SIPIDAN, Sabah, Malaysia (September 2008)
Sipidan is considered a place of pilgrimage for divers the world over, so I was delighted to get the opportunity to dive the island during a trip to Malaysia. Seaventures had been recommended to us, and we were not disappointed. The novelty of staying on an old oil rig combined with excellent local knowledge and diving facilities provided a highly productive trip. This gave me the rare chance to focus purely on photography, with no research to occupy the majority of my time. As the season was coming to a close, diver numbers weren't as huge as I am led to believe they can be at times.
The main objective was to photograph pelagics. Although we were not there at the right time of year for the big charismatic species such as whale sharks, hammerheads and whales, we found the turtle population both numerous and especially cooperative compared to others I have seen. The benefits of diving tourist hotspots rather than the Wakatobi, where turtle is somewhat of a local delicacy, was apparent throughout. I was diving with up and coming underwater videographer Christos Kardana, meaning we were both able to focus on our own particular methods and assist each other where possible. Click here to see a selection of my images from Sipidan.
All four dives around Sipidan were spent with the Canon 17-40mm Wide Angle lens, which I felt gave the versatility I would require to capture my subjects perfectly. Although I was tempted to try the 15mm Fisheye, I decided to stick with the benefits of zoom as dives were limited. Two Sea & Sea YS-110 strobes were taken on all dives, although many images were taken with natural lighting.
