At the start of this trip I posted a photo of all of our customer’s cameras on our Facebook page. There were a lot! The caption read:
‘’If we don’t get some good photos on this trip, we are definitely doing something wrong’’
Well it turns out we didn’t do anything wrong. The pictures were amazing. Yet that wasn’t even the most memorable part of the trip. For that I would have to say congratulations to Jack and Claire; newly engaged whilst Scuba Diving in the bay of Richelieu Rock.
Where would you do your Wedding Proposal?
Where is the best place you can think of to propose to your girlfriend? How about on the top of a mountain? Too much walking and she might fall off. What about on the big screen in a sports stadium? Well, if she says no, you might feel a bit embarrassed. How about hiding the ring in her favourite chocolate cake? She might choke on the ring as she wolfs it down. Skydiving? If she says no you might decide not to pull her parachute to save yourself the embarrassment of telling people she rejected you. At the top of the Eiffel tower? If you drop the ring it could reach terminal velocity and potentially kill an innocent bystander! Let’s face it wherever you do it it’s going to be terrible. So where better to do it than surrounded by the beautiful fish and Corals of somewhere like Richelieu Rock. Propose to her whilst Scuba Diving!!!
For Jack and Claire, everything went swimmingly. After some planning with Instructor Neil Thursfield, Jack was waiting for the OK sign for the perfect moment. Jack had planned to give his GoPro to Neil so he could film the event. However, caught up in the moment, he forgot. So the event will have to remain in the memories of those who were there. Jack unrolled the banner.
‘’Will you marry me?”
Jack presented Claire with the ring. It may be difficult to talk underwater, but the answer was obviously yes. After the Wedding Proposal dive, Neil told me that Jack got through his air a little bit quicker on that dive. I guess he was a little bit nervous. But they both came up smiling. Congratulations Jack and Claire! All the best and please send us some photos of the Wedding.
And then there was the photography…
I wouldn’t like to guess the combined value of all the cameras on this Similan Liveaboard trip. Bearing in mind the camera itself can be one of the cheaper parts of the set-up. The underwater housings cost a few bob. The price of a good strobe light will blow you away, and a good setup will have two lights! But when you see the quality of the photos, you will hopefully understand why underwater photography can become an obsession.
The photo above shows the eggs of an Anemone fish underneath an anemone. Obviously the first challenge is to find something so small. Then to frame it so beautifully and capture the eggs in such perfect focus with such a small depth of field is a real skill.
The next photo might take a few seconds to recognise. The Ornate ghost pipefish is a small, elusive and well hidden little critter. For most people going Scuba Diving, finding one of these fish is an accomplishment enough in itself. Above is a super close up of an Ornate Ghost Pipefish’s eye!
The last one I will mention is a good example of a new take on something very common. This is a photo of a Christmas tree worm. However, a little bit of imagination can give a new take on something simple. There were many great photos on this trip and below are a few more of the best.
If you were on the trip then please leave us a comment to let us know your thoughts. And once more, congratualtions to Jack and Claire after your Wedding Proposal. Come back for the Honeymoon!
Image Gallery
