My Diving Spot

Slowly moving to my new Site - http://nunosanches.com

2008-03-16T22:40:00.001+01:00

NEW WEBSITE

I am slowly moving to my new website http://nunosanches.com

The website itself is still in construction and it is still not working but my Journal is up and running. To go to my new Journal (or blog), please bookmark the following address: http://nunosanches.com/journal.

My new journal has the option to use RSS feed so that you know when new posts are included there.

Cayman Islands Photos

2008-03-16T18:48:00.001+01:00

I just uploaded some of my photos from the Cayman Islands. To check more photos follow the link to my Flickr account or go directly to the SLIDESHOW.

Cayman Aggressor Video

2008-03-14T07:26:00.001+01:00

Double click the window to Play

Back in the Netherlands - Photos coming soon

2008-03-10T23:17:00.001+01:00

I just got back from my trip to the Cayman Islands. I am working on the photos and will upload some very soon.

Captain's Log already on Aggressor Website

2008-03-09T06:10:00.001+01:00

Taken from Aggressor Website

"Saturday, March 8th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Entry By: Alan Roberts

March 1-8, 2008 Water temp: 80f. Air temp: 85f+. Vis 100-150ft. Wet suit 3 mm full suit. Greetings once again from the beautiful Cayman Islands. Today we were joined by 18 happy guests from all over the USA and Nuno from Portugal. We were fortunate to have Ralph Neely, who played 13 years ‘America’s Team’, the Dallas Cowboys. Ralph participated in 4 Super Bowls! Wow! Also Jamie & Steph who have both recently returned safely from serving their country with the US Army in Iraq and will be getting married in the near future! Some late arrivals made sense for us to stay at the dock and leave early Sunday AM for our first dive site. Again Savio and Yanis spoiled us all with no doubt the best BBQ on the island followed by homemade cherry pie and ice cream! Yummy!

Sunday. The wind is still blowing from the Northeast, so we chose the wreck of the Doc Polson for our first site. A perfect place to check out our gear, weights and get wet. A small 70ft tugboat intentionally sunk in the early 90s makes for beautiful wide angle photography as well as a turtle, resident barracuda and a couple of eagle rays. Stingray City was the afternoon dive and again these pesky critters came looking for squid and our blood! They found both with several Stingray kisses being received along the way! We opted to get an early start for Little Cayman and started our 75 mile crossing early to give us a calm night’s sleep in LC.

Monday. Still a little bumpy on Bloody Bay so we dove the “Black Hole’ on the south side for our first dive. A crack in the reef drop down the wall exiting at 110ft. A shear wall, pillar coral and incredible vis made the bumpy crossing well worth it. Lea Lea’s Lookout on Bloody Bay Wall, is what they came for. A long crevice of the edge of the wall, the “great room”, shear wall, shark motel and plenty of reef critters. Next stop was “The Meadows” which should be named the Aquarium! Schooling jacks, groupers, reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays and a giant goliath grouper made for a fun afternoon. The night dive was awesome with all the usual suspects being present! Crabs, lobsters, squid. sharks, sleeping turtles and of course octopi!

Tuesday. Randy’s Gazebo was first. Always a highlight of the week and this was no different! The two chimneys, crevice and archway were all explored as was the shear wall and shallow reef. 3 Fathom wall was the PM site. This to me has to be one of the best sites in the Caribbean! You name it, its here. Shear wall! Shallow sands, swim thru’s, turtles, eagle rays, sharks, green eels, spotted eels, scorpion fish, blaa blaa blaa! And once again the night dive was productive with eels, crabs lobsters, crabs and of course octopi!

Wednesday. We woke to calm sea’s blue skies and a Russian warship underneath the boat. We are in Cayman Brac to dive the 356, a 300+ft Russian naval vessel which was sunk as a dive site in 1996. Two awesome dive’s were enjoyed exploring the wreck, with its many swim thru’s, engine rooms and of course the naval guns. The “Bus Stop was next back on Bloody Bay! A mini wall and shear wall with plenty of sharks, turtles, scorpion fish, and eagle rays, flounder and sail fin blennies! The night dive was again a good producer of nocturnal critters with squid, lobsters crabs and octopi being spotted.

Thursday. 9 brave souls awoke at 5.30AM for our pre-breakfast dive to watch the sunrise at 50ft! There is nothing like hot coffee and eggs benedict after a predawn dive. Nancy’s Cup of Tea was up next. 2 dives on the pinnacle with all its cleaning stations, hanging sponges, reef sharks and a couple of old anchor we think that was left by Columbus. Just kidding…..Today was Lance’s birthday and we celebrated with making him a chocolate cake! One which he will never forget! The Great wall was next! 20ft to the top 6000 ft to the bottom kinda says it all! However often we have up to 5 resident friendly groupers including “Freddie the rock star” today we had two! Freddie and Frederica and boy did they put on a show Nuno had tears in his eye’s having to leave them swimming after him all the way back to the ladders!

Friday. Where did the week go? Already we are thinking about the snow in Boston and the flights home to the USA. We still managed to enjoy our final 2 dives at Round Rock and the wreck of the Oro Verde. All that’s left is a gear wash down start packing our bags, Savio’s fabulous lunch and our evening cocktail party to say our farewells and laugh one more time and dinner onshore. Congrats to Jamie and Steph for completing their PADI Advanced and Nitrox courses and to the rest of the fun bunch for another safe week of Spring Break diving Aggressor Style!

Until next time
Captain. Alan Roberts"

Back from Cayman Islands - In Houston, Texas

2008-03-09T04:51:00.001+01:00

What is good always ends fast. The liveaboard is over and I am on my way back to Amsterdam. At the moment staying over night in Houston, Texas. Tomorrow flying back home. In the plane it is time to work on my photos. Have great stories including a new friend I made underwater, Freddie the Giant Nassau Grouper.

Grand Cayman - Dinner at Aquabeach Bar & Restaurant

2008-03-01T03:13:00.001+01:00

Just got back from dinner at AquaBeach Bar & Restaurant, considered one of the best places with live music in the Cayman. The place was not bad at all but I was also not impressed. Food was way too much (never a bad thing). The ribs were very good. A bit pricey though.

Already in Grand Cayman

2008-03-01T00:21:00.004+01:00

After a long journey, I am finally in Grand Cayman. Today I got to go for a while to the beach in front of my hotel. Water was 27 degrees celsius and there were quite some fishes near the shore.

While snorkeling I spotted a school of cuttle fish. Apparently they are not afraid of people :)

Leaving Atlanta... On my way to Grand Cayman

2008-02-29T13:47:00.002+01:00

Gonna take a bath now and on my way the airport once more. Next stop: Grand Cayman !!!

=====

Vou tomar um banho e lá vou eu uma vez mais no caminho do aeroporto. Promixa Paragem: Grand Cayman !!!

Finally in Atlanta / Finalmente em Atlanta

2008-02-29T04:51:00.002+01:00

Finally got here. Now on my way to the hotel for some deserved sleep.
Tomorrow Cayman Islands.

====

Finalmente cheguei. Estou agora a caminho do hotel para um merecido descanso.
Amanha Cayman Islands

Got to Newark. Waiting in the plane

2008-02-28T22:48:00.001+01:00

I guess there is gonna be running for me. Plane is late one hour and I need
to get the next plane to Atlanta. Feel tired as I couldn't sleep.

My schedule for the Cayman Islands Dive trip

2008-02-28T00:41:00.003+01:00

Thursday, 28th February

- Flight to Newark, NY from Amsterdam

- In Newark, flight to Atlanta, GE

- Sleep in Atlanta

Friday, 29th February

- Flight from Atlanta to Grand Cayman in the morning

- Arrival in Grand Cayman at approx. 12:00

- Stay one day visiting Grand Cayman

Saturday, 1st March

- Board the Cayman Aggressor at 14:00

- Welcome drinks and briefing from the Captain

Sunday, 2nd March - Friday, 7th March

- Dive, dive and more dive

Saturday, 8th March

- Check-out Aggressor

- 17:00 - Flight from Grand Cayman to Houston, Texas

- Stay overnight in Houston

Sunday, 9th March

- Flight from Houston to Amsterdam

Monday, 10th March

- Arrival in Amsterdam at 7:00 am

Going to Cayman Islands aboard the Cayman Aggressor

2008-02-27T09:59:00.006+01:00

After some unforeseen events, I decided last minute to leave for a while and go to the Cayman Islands aboard the Aggressor. I will go one day before to the Cayman and take a look around. The liveaboard will be between 1-Mar and 8-Mar.

Here's a picture of the boat:

>

First dive after a while...

2008-02-17T20:00:00.001+01:00

Several months have passed since the last time I did a dive. To be more precise, since July 2007. That's a looooooong time. Not to happen again.

Well, today I went with Fred to Vinkeveense Plassen a did a short dive to get used to it... Man, that's cold... Not used to it anymore LOL

Got my housing. Big Kudos to Scubacam.nl and Mares Benelux (TopSport Diving)

2008-02-17T17:27:00.001+01:00

So finally I got my housing. This has been a very long story for which I have to thank Ron at Scubacam and to Mares Benelux (former TopSport diving) for their great service.

Please find below a short version of the story.

Last year I bought a Sea&Sea housing for my Canon EOS350D at Scubacam. Since the beginning there were issues with the TTL. Ron at Scubacam always promptly tried to solve the issue and housings, TTL converters and strobes came back and forth from Sea&Sea Japan without any success. TopSport diving at that time ordered a brand new housing to try to solve the issue and kept the "old one" in their stock. Unfortunately also this one didn't work.

In between, I had a liveaboard to Honduras. Two days before I left to Honduras one of the strobes simply died. Once more Ron when completely out of his way and immediately got me a new strobe to replace the faulty one. Since the beginning I was very pleased with the level of service provided by both companies.

Unfortunately, after a long time trying to solve the problem, the housing came once more from Japan not working properly.

ScubaCam and TopSport immediately agreed with finding a different solution since this was not working out. Specifically, they agreed to replace the S&S D350 kit for the brand new S&S MDXD300 for the Nikon D300 without any costs from my side. I just had to choose which lens kits I wanted and everything was arranged. In addition to that, for all the troubles, TopSport kindly offered me one Mares product of my choice.

I must say I am very very pleased with how this case was dealt with and must say that these two companies are an example to any company out there in terms of customer service.

For all this, THANK YOU very much.

Below a picture of me and Ron with my new housing:

On my way to get my new Sea&Sea Housing

2008-02-16T11:23:00.001+01:00

Getting out now to go to Scubacam and get my new housing. More details when I am back !!!

Some pics from BOOT 2008 - Dusseldorf

2008-02-09T16:59:00.001+01:00

New Sea&Sea DX300 housing on its way

2008-02-09T11:32:00.001+01:00

My Sea&Sea housing for the Canon 300D didn't work out. We were never able to make the TTL work properly. So Scubacam agreed to take this system back and get me the new Sea&Sea housing for the Nikon D300 without any additional payment. Although this whole situation has been a pain in the ass, I am extremely happy with the service provided by Scubacam and the important in the Netherlands. Thank you once more Ron... Looking forward to get my new housing !!!

When I get the housing, I will post the whole story.

Cheers

Nuno

New Decals for my Double-12s

2007-11-28T21:32:00.001+01:00

Here are my new decals for my Double-12s. Aren't my doubles a beauty??? :)

Getting a new TTL converter

2007-11-27T22:40:00.001+01:00

Good evening,

I am getting a new TTL converter from Japan. I was told they have developed a new TTL and that does not have the same problems as the other ones. I hope this time is for good since I am getting really tired with this.

Still having problems with my Sea&Sea housing

2007-11-17T22:22:00.001+01:00

Finally got my housing back from Japan Friday. When I took it home and tried it, guess what? Didn't work again...

So I still don't have a solution on this one. Trying to figure it now.

Very upset...

New Uwatec Digital 330M

2007-11-12T22:22:00.001+01:00

Scubapro Uwatec recently announced the launch of their new Digital 330m dive computer, which will be available from all authorised Scubapro Uwatec dealers.

The all new Uwatec Digital 330m is capable of displaying depth upto 330 metres, calculating the average depth during a dive, and will display the ascent rate in metres.

Designed to cater for the newer diver as well as the technical diver the Uwatec Digital 330m has a wide range of features for divers looking to maximise their dive information.

Finally Back for Diving !!!

2007-11-12T21:55:00.001+01:00

Evening Gents,

Long time has passed already. Indeed, I have been having some issues. My drysuit has been repairing and my UW housing is still being fixed. More on the UW housing when I get it. Anyway, I am finally back in action !!!

Meanwhile, here is a picture I shot in the Bay Islands of a Hermit Crab.

On vacation

2007-08-05T20:48:00.001+02:00

DSC03130, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Utila Aggressor: April 7-14, 2007

2007-07-25T00:41:00.001+02:00

I spent a wonderful week on the Utila Agressor in the Bay Islands. Although the weather forescast was not very promising, we were blessed with beautiful weather the whole week with temperatures around 30 degrees C.

The water had an average of 29 degrees C with visibility ranging from 15 to 40 meters.

Almost all objectives were achieved in this trip. Not only did we get some great diving, we also got to swim with Whale Sharks, Mantas, and a some of us with a Blue Marlin! Well, only one objective was not accomplished - the "Rembrandt" of the whale shark, like Clyde said... Well, next time!!!

What made this trip even more special was our group. I was lucky to be with a great... I mean... really great group!!!

Sunday, April 8

We started off our week of diving at Cayos Cochinos where we dove on three different sites. Throughout the day we saw a baby Southern Stingray, Honeycomb and Scrawled Cowfish, a Smooth and Spotted Trunkfish, Great Barracuda, a Diamond Blenny, a Large Eyed Toadfish, four Caribbean Octopus, huge Spotted Sea Hares, a mini Sea Hare, a Slimy Doris, a Tufted Nudibranch, Reef Squid, and a Lettuce Sea Slug.

Monday, April 9
For our second day of diving we moved around quite a bit. We got to dive Coco's Seamount which is 6 miles off of Cayos Cochinos, then Mary's Place and Valley of the Kings on the South side of Roatan, and then Taviana’s Wall on the West end of Roatan. At Coco's we saw Horse Eye Jacks, Yellow Tail Snappers, Great Barracudas, Ocean Triggerfish, huge Barrel Sponges, a Southern Stingray, and a free swimming Green Moray. On the South Shores of Roatan we saw different types of Black Coral, a Spotted Moray, a Cubera Snapper, Blue Tangs, and soft Gorgonians. For our last afternoon and night dive we saw a Caribbean Octopus, Brittle Stars, Caribbean Lobsters, and a Long Horn Nudibranch.

Tuesday, April 10
For our last day of diving on Roatan we headed to the West side of the island. We dove the Aguila Wreck/Reef for the morning dives. During the first dive Capt Eddy and DM Nestor went down with the guests to put on a little show. Our friends the Black Groupers, the Cubera Snapper, and the curious Green Moray all came out to play. For the rest of the day we dove at Half Moon Bay Wall where we had some amazing dives. We saw a couple of Hawksbill Turtles, a Spotted Eagle Ray, a Caribbean Reef Squid, a Spotted Lobster, schooling Blue Tangs, French Angels, a Scrawled Filefish, a Spotted Drum, Yellow Head Jaw Fish with eggs in their mouths, a Caribbean Octopus, a Nodose Rubble Crab, Tufted Nudibranchs, and a Fringe-Back Nudibranch.

Wednesdat, April 11
Early in the morning we made our way over to Utila for our two morning dives at one of Utila’s seamounts, Black Hills, off the East side of the island. During the dives we saw a free swimming Green Moray, Hawksbill Turtles, Horse Eye Jacks, Black Durgons, Pillar Coral, huge Sea Fans, and Scrawled Cowfish. After the morning dives we headed out into the blue to search for Mr. Big. We could see quite a few fish boils so we agreed to sacrifice a dive so we would have more time to search. We ended up finding two different Whale Sharks and got to do a few jumps! Everyone got to see Mr. Big at least once and smiles were from ear to ear. For the last two dives we headed to the West side of the island to Jack Neil Point. During the dives we saw a Hawksbill Turtle, a Yellow Stingray, a Large Eyed Toadfish, an Intermediate Spotted Drum, Caribbean Octopus, and a Quilfin Blenny.

Thursday, 12 April
For our last full day of diving we dove the Marine Reserve on the North side of the island at Old House for the morning. Everyone loved the site and all the macro options that were available. There were Lettuce Sea Slugs a plenty, Red Lip Blennies, mating Flamingo Tongues, two Red Banded Lobsters, School Masters, Mahogany Snappers, big Brain Coral, and a beautiful sheer wall. After our "Burgers in Paradise" lunch we headed back out to look for more whale sharks. For us the shark was more important than diving so we ended up spending all afternoon looking. The first hour was looking to promising but then we hit the jack pot! We ended up swimming with four different Whale Sharks as well as Manta Rays and a Blue Marlin! The sun started to set so we made our way over to the east side of the island at Radar Reef for our night dive. We saw a baby Hawksbill Turtle, a Copper Lobster, a Sculptured Slipper Lobster, Lettuce Sea Slugs, a Nodose Rubble Crab attempting to eat a Flamingo Tongue, a Sand Dollar, and beautiful Bio-luminescence.

Friday, 13 April
For our last morning of diving we Dove Ted’s Point on the East side of the Island. Just when the guests thought that the week couldn’t get any better, they were proved wrong when DM Nestor found a small white Long Snout Seahorse, and a Southern Stargazer! We also saw Brown Garden Eels, an Eyed Flounder, Sergeant Majors, Bermuda Chubs, and a Spotted Drum.

TDI Advanced Nitrox / Decompression Procedures Completed !!!

2007-07-23T00:29:00.001+02:00

IMG_0795, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

I finished on the 8th July the Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures course. The final exam was done in Hemmoor, Germany, where we spent the weekend diving.

Dive site: Kreidesse Entrance 5
Depth: 45 meters
Duration of the dive: 43 minutes
Mixes used: 25% and 50% (deco)

Weather was nearly storm conditions with exception of the exam day when we finally got some beautiful weather.

Thanks to everyone and specially to Nico for giving us the course!!

Testing my MS Office 2007

2007-06-21T18:26:00.001+02:00

This is just a test to my MS Office 2007. Still did not publish my trip report, I know. Been really really busy… Sorry.

Utila Aggressor (Bay Islands) Video

2007-05-14T09:37:00.000+02:00

Still had no time to process my shots so meanwhile here is the video from my trip. Double click to play

Back from Utila Aggressor in Honduras

2007-04-17T08:14:00.001+02:00

Reef in Honduras, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

I just got back from my trip to Honduras with the Utila Aggressor. The trip was great and I met great people while there. When I have some time I will post a trip report together with some shots I took there.

By the way, I got to see 4 whale sharks !!!

Utila Agressor - Already in Atlanta, US

2007-04-07T03:55:00.000+02:00

On my way to Honduras, I am staying tonight in Atlanta, US. Today I rented a car to go to a dive store over here.

Guess which car I got???

Ford Mustang... Not bad, hey?

Well, prepare to go to bed. Tomorrow another day carrying my luggage around.

Almost there - Utila Aggressor

2007-04-05T10:18:00.000+02:00

The day has come! Friday morning I will be flying to Atlanta, US where I will stay overnight, and Saturday I will be flying to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. From there, I will go to La Ceiba where I will join the Utila Agressor for one week.

The weather forecast doesn't look that great: thunderstorms, rain all time. Let's hope this changes !!!!

My best half (Pinnie) will not be able to join me this time. This is the bad part about this trip... I hope I can still have a good time without her (not easy). I will miss you Bi !!!

Luxfer Stage Bottle

2007-03-30T23:47:00.001+02:00

Luxfer Stage Bottle, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

I just got a Luxfer 40cft aluminum stage bottle. I will be using this for my Advanced Nitrox / Deco Procedures course.

Sea&Sea DX400D Review

2007-03-30T15:26:00.000+02:00

I have been experiencing some problems with my TTL connector in my housing. The Dutch distributor kindly offered to change the housing for either a new DX350D or for the DX400D.

I went to check the DX400D and see whether it was worthwhile to swap the DX350 for this new model.

In my opinion, the main new features of this model are:

- built-in TTL converter

- optional magnifying .8 viewfinder

Built-in TTL converter

The built-in TTL converter saves some space outside the housing and the slight additional weight that the external TTL converter puts on the left side of the housing.

There is a button inside the housing to switch between Manual and TTL. This can only be chosen before the dive. The other drawback of the internal converter is that you are not able to choose flash compensation as with the external TTL converter.

This TTL converter uses a flat battery which will be in stand-by when the strobes are off (will still consume energy even while you are not using the camera). I called Sea&Sea Japan and they informed me that under "normal" use conditions, the battery should last approximately 1 year.

The DX400D only has one strobe connector on top of the housing

Optional magnifying .8 viewfinder

The DX-400D uses a different viewfinder which allows you to upgrade to a .8 maginifying viewfinder instead of the .66. I assume that in the future there might be a 45 degree viewfinder for this model (just an assumption).

Buttons on the back of the housing

Until so far, I was more or less convinced on changing from the DX350 to the DX400D. The problem arose when I checked the buttons in the back of the housing.

To my surprise (shock?) a couple of buttons just disappeared in this new "improved" housing. Namely, the menu button and the delete is gone. Also the display button is gone.

This took away all the doubts I had whether to change to the DX400D housing. As an example of a big disadvantage, without the menu button you are not able in the 400D to select a picture to do custom WB. With a small adaptation of the DX350D housing you can use the 400D camera with all its features.

Conclusion

I cannot understand what made Sea&Sea develop a new housing where they take out such important buttons (they were there in the DX350, you just needed to put them to the side!!!)

The TTL inside the camera makes the camera more streamlined (also with less air inside the camera, meaning more negative) but gives you less flexibility in using the TTL.

IMHO, this housing is a no go, at least until the other buttons are added to the housing.

Any comments, please email me.

Diving with the Great White

2007-03-26T14:46:00.000+02:00

This one is worthwhile watching... This guy is freediving with the Great White. He is actually more than just diving with the Great White. Double click the image to watch it. Music is also interesting...

Nage avec le grand blanc
Uploaded by Flavmax

Wreck (Oostvoornse Meer)

2007-03-25T18:38:00.001+02:00

Wreck (Oostvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver exploring wreck (Oosvoornse Meer)

2007-03-23T23:43:00.001+01:00

Diver exploring wreck (Oosvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Beetle and diver (Oosvoornse Meer)

2007-03-23T23:32:00.001+01:00

Beetle and diver (Oosvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver exploring Beetle (Oostvoornse Meer)

2007-03-23T23:29:00.001+01:00

Diver exploring Beetle (Oostvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Fisheye FIX LED 48DX

2007-03-23T22:53:00.000+01:00

Last post of the day. I am posting some pictures of my new focus / dive light for using in my housing. This light is great having a battery life of 4-8 hours and a knob to adjust light intensity.

I put some semi-transparent tape in the front of the light to act as a diffuser and get a more even light beam.

Canon EOS 400D on Sea&Sea DX350D Housing

2007-03-23T22:34:00.000+01:00

Sea&Sea has announced some time ago their new housing for the Canon EOS 400D. Meanwhile, Wetpixel member Pakman has found a way to use the Canon 400D in the DX350D housing without any major changes. Indeed, only the buttons on the left of the LCD are in the different place than in the 350D. The solution is the use of wall anchors (specifically, wall anchors nylon size #4 worked great for me) in the place of the rubber buttons originally in place.

This solution is great because the housing can be retrofit to the 350D anytime, just changing the wall anchors for the original rubber buttons.

Also you can see completely the new 2.5 LCD in the housing. This nice bright LCD shows you all the camera settings without needing to put your eye on the viewfinder or on the old display.

Tokina 10-17mm FishEye DX - Adaptation to use S&S Canon EF-S Ring system

2007-03-23T15:04:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned previously, I got myself the Tokina 10-17 Fisheye DX lens for my Canon. The main advantages of this lens are, additionally to the obvious wide-angle produced, the sharpness of the corners underwater and the close focus capability.

Unfortunately, there is no ring system for this lens, at least for my housing (Sea & Sea). Thus, I tried several alternatives to use the zoom of this lens underwater.

My first test was using some kind of foam tape around the zoom in the lens and then put my S&S 60mm focus ring system on top. This seemed to work since the Tokina lens is only slightly thinner than the Canon EF-S 60. This system not only looked bad but also was not very stable. The zoom ring would tend to get out of the place and eventually fall out of the lens to the Dome port - Not such a good idea.

For my second test I used elastic bands (the ones you get for adjusting your clothes) and put it around the zoom. This seemed to work pretty well at the beginning - looks good and it is easily removable from the lens. For this one, I had the help of Rita, my mother-in-law, who generoulsy offered herself to teach me in the art of using an electric sewing machine (cool stuff, let me tell you guys!!!). The problem was that the zoom ring would still tend to fall out of the lens. The problem is that the o-ring inside the zoom ring is in the front of the ring and therefore it would not touch the elastic band.

Third test - final solution: I bought some velcro tape and "glued" it inside the zoom ring (in the oposite side of the existing o-rings). This mad the velcro tape "grab" the elastic band and the zoom ring feels now snug in the lens. I tried already several times and it works perfectly. Just be carefully to check whether the AF is still chosen since the elastic band might put it in MF when putting the zoom ring in the lens.

Since I glued the velcro tape in the lens I still had to make it work with the EF-S 60 lens when using this. For that, I slightly cut the velcro teeth so that they would not scratch in the 60mm lens.

Some pictures below of my solution:

New Camera, new Fisheye lens and new focus light

2007-03-16T22:43:00.000+01:00

I got the new Canon EOS-400D, the Tokina 10-17 Fisheye lens as well as a new focus light Fisheye FIX LED 48DX.

For the Canon EOS-400D, I had to do a slight adaptation into my Sea&Sea housing. The fit is perfect and the large screen is a big advantage underwater. The adaptation does not have any impact on the camera which can be easily retrofit for the EOS-350D.

The Tokina fisheye lens has the advantage of focusing extremely close and of keeping the corners sharp underwater (Canon 10-22 does not provide such results). I was able to use the zoom ring for the Canon EF-S 60 with a small adaptation.

The Fisheye LIX LED 48DX has the advantage for providing a powerful light and at the same time has the flexibility of increasing or decreasing the light power with the twist of a simple knob.

While my latest pictures were already taken with the EOS-400D, the Fisheye LED is still to be tested.

I will post some pictures on the adaptations made soon.

Going skiing to Austria

2007-03-16T22:34:00.002+01:00

I will be skiing for a couple of days in Sankt Anton, Tirol area in Austria. No diving for me this weekend. I will be back next week.

Dive safe !!!

Diver exploring a wreck (Oostvoornse Meer)

2007-03-16T22:34:00.001+01:00

Diver exploring a wreck (Oostvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Divers in Oostvoornse Meer

2007-03-12T00:19:00.003+01:00

Divers in Oostvoornse Meer, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver exploring the Beetle

2007-03-12T00:19:00.001+01:00

Diver exploring the Beetle, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Beetle in Oostvoornse Meer

2007-03-12T00:18:00.003+01:00

Beetle in Oostvoornse Meer, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver on wreck (Oostvoornse Meer)

2007-03-12T00:18:00.001+01:00

Diver on wreck (Oostvoornse Meer), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

I went this weekend to Oostvoornse Meer with my buddy Fred and took a couple of pictures. I will post some now and much more when I find the time.

Diver Exploring

2007-03-08T23:45:00.005+01:00

Diver Exploring, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver Swimming

2007-03-08T23:45:00.003+01:00

Diver Swimming, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Sunken Bus in Vinkeveen

2007-03-08T23:45:00.001+01:00

Sunken Bus in Vinkeveen, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Diver on top of bus (Vinkeveen)

2007-03-08T22:55:00.001+01:00

Diver on top of bus (Vinkeveen), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

This shot was taken in Vinkeveen on top of the bus. Frans is the diver in the picture.

Diver on wreck

2007-02-25T00:11:00.001+01:00

Diver on wreck, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Going to Honduras !!! 7 April - 14 April

2007-02-23T21:40:00.000+01:00

I am preparing myself for my first liveaboard ever. Unfortunately I will not be able to share this experience with my other half. For this first I chose the Agressor Utila liveaboard. Utila is considered the Whale Shark Capital of the Caribbean. I will be travelling from the 7th April 2007 - 14th April 2007.

Local fisherman and the older scuba divers in Utila tell stories of "Old Tom", a legendary barnacle encrusted Whale Shark reputedly cruising the waters around Utila since Adam was a boy. Old Tom has been variously estimated at 40ft, 50ft and even 60ft in length, depending upon who's telling the story. In reality, the most common size seen in the waters surrounding Utila is between approximately 6m and 10m (20ft and 33ft), weighing around 15 - 20 tons.

Dolphin Swim Programs & Slaughter

2007-02-22T18:13:00.001+01:00

WASHINGTON - January 18 - Environmental organizations revealed today that two American aquarium specialists are poised to transfer of twelve bottlenose dolphins from Japanese slaughter pens to a Dominican Republic aquarium, Ocean World Adventure Park.

The environmental groups of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition are attempting to stop transfer both because it is grossly inhumane and because it violates provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The twelve dolphins are being held in Taiji, Japan pending the granting of import permits to the Dominican Republic. Stefan Meister, (a German national and vice president of the Ocean World Adventure Park in the Dominican Republic), Dr. Michael Briggs DVM, (an American citizen associated with the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago), and Dr. Ted Hammond, (an American dolphin dealer and marine mammal veterinarian) are brokering the sale and transfer of the twelve dolphins.

The Save Japan Dolphins Coalition has obtained rare broadcast-quality video footage of the cruel, bloody capture of these twelve dolphins in Japan's waters in the port of Taiji.

Further info on the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition is available at:
www.SaveJapanDolphins.org

Double click on the play button in the clip below to see the video of Japan's brutal capture of bottlenose dolphins.

Diver Silhouette

2007-02-18T17:02:00.001+01:00

Diver Silhouette, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

First test with my EF-S 10-22mm lens and the glass dome port. Visibility was very poor. This is a shot of my dive buddy Frans in Vinkeveen.

Sea bottom in Zeeland

2007-02-14T00:17:00.001+01:00

Sea bottom in Zeeland, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Underwater Parking Meter in Vinkeveen

2007-02-13T23:53:00.001+01:00

Parking Meter in Vinkeveen, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

This one is still from the good old times with prices that are actually affordable.

European Perch (Perca fluviatilis)

2007-02-13T23:52:00.001+01:00

European Perch (Perca fluviatilis), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Common litoral crab (Carcinus maenas), Zeeland

2007-02-13T00:31:00.001+01:00

Common litoral crab (Carcinus maenas), Zeeland, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Anemone (Zeeland)

2007-02-12T10:17:00.001+01:00

Anemone Zeeland, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

European Perch (Perca fluviatilis)

2007-02-09T00:26:00.001+01:00

European Perch (Perca fluviatilis), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

DuikVaker 2007 - Utrecht this Weekend

2007-02-08T13:55:00.000+01:00

For the 15th time divers will come together on the 10th and 11th of February, 2007 at the Voordorphal at the Veemarktcomplex in Utrecht.

Duikvaker is the largest platform in the Benelux dive industry. The focus of the event lies on the supply of information on high quality dive equipment, professional dive training programmes, and a variety of dive destinations. Companies have the opportunity to offer their underwater cameras and accessories, swimwear and other apparel, books, magazines, jewelry and other products at a specially designated plaza. For the purchase of dive equipment, visitors will have the opportunity to make an appointment with the retailers to visit their shop.

Common litoral crab (Zeeland)

2007-02-06T00:16:00.001+01:00

Common litoral crab (Carcinus maenas) Zeeland , originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Anemone (Zeeland)

2007-02-05T23:30:00.001+01:00

Zeeland Anemone, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

First Test Dive

2007-02-05T08:31:00.001+01:00

Velvet crab (Portunus puber), originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

I finally made my first real test dive with the S&S housing and macro port. I went to Zeeland with my buddy Frans to join a get-around with GODD. The weather was nice but the viz was very bad underwater. Still I was able to take a few shots. This is one of the shots I took.

Finally got my Sea&Sea Glass Dome Port

2007-01-31T20:04:00.001+01:00

S&S Wide Angle Rig 2, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Finally got it. Just tried in the tub and it is very heavy. The rig went directly to the bottom. I tried also with the Patima BC on top and it did not make a different - Directly down.

I am looking into a new buoyancy arms system. When I try it I will post here the results.

Got my housing back !!!

2007-01-24T00:13:00.001+01:00

DSC02723, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Just got my housing back from Sea&Sea. I still didn't try it underwater. In the picture, the rig is set for macro photography.

BOOT 2007 - Folding Fins

2007-01-21T21:21:00.001+01:00

Special Fin, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

These folding fins were in exhibition in BOOT. These fins were developed by Maksan. Maksan is looking for partners to develop and commercialize these fins and they are currently not for sale.

BOOT 2007 - Rebreather Ouroboros

2007-01-21T21:11:00.001+01:00

Rebreather, Ouroboros, originally uploaded by Nuno Sanches e Silva.

Cool hey?

BOOT - BS Kinetics

2007-01-21T10:55:00.000+01:00

German BS Kinetics housings are made of a composite of carbonf fibre and an epoxy resin. This makes the housing extremly light. BS Kinetics housings can be taken until 80 meters deep.

BS Kinetics also has a 45º viewfinder but the image quality was not as clear in the viewfinder as with the Hugyfot and Seacam.

BOOT - Hugyfot

2007-01-21T10:33:00.000+01:00

Hugyfot is present in the BOOT with three housings:

Canon EOS 350D

EOS 400D

EOS 5D

Hugyfot had also their 45º viewfinder in the stand. The viewfinder is very easy to install by yourself and can be installed in any of the Hugyfot housings. The quality of the viewfinder is very good and provides very a clear image.

Currently, Hugyfot offers housings for the following cameras:

Nikon D200

Nikon D80

Nikon D70

Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 400D

Canon EOS 350D

Canon EOS 300D

Fuji S5 PRo

Olympus E500

BOOT starts this weekend !!!

2007-01-19T11:39:00.000+01:00

BOOT Dive Show 2007 starts tomorrow in Dusseldorf. I will be there and will keep you posted of the latest. Amongst others, Sealux will anounce their new angled GV150 viewfinder.

Sea & Sea recalls DX-5D

2007-01-19T11:22:00.000+01:00

According to Wetpixel Sea&Sea is recalling the Canon 5D housing for retrofit. Specifically, it appears that the multi-selector assembly might fixate or allow minor flooding of the housing through the component o-ring seals. The serial numbers that are being recalled are 055000002 - 055000174.

Sea&Sea TTL Converter Compatibility List

2007-01-19T11:19:00.000+01:00

Sea&Sea just released a compatibility list for their different TTL converters existing and Sea&Sea strobes.

More details on http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/accessory/ttl.html

New Section - Liveaboards / Dive Trips

2007-01-13T16:51:00.000+01:00

I just added a section on my blog (see left side of the blog) with information about several liveaboards and dive trips coming up. If you have some other events, please let me know and I will put them in here.

Amazon.com pulls out all shark fin products from their offering

2007-01-11T21:31:00.000+01:00

Amazon has pulled all shark fin related products from their offering. This issue was brought to the public in the begining of the year by wetpixel and within hours members spread the message and made pressure over Amazon. This is an amazing prove of the power of the internet.

Please show Amazon the importance of such act by sending them an email voicing your support for their immediate action and asking to keep this position.

Got a new BC for my UW camera housing

2007-01-10T17:45:00.000+01:00

Just got a new buoyancy compensator for my Sea&Sea housing. This BC was kindly sent to me by Sam (schchae in Wetpixel) from Korea. I still didn't try as my housing is at Sea&Sea to check the TTL circuitry. I will post some additional pics and comments when I get it back.

My Birthday

2007-01-06T23:54:00.000+01:00

It will be my birthday in a couple of minutes (7 January). No diving for me today.. Parents in town. Well, I think my girlfriend would also not be very happy with that. So I guess I will have to skip diving at least until Wednesday night. Nico, wanna dive Wednesday????

Sea&Sea DX-400D for Canon EOS 400D Arrives

2007-01-06T23:18:00.000+01:00

Sea & Sea just anounced in its site (only in Japanese for now) its new housing. Apparently, this housing will already bring incorporated E-TTL and E-TTL2 circuitry. It has also the option of a .8x pickup viewfinder. More news when I am able to translate the press-release.

Dive-buddies

2007-01-06T22:59:00.000+01:00

Today I was taking a look at some of the pictures I have in the computer and decided to post some.

From the left: Nico Oosterwijk (my instructor), me and my buddy friend Fred Fokken

Me and Fred

My buddy friend Frans Mud

El Orans from Scubaboard

Nico and me in Divecenter.nl in Maarssen

No.. That is not me with too much nitrogen on my head. Just got another guy UW doing this to me because he confused me with Nico...

That's me in Oostvoornse Meer near Rotterdam. Photo taken by El Orans.

Amazon.com is selling shark fin soup

2007-01-03T14:41:00.000+01:00

It seems that Amazon.com is carrying shark fin soup through a third-party vendor, Pacific Rim Gourmet. With all the controversy surrounding shark fins and the horrible practices used to harvest fins, Amazon should be ashamed to be carrying shark fin soup and should rectify the problem immediately by pulling all shark fin products from their catalog.

What you can do:

Leave feedback at Amazon’s product page for Dragonfly Shark Fin Soup

Send e-mail to Pacific Rim Gourmet at customerservice@pacificrim-gourmet.com and write a letter of protest to:
Pacific Rim Gourmet
75-5660 Kopiko
Street, Suite C7-210
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

Write to Amazon.com at Advantage Customer Service advantage@amazon.com and
Investor Relations ir@amazon.com
Spread the word through your webpage, blog, etc.
Boycott Amazon.com until they comply
Join the discussion in wetpixel forums

My UW Photo Rig

2007-01-02T23:32:00.000+01:00

My UW Photography Rig:

Sea&Sea DX350 Housing
- Canon EOS 350D
- Canon EF-S 60m macro
- Canoon EF-S 10-22m
TTL external converter
2x Strobes YS-110
2x Sea&Sea Arm VI
Compact Dome Port
Fantasea Frogman Modeling Light

I put all my rig in a Pelicase 1550

Happy New Year !!!

2007-01-01T03:10:00.000+01:00

I wish you all a Happy New Year full with success and a lot of safe diving !!!

Sea&Sea YS-110 is finally available

2006-12-29T11:44:00.000+01:00

The long awaited Sea&Sea YS-110 is finally available in the stores. Although it has been launched for quite a while, availability has been very limited around the World. I got myself two pairs of them and will post a review as soon as I have the chance to properly test them. My first impressions are:

Pros

Small size - ideal for travelling
Beam angle - 105ºx105º with diffuser
Built-in LED light

Cons

Noise while operating - ideal to catch sharks' curiosity when shark diving
Small size of the strobe makes it more negatively buoyant that the YS-90

If you are interested in this strobe or in any other UW photography item I recommend you to talk with Ron from Scubacam. Ron provides a great service and I cannot recommend him enough. I am also available in anything I can help with.

New Suunto Vyper2

2006-12-28T04:11:00.000+01:00

Suunto is going to release in the 1st quarter of 2007 the new Vyper2. From what I see this is basically the Suunto D9 in a Vyper version.

This is the description from Suunto website:

The Suunto Vyper2 includes Gauge and Nitrox modes with the added feature of gas switching. For divers using enriched air, the Suunto Vyper2 can be programmed in one-percent increments for nitrox mixtures between 21 and 100 percent oxygen. Divers can also adjust oxygen partial pressure between 0.5 and 1.6 bar in 0.1-unit increments. Adjustments can be applied to both mixes. The Suunto Vyper2 uses the Suunto Deep Stop RGBM algorithm, that features continuous decompression for optimal ascent time. For deeper dives, the Deep Stop option adds further protection with a series of "deep stops" between your maximum depth and ceiling. The Suunto Vyper2 boasts a built-in dive simulator, allowing you to test potential dives before dropping into the water. It also features large digits and a new Matrix display that clearly shows critical dive information including dive profile graphs. After the dive, you can download the data to your PC and easily maintain a detailed logbook.

BOOT 2007

2006-12-28T03:57:00.000+01:00

BOOT 2007 in Dusseldorf will take place from 20-Jan (Saturday) until 28-Jan (Sunday).

Tickets cost 14€ per adult and 10€ for students and trainees. Just don't know what does it mean students and trainees.

Loss in the UW Photography Community

2006-12-28T03:45:00.000+01:00

These are some sad news. Ike Brigham, founder of Ikelite passed away last week. My thoughts and prayers to his family.

Volunteering - Marine Conservation Expedition Mexico

2006-12-27T02:33:00.000+01:00

Wanna do some volunteering while diving? There is some volunteering diving going on in Mexico. Double click the video below for some info

For more information visit GVI website.

New Apeks regulators

2006-12-27T01:39:00.000+01:00

New Apeks Regulators with Electronic Circuitry - Apeks Status

Apeks has a new range of 1st stages provide information about medium pressure in an LCD. Additionally, the Status regulator monitors the usage, in hours and calendar months, from when the regulator is first used or last serviced. More info click here.

New Mask with Integrated Computer

2006-12-26T15:08:00.000+01:00

Oceanic has a a new mask DATAMASK HUD featuring an advanced air-integrated dive computer built directly into the mask.

More info on Oceanic's Webpage and in Sportdiver.com

Some of my Rig

2006-12-26T12:49:00.000+01:00

My Double Tank Rig

Double-12's (14kgs per tank)
Halcyon Eclipse Stealth 40
Aqualung Legend Extreme LX 1st Stage
Aqualung Legend Extreme LX 2nd Stage
Apex DS4 1st Stage
Aqualung Legend Extreme LX Backup 2nd Stage
Scubapro Jetfins

What keeps me warm UW?

I purchased most part of this equipment from Aquadiving Veenendaal. I highly recommend talking with Lex if you need any dive equipment. Apart from being very knowledgeable about diving, Lex is focused in getting the right equipment for you and not only selling products.

About myself

2006-12-26T12:17:00.000+01:00

Hello All,

Let me first present myself. My name is Nuno and this is my first blog. I am crazy about the underwater world and this blog could not be about anything else but diving.

I live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and you can find me very often in dive sites such as Vinkeveen or Maarssen. I am very interested in technical diving (still training) and my last toy is a housing for UW photography.

I hope you will be able to find here some interesting information. Please keep visiting as I will be updating this blog hopefully often.

Take care and dive safe.

Nuno Sanches e Silva