Kids in canoes

In many remote areas of Indonesia it is not unusual for the local kids to join you on your dive. They like being photographed as much as we enjoy shooting them. They do appreciate a little compensation for modeling with the preferred tip being cigarettes or candy. Even though giving them one or two is not going to change their bad habit, I prefer not to contribute to their addiction and/or help rot their teeth, so I give them T-shirts or school supplies instead. Sorry to be so stuffy, kids. I’m working on some new ideas.

More from under the Ambon pier

Here are some more critters found among all the trash under the Ambon pier. The two frogfish look much like the sponges they live on, so they can be hard to find.

Who wants to cuttle?

Under the town pier in Ambon was more trash in the water than most places I’ve been. Honestly, I think we were swimming in sewage. It is amazing that this environment could be home to so many really cool creatures!

The beautiful blue ribbon eel

When God created this little guy, he put in an extra dash of color. Although it is a relatively small eel compared to others, the blue ribbon eel is easy to spot on the reef. They are usually in a rocky area with some pretty ugly surroundings. By using a snoot to direct your strobe light only on the subject and not on the background you can block out the ugly stuff.

Compare the above image with the one below. Shooting with a snoot can create dramatic lighting and photos that are above and beyond the typical shot of this animal.

Ulun Danu on Lake Beratan

Another of the major Hindu temples in Bali is Ulun Danu, located on Lake Beratan high in the mountains. This temple was built in 1663 for celebratory offerings to the water goddess Dewi Danu. This lake is an important source of irrigation for the crops and rice terraces in central Bali, so she’s a pretty important goddess. There are three other temples here. This is a great day trip when visiting Bali.