This week we are excited to announce another amazing compilation put together by world renowned videograogher Elisabeth Lauwerys from Oceans Below. Liz has been a busy bee this week, training our very own Rafa, and the recently returned Danny. Both Rafa and Danny have had a budding interest in Underwater Digital Photography for some time now on a hobby basis, but decided they wanted to perfect their camera skills, as well as learn about the art of underwater videography. All of this week’s footage has been filmed by Rafa and Danny themselves, with Liz taking care of the editing. So a big thanks to all three of you!
It’s been a mixed bag of conditions weather wise this week. We’ve had some sunny spells mixed with rain showers and some windy days too. So mother nature really has been keeping everyone guessing, and it basically came down to a flip of the coin on a daily basis whether to take a rain coat or our sun screen out on the boat. Those who took both were the ultimate winners!
Throughout the week we have visited the shallower sites of Mango Bay and Twins, both of which are great for practicing Peak Performance Buoyancy – this definitely comes in handy when carrying extra equipment like cameras and video recorders! Here we saw a moray eel out swimming, clown fish protecting their newly hatched eggs, and a beautiful turtle. We also visited the deeper sites Chumphon Pinnacle and the wreck of the HTMS Sattakut. With it’s impressive pinnacles and abundant schools of snapper and barracuda, Chumphon Pinnacle is a favourite on most Koh Tao diving wish lists. And of course for divers on PADI Advanced Open Water or PADI Wreck Diver Specialty courses, the Sattakut never disappoints!
As well as a good bit of turtle viewing, our divers also get some more whale shark visits this week – although unfortunately not on the same boats as Rafa, Dan and Liz, so we are afraid there is no footage for you on thios occasion. People often ask us ‘when is the whale shark season on Koh Tao?‘ and while there is no 100% accurate answer there are times when your chances are higher than others. So the recent spate of whale shark sightings could mean we are on track for a good September, which has been a popular month for these gentle giants in previous years.
We hope you enjoy the video, and until next week, happy viewing! Dont forget you can You can follow Oceans Below on instagram @oceans_below
