So where have I been? Right here, living the good life in Utila.
I actually have fallen into a routine, which is nice for me in my everyday living, not so nice for wonderful adventures to write about.
After returning to the island in late August, I was diving a couple days a week. I also took on the responsibility of keeping the Facebook page for Captain Morgan's Dive Centre and Pirates Bay Inn updated with fresh pictures and posts. (Hint, hint, you should go like those pages if you don't already).
I was also helping a couple of the DMTs (Dive Master Trainees) with finishing up some of their skills they needed to do to complete their Dive Master.
I was really beginning to feel "in the groove" in my photography. Got a few shots that I am particularly proud of.
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And then ... disaster struck. I went on a dive, came up put my camera in the rinse tank and when I got back to land could see the o-ring for one of the strobes had been pinched in the cap. It was completely my own fault, I was trying to hurry and had not prepared my equipment at home the night before as I try to always do. Strobe flooded.
But, I'm resourceful, I can shoot with only one strobe and in the meantime I ordered another online. It was delivered to my friend Greg's home and he had a trip here planned for late October and would deliver it to me. I could make it 6 weeks or so with only one strobe.
I can shoot with one strobe but it isn't easy and I really had to work to get the right lighting. And it didn't always work to my satisfaction.
I looked forward to having a second one again.
All the while I was posting pictures on my own Facebook page as well as the page for Captain Morgan's. I was now diving about 3 days a week and my life was good.
Now for my excuse for no blog .... I began to feel that just reposting those same pictures on the blog, that I had already posted online was boring for the reader. Most of you who read the blog also are friends on Facebook and I had little to add about the dives themselves or the pictures. At least that was my thinking. So I let the blog sit (and sit, and sit, and sit.)
About 4 weeks after my strobe disaster, disaster struck again. I went on a dive, came up, put my camera in the rinse tank and went about my business. I took the card from the camera, uploaded pictures, edited and posted as I usually do. Then I went home. I wasn't diving for a few more days and I got lazy and just let things sit. When I went back for my next dive I opened my one strobe to change the batteries. The batteries I had left in there were corroded and leaking. Clearly I had experienced another leak. This time I was shocked. The strobe had worked throughout the dive and I had not noticed anything when I took the camera from the rinse tank.
I am no assuming that it was a tiny leak, maybe a hair on the o-ring, or a little piece of dust? Who knows but either way I now had two strobes ruined and nothing for the camera.
I contacted Sea and Sea and they gave me the name of their Central America representative. He put me in touch with a shop owner on Roatan who didn't have a strobe in stock but said he would see about getting me one. As it turned out, he would be ordering from the states, the same as I would, his price was a little higher than what I could find it for and I still would have to pay shipping and he wanted me to come to Roatan to pick it up. All in all it seemed not cost effective.
I must say though, the rep from Sea and Sea was great and still says he'll try and help me get a deal on a strobe even if I get it in the states.
And if I thought it was tough to shoot with one, trying to shoot natural light only was really hard for me ... depressing is the word that comes to mind. But I just tried to keep plugging along and getting a photo here and there.
Greg came at the end of October and brought me one new strobe. So it was a great week, a visit from a friend, celebrating his birthday on the island, and at least having a little bit of light for photos ... all in the next post.
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