Humpback Whales

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A lifetime’s ambition to be in the water with humpback whales was achieved when I visited Silver Bank, 80 miles off the coast of Dominican Republic. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer size of these magnificent creatures but what struck me most was how gentle and graceful they were. I observed several mother and calf interactions and the tender care exhibited by the mothers was human like. I first booked this trip 5 years ago and it was cancelled twice by Covid... but it was definitely worth the wait.

Whale Sharks

Whale sharks are the biggest fish on the planet, growing up to 20m long. But it's not just their huge size which makes them so impressive because, in my opinion, they are also insanely beautiful. When you are around them it's impossible not to be a little bit emotional, they are a true gentle giant. We photographed these Whale sharks around the Hanifaru Bay area whilst stopping with @fehivelaa-dive operation on Dhonfanu island. Our guide, Hussain, has connections with all the dive boat operators in the area and he would get a call if they got a visit from a Whale shark. It led to a few very late nights, but it was definitely worth it.

Here’s a short video of our experience.

www.fehivelaa-dive.com

Photographing Reef Mantas

I’ve just published the 5 minute video of our trip to Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives - you can find it below.

Located in Baa Atoll, Hanifaru Bay is famous because from mid-May until December, the reef acts like a funnel, filling up with plankton, attracting hundreds of manta rays to feed. This happens due to the unique structure of the bay’s outer reef — strong tides overcome the force of the monsoonal current, sucking plankton-rich water from the depths outside the atoll back into the shallow channels. These currents form a back eddy or reverse current, that traps and concentrates plankton inside Hanifaru Bay. When I first entered the water I couldn’t even count how many mantas there were. I was beside myself with excitement!

Solihull Lecture - Fabulous Print Stands!

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I love printing and I produce a print of every image that I’ve worked up to the standard necessary to feature on my website, but it’s rare to get the chance to display more than about 20 at any lecture I deliver. Well Solihull changed all that - they had enough print stands for me to be able to display every underwater print I had with me!

It gives me a great sense of pride and happiness when I can see them all at the same time. It really reminds me how super lucky I am to have had so many fantastic underwater encounters :-)

Red Sea Trip Video

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The place I've dived most in the world is the Red Sea around Dahab, Egypt. We return most years because we love the dive outfit, Dive Urge, but the diving is great too. Almost all the sites are accessible by walking in, which makes a great change from the normal boat diving I do. This short video gives you a good idea of what you can expect to see on a typical dive.

Porcupine Pufferfish, Red Sea, Dahab, Egypt.