only one thing for it, change accommodation! Several hair raising motorbike rides to collect my dive gear and I moved to Slam’s Garden Resort.  Although lower in rating on tripadviser.com than Bantigue grove, Slam’s is very new, clean and has excellent air-conditioning.

The diving : going to Palau then diving somewhere else immediately is a very depressing experience.  Although flora and fauna above sea level is very similar, underwater is not.  First you notice the drop in visibility, secondly the variety and size of fish reduces significantly.  Local fishing has decimated the underwater landscape – although it is a haven for macro species.

That said, the primary reason for visiting Malapscua was to find the elusive Thresher sharks. So, for a week I got up at 5am and headed out to Moad Shoal in search of sharks.  The dive consisted of groups splitting up and scouring the mount at a depth of 26m looking for the sharks.  The mounts side drop down to a depth of over 200m where the sharks patrol for food.  In order to maximise time looking for the sharks, nitrox is a necessity. Most of the days was an amusing game of managing air consumption against no decompression time and the water temperature as there was a significant lack of shark activity.

Towards the end of the week, with no sightings from anyone, I was beginning to think I’d never see one.  Then, with a stunning sun rise over the Philippine sea, I finally saw what I’d come for – a lone Thresher Shark. Photo? No chance, visibility and distance were against me on that day!

Would I go to Malapascua again?  Probably – only because now I’m an advanced Trimix diver I’ll be able to go deeper and stay longer with the Thresher sharks!