Just missed the dive of a lifetime

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

Three weeks ago I dived Kurnell the leap with Tasos, Joachim and Thierry. During the entire dive we heard really loud whale song which was very nice. We got out at the steps and when we came up to the car park we met these two guys with BIG grins on their faces. They gave us the explanation of the whale song loudness because they had just had a humpback hale swimming past a few m away. One of the guys posted a note about the episode with a photo here.

Aaaaah! so close, how frustrating is that!!

New Canon 50D

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

Canon announced its new 50D DSLR a couple of days back. It looks very similar to my 40D but there are some improvements of course 15 Mpixel, live view with phase detection and faster CF card writing than the 40D. The good part is that the body probably will be compatible with the current 40D housings so divers will be able to purchase camera and housing in one go. That is unusual in the UW photo world.

DP review has a press release
and photos

Full circle

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

I recently found this old post card that my brother sent to me in 1982. Believe it or not, it is dive related.



At the time I sent him over to New York to buy me a Canon EOS 10 from a shop I found in an imported American photo magazine and he sent the post card back telling me how fantastic the camera was. When I saw the post card again something caught my eye it the top part. Looking closely I saw this sign of a photo shop, ADORAMA which I re-discovered last year when starting to purchase diving photography equipment.



My strobe arms and Ike housing were purchased from there. Back in those days ADORAMA was a small outfit on 34th street with what looks like a hand painted sign next to a bootery. I can't remember if I got the camera from ADORAMA back then but this is too much of a coincidence, I was destined to purchase UW photography gear. I feel a bond with ADORAMA now, a call to buy a housing for the 40D I have and better strobe set up, it's destiny.

In addition, I really think the post card has depth now, not only through the vice like grip on the bottom but also through the destiny thing!! Am I linked to Nick Migliore who took the photo in some mystical quantum photographic manner?

That's a submarine

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

If ever I would get tired of putting on my dive gear I think I would befriend the Danish submarine enthusiast Peter Madsen and join him on his underwater trips. Peter has built the worlds largest home made submarine, which was put in the water in May 2008.



The sub measures 18 meter and weighs in at 36 ton so there would be plenty of space for me and a few bottles of Bordeaux. Apparently, he has managed to keep the build cost down to about $300.000. Apparently Peter wants to use it to go holidaying in the Mediterranean. Would create a stir at the docks in Monte Carlo I bet.

A photo series and some Danish commentary is available here:

Oil shale mining on the Great barrier reef

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

There is a proposal by a company called Queensland Energy Resources Ltd (QERL) to mine and process the McFarlane oil shale deposit in the Whitsundays, Queensland, 8 km south of Proserpine, 12 km southwest of Airlie Beach, partially overlying the listed Goorganga Wetlands and adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef and Conway National Parks. I wonder how anyone can come up with the idea to threaten a reef that is already under such stress.

There is a petition to stop this here http://www.saveourforeshore.com/petition-oilshale.shtml

That's art

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

Just when I thought art was in serious risk of becoming boring I read about Sara Nilsson and David Aberg's groundbreaking work. On Sunday August 10 they have the opening of their exhibition called "C – Above and under". The exhibition takes place at Ransvik, Kullaberg in Sweden and involves a number of paintings of eyes that are displayed both above and below water.

I see an opportunity to tap into cultural funding for scuba divers here. How is this turned into something new and exciting?