What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured in the one image. A picture where the topside of the picture and the land or seascape is visible, but the bottom half of the view is the underwater reef scene. As travellers with Snorkel Venture, we’re very lucky to visit some of the most beautiful tropical paradises in the world. And I’ve always been fond of taking shots that show the viewer exactly what it is we do and where, so what better way than a split shot? It’s like two for the price of one click of the shutter. And the great news is that they’re easier and much less expensive to achieve than you may think. The Necessary Kit And Equipment. Being an underwater photographer, also teaching underwater photography workshops alongside my job as a Snorkel Venture guide, has meant that I have amassed a lot of expensive underwater photo kit over the years. My bigger camera, lenses, housing, and strobes come to more than $15-20K, and it allows me to do some extraordinary things with it, but aside from the price, it’s huge and costly to travel with. So it was a revelation that when I started doing more of the Snorkel Venture trips, I could leave it all at home and instead use exactly what the majority of our SV clients use, and that was, in the main either GoPros or similar or the seemingly ubiquitous Olympus Tough range, currently the Olympus TG7. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at
What Is A Split Shot? Also Known As A Half-half Or An Over-under Shot? Well, in the world of underwater photography, technically they’re a way to show the above world and the immediate underwater, all at once, and they’re a really fun way to let the viewer know what it is we do, all captured
The Coralia Liveaboard is well known for many things: its spacious cabins, romantic wooden finish, stellar crew, and convenient and uber-comfortable design. At least, that's something we talk about a lot whenever we talk about Coralia. One thing we haven't really highlighted too much, at least in any great detail, is its food! The chefs on the Coralia have cultivated an extensive menu that beautifully combines a variety of Western flavors along with Indonesian favorites. With enough notice, they can accommodate just about any dietary preferences or requirements while still delivering the rich flavors you crave. Here's one of our guests' favorites from past tours aboard the Coralia. Ayam Bakar Taliwang ('Taliwang Style' - Spicy Grilled Chicken) A flavor-packed Indonesian favorite from the Coralia galley, tender chicken simmered in a fragrant spice blend, then finished over the grill for a smoky, caramelized char. Ingredients 200 g garlic, roughly chopped 300 g shallots, roughly chopped 1 inch fresh turmeric, or 1 tbsp turmeric powder 2 inches fresh ginger, or 2 tbsp ginger powder 2 inches fresh galangal, optional 3 stalks lemongrass 3 bay leaves 3 kaffir lime leaves 200 ml coconut cream 1 chicken, chopped into pieces Neutral oil for sautéing ~100 ml Water Method Sauté the garlic, shallots, turmeric, ginger, and galangal in a little neutral oil until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a blender, add 100 ml water, and blend until smooth. Return the spice paste to the stove. Add the lemongrass, bay leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Add the chicken and enough water to just barely cover it. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the coconut cream and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Remove the chicken and finish it on a hot grill pan, or even better, over a barbecue, until cooked
The Coralia Liveaboard is well known for many things: its spacious cabins, romantic wooden finish, stellar crew, and convenient and uber-comfortable design. At least, that’s something we talk about a lot whenever we talk about Coralia. One thing we haven’t really highlighted too much, at least in any great detail, is its food! The chefs
Normally, asking someone, "How old are you?" might be considered a little rude. But when it comes to the creatures of the reef, the answers are simply too intriguing not to ask. We've all had those moments while snorkeling when a wrinkled, barnacle-encrusted sea turtle glides gracefully past, making you think, "That dude has seen some things.". Or perhaps you've drifted over a coral colony stretching for tens of meters and found yourself wondering, "Were you alive when the dinosaurs still roamed the Earth?". Well, in this blog, we're going to ask that nosy question "How old are you?" to some of our favorite residents of the reef. The answers might just leave us all feeling a little younger. Giant Barrel Sponge On tours, every now and again, I encourage our guests to swim towards deeper water and peak over the edge of the shallow plateau we are snorkeling over. One of the most prominent things you will likely see are these giant barrel sponges that can grow to be so large that you could easily fit inside one. When it comes to age, these sponges absolutely knock it out of the park... and right into outer space. Giant barrel sponges tend to grow anywhere between a few millimeters to a couple of centimeters a year. Depending on their position on the reef they will have more or less nutrient rich water flow through them which correlates with their growth rate. By taking repeated photographs of their growth over time scientist have estimated that many of these sponges are 100s of years old. And most impressively, the oldest giant barrel sponge measured to date is over 2000 years old!!! If this has you wondering how old your favorite sponge is, Dr Joseph Pawlik has made it easy for us to
Normally, asking someone, “How old are you?” might be considered a little rude. But when it comes to the creatures of the reef, the answers are simply too intriguing not to ask. We’ve all had those moments while snorkeling when a wrinkled, barnacle-encrusted sea turtle glides gracefully past, making you think, “That dude has seen
One of the best things about snorkeling is the endless sense of discovery. Just when you think you've seen it all, you come across a fish that's been there all along, you just never noticed it until today. Then, suddenly, you start spotting it on every snorkel. Fish identification is never ending! And if you ever feel like the more you snorkel, the less you know, don't be discouraged. Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet, so there's always a new name to learn. To help sharpen your fish ID skills, I'm going to introduce you to the four most common families of Indonesian reef fish, explain how to identify them, and sprinkle in a few fun fish facts along the way, because who doesn't love those? Damselfish On my most recent tour, I had the pleasure of introducing a guest to the damselfish family. Once you start noticing them, it's mind-boggling just how many different species there are. In fact, one could argue that without damselfish, the reef would lose a lot of its sparkle. Damselfish are often called the "confetti fish" because they burst out from coral heads like fish-fetti! If approached, they seem to move as one, ducking back into the coral for shelter in a perfectly synchronized flash. These coordinated movements are like underwater fireworks and will leave you mesmerized. If you've ever snorkeled over a tropical reef, I can almost guarantee you've seen a damselfish. They are one of the most common reef fish and can be identified by their oval-shaped, laterally flattened bodies, forked tails, and are almost always found in groups. Most damselfish are between 2 and 15 cm long, although some species can grow up to 30 cm. Color isn't the best way to identify them, as they
One of the best things about snorkeling is the endless sense of discovery. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you come across a fish that’s been there all along, you just never noticed it until today. Then, suddenly, you start spotting it on every snorkel. Fish identification is never ending! And if you
“Yes! wonderful things” This was what Howard Carter famously said to Lord Carnarvon whilst peering into a dusty and ancient antechamber illuminated by just a single candle, and not looked upon by human eyes for over 3000 years. It was full of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamen and is arguably the most significant archeological find in recent times. And all of us on my latest Snorkel Venture tour to Egypt were treated to viewing these wonderful things on our visit to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum laid out in what is the largest museum in the world. The sheer scale of this astonishing feat of modern engineering designed to display and make accessible those treasures found by Howard Carter and others after him is simply breathtaking.. It’s so well done and whilst massive it’s quite easy to navigate especially with the aid of our Egyptologist Amira who took us on a curated selection of the most famous exhibits. We were there only half a day, and it’s not enough, but for our group of travel weary Americans and a fellow Brit it was just enough to savor this incredible place and whet our appetites for a future visit. The day before which was the official start day of our Red Sea Snorkel Venture tour we visited the pyramids and in keeping with the GEM they’ve revamped the accessibility and made the whole process more organized with hop on hop off air conditioned tour buses which get you around the sites major landmarks including of course the Sphinx which was the last stop on our tour. As the majority of our SV guests travel in from the States via Cairo then it would be a terrible shame to not visit these wonders of the world, and so when the
“Yes! wonderful things” This was what Howard Carter famously said to Lord Carnarvon whilst peering into a dusty and ancient antechamber illuminated by just a single candle, and not looked upon by human eyes for over 3000 years. It was full of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamen and is arguably the most significant archeological
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The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
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