Story and Photos by TIM ROCK
NEW GUAM BOOK
This book shows the beauty and richness of Guam’s recently established marine preserves. Small but important, they act as buffers to overfishing and ensure some reefs of Guam remain protected and diverse.
Click below to preview the entire book:
Surrounded by an azure sea, the island of Guam in Western Micronesia is blessed with one of the world’s richest coral reef marine environments. It thrives with more than 700 fish species and nearly 400 kinds of corals. This great natural biodiversity attracts divers from all over Asia and other parts of the world.
This book features 192 photos over 160 pages by internationally published marine photojournalist Tim Rock. The Guam marine preserves hold an amazing variety of fish and corals and are one of the region’s great success stories.
The betterment of Guam’s diverse underwater world has been the thrust behind a series of nature preserve set up in the last decade around the island. What these areas do is keep fishing to a minimum, allowing breeding stocks to prosper and make more fish. The island has seen a sharp decline in the last 20 years in its breeding fish; that is, the larger fish that make offspring. This is due to a number of factors including unrestricted fishing around the entire island, reef damage from poor building practices and natural causes, like typhoon damage.
The Achang Bay Reef Flat, Sasa Bay, Piti Bomb Holes (Piti Bay), Tumon Bay (and Gun Beach) and Pati Point preserves encompass small reef areas from north to south and are starting to ensure reef health on this diverse western Pacific gem. Enjoy this visual trip through the most accessible of the preserves and popular underwater sites on Guam.
Gray Reef Shark
By TIM ROCK
Photojournalist Tim Rock
Manta Fest 2011 and Tim Rock have teamed up with Underwater Festival 2011 to create an amazing event.
Read more here:
News and New Stuff from AQUATICA
By Tim Rock
There’s some very new equipment and new configurations from our friends at Aquatica.
Amongst new things you will see the Aquatica housing for the Canon T2i / 550D camera, by far the smallest and most economical in its class; it will be associated with the Canon Type 2 lens charts for 1:6 sensors. Introduced along with this housing is a lower profile # 18429 macro port and a modified # 18710.1 focus gear for the Canon 60mm EF-S, this was done to slim down the weight and size, the newer type gear can be used to focus the 60mm EF-S via the housing focus/zoom control knob or if using our classic # 18426, then it can also be used via the Macro Port integrated focus knob.
The New Mini Dome 100 for fisheye lens as started shipping already as does the TLC underwater tripod. Both these as well as the Aquatica T2i / 550D housing are just back with rave review from field testing with a group of underwater photographers on a Caribbean island. Watch Aquatica’s websitefor links to incoming reviews!
Two port adapters to assist to migrate to Aquatica’s system, and one is for the Sea & Sea NX ports and the other for Subal Type III, more of these ports adapters are due out this year.
Also check out the gear section, Aquatica is committed to accommodate the need of your customer as much as possible, so new addition have and will be made.
Some various gears, which were similar if not identical to each other, have been adapted and merged under a common number, this was done in order to simplify needs.
White Whale on the Way Back
Australians in Tropical North Queensland are awaiting the return of an albino humpback whale name Migaloo.
This rare whale may be about 5-6 years old now and is always the talks of the summer (their winter actually) migration.
Read more about Migaloo HERE
See some surface photos HERE
Daily whale watching trips with a very high success rate run daily out of Cairns.
Tim
Manta Fest in YAP is Happening!!
Join TIM ROCK for Mantas, Photos and Fun
4th Annual Manta Fest Photo Festival
Yap, Micronesia
September 4th — 14th 2010
Come rub elbows with the top underwater shooters in the world, experience great diving and have lots of fun.
The intention is for Manta Fest to evolve into an island-wide celebration involving other hotels and dive shops but for now, The Manta Ray Bay Resort is taking the lead in trying to establish this fun educational program where everyone is a winner.
Photojournalist Tim Rock
Photo & Video Pros • Seminars • Photo Contest • Daily Presentations
Plus prizes like this full color, hard cover coffee table book below:
I’ll be on hand as the professional digital still photographer and diving with my group. Andy Sallmon, Underwater and Marine Life Nature Photographer, will be at Manta Ray to also help our guests with any of their photographic and video needs. There will be nightly presentations on the big outdoor screen on the restaurant ship Mnuw as well as individual classroom seminars in the afternoons. The pros will also compile a presentation from our guests efforts to show on the last day with awards given to those participating.
Photo Contest
This year’s program will be a shootout with various categories:
•Grand prize in each category is going to be a 7 night/5 dive day trip back to Yap and the Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers.
•2nd Place in each category will be a copy of Tim Rock’s great photo album about Yap (a $139 value).
•3rd Place will be tee shirts, mask straps, and lots more goodies.
* Mantas/Sharks
* Macro
* Behavior
* Reef Scenics
* Land/Culture and People.
Bookings
Here’s the deal:
A 7 night/5 dive day package is $1,359/person (Standard View Room), $1,439/person (Ocean View Room) and $1,779/person (Deluxe Ocean View Room). This includes tax, airport transfers, 10 total dives and a complimentary daily breakfast. Additional dives are available and there will be one shark dive during the trip fro those interested.
To book your spot for Manta Fest 2010 via this site just click on my CONTACT link!
Attention European & Asian guests: Airfare Update
The Manta Ray Bay Resort has been working with Continental Airline to make it easier for European guests to travel to Yap and Palau. Now that Continental Airlines has become a Star Alliance member, European travelers can get to Yap on their preferred European Airline (Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss Air, Austrian Air & more.) Please join us for Manta Fest 2010! We also have deals from Manila and Tokyo for Asian guests.
Europeans can find out more about this airline deal here.
Tim Joins PADI Pres
Dr. Drew, Theresa and Tim - Smiling and Sunburned at MDA's big night June 19.
The Guam MDA Treasure Hunt was a huge event attended by more than 300 people in Guam last Saturday.
The theme was treasure but the treasured reefs of the island and the region were the topics of discussion.
I presented a look at the major preserves on Fiji, Yap, Guam and Rota and talk of their various stages of progress and successes to date. Film from Beqa Adventure Divers in Fiji and modeling by Elaine Kwok highlighted the evening’s imaging. Guam’s Chris Bangs also showed amazing macro images and sperm whale photos taken around Guam.
Manta in Guam's Tumon Preserve
Dr. Drew Richardson, PADI President, talked of mobilizing PADI’s 17-million members worldwide for the betterment of the coral reefs and the seas. PADI’s Project AWARE has grown in size and scope annually since it’s inception and aims to make positive changes in the world’s seas. Richardson was assisted by Theresa Gulledge, the PADI Diving Society Manager.
This highly popular and successful MDA event featured great prizes, dinner and drinks and lots of fun for many enthusiastic Guam divers and families.
Tim
Shark Bill is LAW
Gray Reef Shark
By Tim Rock
Congratulations Hawaii! You’re leading the way.
We’ve been following the efforts of our friend Stefanie Brendl and her environmental cohorts as they worked to get the shark fins banned from Hawaii.
Have a look at a worldwide success story:
Hopefully, this is just the beginning.
Best,
Tim
I just got back from Yap in Micronesia with Yap Divers and Manta Ray Bay Hotel.
See some images HERE.
In fact, a lot of local building is going on with new fulaws down by Gilman and past the stone money bank Bubul.
Small business is flourishing and the diving is great with regular manta ray, reef shark and bigeye jack school sightings.
In All, a great place to visit.
A BIG THANK YOU to Yap Divers and Manta Ray Bay Hotel.
DIVE WITH ME. CHECK OUT OUR MANTA FEST TRIP IN SEPTEMBER 2010!
Best,
Timbo
New Philippines Hard Cover Book
By TIM ROCK:
It’s here. Great new book about the Philippines. Take a look:
Thank you and I hope you enjoy this new volume>
The Philippine islands, some 7,000+ of them, are the gateway to the unique region of the western Pacific. This amazing country of islands, mountains, individual seas and biological diversity has been blessed with some of the amazing marine life the Earth has to offer. Considered part of the “Coral Triangle”, the islands and reefs, deep trenches and submerged sea mountains all combine to give this country a smorgasbord of undersea beauty that divers of all ages and skill levels can enjoy.
The topside regions of the Philippines are also part of this package. Many different regions have cultures within cultures that have histories dating far back into the man’s first residence in this country. Visiting the people, seeing their lifestyle, tasting their cuisines and learning about their beliefs is a real bonus to any diving holiday.
I have been to the Philippines many times over the last three decades and made a major tour to some of the tried and true dive sites and also visited some of the new and up-and-coming venues. The marine life and hospitality made the most recent trip and many in the past quite memorable. I want to share the experience. From the whale sharks of Donsol, to the open spaces of the Sulu Sea, from the untouched areas around north Palawan to the sea mounts off Malapascua and back to the tried and true resort hotspots like Anilao and Puerto Galera, this book offers you the best the Philippines has to offer. And the good news is that there is still more to see in The Philippines!!!
Enjoy this collaboration between my friend – model, diver and photographer Yoko Higashide – and myself as we travel to some of the hotspots and unique venues in the Philippines. There are 240 pages and 381 full color photos in this amazing book.
See you on a boat somewhere soon I hope!
Tim Rock
Author
