Beneath the Waves by PADI MSDT Fra-and Timothy Quimpo

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Beneath the Waves by PADI MSDT Fra-and Timothy Quimpo

This is the official FaceBook Page of FQuimpo Imaging's Beneath the Waves Series.

It features underwater photographs and videos about the realm underneath our seas.

22/05/2024

Today, May 22, 2024, is the INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, and did you know that THE CORAL REEF has the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem in the planet. And did you also know that despite how small our country, the Philippines, is, we are the 3rd country in the world with the most coral reefs. That's right, our waters are blessed with extensive coral reefs extending from the north of Batanes all the way to the south of Tawitawi... But unfortunately despite all these blessings, we are also up there in the world's top ten list of marine biodiversity hotspots, meaning we have one of the MOST THREATENED MARINE ECOSYSTEMS in the world. So why the irony, it is because despite being an archipelagic country, only a small percentage of Filipinos actually know how beautiful the world beneath the waves is, and an even smaller percentage cares about protecting it. So it has always been my advocacy to show the beauty of the world beneath the waves in the hopes of changing minds about how we treat our seas and oceans because what you see above, is not how it looks like below. And this photo is just one of the proofs of my claim. And an astonishing coral reef, the most amazing ecosystem you can find in a healthy sea.

Dive Buddy and Model: Norman William Macababayao
Taken during 2023's Dive 7 Underwater Shootout in Dauin-Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental
Dive Services: Bongo Bongo Divers
Dive Guide: Dimar Truita . Magnus Nielsen
Dive Buddies: Char Lene Vic P. Pulmon

16/05/2024

The Homebuddy Seahorse

The pygmy seahorse is probably one of the most inconspicuous, but sought-after fishes underwater. They are very "homebuddys", and this particular species, Hippocampus bargibanti, takes it to the extreme by choosing only one genus of seafan, the Muricella sp. to live on for its entire life and even taking the look of its home with all the bumps and lumps, making them all the more difficult to spot. Their adaptation of looking like their home is their way of not being eaten by predators as seahorses are one of the slowest swimming fishes and also to avoid the usual paparazzi divers. And shy, homebuddy seahorses that are already so tiny, and look the same as their "homes" making them all the more difficult to spot, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

The Shy Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti)
Gato Island, Malapascua, Cebu

Shot with the Olympus Em10 mark IV with an Olympus 30mm macro in an AOI/Backscatter housingduring the recent Buddy Dive Center 's 2024 Malapascua Trip with our host, the amazing shark whisperers and equally incredible critter hunters of Mtd Diveshop.. We will surely be back for more of your amazing service and dive experience...

Dive Services: Buddy Dive Center x MTD Diveshop
Dive Buddies: Ram Yoro, Marlon Managa, Marivic Verdadero Maramot, Char Lene, Norman William Macababayao, Cy Belle, James Gritton

29/04/2024

National threshers, I mean treasures, the Thresher Sharks of the Philippines

The thresher sharks are one of the most unique and iconic-looking sharks in the world. With their distinctive long tail, these shy and elusive deep-dwelling predators, although circumtropical in distribution, are rarely seen, except as bycatch or if one ventures into remote atolls in the world. But here in the Philippines, especially within the surrounding waters of Malapascua Island, Cebu they are a regular sight and one of the highlights of every diver visiting our waters.

The thresher sharks, for me, should be considered the national fish of the Philippines as it is on par with the other unique and amazing fauna of the Philippines like our beloved Philippine Eagle, our cute tarsiers, and our rare tamaraws. Although not endemic to the Philippines, our country is the only known place where this species can be seen almost daily and at recreational depths. A whole diving industry was established on the presence of this species. In other parts of the country, like Apo Reef and Puerto Galera, regular sightings have also been reported at recreational depths making our country, one of the most documented places in the world for this species.

I have nothing against the bangus as our national fish, but a bangus is a fish that is cultured for food, has no endearing trait that we Filipinos can relate, and as an organism is at the low trophic level (bottom-feeder if you want a clearer term). But the thresher shark, the thresher shark belongs to the Order Lamniformes or commonly known as the mackerel sharks where its most famous cousin, the legendary great white shark belongs. The heritage of greatness is there, sans the aggressive characteristic of its more famous cousin and that is what we Filipinos are, I believe. We are a proud but unaggressive (or humble) race. The warrior’s blood of Lapulapu (figuratively speaking) runs in our veins and yet we have this distinct character of being friendly and welcoming, just like the thresher sharks. And how cool would it be, if we have one of the most unique and iconic looking shark as a national figure???

p.s. There is no law yet declaring the bangus as our national fish, yet we grew up with that information. So yeah, we can still start to petition to make the thresher shark our national fish. :-D

All images in this set were shot with the Panasonic Lumix G9 with an Olympus 8mm Pro Fisheye lens inside an Ikelite DL200 underwater housing with an 8-inch dome port. This set was shot during the recent 2024 Buddy Dive Center goes to Malapascua trip with our partner and shark guide experts MTD Diveshop of Jeston, Tong, and others.

All images are copyrighted to the photographer and high-quality prints from A4, A3, A2, 18 x 24”, and up to 2ft x 3ft are available with or without frames and printed on luster, fine-art paper, or canvas. For inquiries about the prints, please get in touch with FQuimpo Imaging.

22/04/2024

Ever since I laid my eyes on its long wavy tail about 2 decades ago, I have been, and still am, in awe of this stunning and graceful shark. A STUNNING and a GRACEFUL shark??? Is there such a thing? Or did I just lose my mind to be describing that way or failed my english mentors in using these adjectives to sharks of all creatures. SHARKS are supposed to be mean, scary, mindless man-eating monsters and STUNNING and GRACEFUL should be the last on the list of its description. But nope, I am not wrong with how I describe them. When diving with them, they don't have that aura of danger or menace, instead you can see curiosity in their eyes as they swim past by you to check you out. The wavy movement of its long caudal fin and the shimmering of its body when hit at a certain angle by sunlight is mesmerizing. And that d***y, "Hey dude", like expression of its face is far from the scary man-eating monsters we perceive sharks to be. I am so blessed to have seen them, and take photos of them (although I used the wrong lens and need to come back again to take better shots), as there are only a few places in the world where they can be seen regularly, much fewer still where you can swim or "play" or "photoshoot" with them for a whole 60minutes. And even these places are vanishing if the destruction of the sea continues unabated. So I hope this portrait shot of the magnificent thresher shark can change your views of sharks as mindless man-eating monsters and instead persuade you to help in its protection. And STUNNING and GRACEFUL, instead of MEAN and SCARY, sharks just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

Portrait of a Thresher Shark
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G9 + Olympus 8mm FE pro in an Ikelite DL200 housing

Taken during the 2024 Buddy Dive Center Malapascua Trip 1.0

05/04/2024

Baby Shark do do do do do

Naaah this baby-looking shark is not a baby anymore, but a full-grown bamboo shark. Bamboo sharks belong to a group of sharks called the carpet sharks as they are known to lie low on the bottom of seas and oceans hiding and being inconspicuous rather than being out and about like their more famous cousins. They are mostly nocturnal and come out at night to feed on shells and crustaceans. We can say that in the world of the sharks, the bamboo sharks are the more "introvert" ones. And sharks that are introvert and would rather hide than being mean and scary, just one of the things you find in a healthy sea.

Whitespotted Bamboo Shark
Gato Island, Malapascua, Cebu
Taken with the Olympus Tg5 inside an olympus housing and lighted by 2x Inon Z330 during the previous Buddy Dive Center trip to Malapascua last October of 2022..

Dive Buddies: R Ray Buds, Cheery Chette , San Bu Goku, Deigh
Dive Guides: George and Ethan of Dan's Dives Malapascua

Although Malapascua Island is known for the thresher sharks, in some nooks and crannies, interesting species like this bamboo shark, lurks as well, all you have to do is look.. :-)

01/04/2024

Seahorse! Ito ang Tama!

I am always fascinated by seahorses... It is not the fastest moving fish, it is not the most agile fish, it is not the most threatening fish, it is not the most powerful fish, and yet it has survived for 13 million years. Unlike other fishes, seahorses produce baby seahorses that look exactly like adults but in miniature form. These babies develop from the pouches of the males (the fertilized eggs from the females are transferred to the males), so you could say that the male seahorses are the OG housebands! Oh, no wonder I am fascinated by seahorses, I must have reincarnated from one... :-D :-D :-D... and OG houseband fish, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

Shot with the Olympus Em10 mark IV + Olympus 30mm macro inside a Backscatter/AOI Housing and lighted by the Backscatter Mini Flash 2.

&liveaboards

14/03/2024

The Skeleton Shrimps

These little humanoid-like crustaceans (which seemed to be the inspiration for the skinny worm aliens in Men in Black) are called skeleton shrimps or caprellids. They are not actually shrimps, nor skeletons for that matter, but amphipods that are distinctly slender, and almost transparent, earning them the moniker ghost shrimp, again not a shrimp. They cling to hydroids, algae, or soft corals using appendages on the lower part of their body and they use the appendages on the upper part of their body to capture food. But when they move, they crawl with their upper and lower appendages, like a caterpillar. Although they are well camouflaged due to their diminutive size and almost transparent bodies, they are nevertheless fun to watch once you see them (and very difficult to photograph as they can be very skittish and move a lot, so patience is a virtue when photographing these critters.

This is a 3rd place winner in Marine Life Behavior during the 2023 Dive 7 Dive Festival held in Dauin and Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental by the DIVE7 DOTCentralVisayas and the Negros Oriental Dive Association.

Shot with the Panasonic Lumix G9 with a 60mm macro lens and an Inon UCL 67 wet lens and lighted by a backscatter mini 2.

Dive Site: San Miguel
Dive Guide: Dimar Truita
Dive Operator: Bongo Bongo Divers of Magnus Nielsen
Dive Buddies: Norman William Macababayao
Char Lene
Vic P. Pulmon

05/03/2024

Life beneath the waves is not just about beauty and wonder. There are realities of struggles and difficulties with some even painful to see, all the more to photograph. I have always liked shooting turtles in their magnificence but also photographing them in their most difficult condition (like this green turtle with a tumor in its head) may help us gain perspective of what is happening beneath the waves and hopefully make enough waves to do something about it. As of the moment, there is no clear reason for this disease but many studies suggest links between "fibropapillomatosis" (the name of this tumor-causing disease of marine turtles which is due to a type of herpesvirus) and pollution caused by humans. And reflecting on this, life is a balance between beauty and adversity. Life's difficulties can be seen and felt (but hopefully minimize) in a healthy sea.

Green Turtle with a Tumor
Dive Site: Mantigue Islet, Camiguin, Philippines
Dive Buddies: Boogs Rosales, Jennifer Hayes , Zeny Pallugna
Dive Operator: Scuba de Oro and Buddy Dive Center

03/02/2024

In humans, headdresses are ornamental pieces worn for ceremonial purposes or to denote status (such as in kings, queens, chieftains).. In the underwater world however, a headdress can mean the survival of an individual.. Here, a DECORATOR CRAB adorns its head (and carapace) with anemones, not to look fashionable, but to prevent predators like octopuses and fishes from eating it.. The anemones have stinging tentacles which can inflict pain on whatever predator that will try to get a hold of the decorator crab.. And yeah, he does look fashionable with it.. And crabs that use fashionable headdresses for survival, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea..

Location: San Roque, Mahinog, Camiguin

23/01/2024

In life there are beautiful and there are ugly but beneath the waves, there are also the "beautifully ugly". And frogfishes are one of those creatures. No amount of beauty standards humans have can apply to them and yet, they are one of the favorite and sought after subjects of underwater photographers and divers. They may look so ugly that they turn out to be beautiful... And the beautifully ugly critters, just one of the amazing things you find in a healthy sea.

Portrait of a Frogfish
Dive Site: Dauin, Negros Oriental
Dive Buddies: Norman William Macababayao
Char Lene , Vic P. Pulmon
Dive Guide: Dimar Truita
Dive Shop: Bongo Bongo Divers

Taken during the DIVE7 DOTCentralVisayas Dive Festival 2023 using a Panasonic Lumix G9 with the Olympus 60mm macro lens Sidelighted by a single Inon Z330 strobe.

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