After spending weeks immersed deep in the blue of the Pacific Ocean, next stop was red; days amongst towering red sand dunes in the Namib Desert and then immersed again... this time in the daily lives of the wildlife of Etosha National Park.
Another photo guiding assignment, this time for Darran Leal's specialist photo tour company Safariwise Australia.
My group of six: John and Pip, Clinton, Sandy, Wendy and Jane were great companions as we crossed Namibia in search of classic African landscape, wildlife and culture. Our local guide Neil showed as the best opportunities Namibia had to offer and his fabulous staff Samuel, Simson and Malakia looked after our every need back at camp.
Our route took us first Southward to the dunes of the Namib Desert; West to the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund for fantastic seabirds, fur seals and dolphin encounters; North to the waterholes and wildlife of Etosha; then East into the Kalahari Desert to visit the San Bushmen.
You can browse a web gallery featuring around 100 of my images from the trip via this link.
I'll be guiding for Safariwise Australia again next year, visiting the fabled Galapagos Islands in October, with a tour taking in the other highlights Equador scheduled to follow on immediately afterwards.
WHALES SWIM / EARTH MOVES IN LATE SEPTEMBER, VAVA'U GROUP
September was whale month, and in a previous post I linked to a web gallery featuring images from the first of my two Whaleswim Photo Tours in Tonga.
I've now posted a second gallery, with images captured with my second group of whaleswimmers; Jann, Phillipa, Bridget from Australia; Bob from Alaska; Ryan and Cam from the middle of Canada.
Along with additional whale images this new gallery link also includes a few images of the surge effects seen in the Vava'u Group's Port of Refuge harbour at the time of the earthquake and tsunami. The event coincided with low tide, so resulted in the "tide" pushing in all the way to the high water mark, then retreating again to low water mark at a rapid rate. This complete ebb and flow of the tidal range happened 4 times in 15 minutes, but never threatened above the usual maximum sea level. The photographs show the massive turbulence created as the incoming water tries to enter through the neck of the harbour, and also close-ups of the cascading flow over the shallows, close to shore. There was damage to a couple of jetties outside of the harbour, but in Vava'u no major damage or injury was reported. After a slight delay to our morning departure, we had a great day swimming with whales!
I'm looking forward to next season's trips already. The excitment has been fueled by the new BBC Series "Life" that features fabulous aerial and underwater sequences of the Tongan humpbacks during their aggressive "Heat Runs", when numerous males compete for mating rights. The BBC enlisted the help of our local skippers Alaister and Ali to help capture the amazing footage. A video preview of the episode can be seen here.
So if you're thinking of joining us on a Whaleswim Adventure in Tonga during 2010, go to this page on the Whaleswim site for more details (look for "Photography Small Group A and B").
SWIMMING WITH WHALES
Greetings from the mid-Pacific! I'm in Vava'u, Tonga, halfway through guiding this year's WhaleSwim Adventures Photo Tour season, with my second group starting this coming weekend.
Our first group- Robyn, Leeanne, Inger, Jo and Susan- had an amazing 10 days, with plentiful humpbacks and varied encounters; many mother and calf pods finding shelter; a fabulous group of 9 whales in crystal clear water on the outside of Hunga; and a very friendly pod of short-finned pilot whales near North Bay.
You can enjoy a selection of images I captured during last week's tour by following this gallery link.
We already have some early bookings for the 2010 season photo tours. With boat and crew, guides, and group size of only 5 guests, these two trips ensure the maximum number of in-water encounters, and are ideal for both photographers and dedicated whale-lovers. Dates for next year are 10-20 September and 24 September-6 October 2010. You can find the itineraries here (look for Photography Small Group A and B), or if you want further info, drop me a line or contact WhaleSwim for details or bookings.
TAWALI - PNG dive heaven
After disembarking from Svetaeva, I met up with friend and dive buddy Rusty Lee on the streets of Alotau. Rusty had flown in from the his home in the south west of Western Australia to spend a week with me diving at Tawali on Milne Bay.
Only accessible by boat, Tawali sits on rainforest-clad ridge overlooking turquoise waters. Some of PNG's best diving is within easy reach of the resort, and week at Tawali revolves around diving, diving and more diving.
The local waters offer some fantastic critter and muck diving, as well as some superb reefs attracting pelagics, walls covered in seafans, and extensive sponge gardens.
My particular favourite dive sites were Wahoo Point and Deacon's, but all the sites I dived offered fantastic opportunities.
CRUISING PAPUA NEW GUINEA
I was asked by Aurora Expeditions to cover their inaugral voyage through the waters of PNG during April of 2008.
Our departure point was to be Rabaul, so I arrived a few days early to dive some of the World War II wrecks in the area, a legacy of the Japanese occupation in the '40s. I chose to dive with the folksÊ from Kabaira Dive and they were fantastic. With local divemaster Richard I dove a Japanese Zero plane wreck and the water carrier Iwate Maru in Simpson Harbour; George's wreckÊ and a drop on sponge Wonderland outside the harbour, close to Kabaira.
Tavurvur volcano, part of the Rabaul caldera, decided to put on a show during the days I was in town.ÊThe expedition staff arrived just in time for all the excitment, but alas the eruption put paid to the arrival of the passengers, as volcanic ash closed the airport.
So with a lot of phone calls and emails from Expedition Leader Greg Mortimer and his staff, and much patience from the passengers stuck in the four corners of PNG by rescheduled flights, the decison was made to meet the group in Kavieng.
From Kavieng, our ship Marina Svetaeva headed across the Bismark Sea to the Sepik River, then down the northern coast of PNG to our final port, Alotau.
Along the way we snorkelled abundant reefs, visited remote island villages, met beautiful people, and made lasting friendships.
Stay tuned for some more images from this wonderful trip
NEW LADY ELLIOT IMAGES
My Summer 2006/07 visit to the Great Barrier Reef island of Lady Elliot was most about turtles, shooting for Tourism Queensland.
During March 2008 I revisited this gem of the reef with a broader focus. Lady Elliot represents southern Great Barrier Reef at its best, with clear water, interesting coral reef communities, and heaps of fish, big and small. The diving offered by the resort is straight-forward with three boat dives (5-20 min rides) per day and great snorkelling off the beach.
Here are a few of the images captured in March, and I hope to have an extended selection in my database shortly.
JOIN ME WITH THE WHALES IN TONGA
This coming September/October I'll be working with WhaleSwim Adventures in the Kingdom of Tonga, guiding their two special humpback whale Photography Tours.
I first worked with WhaleSwim in Tonga over the 2001 and 2002 seasons, and I can't wait to return to this remarkable place and spend more time in the company of whales.
WhaleSwim are operating a total of 16 tours in the 2008 season, with two catering specifically for photographers. With boat and crew, guides, and group size (5 guests only) all designed with photographers in mind, these two trips ensure the maximum possible opportunity for great in-water encounters.
The Photography Tour dates are 12-22 September and 26 September-6 October 2008. Drop me a line if you want some more info or contact WhaleSwim for bookings.
SIX DAYS IN TASMANIA
At the kind invitation of the AIPP in Tasmania, last weekend I spoke at the annual Photo Festival held at the Salamanca Inn in Hobart. After that, Tasmanian photographer
Ian Wallace and I had a couple of days diving with Mick and Karen
at Eaglehawk Dive Centre. This was my first foray into temperate Tasmanian waters,
and I really enjoyed the 3 dives. The first day was a great introduction in good conditions at Deep Glen Bay, with gardens of bull kelp, some co-operative Weedy Sea Dragons and reasonable visibilty.
The second day we ventured into Fortesque Bay, hoping to capture the giant kelp forests for which the Tasman Peninnsula is famous. These once-widespread underwater forests, that can grow to a height of around 30m high in places, are in decline as waters warm, water quality changes and invasive species migrate into Tasmania. The area of forest in Fortesque Bay is much-reduced, and unfortunatley very low light levels and poor visibilty made quality shooting too great a challenge! I hope to return to Tassie in the cooler, clearer months next year, hopefully this will not be too late to see a Giant Kelp forest in all its glory.
35 DAYS IN TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND
From rainforests to reef, outback to islands - September was a whirlwind of photography across the Tropical North, on a shoot for Tourism Queensland. Under water; in the air; on the beaches;
smiling faces; sweeping panoramas; experiences only the North can offer. With a great team - TQ's Producer Geri Purcell; my assistant and NQ locations expert Rob Richardson;
with Scott Mcquade as leading man, and Rebecca Ward, Karin Sharpe and Nyree McKenzie sharing the other side of the camera - we criss-crossed the north in cars, boats, planes and helicopters,
capturing thousands of images to boost image stocks for campaigns, promotions, collateral material and the Tourism Queensland photo library. Here's a small sample...
BACK FROM THE KIMBERLEY
I'm back in Broome this morning, having sailed for 10 days along the Kimberley Coast. Here are a couple of pics to give you just a taste of the remarkable
nature I've seen along the way. I'll update this page soon with more pics and a diary of the voyage.
KIMBERLEY COAST SHOOT
This Friday I'm joining Aurora Expeditions on the first of their
Kimberley Coast voyages for the 2007 season,
shooting pictures for the company's upcoming brochures. I've travelled with Aurora previously, on three trips to Antarctica. Aurora also operate trips to The Arctic,
PNG and Scotland, and in 2008 are offering voyages through the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka in the Russian Far East.
This Kimberley Coast voyage departs Broome in far North-west Western Australia, and explores the coast and islands as far as Mitchell Falls in the East, before returning to Broome 11 days later.
This will be my second trip to the Kimberley and the first by boat to this very remote part of the Australian coast. My previous experience was in 2003 when I travelled by vehicle through the interior of the region for a couple of months, and walked for two weeks along the coast in the area around King George Falls. Below are some pics from the last trip, plus a shot of the Coral Princess, our vessel for next week's voyage.
Keep an eye out for some pics from this trip, which I'll post on my return to Broome.
A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THE MURRAY
I've crossed the Murray a couple of times over the years - at Euchuca, Tocumwal, Albury - always on my way somewhere else.
I'm ashamed to say that I don't have any real experience with Australia's great river, but that will change this week. I've decided
to see her for myself; the river of folklore, ballads, river red gums, wetlands, giant dams, crops and orchards, sheep and cattle, irrigators, discussion papers,
news reports, committe meetings, intergovernmental panels, environmental flows, competing interests. Everyone seems to want a piece of her, so why should I be any different?
I've given myself one week. I won't see every bend, town and issue, but I reckon I'll have a better understanding when I'm done. A snapshot (well many snapshots) at least.
So here we go - the mighty Murray - from source to sea.
KITE FLYING
I've spent the last week heading south from Brisbane, via Sydney to Melbourne, arriving today just in time for this weekend's 2007 PMA
Photo Imaging World Conference.
IT'S TURTLE SEASON ON THE GBR!
I've just come back from a week's shooting on
Lady Elliot Island, the most southerly island on the Great Barrier Reef,
where it's the height of turtle season. With females still coming ashore, and hatchlings starting to emerge, it's a great time to witness this great wildlife spectacle.
Here are a few pics from the trip, with these and more to be added to the SEARCHable database shortly.
FIELD WORK HIGHLIGHTS
2007 Nov Eaglehawk Neck, TAS - kelp and dragons
2007 Nov Palm Island, QLD - Red Cross Project w/Fujifilm
2007 Oct Hervey Bay QLD - whales for Tourism Queensland
2007 Aug/Sep/Oct North Quensland - for Tourism Queensland
2007 Jun Kimberley Coast - for Aurora Expeditions
2007 May Murray River - from Source to Sea
2007 Feb/Mar Turtle season, Heron & Lady Elliot Is, Southern GBR
2007 Jan Lady Elliot Island, Southern GBR
2006 May North Queensland for Tourism Queensland
2005 Oct Northern Hairy-nose Wombats at Epping Forest SR
2005 Jun Minke Whales Nth Great Barrier Reef for Aust. Geographic
2005 Apr/May Whale Sharks off Ningaloo Reef & Cape Range
2004 Apr/May Highlights of Tasmania & Great Ocean Rd Victoria
2003 Sep South Island, New Zealand
2003 Jul Short visit to Maui, Hawai'i
2003 Apr/May/Jun Highlights of the Kimberleys & Central Australia
2002 Aug Humpback Whales in Tonga
2002 Apr Florida Everglades
2002 Mar Humpback Whales, Silver Bank, Dominican Republic
2001 Oct Russian Far East - Kamchatka for WWF International
2001 Sep First u/w encounter with Humpback Whales in Tonga
1999 Jul/Aug/Sept Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
1999 Apr Dusky dolphins Kiakoura, New Zealand
1998 Dec PhotoAdventure to Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica
1998 Oct/Nov Top End & Central Australia
1998 Jan PhotoAdventure to Antarctica w/Aurora Expeditions
1997 Feb/Mar Southern Patagonia
1997 Jan/Feb First PhotoAdventure to Antarctica
1996 Jul PhotoAdventure to Kenya & Zimbabwe
1995 Apr/May PhotoAdventure to Central Australia
1994 Jul Last field trip as QNPWS photographer - Whitsundays
1993 Aug/Sep PhotoAdventure to Kenya & Zimbabwe
1993 Jul/Aug Orcas in Canada & highlights of Alaska, Brown Bears
1991 Dec Raine Island Fauna Survery (QNPWS)
1991 Sep PhotoAdventure to Lord Howe Island
1989 QNPWS field work for QNPWS estate expansion
1987 Aug First Humpback whale photography, Hervey Bay (QNPWS)
1986 Sep First field trip as QNPWS photographer - Lady Elliott Is
VISITING GREAT SANDY STRAITS
I've just spent a couple of days in the Great Sandy Straits, a vast area of mangrove-lined estuaries,
channels and sandy flats between Fraser Island and the mainland. I also enjoyed a visit with the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins
at Tin Can Bay, resulting in some new images for my SEARCHable database
You'll soon be able to keep up to date with my field work, where I am when, the latest coverage.
Currently I am in the office, in front of the computer, working with my extraordinary web-master and dive-buddy Pasi from i-tank and we're making my new blog...