Wet Blue Diary

KOH TAO ADASINDAKİ BALİNA KÖPEKBALIĞI

I was desperate to see one of these amazing animals and photograph it. I missed it badly when I was in Mombasa-Kenya  March 2009. We even had a plane for checking out the shark from the sky, 2 videographers, 3 phootgraphers was on board. I had only one day, but unfortunately there was no sharks around these days. (Please click on the thumbnails for the larger image)

I was waiting to see one of those lovely animals in Koh Tao but also knew that you need to be lucky. Last day last dive we heard from the radio that everybody was at White Rock Diving site and there is one shark swimming around. We were at least 1 hour away from it at the South Pinnacle. Immediately started the engine and cruised to White Rock which is close to north tip of the Island. I was more than ready when we get there jumped into the water before the engine stopped and as soon as I opened my eyes and saw that gorgeous creature 5 meters away coming directly to me. The largest but if you ask me the most beautiful fish on the planet avaraging 9 meters long!

She was swimming with an army of remoras and other symbiotic fish that is benefiting from the parasites on her body. The firt thing I thought is what a mouth! so large, so little eyes. She swam above me so close to my body just a few cms above. I was so happy, but then tried to catch up with it. She looks she swims slowly, so gently movements of her fin but she is very fast actually. I hanged around her around 30 minutes took lots of pictures but I was sweating and breathing so badly trying to catch up with it. I thought I am going to get exhausted.

Rhincodon typus whale shark (Balina köpekbalığı)

She was a baby  4 meters long but not easy to handle even with that sight. What a beautiful and gentle creature, she is  adorable. With a size like that how can you be this sweet natured. I feel in love with this creature and understood the reason behind efforts of people trying to protect it. Her body is gray and ful of dots on top and all white below.  Scientist can recognize the animal from looking at shoulder. So it would be nice to take pictures from just a little above from the sharks eye level left side.

İt was amazing to see big group of people, the chaos of divers and snorkellers around her. She looked like didn’t bothered from it but  I was. She went undernath Big Blue’s boat and took this picture of her, the hitchhiker fish around her and the divers surronding her.

I spent 9 days in Koh Tao loved the Island and it was some of the best days of my 40 days Thailand-Cambodia trip. Thanks to crew and manager of BigBlue for inviting me over. Go dive with them, they are good fellows!
Needlefish school in South Pinnacle of Koh Tao

http://www.bigbluediving.com/

REEF CREATURES

Indian Ocean is maybe one of the richest reefs in the planet. Mostly, Red Sea, Maldives and SouthEastern Asian Reefs like Thailand are known by divers. The African coast is a little less known. There are amazingly colorful reefs in the eastern coast of Africa like Mombasa, Malindi, Zanzibar and etc.

MERCAN RESİF CANLILARI

 


Hint Okyanusu, belkide gezegenimizdeki canlı çeşitliliği açısından en zengin noktalardan biri. Çoğunlukla, Kızıldeniz, Maldivler, Tayland gibi Güneydoğu Asya Resifleri dalıcılar tarafından fazla tanınmaktadır. Afrikanın doğu kıyılarında Mombasa, Malindi, Zanzibar gibi bazı noktalarda oldukça renkli, canlı çeşitliliğinin büyük rakamlarda olduğu resfiler bulunmaktadır.

I am going, I’m goin, I’m goin depeer underwater!

Skin diving images from our sailing journey Gocek to Istanbul, The shooting is adone around Knidos,

Depth 800 metres!

Ozgul and my uncle Selim and Feyzoş did excelling modelling for me.

Gocek-Istanbul 11 günlük yelken yolculugu. Dayımın yeni yelkenlisini İstanbula cıkarırken yol üzerinde, Knidos Açıklarında 800 metre derinsuda gerçekleştirdiğimiz serbest dalış çekimlerinden görüntüler. Begeniceginizi dusunuyorum.

Ozgul ve dayım Selim mükemmel modellik yaptılar bu çekimler için. İkisinide öpüyorum burdan.

Mert