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Archive for the ‘Around the World’ Category

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Jul
01

Visitors: analizing the world map

For some time I am using ClustrMaps service to track where people are coming from to my blog.
Since last November it is close to 22K visits today.

I would like to thank everybody for taking time and reading some of my postings.

I see a lot of attention received when it comes to Delphi. But I also see a growing number of people coming to read some of my other posts which are not otherwise visible via DelphiFeeds.com and I always welcome everyone and value their opinions.

What is interesting about the service is that anyone can easily see distribution of the visitors around the world – big continents and small islands, Internet is everywhere. I might missed a few spots on the maps (like Alaska, Guinea, and Antarctica (would you imagine Internet for fun there?)), but who knows, one day there could be visitors and from those remote locations.

I have enabled Google maps for my photo gallery also. It is fun.

Being very big, world become smaller every day as being more and more accessible. One day I hope to have a photo taken from every big place of Earth. And who knows, they sell tours into space nowadays…

Posted in Around the World, Delphi, Miscellaneous, Technology | 2 Comments »

Apr
12

Diving at the Big Island

A few more words about my diving experience at Big Island of Hawaii.

This was my second destination at Hawaii after Maui last year and two more dives.

There are plenty of dive-shops and destinations there. But after reading “Big Island revealed” I went with Pacific Rim Divers.
Good team, small group (they take about 6 people), smooth trip, no pressure. Overall it was very nice experience. And brownies were good.

First dive was by Old Kona airport beach (56ft), second at Turtle Pinnacle (50ft). Water was nice and clear, with good visibility. Plenty of fish, corals, moray eels (see photo, and one was a big fella – about 4-5 ft, it was hard to measure and no big need to disturb him), sea cucumbers, and more.
No turtles or rays around this time though. Later I have seen green turtle at Hapuna Beach in the morning by the reef in the middle of the beach.

As I have mentioned earlier, main thing this time was to be able use my regular camera (Fuji FinePix S5200 and Ewa-Marine D-A underwater housing). You can find some of the photos from our diving and snorkeling trips in my gallery.

Few words about the housing. It was the only choice for me, since Fiji does not have any (compare, for example, with Olympus). And I wasn’t ready to spend money on the new camera… For a few hundreds dollars I have got alternative which I will stick with it for now.

You can find photos from snorkeling trips also there.

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Apr
09

Big Island of Hawaii

As I have mentioned earlier, during the spring break we have visited the next island of Hawaii – Big Island. We spent 10 days overall there. I think it is a gold middle for how much to spend there – it is not to short, you have enough time to visit places and just to spend time on the beach.

Well, finding a good beach could be a problem, since there is not to many of them in proximity from Kona where we rented a condo. One I like most - the Hapuna Beach – is about an hour drive one way… But if you are to spend time by the ocean, it worth it.

Some photos are available here.

Another big thing during this trip was diving and snorkeling with camera. I made some photos using my old Fuji FinePix S5200 with Ewa-Marine D-A underwater housing. First, camera by itself does not have housing as accessories, so I have to go with 3rd party solution. I have dove to 60ft without any problems. Considering the price out of all currently available on the market, this one is probably the best alternative.

You can see some of them here.

Overall it was fun and time well spent. But I did like Maui more. ;)

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Nov
28

Diving at Maui – Photos

Diving and taking pictures… by amateur… it did not go as planned…
Please learn from someone else mistakes:

  1. Try using something more than “for tourists” camera sold in nearby store – 100 dim generic camera is not sensitive enough for 50ft+ dive. There is just not enough light. Hey, we want some memory about the process… not ready to spent 2000+ on equipment? Then it would work.
  2. When using film based camera – process it right away at the location of the visit. Do not try to do that at home! California, Florida and some other coastal areas might be fine - there is higher chance that local photo shop will process it correctly, otherwise… you get what you get… Happens to me… now I need to play with the photo editor.
  3. Otherwise, use digital camera – you will need an underwater housing for your precious camera so it does not drown.

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