Video: Wreck diving in Chumphon

[buksida]

Had a few days down at Tung Wua Laen beach last week and went for a couple of dives (before the storms hammered us).

There is a new wreck dive site there now, the Prab 741, a decommissioned Thai navy vessel sunk to create an artificial reef in May 2011.

741.jpg (46.65 KiB) Viewed 1668 times

It gave me a good opportunity to try out some underwater videography using the GoPro Hero 3. The results were not quite what I expected, the visibility was pretty crap though this looks like pea soup! I also need a red filter to stop all the colour bleaching out and need to figure out the YouTube quality and filesize settings ... anyway, here it is:

[Big Boy]

Most of it looks pretty impressive to me.

[STEVE G]

I've just looked up the history of that ship and it's lasted quite well when you consider that during the desperation of WWII, it was built in only two weeks. It was laid down at George Lawley & Sons (Neponset, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) on the 21st March 1944, launched on the 28th March 1944 and commissioned as LCI(M) 670 on 4th April 1944.
Here she is landing troops in Italy in July 1944:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/15/1015067003.jpg

[buksida]

Here are some more pics of her going down: http://www.saveoursea.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1519

[Ginjaninja]

Any underwater still-shots? Is the remote waterproof?
Video is pretty impressive.
GN.

[buksida]

The stills I took with the Sony since it has the flash and diffuser, the GoPro is really designed for HD video, its not really a photo camera though it can do ten frames per second. I just need the filter and more light to get those colours sorted!

Haven't even tried the remote yet -its not water proof.

[buksida]

Here's another one I shot of the marine life around the two islands.

[migrant]

Nice job! Lot's of fish!

What is the cost to get out there?

[buksida]

Costs about 2 grand for the boat trip and 2 dives. You have to pay some bullshit farang marine park fee also which goes in some official's pocket and is an utter farce as there were fishing nets all over the coral.

[Stu-Pot]

I dived this site about 3 weeks after the wreck was sunk, and of course not a lot of extras had taken residence yet.

Nice coral growth in the 2 years it's been at rest....

Did you use the GoPro for stills as well, as I'm really tempted to get one if it's okay?

[buksida]

As mentioned above, the GP isn't really for stills - I use the Sony in the Ikelite with the lights and flash for stills, it gives far better results.

I'll test it on the surface though when the weather clears up a bit.