Indonesia: Pulau Weh [Sumatra] - March 2010
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation of an article originally written in French. I apologise for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have resulted. If you read French, click on the French flag below to access the original, correct text:
Français
I'll take you back to Pulau Weh. Under the surface, again. More than a month after my return from Indonesia, I am still sorting out my photos... Huge coral plateaus, delicate fans of gorgonians, multicolored swarms of fish in the blue: the sites of Pulau Weh offer beautiful landscapes!
Contrary to what I feared at the beginning, I was able to use my "standard" lens in the port provided in principle for the macro lens. According to the manual of the Ikelite box for the 7DIt wasn't possible. But in fact it does, it goes in.
The only thing is that you can't use the zoom. But frankly, I'm not a fan of the zoom underwater. Long live the fixed focal length!
The first (great) picture below is not of me. But it's one of the few pictures of me underwater !!! Many thanks to Phil North, English photographer and videographer based in Koh Lanta, Thailand.
I love how the coral draws a pink heart, in the glow of the flash. It's really pretty. This picture was taken at the Canyon site.
The following ones are a mix of Pantee Peunateung, Meuduro, Batee Tokong... These are my very first tests with my standard lens (other than the macro one) with the 7D under water.
It took me some time to get used to the flash in this configuration. Moreover, it was often in not easy conditions. A lot of current, on most of the sites. And then, these are rather "deep" sites for those who, like me, prefer to stay within the limits of the no-decompression curve... You can easily find yourself with a small deco stop at the end of the dive.
But hey, this is the result. A totally different approach than macro! And I can't wait to do it again. Besides, I feel that I will soon have to invest in a dome, with the right fisheye lens...
Unfortunately, I did not manage to bring back any image of the underwater arch of the fabulous Canyon. The first time, I was with my macro lens; the second time, I think that's when my lens was left in manual mode (grrr); and the third time, the strong current prevented us from reaching the famous arch.
Too bad! The place is spectacular...
For the precise description of the various sites accessible from Pulau Weh, I refer you to the center page Lumba Lumba (in English), with which I dived in.
