Fashion Headache

There has been a private helicopter flying around the island.  It is black and very sleek.  You don’t see that very often.  Especially in the Philippines.  I keep wondering who owns it and if I can make friends with them.

I decided to don my new crazy wetsuit today:

Mike talked me into borrowing a diopter.  We did some test photos at the camera station and we really didn’t see any improvement.  He still encouraged me to take it down and try it.  He also suggested a couple of changes to my shutter speed, strobe lighting.

We dove my favorite site Kirby Rock! 

On the first few subjects I was so pissed off.  The diopter was really heavy and was in the way.  My lighting was so dark and completely off.  It all sucked.  But I did shoot a couple of subjects with and without the diopter.  No difference. 

Thank God it was a wet mount.  I just unscrewed it underwater and put it in my pocket.  Ugh.

During the dive, Pirjo slid on her new nudi hood to surprise me.  It is so awesome!

Then we dove Bethleham and there was some current.  I started getting a headache and I even ended the dive early it hurt so bad.  I got up to my room, took some advil and slept thru lunch. 

I made it to the afternoon dives and was feeling better.  My battery died on second dive of the afternoon so I had to rely on Pirjo to take ID photos.  I think I only need to borrow one from her for my blog.

OMG.  There are some primitive “curtains” on the boat that match a dress I have at home!  The hills are alive… with the sound of music….

Our numbers are waaaay down this year as far as nudibranch counts.  We are working to get them up!

27 - Polycera sp. 3

28 - Dendronotus regius

29 - Chromodoris willani

30 - Paradoris sp. 10

31 - Phyllidia ocellata

32 - Goniobranchus kuniei

33 - Aegires villosus

34 - Sagaminopteron psychedelicum

35 - Caloria indica

36 - Chromodoris elisabethina

37 - Flabellina sp. 2

38 - Goniobranchus reticulatus

39 - Flabellina riwo

40 - Colpodaspis thompsoni

41 - Phyllidia polkadotsa

4

2 - Favorinus tsuruganus

43 - Pleurobranchus peronii

44 - Cadlinella ornatissima

45 - Chromodoris dianae

46 - Favorinus mirabilis

47 - Cratena sp. 2

48 - Flabellina bicolor

49 - Elysia marginata

50 - Phyllidiella pustulosa

51 - Goniobranchus leopardus

52 - Tenellia sp. 36

53 - Doto sp. 4

54 - Doto sp. 3

55 - Hypselodoris sp. 7

56 - Ceratosoma trilobatum

57 - Phyllodesmium opalescens

58 - Thordisa sp. 11

59 - Notobryon wardi

I was using my camera lens cover as a black backdrop behind the nudi on the hydroid when it jumped off on to my cover.  This made a pretty good shot.  Don't worry, we put it back on the hydroid.

60 - Carminodoris flammea

This is Pirjo's shot since my camera battery died.