Well, this has been an interesting year so far - but also a really good one!

Finally hit the 100 dive plateau  - well for this year!   Thanks huge to Divecenter Merlin and all my friends who have been here to dive with me.  You are all very special to me.  You make diving FUN!

Not such a good year for photos though!  Been struggling.  Huge thanks to Bennie for letting me use his lens!  The fish-eye photos are kind of cool!  Need to get out with some of my photos buddies and just "play" for a few dives.   On that note, a new lens on the way for the 5D!   That should be fun!

On a different note - got diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma on Feb.4.   A bit of a shock but hey, there you go!  The great news - was able to get operated on here within 2 weeks and all is well.   And the cost for everything - 2000 RD Pesos. $46 Canadian dollars!   I LOVE this country!

Just a quick one today so thanks for reading.  Please leave a comment and I hope you enjoy the photos!

Take care and keep our oceans clean.

Bill
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Wow, Summer is here, the ocean is getting warmer, the visibility is improving, and hurricane season has started!  Lots to talk about this time!

Website Update:  Over the next couple weeks the website will have a revamp - hopefully for the  better.  Stay tuned and subscribe to the updates if you like!  It is always appreciated.  Please leave a comment on the blog or on the website comments page.

Sponsorship:  Pretty excited to be sponsored by EXP Vision!  These masks are honestly the best I have ever used AND they are extremely affordable.  Super soft skirts, seal amazing and best of all - they are fog free!  They advertise that they are coated with an anti-fog agent and YES they really are!  Be sure and check out their Amazon Store: Amazon.com: EXP VISION DIRECT  

Scubaverse: Was very honored and humbled to win the Scubaverse May photo contest.   Scubaverse is an amazing resource for anything related to diving.  An international magazine and they receive entries from all over the world for the photo contests.   Check these guys out at: www.scubaverse.com

On another note - loving  the Canon 5D.  Acquired an 8 inch dome port and a fisheye lens and loving it!  Nice to use a full frame camera!

The world is slowly starting to return to "normal" and it has been great diving with old friends here in Sosua, Dominican Republic.  Stay safe everyone, enjoy the ocean, save our reefs, enjoy the photos!  (there are a lot in the slideshow this month)

Bill
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Corals on the way to Coral Garden Wall - sadly 1/2 buried under the sand

Welcome to 2021, the start of a new year.

After getting back from Europe at the end of last year, ended up with a bit of a chest infection and was unable to dive for about 3 weeks!  Got over that and all ok - THEN - Covid 19hits.   Ughhhhh, shut down for almost 4 months. Not a great time but did manage to get back into reasonable shape, get a number of things done around the house and yard and let my equipment dry out!  Only managed 161 dives this year but hey - they were all good!  

Not many decent photos this past  year and was not able to do my 2021 calendar!  Due to travel restrictions, shipping then down here would have been very cost ineffective.  Next year - I hope.

On a great note had the opportunity to meet with old friends and make many new ones through diving both here in Sosua with Divecenter Merlin and in Las Terrenas with The Dive Academy!  

Paul, Audrey, Sonya, Juan, Andrea, Andreas, Michaela, Oly - just to name a few of the new people I have had the pleasure to meet and dive with this year.  Looking forward to continue diving with you all in the future.

Looking forward to the world getting back to some resemblance of normal and travel restrictions easing.  Thinking it may be a while but ready to explore new dive destinations and meeting new friends!

Take care, stay safe, stay positive have a great 2021

AND - May you stay, forver young!

Bill
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Hello there and welcome back!

After renting a vehicle and getting the dogs checked in at the kennel, we headed over to Las Terrenas on the Samana peninsula for a weekend of diving.  After a fun 3 hours of Dominican driving, checked into Enjoy hotel.  This place is great - quiet, clean and super hosts!  Great little hotel with bungalows, a pool area and a nice friendly bar.

Headed over to The Dive Academy (the link is under my "more" tab) to check in with Paul, Audrey and Sonya.  Paul and Audrey have a fully equipped operation and offer all levels of certification and cater to everything a diver needs.  A very well run operation with super friendly staff.  And - the dive boat is amazing. 

Saturday we did 2 local dives by the islands in front of the bay: Canyon and Caverns.  REALLY cool structure with great swim throughs and all at a nice easy shallower depth. Finished the 2 dives and stopped at One Love Surf Shack for a refreshment after the dive.  Great little bar right on the beach.  Be sure and check out The Secret Squirrel!  You will not be disappointed!

Sunday morning and off to dive The Wall and The Pinnacle at Cabo Cabron.  The boat ride is about 1.5 hours and the scenery along the way is amazing.  HUGE cliffs and rugged landscape reminded me of diving on the West Coast of Canada, albeit a lot warmer.  The hot coffee, breakfast sandwiches and snacks served up along the way are all delicious and there is PLENTY of food!  Meanwhile Sonya and the crew are preparing the tanks and ensuring everyone is set to go when we arrive at the dive site.

After arriving at The Wall, we look down into the crystal clear water and can VERY clearly see the bottom about 25 feet below and looking over the edge of the drop-off everyone can tell this is going to be an excellent day of diving.  The best part for me - basically no swimming.  i hate swimming.  The drop off is only a few fin kicks from the entry point.  As we get into the water it is clear that the 150 foot plus visibility is going to make for spectacular diving.  We are greeted by a number of harmless Moon Jellyfish and head down over the wall.  The bottom app. 150 feet below is clearly visible and should make for some great photo opportunities.  There is life everywhere: The wall is covered in corals and sponges and the colors burst when you shine your light on them. Overhangs, caverns, outcropping and the extreme vertical wall offer many options.  You can stay shallower or explore the depths as you watch your bottom time and air consumption.  Paul, Audrey  and Sonya ensure that all clients are well taken care of and are guided professionally.

After having to exit the water, a hearty lunch is served up on the boat.  Meats, salad, cakes and fruits are all delicious!  Then, it's time for the second dive - The Pinnacle.  Just off of the wall, the pinnacle rises up from 104 feet towards the surface.  Home to abundant life, rays, barracuda, all types of reef fish - this is a dive not to be missed.  Again, another super dive with 150 foot plus of visibility.

Time to head back to the dive shop and everyone is discussing the dives, the scenery and enjoying some refreshments.  This is a MUST DO if you are in Las Terrenas!

Monday and it is off to Las Galeras to dive The Tower.  Paul, Audrey, Sonya and I drove the hour and 15 minutes to a beautiful beach in this quaint little town.  The sand on the beach is like like white sifted flour - really cool!

We had rented a small boat and after a 20 minute boat ride we arrived at The Tower.  The site is located at the tip of Cabro Cabron National Park and is basically in the open ocean. Massive cliffs offer an incredible view from the boat.  The Tower rises from a depth of 171 feet below the surface all the way up to 20 feet.  As we enter the water, we are blessed with 80 foot visibility and immediately start to descend through schools of fish using the rock as shelter.  This is really a rugged underwater mountain top and if this was above the surface, we could have easily been on the peak of one of the Rocky Mountains.  Carefully watching our depth and bottom time we descend into an incredible world and were greeted by Caribbean Reef Sharks effortlessly swimming and observing all that goes on around them.  Huge barracuda, snapper grouper and numerous other species of reef fish inhabit the nooks and crannies of this amazing dive site.  Sadly, our gauges tell us we have to return to the surface!  

Heading home on Tuesday morning we realize we are blessed to live in this country, to enjoy the diving and the culture, and to meet new lifelong friends.  A big Thanks to all the crew at The Dive Academy.

Now, time to get back into the water with the crew from Divecenter Merlin and enjoy the underwater world here in Sosua.

Stay safe, save our oceans, and thanks for following me!

Bill Passmore
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 Hi there, FINALLY an update to my blog.  Been pretty lazy with it but I shall get back to the monthly updates!  

There has been a lot going on during the past year - exhibitions, a trip to Europe, Covid, a road trip to dive Cabo Cabron and a wonderful experience with a Lionfish!  Well, sort of wonderful!

SILENTLY 7

"Silently" is a yearly underwater photo exhibition and contest that takes place in Belgrade Serbia.  They invite photographers and videographers both local and from across the globe, and I have been honored to be invited for the past 3 years.  Unfortunately, due to covid, the exhibition will not be held in 2020.

I was honored to be awarded second place in the category of "Ambiance - Color" for my capture of a small tube worm.  The worm in  the photo on the front page is about 2 inches across the fan and they are extremely shy creatures that retreat into the tube when anything seems to get close.  The approach must be very slow but the results are well worth taking the time.

I also received a fifth place award for my photo of a Goldentail Moray in the category of "Fish - B&W".  This photo was all about strobe positioning to create the effect! 

Best of all - very proud to have been awarded the "Crystal Opus" - second place overall for my portfolio.  

COVID

Well, we all know about this one.  Covid 19 hit the world hard.  Shutdowns, quarantines, curfews and more.  Unable to dive for 3 months due to the restrictions.  Once these were relaxed somewhat, our world has changed in many ways.  Had a couple of dive trips planned but oh well, travel is not so easy anymore!  I feel for all the business that has been affected.  On a good note - we are back in the water diving again.

On a great note - had the chance to walk around Sosua and get photos of the amazing new murals that are decorating our town.  You can check out the photos in the "MORE" tab on my page!  

DIVING

We were lucky to be blessed with 100 foot visibility here during the summer months.  The seas were generally calm and allowed great opportunity for practicing taking photos.  Really started to play around with different strobe positions and lighting techniques.  LONG way to go but it's a lot of fun.  There is a great book by Alex Mustard, "Underwater Photographer Masterclass" that has become my "bible".  For any of my photography friends, check it out.  

Snuck in a quick trip Las Terrenas on the Samana Peninsula here in the Dominican Republic.  Paul Williamson from The Dive Academy invited me up for a weekend with the people from Bonassi Dive Gear to dive the walls of Cabo Cabron, one of the protected National Parks.  Paul has an excellent operation in Las Terrenas and the dive boat, the food, and the hospitality was second to none.  The diving - WOW!  We were lucky enough to have 150 foot visibility or more and  these are among the best, if not the best, wall dives I have ever done.  Corals and sponges everywhere.  Thanks for a very memorable trip and hey - I'll be back!

The diving here in Sosua has really been great.  The team from Divecenter Merlin run an excellent operation and we have had the chance to explore new areas, visit established dive sites and find some very interesting things during our dives.  The best part - the great friends we make with all the clients.  Thanks for your support

LIONFISH - OUCH these guys HURT!

Lionfish are native to coral reefs in the tropical waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. But you don't have to travel halfway around the world to see them. This is an invasive species that threatens the well-being of coral reefs and other marine ecosystems, including the commercially and recreationally important fishes that depend on them. NOAA and its partners are working hard to develop ways to prevent further spread and control existing populations.  Click the link below to read more about these fish.

Impacts of Invasive Lionfish | NOAA Fisheries


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This is the ONLY species of marine life that we spear or disturb.  

The lionfish looks beautiful but has 18 venomous spines that inflict a very painful sting!  A lionfish sting involving multiple spines increases the risk of infection and body-wide symptoms such as changes in heart rate, abdominal pain, sweating, and fainting. Deaths from lionfish stings are rare. Symptoms can last anywhere from 8 hours to 30 days depending on the severity of the sting.

Well, I got stung and yep, it is VERY painful!  4 days later and I can still feel the injury in my finger!  All good though, no worries.  LOL, it will likely happen again!  A very memorable dive number 3500.
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Well, it's time to head to the ocean this morning for a couple of dives.  Just taking a small video camera with me today.  the good camera is soaking for it's weekly clean!

Thanks for reading this, please help take care of our environment, and stay safe

Bill

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Good morning,

The Mariposa Foundation is a non-profit organization here in the Dominican republic that works with girls here to "Educate, Empower, Employ".  "At Mariposa, we know that to invest in the education, health and empowerment of a girl is to invest in the mother of a future generation. If we provide the tools, she will do the rest-- she will marry later, have fewer, healthier children, earn her own, steady income and then reinvest 90% of her earnings back into her family and community. If you want to end poverty and help the developing world, the best thing you can do is invest time, energy, and funding into adolescent girls."

Currently they are collaborating with UCW providing a "short course" focusing on "Sustainability as Social Justice" here in the Dominican republic.  There are 21 young women from 10 countries across the globe participating.

I was honored to be asked to speak one evening about our eco-sytem and our oceans.  We discussed life in the oceans, the threats and the actions we can take to start to make a change.  It was amazing - these young women were truly engaged, and asked question after question!  GREAT people and a great outlook for the future.

On a side note, the two young ladies representing the Dominican Republic have both received "full-ride" scholorships at major US universites.  One to study International Relations and the other to study Business management.

A few days after the lecture, we were able to organize a group activity with the help of artist Teddy Tejeda.  Teddy is a local artist and considered one of the most influencial contemporary artists in the country.  His works hang in the National Gallery in Santo Domingo.

We organized a beach clean-up on a smalll beach and then created works of art from the refuse.  In the true spirit of conservation, the artworks, now hanging in the Mariposa Center, show that we CAN re-use and re-invent.  What was one persons garbage, became a tool for another to create a work of art that illustrates what we are doing to the planet and at the same time shows how we can change things.

This was an excellent experience not only for the participants but also for me!  There look very positive things for the future thanks to organizations like Mariposa and UWC.

Have a great week!

Bill

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