Come and dive the Poor Knights Islands with us!

The boat we use for the Poor Knights Liveaboard is MV Pacific Hideaway.
Most people drive up to the boat on Friday night and stay onboard in the marina that night. You can drive up on the Saturday morning as the boat will not be leaving the marina for the Poor Knights until approx 9am.
We can help out with arranging car pooling if needed.
The ride out to the Knights takes about an hour as the boat cruises at 12 knots and the islands are about 12 nautical miles from the mainland.

There is the opportunity to do up three daylight dives and one night dive on the Saturday and then three day dives on the Sunday (weather permitting one of these is the wreck of the HMNZS Waikato).

Divers can opt in or out of as many dives as they wish to do.
If someone would rather lie in the sun on the deck and read magazines or a good book they can. There are also kayaks available for the guests to use.
Between dives there is around an hour and 20mins surface interval as your tanks are filled. Plenty of time to off gas, log dives, relax and have another meal.

The trip includes all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch, and includes morning tea (freshly baked scones from the skippers secret recipe, yummy), afternoon tea and 1^st and 2^nd breakfast on Sunday!!
If any one has any special dietary requirements or is a veggie let us know in advance so that they can be catered for.

We limit the number of divers on board to a maximum of 12 so that there is plenty of space for all, both in and out of the water. There are 4 cubbyhole cabins which couples get first dibs at and ladies get second dibs. This leaves lots of room for the remaining passengers to bunk down in the main cabin at night. It is recommended that you bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper as there is usually a good chance of at least one snorer being on board.
The boat is back at the Tutukaka marina between 4 -5pm on Sunday afternoon.

Things to bring:
Dive gear including torches and two tanks
Sleeping bag or blanket (there are pillows on board but if you have a favorite lavender scented pillow that you can’t sleep without then bring it along)
Water (the water onboard is drinkable but from the bore water on the mainland so can have an ‘unusual’ flavor)
Snacks (you are fed generously but some folk just can’t live without their treats)
Bottle of wine or a few beers for enjoying at the end of the days diving

The trip costs $450 which includes the boat trip sight-seeing around the Poor Knights, accommodation Friday and Saturday on board, all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch. To secure your space on the trip there is a minimum deposit of $150.

Full gear hire is $140 for the weekend (mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, boots, BCD, Regs, and 2 tanks). Just 2 tanks for the weekend are $60. The tanks are filled on board the boat and you pay for the number of fills that you have over the weekend direct to the boat. These are $8 each.

This trip is aimed at the Intermediate to Experienced diver as there is the opportunity to do night, wreck and deep diving. We run the Advanced Open Water course on this trip.

Photographs by Andrew Simpson

Related Pages

• Photography Liveaboard with Richard Robinson
• Poor Knights July Liveaboard
• Global Dive Trip Schedule
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

YS02 strobe Eel with Shrimp

Global Dive customer Glenn Smith has sent us an example of what you can shoot with a YSo2 strobe

Strobe Review by Tom Crisp

Usually I am the diver in front of the camera, posing for photographers, recently this has changed.  In July I took the plunge and bought my first camera.
After all, we do have a lot of talk about photography around the shop and I was starting to feel left behind.
Buying a camera system is no easy task as there are so many options and opinions out there. You have to consider the camera itself, lenses, housings, ports and finally strobes, each with their own sub categories to make the decisions harder.
After finally deciding on which camera and housing to get with a lot of help from both Andrew and Bonnie (thanks guys) I set my heart on a Sony NEX5 camera with fish eye lens and Nauticam housing.
This system is small, light and very high quality so I needed strobes to match.

The search began for a strobe (or two) which would complement the size of my housing whilst maintaining build quality. I have had little previous experience with strobes. In fact about the extent of my experience was being blinded by them.
So once again I turned to Andrew for some expert guidance. He told me to borrow the shop’s rental strobe which was a Sea and Sea YS27 so I took it to the pool along with my new setup and started to fire away.
It was almost exactly what I was looking for. A week later we had a new strobe in the Sea and Sea range dropped in to us so we could have a look, the YS01. This was the newest model in the range so naturally, I had to have it.

Munching mollusc / Photograph by Tom Crisp

With little persuasion I ended up making the YS01 the latest addition to my equipment, and I have not looked back since.

There are two strobes to choose from in the new YS series, the YS01 and YS02.
Both have the same features except the YS02 does not have TTL function or a built in focus light.
The focus light was the deciding factor for me as I bought it with the intention of getting some cave diving shots, making it a necessity.
The strobe itself weighs only 500g keeping it in line with my lightweight rig. It uses a fiber optic cable allowing the unit to be used with almost every camera and housing on the market.  The controls are extremely simple, off, pre flash, normal flash and power adjustment. They are also very easy to use when wearing thick gloves.
I was overwhelmed by the power output of the YS01 and found myself dialing down the power on some of my shots in open water.  Sea and Sea have clearly improved on the YS27 by making the unit smaller, lighter and brighter. At the moment I still have only one strobe so I am still borrowing more for my trip to Mexico (the camera was bought specifically for this trip).
As soon as I get back I will definitely be taking the next step to obtaining the younger brother, the YS02. As I will already have a focus light and rarely use the TTL function this seems the logical choice to accompany my existing kit.

All up I think the newest editions to the Sea and Sea YS series are a winner for entry level to advanced photographers alike.

They will also make a great travel set of strobes and really don’t hurt the wallet as much as some others on the market.
You get a hell of a lot for your money with this package and I can’t wait to start shooting with two of them.

Open water photos shot with YS01 and YS27 strobes

Pool photos shot with YS27 only

As promised here at the Cave photos I took on my recent trip to Mexico.

Related Pages

• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins
• Sea and Sea DX-1200HD Camera
• Scubapro Jet Fin
• Nikon L22 with Ikelite housing

The current star of our camera range this year has been a fantastic little package from two top names in dive photography, Nikon and Ikelite.

The Coolpix L22 is easy to use, with fantastic results from all the divers who have been using it.
The 12MP sensor captures great images, which are easy to see on the 3.0 inch TFT LCD screen.
The standard AA batteries mean you should never be without power, and the SD card means storage solutions are simple and common.

The Ultra compact Ikelite housings are simply the top of their league.  Full camera control is available, whilst also offering a strong, durable package.  The system has proven its worth in many charter operations rental fleets worldwide.

The housing is rated to 60m with additional upgrades available through adding lighting solutions such as the AF35 Auto strobe system, (also in store).

One of our popular Divemasters, Lee Haslam, has been using this system for several months now, with some fantastic results. He loves how you can switch between video and stills whenever your artistic desire takes you.

The package comes with camera, housing, 4GB SD memory card, o-ring lube, vinyl lanyard, port cover, flash diffuser and flash deflector.

Related Pages

• Sea and Sea YS series Strobes
• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins
• Sea and Sea DX-1200HD Camera
• Scubapro Jet Fin

Just announced at DEMA show, the Sea and Sea DX-1200HD looks set to become the must have camera for 2009.

We are expecting our first shipment of cameras in the first week of December.

Sporting some fantastic specifications, Sea and Sea have again, pushed the boundaries of technology with this amazing little camera.

Andrew had a sneak preview of a pre production prototype in Australia earlier in the year and said it was simply awesome!!

Specifications include;

* 12.1MP

* 3″ widescreen LCD screen

* Flash Light Diffuser function – Effective diffuser that softly diffuses the light of the built-in flash

* Depth rated to 45m

* Capable of recording HD (high definition) videos at a size of 1280×780

* Features SEA&SEA mode, a still image mode for optimal underwater photography.

Global dive is New Zealand’s only “Sea and Sea Pro Photo centre”, with full range on display in stock, including the full range of strobes and arms.

Come and talk to us about your photographic needs.

Also come in and have a chat to us if you are interested in a Digital Underwater Photography Course.

Related Pages

• Sea and Sea YS series Strobes
• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins
• Nikon L22 with Ikelite housing
• Shearwater Predator Computer

This weekend, I had the opportunity to spend the weekend at the Poor Knights Islands with a great group of people – and professional Photojournalist Richard Robinson.

I was not feeling too sure of the results of my photographic efforts after flooding my camera and housing on Wednesday, but a huge thank you goes out to Stacy from Aquanaut who actually lent me a Sea&Sea 750G camera and housing (compatible with my strobe) so that I could participate in all the workshops and thus the competition. My buddy for the weekend was my fabulous friend Marcia who has an eye for angles and dives the same as I do – not very far and not very fast.

We started the weekend on Landing Bay Pinnacle. There was not lot of lift and the visibility was reasonable. We dropped down to our maximum depth and slowly headed up and around the pinnacle. I spent a lot of time photographing the base of holdfast kelp and trying to set up some shots that would look good in black and white. Towards the end of the dive, I found some lovely and bright Solitary corals which are my favourites from this dive. Eventually, we both needed a bathroom break and it became apparent that we had not even made it halfway around the pinnacle as we needed to swim 180 degrees back to the boat.

We headed up to Cleanerfish Bay which was looking calm with some nice natural light. Marcia and I decided we would head out over the boulders just to the edge of the bay. It was here that I found my Cadlina Willani. We spent a good half an hour on the edges of the boulders before deciding to turn around – it felt like we were nearly at the corner of the bay 100m away – turns out we were only 15m or so from the boat. We headed up into the back of the bay to check out the walls of the cave. Sitting on the sea bed at the entrance to the cave were some lovely fat Gem Nudibranchs (Dendrodoris denisoni).

Back on the boat, Richie was spending time with each of the photographers onboard. We had enough laptops and memory cards for him to take a look at the photographs being taken and answer questions on composition and workflow and also make recommendations on lighting. Even five minutes with Richie made the trip worthwhile.

The sun was getting low in the sky so we cruised into Middle Arch. We were going to spend the night here and some of us wanted to go for a dusk dive and some of us wanted to go for a night dive. By the time Marcia and I descended down the wall, our dusk dive turned into a night dive. We were not planning to be down long – but this quickly changed. It is so different at night! A 10m x 10m location turns into an enthralling experience. Two firebrick starfish, a large scorpionfish, Tamja verconis, yellow anemones – and my strobe battery was flat. I experimented with torch light as a focus light and also as back lighting but in the end it didnt really matter – we could dive this site again in the morning and in the mean time, I could just enjoy my postage stamp size piece of wall!!

After Marks classic (and very VERY delicious) lamb shanks, Richie set up a presentation on his photographs and talked through lighting and composition examples. He talked through the benefits of natural lighting and how to use what is available. He also talked about strobe position so the next time you are out on a dive trip and some photographer has their strobes pointed backwards or upside down or behind the viewer, they have probably done the Richie Robinson Photographic Tour.

The kettle starting boiling … the toaster perfumed the air … I looked at my dive computer – it was twenty to seven in the morning. Time to get up!! Morning dive time!!
My favourite dive of any liveaboard is the Sunday morning dive. Marcia and I hit the water before 8am and I headed straight back to the size of the wall to see if my starfish was there. Sweet – he was still hanging out. I took Suzy and Anna up into the air bubble in Bernies Cave and then let them know that Marcia and I were headed through the arch on a deeper dive. We stopped and let the longtail stingray pass and then continued down through the boulders to play ‘touch the sand’ on the other side. Marcia was quite narc’ed – we were diving on EANx34 – and we both had silly grins on our faces.
Coming back up, we let the slight movement of water and just our breathing carry us up slowly. Two giant boarfish were playing a game of tag on our right and we stopped for a few moments to enjoy their spiritedness. We got back into the arch and it was pretty empty. I went back to my starfish and set up the shots that I wanted.

Our next dive was at another of my favourite sites – Marys Wall. Pete Snookes jumped in with Marcia and I and played Wrasse wrangler. He sat on the bottom at the start of the wall and knocked rocks together so Marcia could shoot their faces. I spent time with the fans on the wall. In a previous dive there, I had taken a shot that I was pleased with but after talking with Richie, I had a new plan for lighting.

We had a group of three longtail stingrays cruising around throughout the whole dive and although I dont have a lot to write – this was the BEST dive of the whole weekend for me and I ended my dives here.

Martin Wallis - Banded Shrimp

Related Pages

• Photography Liveaboard with Richard Robinson
• Global Dive’s Poor Knights Liveaboard Weekend & Advanced Open Water
• Spring time at the Poor Knights Islands
• Sea and Sea DX-1200HD Camera

Firstly well done to Antoinette, Daniel and Julie for successfully completing their PADI Digital Underwater Specialty course with Andrew at the Poor Knights.

The trip was a fantastic opportunity to put into practice some of the new techniques learned on the course.

Some of the shots taken on the trip are displayed below, with a brief slide show planned for Club night on Monday 27th.

Madomado by Antoinette le Valliant

Fire on the Reef by Daniel Dewhurst

All of the photographs from the trip are available on our Facebook page

Related Pages

• Trip Report : Digital Underwater Photography Specialty – Sept 09
• Crayfish! YUM!
• Global Dive’s Poor Knights Liveaboard Weekend & Advanced Open Water
• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins

Underwater photography is one of the most popular diving specialties, and the rise of digital underwater photography has made it easier and more fun than ever.

The PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course gets you going quickly with today modern digital equipment, whether you use a point-and-shoot snap camera or a sophisticated D-SLR like the pros.

Underwater Photographer / Photograph by Andrew Simpson

What You Learn

• How to choose the right underwater camera system for you
• The PADI SEA method for getting great shots quickly
• The three primary principles for good underwater photos

The Learning Materials You Need

Avoid the frustration of learning underwater photography through trial and error.

The PADI Digital Underwater Photography crewpak shortens the learning curve with tips and hints from the pros.

Topics covered include :

• Basic photography tips
• Strobe diagrams for a variety of effects
• Tips for eliminating backscatter
• An explanation of the various digital file formats
• How to bring back the color in your images

The crewpak includes the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Manual and submersible white balance slate.
The course materials preview skills you’ll practice with your instructor. Once the course is over, use your manual as a reference guide as you explore new environments and to evolve your skills.

To enroll in this course, contact us!

The Prerequisites for This Course

To enroll, you must

have a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver certification (or have a qualifying certification from another organization)

Your Underwater Photography Adventure Dive in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver / Adventure Diver course credits (at your instructor’s discretion) as the first dive in the PADI Underwater Photographer course.

The Fun Part

The fun part about this course is learning to capture images to share with your friends and family. It’s a great way to relive the adventures you’ve had.

Take a look through the gallery below at some recent photographs taken by the students during one of Andrew’s recent Digital Underwater Photography courses at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve.

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Related Pages

• Global Dive’s Poor Knights Liveaboard Weekend & Advanced Open Water
• Dive Team Profile : Natasha Sharpe
• Learn to Dive with Global Dive
• PADI Rescue Diver