Weekend Pics

[crazyduck]

Chip,
Thanks for answering my question.
Living in Texas we only have the land based cattle, nothing of that magnitude swims around here. Many fisherman may dream, but it's just that.

Interesting the conservation measures that have been put in place to protect them, I had no idea.

Thanks everyone for the heads up on the manatees.

Later, Andrew

Andrew … Yes, I have a lot of Manatee approach me on a dive, using the closed circuit rebreather, instead of the open circuit divers who are with me. On a dive, with Bill Bowden last year, I had about three which were all around me as I proceeded down the spring run. Bill had some questions for me after the dive.

Andrew, You are welcome. Let me know if you are ever up for a Manatee dive. We have some excellent places here in the Central Florida area. Keep in mind these dives are seasonal and they are best on the coldest winter days.

Also, a lot of the Manatee conservation efforts drive the boaters nuts Manatee Zones The boating regulations and fines are also very strict.

[MikeH]

I just purchased my camera setup last Friday night, so I am just getting use to it. I can hardly believe you can get into a whole 3.3 MP underwater digital camera package for about $500. Let me know if anyone is interested in the details of this camera package

Yea, I'm interested. What brand? Depth rating? I'd like to get a housing and strobe for my Rebel...but that'd be $1500-2000...can't justify that.

Mike

Mike, I will put the information in my dive report. I hope to have it posted later on today.

[Dwain]

FYI:

At Manatee Springs the rangers will have the swimmers and divers get out of the water if there is a manatee inside the roped off area of the run.

Dwain

I posted a dive report which has the camera information:

http://cavediver.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=663

Dwain, I guess different parks enforce the Manatee rules differently. The rules appear to be very different at Crystal River.

[ombligo]

First the ditcam question - you can get pretty good results with a Canon A75 (3mp) or A85 (4mp) using Canon's own WP-DC30 housing. I bought my wife an A85 outfit recently for a total of $376

Second, the manatees - The only place you may "legally" approach, swim with and or touch a manatee is in Citrus County. There are daily tours on both Kings Bay and the Homosassa River. You may also strike out on your own in your own boat or on a rental boat.

The tours are all done on snorkel gear since only surface interaction is allowed. You may not dive down a manatee or touch it with more than one hand under the federal guidelines.

The best Manatee encounters take place on the coldest mornings.

I generally suggest you go on a guided tour for your first encounter. This allows you to see the proper way tointeract and see where the encounter areas are (not to mention a fully enclosed pontoon boat with hot cocoa and doughnuts is far better than an open jon boat on a cold morning).

There are numerous tour operators in the area, some good and some not-so-good. The two guided tours I suggest are:

Birds Underwater (http://www.birdsunderwater.com) and Aquamarine images (http://www.aquamarineimages.com/)

For a rental boat, the nicest on the bay are from the Port Hotel Dive Shop (800-443-0875)

First the ditcam question - you can get pretty good results with a Canon A75 (3mp) or A85 (4mp) using Canon's own WP-DC30 housing. I bought my wife an A85 outfit recently for a total of $376

Second, the manatees - The only place you may "legally" approach, swim with and or touch a manatee is in Citrus County. There are daily tours on both Kings Bay and the Homosassa River. You may also strike out on your own in your own boat or on a rental boat.

The tours are all done on snorkel gear since only surface interaction is allowed. You may not dive down a manatee or touch it with more than one hand under the federal guidelines.

The best Manatee encounters take place on the coldest mornings.

I generally suggest you go on a guided tour for your first encounter. This allows you to see the proper way tointeract and see where the encounter areas are (not to mention a fully enclosed pontoon boat with hot cocoa and doughnuts is far better than an open jon boat on a cold morning).

There are numerous tour operators in the area, some good and some not-so-good. The two guided tours I suggest are:

Birds Underwater (http://www.birdsunderwater.com) and Aquamarine images (http://www.aquamarineimages.com/)

For a rental boat, the nicest on the bay are from the Port Hotel Dive Shop (800-443-0875)

Did your camera outfit include a strobe? What's its depth rating?

You are correct about the Manatee interaction at Crystal River! I have another picture of some people snorkeling with some Manatee. I didn't post it yet, because I wasn't sure if the interaction was legal.

As you said, the best time to encounter Manatee are on cold mornings and this weekend looks like an excellent opportunity

Click on the link below to see a Crystal River Manatee photo taken by Ray Eccleston. This photo shows some human interaction. I didn’t know the rules were different at Crystal River, but Ray told me more interaction is allowed. I thought the rules were state wide, I wasn't aware they were specific to counties.

http://cavediver.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2438

[crazyduck]

Chip,

Canon WP-DC30 Underwater Housing for Canon PowerShot A75
Depth rated to 130ft.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=319757&is=REG

Another option:
This summer I had a chance to play with the DX3000 from Sea and Sea.
http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/dig...00g/index.html
This is a point and shoot camera that is 3.2 mega pixels. For a point and shot camera I was pleasantly surprised with the easy and size of the camera. I wondered if the 3.2 would be good enough for 8 x 10 printing.

As an example all of these Pic's were taken with the dx3000 at Texas Flower Gardens, by first time users (Heather and me.)
Link: http://www.surfaceintervalscuba.com/...tos%202004.htm

Recently, Sea and Sea released this camera system updated to 5 mega pixels. This system is the DX5000.
http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/dig...00g/index.html
Depth rated to 180ft.

Later, Andrew