I have gradually been building up my selection of underwater photos after nearly three years of diving in Cayman (see some details here). The problem with taking photos under water is that the water absorbs the colour wavelengths, first the yellows, then the reds until finally everything you see is blue. You can get creative with Photoshop, but I came across a program specifically designed for editing underwater photos, vivid-pix. I downloaded a free trial and some sample before and afters are below. The program analyses each photo and gives a selection of 9 different recommendations for an initial edit, which can then be tailored with individual aspects, such as light, contrast and depth correction. Given how relatively easy it is to use, it seems like a very handy program but with further experimentation to ensure that colours are not too saturated. Read more…
Crossfit is a topic that seems to polarise people. Well, after doing it for a year but opting not to continue, I feel I can put my own views forward. Read more…
Some pictures from diving the East End, with a few enhancements from Vivid-pix, a program I have been experimenting with to adjust for the loss of colour at depth (see some examples of how this works at this page). I use a Canon G12 Digital Camera with an Ikelite underwater housing. I have also recently bought a Light and Motion SOLA Photo 1200 which I have used on a night dive but not yet during a day dive to see how that may improve colour. Read more…
Before becoming a lawyer, I studied at the Royal College of Music (playing the tuba) and had the fortune to meet some amazing and very talented people. I have managed to stay in touch with them to a greater or lesser degree (my best man was a co-founder of my Quintet, which he still runs and will be playing at our wedding), tracking through various social media.
I always like to do what little I can to support them, so when the talented composer Simon Dobson announced that he was seeking crowd-funding for a new album, I decided to put in some money and support his vision. In case you think that this post is written with a vested financial interest, it is not, I put the money in via Sponsume and have no financial return on the project – although I obviously wish Dobbo well. Read more…
Diving in Cayman is great, with visibility usually stretching to at least sixty feet, the water temperature rarely needing a wetsuit (although I have more natural insulation than some) and the dive sites rarely being too busy. Dive sites in the East are generally quieter (it’s hard to justify a fifty minute drive when you can just go five minutes down the road) but for shore diving, the West is better serviced.
The following is a general overview of some of my favourite sites (not THE top sites, just some of the top ones in my opinion) in Grand Cayman, where I will personally invariably try to take visitors and would suggest that anyone could come away happy from a trip having ticked these boxes: Read more…
So, I have fulfilled a lifelong dream and we have purchased a boat! In truth, this is our second boat in Cayman, after an unsuccessful foray into the world of “well it just needs a bit of tender loving care” (more on that in due course); we have purchased a MacGregor 26… Read more…
So, we’re finally here, finished our travelling (more tales to come) and have had a couple of months settling in. A few initial comments on the Cayman Islands for now… Read more…
As part of our travels in South East Asia we wanted to go to the islands in Thailand. Originally, the plan had been for Anna to learn to dive there but instead she learned during a fortuitous stay in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. So we could do a couple of fun dives and I was excited about starting to dive regularly with a new buddy rather than random strangers. Read more…
On my travels I have constantly been complimented (by guys) on my daysack. In London, this normally only happens to Anna, being complimented by other girls on her handbag or commenting on theirs. However, I have a waterproof daysack/rucksack which always seems to garner more praise from guys, who appreciate its practicality, than girls.
I originally got this for cycling to work as I had been drenched a few times and arrived with damp shirts. I was also lugging my laptop to Anna’s and so went in search of a waterproof rucksack. The one I eventually bought was by Overboard and included an internal laptop pouch (seems to no longer be available but this one is similar).
It is a sturdy rucksack, fully waterproof, with a roll-top that you clip together after squeezing out the air and rolling a number of times and does form a waterproof seal. I was initially annoyed that the “laptop pouch” would not fit anything but the smallest of notebooks but it does serve as a handy compartment for separate items that need to be kept in easy reach (phone, mp3 player, wallet etc) and the rest of the bag, being open rather than compartmentalised like most daybags, provides a surprisingly large space for my DSLR, notebook, Kindle, spare jumper, gloves and other things that I can’t seem to think of even a day of travelling without, whilst I always have the peace of mind that these items are not going to be ruined by a sudden rainstorm, capsizing canoe, careless DiveMaster or forgetful owner.
Although it has been punctured several times by some of the sharper items I have carelessly carried around, I also carry a roll of tent repair tape that provides a waterproof seal and keeps it going. Although this bag may have to retire after this trip, I shall certainly look for another and would not travel again without one.
As someone who is of above average weight (this is a build thing as well as lifestyle…) I have always found my attempts at any prolonged running to be hampered by shin splints. “Shin splints” is a medical diagnosis that is thrown around rather haphazardly but is actually a rather general term referring to a number of problems that arise from running, or other sports that involve impact (as opposed to cycling or swimming). Read more…
Tubbyman Tales 