June 6, 2023:
Kicha Island Finale:
For your viewing pleasure, here are seven additional Reefscapes from our second dive at Kicha Island.
Following this dive, we cruised aboard Bilikiki a short distance to the northwest to Mbulo Island, located at the eastern edge of Marovo Lagoon, for our third dive of the day.
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
June 5, 2023:
More From Kicha Island:
In the late morning, we dove a second time at Kicha Island.
For this dive, I continued with wide angle photography, still utilizing a 15 mm fisheye lens, and mainly shooting reefscapes.
Here is the first of two sets of my favorite images from this second dive at Kicha Island:
Two Reefscapes; Schooling Bigeye Barracuda; and five additional Reefscapes.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
May 27, 2023:
Kicha Island:
We began our seventh Solomon Islands dive day with two dives at Kicha Island, a small island located just southeast of the much larger Mbulo Island.
Kicha Island featured healthy hard coral walls and reefs, patrolled by Gray and Whitetip Reef Sharks, and populated by schooling Barracuda, Spadefish, and Snappers.
Underwater visibility of 100’+ was excellent!
Unfortunately, the current was light, or nonexistant.
More current might have encouraged larger aggregations of fish.
So it goes!
In any case, here are several of my favorite images from our early morning dive at Kicha Island:
Reefscape; three shots of schooling Bigeye Barracuda; Reefscape; Gray Reef Shark with schooling Blue and Yellow and Threestripe Fusiliers; Reefscape; and a small school of Longfin Spadefish.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
May 17, 2023:
Mary Island (Continued):
Here is the second set of my favorite images from our day of diving at Mary Island, (also known as “Mborokua Island”):
Barracuda Point Reefscape; Schooling Yellowtail Barracuda; two additional Barracuda Point Reefscapes; Schooling Bigeye Trevally; Ben’s Point Reefscape With Schooling Midnight Snappers; and Schooling Blackfin Barracuda.
Once back aboard Bilikiki following our final dive of the day, we headed off further west towards Marovo Lagoon.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
May 16, 2023:
Mary Island:
We spent our sixth Solomon Islands dive day at Mary Island, one of my favorite places to dive in the Solomons.
Our initial early morning dive was at Ben’s Point, situated on the “back side” of the island.
Our subsequent three dives were at Barracuda Point, located on the “front side” of Mary Island.
Both dive sites comprise attractive, sloping, predominantly hard coral reefs.
In my experience, large schools of fish, particularly barracuda and jacks, are reliably encountered at Mary Island.
Occasionally, an additional special treat, such as a manta ray or a turtle or two, wanders by.
So you have to pay attention!
We had excellent, 100’+ visibility throughout the day!
However, unfortunately, there was little, or no current.
Perhaps as a consequence of the lack of current, the fish life was less abundant than I have previously experienced at Mary Island.
Interestingly, during all four of our dives, we could hear and feel the rumblings of Kavachi, an active undersea volcano located 60 miles away, south of Vangunu Island.
Here is the first of two sets of my favorite images from our dive day at Mary Island:
Schooling Blackfin Barracuda; Ben’s Point Reefscape; Schooling Yellowtail Barracuda and Bignose Unicornfish; Barracuda Point Reefscape; Schooling Blackfin Barracuda; Hawksbill Turtle; and Schooling Bigeye Trevally.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
May 3, 2023:
Mane Wall (Continued):
Here is the second set of my favorite images from our dive at Mane Wall:
Nudibranch (Ardeadoris egretta); Honeycomb Grouper; Juvenile Black Snapper; Dot & Dash Butterflyfish; two photos of a pair of Clown Anemonefish; Pennant Bannerfish; Purple Anthias; and an Ornate Butterflyfish.
Back aboard Bilikiki after this dive, we cruised on to Mary Island, where we dove the following day.
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
May 2, 2023:
Mane Wall:
We rounded out our fifth Solomon Islands dive day, still at Mane Island in the Russell Islands Group, with a late afternoon/dusk dive at Mane Wall.
The water conditions remained excellent, with 100’+ visibility and no current.
With the fading light, I dove this site as a “Macro dive,” concentrating mainly on fish portraits, with a few “critter shots” thrown into the mix.
Here is the first of two sets of my favorite shots from our dive at Mane Wall:
Coral Hermit Crabs; Coral Hermit Crabs and a Christmas Tree Worm; Regal Angelfish; Juvenile Midnight Snapper; Longnose Butterflyfish; Sea Cucumber; Blackspotted Puffer; Pyramid Butterflyfish; and a Whitetip Soldierfish.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
April 10, 2023:
Mirror Pond:
Mirror Pond, located at Mane Island in the Russell Islands Group, was chosen for the third dive of our fifth Solomon Islands dive day.
This site comprises beautiful hard coral gardens, and features a swim through into a shallow “Mirror Pond,” up to about 12′ deep, pierced by sunbeams, and surrounded by jungle!
The conditions were ideal, with minimal current, and amazing 150’+ visibility during our dive!
Mirror Pond lends itself to stellar wide angle photographic opportunities!
Here is a small collection of some of my favorite images from our dive at Mirror Pond, the first two of which were shot within the “pond” itself, and the remainder of which depict the adjacent reef.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
April 5, 2023:
Leru Cut:
Leru Cut is one of a handful of the most iconic Solomon Islands dive sites!
We dove it on the second dive of our fifth dive day.
The site comprises an approximately 300′ long, narrow cut in the side of Leru Island, measuring about 20′ in width, and 75′ in depth, with coral walls and a sandy bottom, which penetrates into the island’s jungle interior.
Leru Cut is ideally visited on a sunny day, near midday.
Under these conditions, brilliant sunlight penetrates the cut, and creates a series of stunning underwater “spotlights!”
This allows for the creation of compelling wide angle images!
Here are several of my favorite shots from our dive at Leru Cut.
The first five photos were taken from inside the cut, looking out into the blue.
The final four images were created while exploring the adjacent wall and sloping reef.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
March 29, 2023:
Elephant Reef:
Our fifth Solomon Islands dive day began early in the morning at Elephant Reef, an attractive Russell Islands Group dive site, comprising a wall and sloping reef.
The signature feature of the dive site is many beautiful, large, Elephant Ear Sponges, sporting several bright pastel hues.
Elephant Reef also boasts many huge Gorgonian Sea Fans.
We dove the site in minimal current, and with good visibility of 50′-75′.
Here are several of my favorite reefscapes from our dive at Elephant Reef.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
March 23, 2023:
Gavutu Wharf (Continued):
Here is the second set of my favorite images from our dive at Gavutu Wharf:
Eyebrow Shrimpgoby & Alpheid Shrimp; Banded Goby; Peppermint Sea Star; Schooling Razorfish; Hermit Crab; Juvenile Leafy Filefish; Redfin Butterflyfish; and a Spinecheek Goby.
After completing this dive, we headed off aboard Bilikiki to the Russell Islands Group, where we would dive the following day.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
March 22, 2023:
Gavutu Wharf:
The fourth, and final, dive of our fourth Solomon Islands dive day, was at a Florida Islands Group shallow “muck” site called Gavutu Wharf.
Here is the first of two sets of my favorite images from this relaxing long dive:
Two photos of Sea Cucumber Swimming Crabs; a pair of Mural Gobies; Comb Penshell; a shot of Assorted Damselfish; Bearded Thorny Oyster; Juvenile Grouper, (I believe); Hermit Crab; and a Juvenile Common Lionfish.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
March 19, 2023:
Undeke:
On Thursday, March 2, 2023, I underwent successful elective arthroscopic surgical repair of my left shoulder.
After four challenging postoperative days, I am doing well, making a little progress each day.
I still have a lot of work ahead of me, in order to adequately rehabilitate my shoulder.
But I know that I am going to get where I want to be!
I hope to be scuba diving again in Indonesia in early September.
We’ll see if I can achieve this goal!
In the meantime, I am now feeling well enough to resume reviewing images from my October 2022 trip to Austaralia and the Solomon Islands.
Undeke, a seamount located in the Florida Islands Group, was the site for the third dive of our fourth Solomon Islands dive day.
Here are several of my favorite reefscapes from this dive.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
February 28, 2023:
PT Base 1
PT Base 1, (a.k.a “The Dump Site”), was the Florida Islands Group dive site for the second dive of our fourth Solomon Islands dive day.
This is a somewhat “mucky” site near shore, which features multiple shipwrecks, including the bow of the USS Minnesota, as well as scattered munitions, and at least one airplane wing.
All of the wreckage is in the process of being incorporated, to a greater or lesser extent, into the adjacent reef.
Here are several of my favorite images from our dive at PT Base 1.
(The bow of the USS Minnesota is depicted in the first photo in this series.)
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
https://www.facebook.com/SeaDocGenk
https://www.instagram.com/seadoc13
February 17, 2023:
Back To The Solomon Islands: Twin Tunnels
Today’s post returns to my October 2022 trip to the Solomon Islands.
We began our fourth dive day of the trip at Twin Tunnels, still in the Florida Islands Group.
This dive site has interesting topography!
It is a sea mount, the top of which lies at a depth of about 50 feet.
Two vertical “tunnels,” large enough to swim through, pierce the sea mount, and discharge divers at a depth of about 120 feet.
It’s quite an exciting way to begin a dive!
After emerging from the tunnel, I spent the dive admiring and photographing attractive reefscapes.
Here are several of my favorite images from Twin Tunnels.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
