(3-minute read)
Guess who’s back?! That’s right, I was back on Arborek Island in Raja Ampat and I was here again to visit Githa Anasthasia and the women of MORA. Due to an unfortunate illness during a previous trip to Raja Ampat and the additional educational opportunities missed here, I decided to return. Unfortunately, with life and its unpredictable nature, plans this round also didn’t go as hoped.
Before I continue this blog, I want to say a huge thank you to Alison LaBonte (2000 NA OWUSS Scholar) for offsetting my carbon footprint for this additional trip!
With initial plans cancelled for this visit, I decided to shift gears and get busy with my camera! As you all know, it has been a steep learning curve for me to learn about underwater photography/videography, understanding aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. However, coming back to a place I visited very early in my scholarship year, I was keen to see how much my camera skills have improved!
I was able to go back to some familiar dive sites and apply what I have learned to better capture the beauty of these reefs (and even get some surprise visits from turtles).
During this time, I was also able to experiment a bit with night sky photography. I am so used to light pollution back home, I still can’t get over how I was able to see so many stars, orbiting satellites, and quite a few shooting stars.
My favorite thing that I was able to capture during my time here, were the manta rays. On every other dive or snorkel trip, I was able to see them feeding, cleaning, or just passing by. Early in my trip, however, there was one specific day where some friends and I went out snorkeling and ended up spending hours in the water with 30 manta rays mass feeding (see video here)! It was a beautiful experience and seeing so many of these animals at once, flipping, turning, and what seemed to be dancing around, felt like a once in a lifetime phenomenon to see.
Another thing that was really exciting — during this trip, was that I was able to bring my drone and take even more photos and videos from a whole new perspective. I appreciated being able to get beautiful shots in such a beautiful place.
Overall, despite plans changing, I was still able to make the most of this experience and not only capture the beauty of this location, but also genuinely take the time to see it and appreciate it on a much deeper level.
Thank you so much to Githa Anasthasia for welcoming me back to such an amazing place. Hopefully, I will return to the island in the future and we can go diving again soon! And a huge thank you again to Stacey Tighe Ph.D. (1980 OWUSS NA Scholar) for supporting and coordinating me during my time in Raja Ampat. I appreciated being able to be here with improved diving skills and camera skills to best appreciate the beauty of the environment.
Thank you to the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and our sponsor Rolex for making this scholarship experience a possibility. I would also like to thank Reef Photo and Video, Nauticam and Light and Motion for my underwater camera setup as well as Aqualung, Fourth Element, Suunto, Halcyon, and DUI for my diving equipment.
