Tuesday 4 April 2017

Shelly Beach Once More

With the temperature starting to drop I thought I would get over to Shelly Beach near Manly one more time. As usual the water was crystal clear and I managed to get a few decent shots.




As always the highlight was the Blue Groper's, I may have gone a little overboard with the amount of photos.


































The bay was swarming with little guys too.

A bright Neon Damsel amongst the Mado












As fishing is not allowed within the aquatic reserve, there is a decent population of Bream.


And of course the regulars:

Common Stripey and Mado line up




I liked the reflection of these Indo-Pacific Sergeant's 



Monday 3 April 2017

Triboard Full Face Snorkel Mask Review

For the last few years everywhere I go there seems to be a new wave of snorkelers wearing full face masks. I have always been interested in but never had a chance to give one a go. However, recently I linked up with a champion snorkeler and all around good bloke Keith from https://fullfacesnorkelmask.com.au/about-us/. Keith kindly sent me a Triboard Easybreath to try out and review.

The beast
I must admit I had my doubts about full face masks, thinking that they seemed too good to be true. But within a few minutes of strapping it on I was really enjoying myself. Breathing immediately felt more natural than a typical mouthpiece and the field of vision was massive. What I was really impressed with was the ability use both your nose and mouth, which really felt as close to breathing on land as you can get. It's not so much a replacement for a normal snorkelling mask but rather a completely different experience, great for floating along the surface and taking a relaxing meditative view at what's below.

Pro's

  • Perfect for a beginner - so easy to use, and doesn't give that feeling of struggling to breath 
  • Because it has such a large pocket of air in the mask, you become more buoyant than a typical mask
  • Doesn't fog and big field of view
Con's
  • Not designed for diving down due to the amount of buoyancy 
  • Makes you look like a bank robber ;) 
If you're in the market for a great full face mask I definitely recommend Keith and the team at https://fullfacesnorkelmask.com.au/shop/