Marine Life & Conservation
Maldives in Macro (Watch Video)
Our second week in the Maldives was spent in relative luxury on the beautiful island of Helengeli – home to the Oblu by Atmosphere resort. The resort is just a 50 minute transfer from Male, found at the top of the North Male Atoll. Because we had been so spoilt by the incredible encounters with large pelagics on blue Voyager, we opted to spend the week at a much slower pace when it came to the diving here.
Our enigmatic, affable and all round nice-guy guide Sergio offered us some amazing trips to see Manta, Sharks and a number of day trips to see cool ‘big’ stuff; when in reality all we really wanted to do was get our macro lens out and spend a few dives scouring a small area looking for tiny critters.
As luck would have it, our new Catalonian friend (he clearly stated on numerous occasions he is from Barcelona – not Spain) is a talented photographer and loves nothing better than diving with his impressive Sagadive macro lens. We were spoilt rotten again! Sergio happily spent every dive pointing out critters that were literally impossible to see with the naked eye. How he even knew where to look was beyond me!
We had everything from Ornate Ghost Pipefish and Frogfish, to Costaciella (Shaun the Sheep Nudi) and the mind blowing ‘Psychedelic Batwing Nudi’. Now these Nudibranch are just crazy tiny – we’d seen pictures before from some of the pros out there, but never in our lives did we imagine them to be so, well… small!!
You’d literally have better luck trying to video a flapping wing on the back of a fly!
The concentration and steady hand that was required was mentally draining, but I came home from that trip with a new appreciation for just how hard trying to capture any kind of video is, when there is a stiff current and your subject is smaller than a grain of sand!
We can’t recommend the resort highly enough but at the top of my list of plaudits is the Maldives in general. An amazing trip where we saw the biggest fish in the world, to one of the smallest critters you can find in any ocean. To say we are in love with the Maldives is an understatement and we absolutely can NOT wait to return!!
Next week: Moray Madness…
For more from Richard and Hayley visit www.blackmantaphotography.com.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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