PICTURE OF THE MONTH

Picture of the month

More and more divers take pictures and we are often surprised by the high quality. All our guests can now join in the competition for the Picture of the month. Based not only on the picture, but also on the short story with it, we choose the best, funniest or most original one. Join the competition and maybe you will be the one who has her/his picture on our website!

December 2011

"With a little help"

Hi Arie and Desiree,
Thanks for again a great stay. See you again in a few years!

Foppe and Andre

November 2011

There was a great diversity of entries, from wide-angle to super macro, of day and night photos. Although the division was great, this beautiful photo of Niels Vegter nevertheless won by a large majority.

October 2011

For the first time we have divers decide the picture of the month to be. Through Facebook nearly 100 people voted on their favorite photo. This beautiful picture of Niels Vegter's quat lobster won!

September 2011

Dear Magic Island team

I have a nice picture of a sponge crab for you. It is not among the pictures jet :-)

Greetings JJ

August 2011

On a beautiful summerday in August, Mariz made also this great picture!

July 2011

We were preparing for a dive to the mandarine fish when the boatman Nelson spotted this mimic octopus just in front of the dive center. Quickly they took my dive gear and waits from the boat and I could take pictures. We then left for the mandarine fish, where we also saw the blue ringed ocotopus. This was a great evening! Mariska T.

June 2011

Our guest who already had send us the Picture of the Month April, keeps sending us great pictures. This one is a type of picture you don't see very often, as photographers think it is to difficult. Well done to Siegfried Meyer!

May 2011

Weeks before our journey to Magic Island we were already excited. Again we will visit this resort and this time I will participate in the Underwater Photography Workshop, done by Karin Brussaard. I quickly bought a new camera, Olympus PEN and our vacation could start. I learned so much this week, it is unbelievable. The picture I am most happy and proud of is this pygmee seahorse.
Thank you to all participants of the workshop and to the whole team of Magic Island. We will surely come back to you again!
Esther Koning and her buddy Rob

April 2011

This picture is one of the many great pictures that Siegfried Meyer shared with us. A selection of his other great pictures you can find on our Facebook page:
Photoalbum Siegfried Meyer

March 2011

What you see is a candy crab, not a piece of sorft coral.
With many thanks to Richard and Cosetta for this great picture.

Februari 2011

Hi Arie,
During one of the twilight-night dives at Magic Point I got the striped boxer before my lens.
I really don’t have a story, only that William spotted him, and that I therefore could make this beautiful shot.

Best regards,
Ab

January 2011

The photo of the month of January was created by teamwork. The entire Smith family, Andre, Huila, Michelle and Deon have ensured that at 0:30 in the morning of January 1, 2011 everything was perfectly in order for this experimental picture.
We say: great success! (As was the whole New Year's Eve party).

December 2010

Ever tried to make a photo of a lionfish facing you? It is hard, because they are so shy that they turn away their heads as soon as you approach them. But not this juvenile one that was just hanging above the coral, totally relaxed posing for me. The nice background corals did the rest.

November 2010

Sitting on the bottom in a few metres of water as still as possible, trying not to breath. Waiting for shadows in the gloom. Briefly lit by Manuel's shaded torch I try and hold my camera on a set focus for the shy Mandarin dance. A flicker of shadow a flash then blind for a second or so. No time to check what you've got, you set-up for another go.

Back on the boat, WOW, the picture says it all. Not just the dance, but a second male in the corner waiting for the ladies hand (fin).

Thank you all. I will be back.

Steve French

October 2010

Philippines, paradise for macro-photography. Pygmy seahorses, mandarin fish, nudi-banchs, crabs, whale shark, . . . . Whale shark? After the first time we saw him it became clear that we should be ready to expect the unexpected. Coming back from a terrific dive, a fisherman shouts: whale shark, whale shark! Where. . I don’t see him, where? Oh, there! On the surface it was swimming rounds, very relaxed. Adrenaline, get the suite on, fins, mask, quickly we went silently into the water. He swam around us, under us, he just didn’t leave. This was him territorial and he was “tolerating” us. At one point he comes strait toward me. Curious, but for me a unique moment to grab my camera. One shot and then I had to get aside real fast to let him pass. He plays with us as he considers us not dangerous. After a while he disappears into the depth, leaving us in utter euphoria. . .

September 2010

This picture is from our honeymoon couple Alex and Barbara. They made a romantic nightdive on the house reef and saw this fantastic cutle fish. It was very curious and even tried their light as a seat.

August 2010

When I took the picture I thought it was a nudibranch 'Phyllidia varicosa', but when we saw the picture on the computer it turned out this 'nudybranch'had legs. After going thru several books we found out it is a young sea cucumber 'Bohadschia graeffei'.

July 2010

My biggest wish is to take a picture of the whale shark, cause I already have a lot of great macro shots. But if my wish doesn't come true, I will have to be satisfied with this beauty.

Willem

By the way: on August 18, Willem finally got his chance for the whale shark picture. Unfortunately his camera did not function.

June 2010

Frank van Klaveren made this picture of the gigantic fishball which surounds Pescador Island.

May 2010

This picture is from Ronald, one of the persons who joined the photographer course done by the famous Dutch photografer Karin Brussaard. When you want to see more pictures of the course,












look here

April 2010

Arie & Desiree,

Thank you for a wonderful time at Magic Island. The resort is top-notch, the diving among the best in the world. My photos came out great. Please thank Willem for his excellent customer service, and the women in the kitchen, too.
It was fun not speaking English and brushing up on my German.

I hope someday to bring my family to Magic Island for a dive vacation. They would have a great time.

All the best,

Michael Wood

March 2010

This beautiful example of "hitch a ride" is from Rob and Marloes Gschwend.

February 2010

Weill diving on the dive site Dolphin House, our guide Dennis found a well hidden plastic bottle with 2 seahorses. Who would do such a thing? After our second dive we returned for a short third dive and in a Philippino-Dutch-German cooperation we set the seahorses free. The slogan of our great holiday was born: Free the Seahorse!

January 2010

We see many shrimps, but we never had one with eggs on a picture. Thanks to Miranda and Remco.

December 2009

This great nudibranch is from Kerstin and Helmut!

November 2009

Our German guest Martin encountered this aggresive looking turtle. It seems it didn't want to be disturbed. Thanks to Martin and Saskia for this picture.

October 2009

This picture is taken by Luc de Backer from Belgium. When our divemaster Dennis showed this harlequin ghostpipefish, Luc didn't even see it at first. Dennis was patient and finally Luc saw it.

September 2009

This beauty was found on our house reef! With low tide, you can even take his picture without getting wet, cause it likes to stay close to the dive centre.

August 2009

This is how a hermitcrab looks without his house!
Picture is from Ronald.

July 2009

On land Marcel does most of the talking, except for his pictures. Concerning his pictures he gets quiet and modest.
Marcel: The dive guide showed me this beautiful nudibanch on the divesport "White House". He told me that the rings are in fact the eggs.
Small talk with a great picture!

June 2009

For me it is not important how deep I dive, but which great marine life can I put on picture.
In the Philippines, at Magic Island, my camera is doing overtime. So much to see, like nudibranchs, pigmy seahorses, crabs, clownfish, mandarin fish, etc. Fortunately the dive guides point out all the great (small) things every dive.
One dive, Manuel points at a anemone, but some other diver is there first. My non-deco time is only 2 minutes, but after one minute it is my turn. Should be ok, 1 minute to take my picture. Small as the creature is, it takes me several pictures to get it right, which gives me 6 minutes punishment.
Back at the resort I look at my pictures and it turns out to be a crab, an orang outang crab. Tastes differ, but I think it is a beauty!
Hetty van den Haak

May 2009

Most diver’s harts will beat faster when they think about the big live, my hart skips a beat for everything that is smaller than 5 centimeter/2 inches. Nudybranchs, crabs, shrimps, all in small sizes make me happy. Of course there is the ultimate feeling, the pygmy feeling . . .
Also this holiday. Diving at Magic Island is all about the small stuff and of course the pygmy seahorse has to be on the program as well. I am full of excitement when Manuel, the guide, closely checks the big sea fan. He raises three fingers! I prepare my camera and start taking pictures. Pygmy seahorses are not the ideal models; they turn their back on you. After all my non-deco time is used, I have a lot of pictures. At least one should be rather oke.
Back on the boat I check my pictures and I must confess; I am in love!
Pauliene van Strien