Grand Cayman Snorkeling Pictures!!!

reefer31 · 05/05/2012, 08:22 PM

So, I am currently in Veterinary school in Grand Cayman. I got an underwater camera for Christmas and I have some pictures of the snorkeling around the Island, mostly the west side. The camera is an olympus tough TG-810. I am new to the underwater camera scene and hope that the pictures are enjoyable.

Feel free to check out my blog for the other pictures of which there are many!
www.reefaquaculture.blogspot.com.

Untitled by , on Flickr

devonian · 05/07/2012, 10:41 AM

Thanks for the photos -
they bring back good memories of diving the north wall, sharing eden rock caves with 5' tarpon, etc. the viz was spectacular; I could pick out constellations at night from the deck of the Oro Verdi, which is what, 70 feet down? 100?

BretCreager · 05/08/2012, 03:35 PM

i cant wait to make it there to go diving. my fiance and i went to key largo for our first vacation together and had a great time, first real dive trip we ever took. i went snorkling in grand cayman but never got to go diving. great pictures thanks for sharing

brandon429 · 05/08/2012, 05:05 PM

clearly great pics.

Im going to save this thread to show people in some of the bottom pictures how the rock clearly has a tangle of macro algae, mixed hair algae/bryopsis even in the face of a great clean up crew and zero phosphate water.

It looks wonderful in the ocean but in our tanks we'd freak out. Goes to show what the real natural condition is huh

SushiGirl · 05/08/2012, 06:37 PM

LOL Brandon, too true on all counts.

Those pics came out great. How big was that worm?

JimW · 05/08/2012, 09:46 PM

reefer31, your pictures are beautiful! Did you use any filters on you camera? Did you have to adjust the white balance often? I just returned from Bonaire, and used a Nikon AW100. It was adequate, but I did not get the quality of pictures I was looking for.

signal_4 · 05/09/2012, 11:40 PM

So how do you like Ross ?

Larz_1 · 05/10/2012, 09:08 PM

Wow, nice pictures.
I have a Stylus Tough 8010, but I don't think any of the pictures I've taken look as nice as yours.

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 07:46 PM

Sorry for the delay in getting back on. And thanks for checking out the pictures. I am working on posting more it just takes time and school just started up again. I shoot with an olympus tough that is rated to 15 meters. I do not have any filters or adjustments. Just a little tweak in iphoto to make the colors look more natural and thats it. Honestly it takes me awhile to get pictures like the ones I posted haha. These pictures are from snorkeling btw. I could not believe the visibility down here. If you have not been down here I would highly recommend it!

The worm was only about 7 inches or so but im sure if it stretched out it would be over 12". I see them all over here and they are fun to photograph.

I just dove cobalt coast this morning and boy...thats a nice dive! I was out helping a buddy with spearing some lionfish for his diet research. We got a few big ones, 29-30 cms!

I am at St. Matthews Vet school, Ross is on St. Kitts, but my buddy is at Ross and he likes it.

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 08:19 PM

There is nothing in the first picture....just a cool shot of the sea grass/sandy flat area. More to come!

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 08:20 PM

Nuclear_Glitter · 05/19/2012, 08:26 PM

Very nice pictures

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 08:29 PM

So, the seahorse was a first for me.

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 08:31 PM

reefer31 · 05/19/2012, 08:33 PM

Ok..the last of them for a bit. Here are the pics for the seahorse and the big green sea turtle was literally 3-4 feet from me. He was a biggun! And those lionfish were caught in the canal by my buddies house, I will soon have a licensed spear for here and will be catching many more!

NatureNerd · 05/23/2012, 05:15 PM

Nice shots! Thanks for posting them. Are these shots natural light, or on camera strobe, or external strobe on an arm?

Deavenw · 05/25/2012, 07:18 PM

Crazy how no matter what you do to your tank it will never be that nice.

reefer31 · 05/28/2012, 04:36 PM

@naturenerd All pictures were with natural light, I do not have a strobe. Which makes shots hard so I have to sometimes hold my breath a while for the sun to come back from behind the clouds

I wish that I could have a tank down here. I would be collecting things all the time!

Besides the lionfish, or conch/lobsters in season, im not allowed to collect any marine life from the waters around Cayman.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

KevinYates · 05/29/2012, 06:06 AM

you have some stunning photos in there. im looking for an underwater camera myself and this really helped me out. thanks!

reefer31 · 06/02/2012, 06:33 PM

@kevinyates The olympus camera is a nice camera for sure. I just wished it would go down to a greater depth. This camera is great for snorkeling or very shallow diving < 30 ft.

brandon429 · 06/07/2012, 02:52 PM

is there any possible way of getting current phosphate measures from any reef water around Grand Cayman, I use this thread in a lot of no phosphate/algae examples and if we could get a hanna checker down there it would be extremely helpful.

NOAA or reefwatch or someone out there has 2012 data I guarantee it. woods hole, who knows, but someone around there has the numbers I really super wish someone would find this out and post it in this thread. If you google "current phosphate measures around Grand Cayman Island" you get a bunch of abstracts and pdf's. nothing that says June 7th 2012 reading was .0000001 for ex lol

one interesting facet/detail was that I dived these locations several times in '96 and it looked the exact same. since then whatever the readings are seem pretty darn consistent judging by eutrophication alone.

B

wowkingjames · 06/22/2012, 08:47 AM

Nice set of pictures, maybe one day I will go there.

deepblue68 · 06/24/2012, 06:35 AM

i hear alot of restaurants are using lionfish on there menus? does it taste like a monk fish?

Chaotic Reefer4u · 06/27/2012, 08:28 PM

Very beautiful pictures, thanks 4 sharing.

Helfrichs Chic · 07/04/2012, 05:24 PM

Great pics! Thats crazy, I have a Olympus 6020 and its not ANYWHERE as good of shots. I too took some in Grand Cayman. My pictures don't have near the white balance and I had to do a ton of photoshopping just to make them useable.

The first one of the sea fan is amazing.

05/05/2012, 08:22 PM	#1
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	Grand Cayman Snorkeling Pictures!!! So, I am currently in Veterinary school in Grand Cayman. I got an underwater camera for Christmas and I have some pictures of the snorkeling around the Island, mostly the west side. The camera is an olympus tough TG-810. I am new to the underwater camera scene and hope that the pictures are enjoyable. Feel free to check out my blog for the other pictures of which there are many! www.reefaquaculture.blogspot.com. Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Untitled by , on Flickr Last edited by reefer31; 05/05/2012 at 08:28 PM.

05/08/2012, 03:35 PM	#3
BretCreager Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: South Jersey Posts: 122	i cant wait to make it there to go diving. my fiance and i went to key largo for our first vacation together and had a great time, first real dive trip we ever took. i went snorkling in grand cayman but never got to go diving. great pictures thanks for sharing __________________ why cant i find a cheap hobby?

05/08/2012, 06:37 PM	#5
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	LOL Brandon, too true on all counts. Those pics came out great. How big was that worm? __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

05/23/2012, 05:15 PM	#16
NatureNerd Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: SF Bay Area, CA Posts: 877	Nice shots! Thanks for posting them. Are these shots natural light, or on camera strobe, or external strobe on an arm? __________________ Reef tanks since 1987. Current tank: 75g SPS dominated reef tank set up in 1996

06/27/2012, 08:28 PM	#24
Chaotic Reefer4u ♥Acropora Aficionado♥ Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Hollister,Ca. Posts: 5,163	Very beautiful pictures, thanks 4 sharing. __________________ Live everyday as if it was your last, take time to smell the flowers, enjoy all things living, never take anything for granted, you just never know when your number might be up... Current Tank Info: * 90g. Reef Ready TruVu tank with 30g. Platinum Filtration Series Sump SpS Acro enthusiast *

05/07/2012, 10:41 AM	#2
devonian Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 17	Thanks for the photos - they bring back good memories of diving the north wall, sharing eden rock caves with 5' tarpon, etc. the viz was spectacular; I could pick out constellations at night from the deck of the Oro Verdi, which is what, 70 feet down? 100?

05/08/2012, 05:05 PM	#4
brandon429 Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,460	clearly great pics. Im going to save this thread to show people in some of the bottom pictures how the rock clearly has a tangle of macro algae, mixed hair algae/bryopsis even in the face of a great clean up crew and zero phosphate water. It looks wonderful in the ocean but in our tanks we'd freak out. Goes to show what the real natural condition is huh

05/08/2012, 09:46 PM	#6
JimW Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 290	reefer31, your pictures are beautiful! Did you use any filters on you camera? Did you have to adjust the white balance often? I just returned from Bonaire, and used a Nikon AW100. It was adequate, but I did not get the quality of pictures I was looking for.

05/09/2012, 11:40 PM	#7
signal_4 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: corpus christi Posts: 205	So how do you like Ross ?

05/10/2012, 09:08 PM	#8
Larz_1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 182	Wow, nice pictures. I have a Stylus Tough 8010, but I don't think any of the pictures I've taken look as nice as yours.

05/19/2012, 07:46 PM	#9
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	Sorry for the delay in getting back on. And thanks for checking out the pictures. I am working on posting more it just takes time and school just started up again. I shoot with an olympus tough that is rated to 15 meters. I do not have any filters or adjustments. Just a little tweak in iphoto to make the colors look more natural and thats it. Honestly it takes me awhile to get pictures like the ones I posted haha. These pictures are from snorkeling btw. I could not believe the visibility down here. If you have not been down here I would highly recommend it! The worm was only about 7 inches or so but im sure if it stretched out it would be over 12". I see them all over here and they are fun to photograph. I just dove cobalt coast this morning and boy...thats a nice dive! I was out helping a buddy with spearing some lionfish for his diet research. We got a few big ones, 29-30 cms! I am at St. Matthews Vet school, Ross is on St. Kitts, but my buddy is at Ross and he likes it.

05/19/2012, 08:19 PM	#10
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	There is nothing in the first picture....just a cool shot of the sea grass/sandy flat area. More to come!

05/19/2012, 08:20 PM	#11
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561

05/19/2012, 08:26 PM	#12
Nuclear_Glitter Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Posts: 23	Very nice pictures

05/19/2012, 08:29 PM	#13
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	So, the seahorse was a first for me.

05/19/2012, 08:31 PM	#14
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561

05/19/2012, 08:33 PM	#15
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	Ok..the last of them for a bit. Here are the pics for the seahorse and the big green sea turtle was literally 3-4 feet from me. He was a biggun! And those lionfish were caught in the canal by my buddies house, I will soon have a licensed spear for here and will be catching many more!

05/25/2012, 07:18 PM	#17
Deavenw Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Sherman, TX Posts: 58	Crazy how no matter what you do to your tank it will never be that nice.

05/28/2012, 04:36 PM	#18
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	@naturenerd All pictures were with natural light, I do not have a strobe. Which makes shots hard so I have to sometimes hold my breath a while for the sun to come back from behind the clouds I wish that I could have a tank down here. I would be collecting things all the time! Besides the lionfish, or conch/lobsters in season, im not allowed to collect any marine life from the waters around Cayman. Thanks for the compliments guys.

05/29/2012, 06:06 AM	#19
KevinYates Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 194	you have some stunning photos in there. im looking for an underwater camera myself and this really helped me out. thanks!

06/02/2012, 06:33 PM	#20
reefer31 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 561	@kevinyates The olympus camera is a nice camera for sure. I just wished it would go down to a greater depth. This camera is great for snorkeling or very shallow diving < 30 ft.

06/07/2012, 02:52 PM	#21
brandon429 Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,460	is there any possible way of getting current phosphate measures from any reef water around Grand Cayman, I use this thread in a lot of no phosphate/algae examples and if we could get a hanna checker down there it would be extremely helpful. NOAA or reefwatch or someone out there has 2012 data I guarantee it. woods hole, who knows, but someone around there has the numbers I really super wish someone would find this out and post it in this thread. If you google "current phosphate measures around Grand Cayman Island" you get a bunch of abstracts and pdf's. nothing that says June 7th 2012 reading was .0000001 for ex lol one interesting facet/detail was that I dived these locations several times in '96 and it looked the exact same. since then whatever the readings are seem pretty darn consistent judging by eutrophication alone. B

06/22/2012, 08:47 AM	#22
wowkingjames Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 242	Nice set of pictures, maybe one day I will go there.

06/24/2012, 06:35 AM	#23
deepblue68 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wanaque,n.j. Posts: 819 Blog Entries: 1	i hear alot of restaurants are using lionfish on there menus? does it taste like a monk fish?

07/04/2012, 05:24 PM	#25
Helfrichs Chic Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: St. Thomas USVI Posts: 2,791	Great pics! Thats crazy, I have a Olympus 6020 and its not ANYWHERE as good of shots. I too took some in Grand Cayman. My pictures don't have near the white balance and I had to do a ton of photoshopping just to make them useable. The first one of the sea fan is amazing.