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Cayman Brac Trip Report - Colin - 11-21-2003
Back from the Brac!
Some thoughts about our recent store trip to Cayman Brac:
We had accommodations at the Divi Tiara, which is one of only a handful of resorts on the island. Comfortable, clean, and fantastic staff! Yes, the property is older, but when it comes to service, the Divi really stood out. We met some friends who were staying at another resort, and swapped stories about our respective resorts, and they agreed that they should have stayed with us at Divi. Max, the property manager was very accomodating to all our special needs and requests. The dive staff was one of the best I've had the pleasure of working with, and would highly recommend their team for any level of diver.
The food was first rate, especially the dinners! Varying menus daily; everything from grilled lobster and steak to prime rib and shrimp. Crab legs were a particular favorite of some of our group. Breakfasts were made-to-order, with cold cereals and fruit available as well. Lunches, as were all the meals were served buffet style. Choices included sandwich bar, salad bar, or hot entrees.
Diving: aaahhhh....the diving! I knew it would be warm when I saw the 5'5" 110 lb. divemaster suiting up in a 2mm shorty! Water temps were averaging in the 84-85 range, and visibility was no less than 100 feet on any given day. The deepest dive we made during the week was to the Russian Warship sunk intentionally a few years ago. Excellent photo opportunities, along with easy penetration. I shot black-and-whte film on one of the dives there, and color on another. Wrecks IMHO should be shot on B&W for the dramatic impact they have.
The dive staff, like I said before were fantastic. They set up your gear for you every day, and rinsed it after each days' diving was concluded. All we had to do is carry our wetsuits and photo gear to and from the boat every grueling dive day.
The divemasters Liz and Christophe were professional, and really made our trip fun. Some photos from this trip can be seen here:
Comments and questions are always welcome!
Colin.
Re:Cayman Brac Trip Report - scubert - 11-24-2003
Wow!
You really got some nice shots. I have never managed to get a decent jawfish shot myself :-[ They are fast little buggers.
Loved the wreck shots too. I think wrecks look best in B&W as well.
Thanks for including the link.
Re:Cayman Brac Trip Report - dfreeman - 11-24-2003
Some great pictures. I have been trying to get a good octopus shot for a long time. Makes me want to go down there and take a photo vacation.
Can you tell us a little about your photo equipment?
Doug
Re:Cayman Brac Trip Report - Colin - 11-24-2003
Sure, Doug,
First, thanks for the compliments.
I shoot almost exclusively with a Nikon N90s in an Ikelite housing. I use an old Ikelite Substrobe 150 stobe. Typical lenses include either a Nikon 20mm wide angle or the Nikon 60mm macro. Sometimes I'll use a Nikonos SB-105 as a secondary strobe for fill. The 20mm lens works great for those wreck shots and reef scenes because of the tremendous depth of field it gives, and the 60 is great for night dives and macro work, but also is a superb lens for average length shots as well.
I used to use a Nikonos V/SB-105, but now use that camera as a backup. There's nothing like autofocus, since it let's you concentrate on composition.
Colin.
Re:Cayman Brac Trip Report - dfreeman - 11-24-2003
Great feeedback. I like autofocus because it lets you devote some time to not drowning also.
Keep us posted on your photo efforts and what you find that works.
Like the photos too.
Doug