Scuba Diving, Dive Travel and Underwater Photography in the Indo-Pacific
Don Silcock by Irwan Sandrady
Welcome to www.indopacificimages.com the website of underwater photographer and photo-journalist Don Silcock
The concept behind this site is to provide a portal into the Indo-Pacific region and it’s best diving locations, with interesting & factual descriptions of what is there, what you will see, when to go and how to get there.
I have been to all the dive locations at least once, but often 2-3 times, and only use images from those trips to illustrate it – so what you see is what I saw when I was there.
Some of my trips are supported by dive operators, but my descriptions of their operations are as I found them and I try very hard to provide a factual & balanced viewpoint.
What’s New: Underwater Photography – Choosing a Mirrorless Cameras Article
Choosing Mirrorless cameras for underwater photography
The number of camera manufacturers with horses in the mirrorless race continues to grow – giving us consumers ever more choice.
However selecting the right camera for underwater photography can be pretty confusing!
This is because of two key factors – firstly, the availability of lenses suitable for underwater photography.
Secondly the availability of housings to put the cameras in…
In this article, the second in the series I wrote for X-Ray magazine I review the cameras, lenses and housings that are best suited for underwater photography.
The full article can be downloaded on this LINK.
What’s New – Papua New Guinea – Diving the Holy Grail
Black Jack – The Holy Grail
The wreck of the B-17F “Black Jack” lays undisturbed in 50m of water, just off the fringing reef from the remote village of Boga Boga on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea.
Arguably the best aircraft wreck in the country and possibly the world, Black Jack is an incredible dive.
Nuigini Blue magazine in Papua New Guinea recently published a six page article of mine on the Black Jack, which you can download by clicking on the link.
Alternatively you can check out the dedicated pages and image galleries on this wonderful wreck.
What’s New: Diving Timor Leste (East Timor) and the Land of the Sleeping Crocodile
SportDiving Magazine Article on Timor Leste
The tale of the boy and the sleeping crocodile is told often in Timor Leste…
It is used to explain the island’s crocodile-like shape and why the Timorese have a special affinity with the large reptile that is said to inhabit the creeks & pools along much of the south coast of the country.
A quick look at the map will tell you there just has to be some great diving in the new country of Timor Leste, more commonly known as East Timor.
To the north are the remote islands of Alor and Wetar – the most easterly of the chain of islands called the Lesser Sundas, which form the southern boundary of the huge Indonesian archipelago.
Further north are the deep basins of the Banda Sea, and as the rich Indonesian Throughflow surges its way south it passes through the Ombai Strait between Alor, Wetar and Timor Leste.
Swept by these rich currents, the north coast of Timor Leste is a fertile and largely undiscovered scuba diving territory.
SportDiving magazine in Australia recently published my article on diving the coastal sites of Timor Leste which is now available for download. You can also check out the extensive Diving Timor Leste location pages.
What’s New: Underwater Photography – Introduction to Mirrorless Cameras Article
Introduction to Mirrorless Cameras
Mirrorless cameras are a whole new “space” in digital photography – small and light, but with many of the advantages and much of the functionality of DSLR’s.
They are both a very logical next step for digicam owners looking to upgrade and also offer a great “second camera” option for enthusiast DSLR owners looking for a small and light travel package.
But what actually is a mirrorless camera and how does it do what it does?
What about the different formats from Panasonic/Olympus, Sony, Nikon and now Canon – do they matter?
Are mirrorless cameras really suitable for underwater photography?
All these questions and more are answered in this first article of a series on mirrorless cameras for underwater photography I am writing for X-Ray magazine…
What’s New: Papua New Guinea and 3 for the Bucket List Article
Three for the Bucket List
Kavieng has long been on my “to do” list for Papua New Guinea.
Last year I managed to spend nearly six weeks there diving the sites around Kavieng itself, those on the Bismarck Sea side and then up around New Hanover.
I was not disappointed – the area has some great diving!
Nuigini Blue magazine recently published the first of a number of articles I have written on this area called 3 for the Bucket List which details the diving at three of the best sites in Kavieng – the wreck of the Der Yang, Albatross Passage and Cathy’s Eels.
I have also updated my PNG location pages with a comprehensive guide to diving in the Kavieng area, starting with an overview of New Ireland Province followed by sections on the WWII wrecks and many more things of interest.
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