18-FEB-2007
Relaxing time
Day zero. Getting our marks after a 26 hours trip from Paris to Havelock, going through Chennai, paperworks at the immigration desk, wait four hours in a hotel room in Chennai, then Port Blair, paperworks at Port Blair airport,, wait again four hours in Port Blair, ferry to Havelock, paperworks at Havelock harbor, no waiting (eh? what's wrong?), Island Vinnies' GQ, little paperwork, home tent... Wot? no paperwork?
Time for Luna to get into full action. Here's how it goes at Island Vinnie's...
19-FEB-2007
Trevally School
Dixon's Pinnacle, named after softspeaking guide Dixon and, you guessed... a pinnacle.
Probably the best dive of the bunch I did (ok, best tied with...). Much impressed with the LOADS of fish there, here I'm running against bluefin trevallies, I could almost touch them, but -very surprisingly- they were faster than me...
Add on top of that a good viz, probably 20m.
A real pity I was struggling with my camera at the moment.
19-FEB-2007
Dixon's Pinnacle coral life
This is how good it gets when it comes to coral life in the Andamans.
Maybe not the Similans for the soft coral yet really decent, and as for for fishlife it smokes Thailand anytime.
Not a masterpiece but I thought a little coral would prevent boredom from these schools of thousand big fish photos.
Note to myself : think about a real wide angle lens.
19-FEB-2007
Barracudas
Did I also mention the schools of 'ccudas at Dixon's pinnacle?
A really good dive site.
Unfortunately, one of the two dives brings current, on the second dive apart from a turtle and the sight of Manty's blue fins in the distance, I saw nothing. (Manty, if you read me, I would have killed you for swimming so fast! I hate current, especially holding a dSLR housing and a strobe).
19-FEB-2007
Vinnies' beachfront
Time now to wander on Vinnie's beachfront at low tide : here's beach #5 in Havelock... and from what I've walked probably the best stretch, without rocks... though too many coral bommies for the dive boats, but we'll see that later on...
Just a few clouds on heaven : on the right side you'll be stopped by stray dogs while the left side is populated with low budget backpackers trying to find their path through life with beach yoga or masala frisbee.
A darker cloud above paradise : Kingfisher beer gives me headaches. Checked in a french guidebook, it's because of the high amount of glycerin, they say. So no Indian beer for me, the night before diving.
20-FEB-2007
Yellow damsel
Here we are on South Button after a tedious two hours trip.
I have not achieved any spectacular photo of this site despite incredible hard coral variety, it seems this iste has never heard about El Nino.
This photo of a -probably juvenile- Ambon Chromis doesn't do any justice to this lovely dive site as it's obviously better than what you see here.
Perhaps this is a site that is worth forgetting the camera for the day and enjoying the coral fields.
20-FEB-2007
Schooling Banner Fish
Another dweller of South Button, a dive site remarkable for its hard coral growth.
Any type of hard coral, staghorn, brain, table, salad, you name it, it's there. It's been a very long time I hadn't seen colorful hard corals, if you haven't yourself, dive South Button!
20-FEB-2007
Spine cheek Clownfish
I wrote two photos above that one should consider diving this site, South Button without his camera. that is complete bullshit, I reckon.
Any underwater photographer admits after a few drinks he would kill for a good clownfish spot.
Well dear photographer colleague, South Button is the place for you. The Spine Cheek Clownfishes are simply gorgeous there, fat and bright. First time I saw such vivid yellow bands for that specie, I'm more accustomed to the standard orange/white color combo, even for the spine cheeks.
The other frequent dwellers of this site are the octopii.. but as you know, the weird octopus is plain crap for photo. I haven't seen one good coral reef octopus picture in my life yet, not speaking about coldwater pink octopii. So when one guide points nervously to both an octopus and my camera, I just pretend I shoot the beast to please the guide and afterwards, that I mistakenly erased the picture... but the truth is that I have NEVER depressed that shutter.
21-FEB-2007
Beach #7
Day three : dive off day.
Haaaa.... beach #7... I have no words to praise this beach. On top of my list when it comes to beaches, with Perhentian islands or Koh Lipe.
21-FEB-2007
Coral crab
Back in the water after a short break.
First dive with buddy Pedro from Teneriffe, night dive on "The wall" in the middle of the ferry channel.
A strange dive, almost devoid of fish life, plenty of soft corals aginst the wall with very very small crustacean life, haven't even seen a nudibranch. This is home for a real 100mm macro + a macro lens for 2:1 scenes.
21-FEB-2007
Red Hingebeak Shrimp
100 mm macro + magnifying lens is the way to go at the Wall if you want to catch something, and don't forget the light. I was very short of everything with my 50mm which refused to focus neatly on the yet difficult to spot critters, here a hardly noticed hingebeak translucid shrimp.
From that night, I promised to myself to invest soon into a video light.
Note to myself : add to shopping basket with dome, ultrawide lens, 100mm macro and second flash...ouch...
22-FEB-2007
Smokin'
Day four : a nice portrait of the greenhouse gas hole. Sink this boat and the world pollution problem is over... but you won't be able to dive anymore...
Oooh I see : let's keep that pollution problem alive, okay?
This is the kind of boat that will drift you nicely to your dive site. The good thing is that after a one hour ride, you cannot feel the liquid coming out of your ears and when the engine stops after two hours, you don't even notice it.
22-FEB-2007
The Boss
Probably the best dive site tied with Dixon's Pinnacle is Johnny's Gorge named after guide Johnny.
Let me introduce you to the boss of this site a giant potato grouper of .. I don't know, 1m20, 1m40... he's BIG...
22-FEB-2007
Snapper school
Along with giant groupers, this ite is remarkable with the density of fish just sitting there. You have to push them to go forward. Here's a bunch of snappers that look as stupid as a herd of sheep.. and they are certainly.
The main drawback of this site is that it's almost a "square profile" dive at 28m depth, hence the diving time is limited. Without further notice my computer struck a 8 minutes deco stop, after I took a bit of time to portray the boss of the site.
Nitrox would me more than welcome. Think about it, Vinnie.
22-FEB-2007
Moorish idol
After a deco dive on Johnny's Gorge, Minerva Ledge is an ideal shallow site for a second dive.
This is a huge continuous hard coral reef with plenty of small coral fish. Macro lens should be ideal here. Wrong number, I didn't have it, hence I had to run after midle sized fish like this Moorish Idol.
23-FEB-2007
Into the Bommie Maze
Day five, last day diving. DiveIndia had chartered a private boat for the two of us who only wished a single dive due to flying the day after.
Going to Dixon's Pinnacle at low tide wasn't an easy job for the boatman, trying to get past the maze of coral bommies. I think he fell a few times, and tried to do his best back on the boat not to show he was hurt.
23-FEB-2007
Chasing Trevally
Down on Dixon's Pinnacle the current was exhilarating this time.
I wouldn't have mind a dive hook, as we were creeping our way on the top of the pinnacle. On the outer edge of the reef the trevallies and the bonitos are going wild chasing some baitfish.
23-FEB-2007
Percula Clownfish
Down in the lee side where no current happens, I found a shelter for doing some clownfish photography, something I simply can't resist.
In the meantime I may have missed a shark or two.
23-FEB-2007
Percula Clownfish bis
Another percula clownfish photo and probably some more sharks missed in the meantime.
23-FEB-2007
Doted Grouper
Some other of my favorite preys : red coral grouper, glassfish school and hanging crinoids.
There must be a rule in underwater photo that says "don't mix the good things together or it'll give crap".
I should have known it beforehand, though this was probably my last underwater photo in the Andamans... so far...
23-FEB-2007
Back in the Ferry
A few hours later, time to get on the 4:30 ferry to port Blair. nobody seems incredibly happy to get back to the real world... this young couple doesn't make any exception... or perhaps is it just a matter of a broken nail.
So this ends a first stay in Havelock... something makes me think it won't be our last.
Thanks to all the nice folks we met on our holidays, Shirin, Russa, Bedussa, Pedro, Jan, Michael, Chris and of course Pritha, Vinnie, Manty, Dixon, the team at the resort/dive center and whoever I forgot to name.
PS to Frodo : I gave you back your plastic toy bone you managed to hide in my divebag, pls return my Suunto pouch.
