Fairyland Express

Fairyland Express -

Sulawesi: twice as large as the United Kingdom, volcanoes galore, uninhabited islands, strange creatures, cooking seas, electric shells and tons of bioluminescence, all. the mother Nature blanket of beauty and sustainability

in January, we have planned a diving holiday on Halmahera, but the Gamalama volcanic eruption threw the pile that the end of December wrapped. The only positive aspect for the detailed planning and flight expenses was learning how to spell words like "Halmahera, Ternate, Gamalama 'and why we should not stop Garuda flights of less than 72 hours before departure! Once the ash subsided and the our chartered dive boat with no return option North Sulawesi, long gone

Fate opened Ternate airport again an operation out problems here in Indonesia seems to have -. Our flights on Garuda Airlines went without a hitch, with arrive all eight of us both from Jakarta and Bali by mid morning to Manado. from here, it was east an hour drive towards our liveaboard parked in Lembeh port. by 2:30 we steamed in anticipation of our first dive.

this adventure took us about 100 kilometers north of Manado to many volcanic islands. We were fortunate to experience two spectacular night dives, from the southern shore of Bangka Iceland and the other in Lembeh yourself. on these dives I focused the wonderful marine bioluminescence together those waters to the acquisition.

Most people have experienced luminescence of microscopic phytoplankton, but what I discuss is the actual light output of higher marine organisms such as corals, anemones and small organisms, when subjected to (or inspired by) a spectrum of blue light. It has been written on this topic a number of research articles, but no one understands nor the real purpose of the background animals exhibiting bioluminescence. Postulation focuses lure (a partner to win) or prey on defense mechanism (confuse predators), reproduction. The communication may be a prime target for the deep sea creatures.

Bioluminescence is the most efficient method of light production in the world. Most of the light is emitted, green, blue or reddish color. These are the colors wavelength that can penetrate most seawater. Some of these organisms fluoresce not actually, but result from symbiotic hosts such as luminescent bacteria and / or algae (as in the case of coral). Researchers have Meeresleuchten studied since the early 100s.

to study method and photographing marine bioluminescence

First of all, please note that bioluminescence is phosphorescence. Phosphorescence is a release of light from crystals oxidation, which are activated by light or radiation, during bioluminescence is a complex chemical reaction that releases light when excited. Bioluminescence is strong in the marine world but usually develops unnoticed, as the light is emitted, can not compete with sunlight or strong underwater torch.

The equipment that you need to scan for luminous subjects is a dive light placed either with a UV option or with a blue filter over the lens. A better alternative is to apply a blue gel filter on the dive light and a yellow filter to look through either your mask or in a small frame placed. The yellow filter emphasizes the blue light, but allows the luminescence to shine through. What you see with this method, only the luminescent threads, while everything else will be completely dark.

I use an i-Torch Pro 6 with the UV light option while diving for threads to scan. The UV spectrum is not the best wavelength to "excite", but it works quite well as a screening tool. Fortunately, the UV ambient lights up, make for a comfortable night dive. Each method you use, try and divorce can be easily from the rest of the dive group (with its 2,000 lumens Torches) to see these subtleties. Simply Enjoy the rest, because you basically swim in the dark until this glowing creatures.

to photograph subjects ,, you need a blue filter assembly over the flash or flash and a yellow filter on the lens to attach the camera. You can do this or if you are lazy, like me, buy a Nightsea fluorescence excitation filter, which screws into the front of the flash. The commercially available filter screens out all light except that the 510 nanometer wavelength. You also need a yellow filter on the camera lens.

Once a critter or coral shows up as "popping", come near to the image composing. It is best to have your buddy the UV or blue-filtered dive light on the subject, hold to get a good focus. I use the focusing light on my imagination for this Strobe. It is best to use a fairly high ISO camera setting (800-1500), since the blue filter absorbs much of the light from the flash. I use a 60mm macro lens for this purpose. Shoot manually if your camera allows. Experiment a little and take several shots holder to obtain the best exposure. Have fun!

Rule number one is not to lose your buddy (woman), how about diddle. No matter how big your screen is, it's not worth it. Instead dive together and have her take the shot

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FACTS: Sitaro Islands Regency

Province: North Province Sulawesi

Land size 275.96 kilometers ²

population: 63,543 (2010)

Directions: daily flights from Jakarta to Manado with Garuda Airlines and Lion Air

night .: liveaboards and in Lembeh available land rentals. Just search online

What to do: .. diving, snorkeling, beach combing, volcano climbing and sightseeing

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