going under

"I put my eyes under and civilisation vanished with one last bow. I was in a jungle never seen by those who floated on the opaque roof.” Jacques Cousteau, "The Silent World".

These are some pictures taken by friends on my trip to the Tubbathaha Reef in the Philippines, as I did not bring a camera of my own. The reefs are a lot more vivid than they appear in the pictures; bear in mind none of us have professional lighting and filter for our cameras...

school reefshark shrimp turtle nurse shark nudi manta

One of me

me

The ranger station at Tubbathaha, where rangers are stationed year-round, right through the worst cyclone seasons. That concrete bunker is a lot tougher than it looks - it also features solar panels, a little garden, and...souvenir t-shirts.

ranger 
sky

 Also, one of my favourite profiles in US Vogue. Inspiration.


Comments

Joy said…
the photos are absolutely amazing! i still have so much trouble equalising. my ears seem to refuse to cooperate. going to go read the profile right now!
Unknown said…
These are stunning. x
CPJY said…
wow these are so beautiful. i always thought those underwater camera housings looked funny haha.
Fen said…
this looks amazing - so calm and beautiful. I am so envious, it sounds like you had a wonderful time :)
petrichore said…
Looks like an incredible trip!
Ammu said…
Incredible. Thanks so much for posting! Man, I miss life in South East Asia.
Lunaday said…
Oh, I am so jealous!! Since I went to Maui a few years ago I really wanted to do scuba diving. Watching a giant turtle swimming behind me was the highlight of my trip and I wanted to go deeper...Amazing pictures.
Human Racing said…
Beautiful photos! MY favorite is the turtle one. Why do they always look so pissed off? Anyhoo, I'm glad you had such a relaxing and energizing vacation.
Anonymous said…
What incredible color in these photos!
lin said…
Joy: I have met lots of divers with that problem, and they've all managed to keep diving, so don't worry, it's not insurmountable! It basically comes down to descending slowly. Although I do know a guy who really can't go down at all because he had a nose operation and apparently the metal bit in this nose obstructs him from equalising...

Lapin de Lune: Thanks!

Catherine: Yeah the professional ones look hilarious, and weigh a tonne. Housing for regular point and shoots aren't so fancy, but they look like toys haha. I'm hoping to buy a Go Pro for my next trip, when they come up with proper dive housing...underwater vids are so much more interesting than photos, I feel.

Fen: Thanks. And yes it was a wonderful trip. Southeast Asia is diving haven, and it's sad because such sites are also often targets of dynamite fishing, and some sites I loved now look like war zones. So it's always happiness with a bit of anxiety for me because these places are so vulnerable.

petrichore: It truly was!

Pret a Porter P: There;s always snorkelling. Or aquariums!

As for that Vogue profile, I'm inspired by the fact that there are people who dive and explore in their 60s. Motivation to stay in good health!

Ammu: Well you're not too badly-positioned to visit often!

Lunday: Yeah, snorkelling was never v fun for me - I always wanted to go deeper too.
lin said…
camisablanca: They're probably sick of divers getting in their face for photos. But that mournful quality is what I find so adorable about them.

terri: all credit goes to my friend!

Popular Posts