In the past five years, we have had two super strong category 5 cyclones visit our part of the world in Far North Queensland, Australia - Cyclone Larry in March 2006 and Cyclone Yasi in February 2011. The incredibly strong winds stripped our dense forest foliage naked and as a result, full sunshine caused wild [...]
14 – 18 May 2011 Bowen, Queensland, Australia About a year ago, we wrapped up our epic 18-month Coral Triangle photo expedition with our last leg in Timor Leste. We finished a long photographic marathon and yes, we were eager to finally see the end of it and go home. Now, a year of rest [...]
April 2009 - September 2010 In 1995, when I was a fresh full-time wildlife photographer - after quitting my Industrial Photography day job of many years, I went for 12 months on my very own photographic expedition through the Coral Triangle. I first visited Christmas Island, Australia for half a year to document the red [...]
15 - 17 July 2010 Chea Village, Marovo Island After strong winds and rain throughout our stay in Tetepare, we were dreading the island crossing from Tetepare to Marovo Lagoon, New Georgia. We were bracing ourselves for big waves and made sure all our belongings were packed water tight and safely under the tarp. I [...]
10 – 14 July 2010 Tetepare Island The wild coast of Tetepare The Tetepare Descendants' Association take their conservation work very seriously. They protect and manage the entire island most especially their 13km-long Marine Protected Area. Since 2004, they have had a dedicated roster of rangers and different marine monitoring teams from scientists to [...]
10 - 14 July 2010 Tetepare Island Mystery shrouds Tetepare Island with its rainforest getting its fair share of rain Tetepare is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific where a tiny portion of its massive land is a dedicated research field station and a cooperative ecolodge run by the Tetepare Descendants’ Association or [...]
7 - 9 July 2010 Imbu Rano Lodge The only chance we had during this entire expedition to visit a forest was here in the Pacific. A forest, you might ask? What has that got to do with the Coral Triangle? With marine life? Nature, from the highest forest to the deepest sea has deep [...]
6 - 7 July 2010 WorldFish Center, Nusa Tupe & Gizo Airport Onma Lodge, Kolombangara The April 2007 earthquake and tsunami wrecked havoc to the lives of many in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. Foreign aid and rebuilding was slow and difficult, but the people of the Western Province persevered and rebuilt their [...]
6 July 2010 Gizo & Ranonga One morning in 2 April 2007, we woke up at home in Cairns. By force of habit, even before breakfast, I turned on the computer and checked BOM, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, for the day's weather. There was a tsunami warning button in red. Blink, blink. Huh? As we had [...]
28 – 30 July 2010 M’Buke Island A jar of lime powder (kambang); a bean-like green stick called mustard (daka) and green betel nuts (buai) Betel nut chewing is a custom or ritual that dates back thousands of years from Asia to the Pacific, a tradition very much a part of modern life in many [...]
