Malawi-Friend, diver and biologist

[Tschens]

Hi,
I recently registered here and was warmly welcomed in another thread. Since I was asked there which Malawis I am currently keeping and I did not want to capture the other thread with off-topic discussions, I introduce myself here.
My Name is Jens, 50+ years old, biologist, made in Austria. Currently I have Pseudotropheus elongatus, Labidochromis ceruleus, and Labeotropheus trewavasae thumbi west in an 540 L tank. Obviously, I have at least one sex-obsessed Labeotropheus since they reproduce very successfully (about 20-30 juveniles).
I am a suba diving instructor and enjoy diving all over the world since almost 40 years (1500+ dives). Since you might ask: No, so far I had no chance to dive the lakes in eastern africa. My passion is underwater photography. For those who are interested, you can see some of my pics and information regarding underwater photography here:
https://affinityspotlight.com/articl...ound-below-me/
Regards,
Jens

[brewmaster15]

Hi,
I recently registered here and was warmly welcomed in another thread. Since I was asked there which Malawis I am currently keeping and I did not want to capture the other thread with off-topic discussions, I introduce myself here.
My Name is Jens, 50+ years old, biologist, made in Austria. Currently I have Pseudotropheus elongatus, Labidochromis ceruleus, and Labeotropheus trewavasae thumbi west in an 540 L tank. Obviously, I have at least one sex-obsessed Labeotropheus since they reproduce very successfully (about 20-30 juveniles).
I am a suba diving instructor and enjoy diving all over the world since almost 40 years (1500+ dives). Since you might ask: No, so far I had no chance to dive the lakes in eastern africa. My passion is underwater photography. For those who are interested, you can see some of my pics and information regarding underwater photography here:
https://affinityspotlight.com/articl...ound-below-me/
Regards,
Jens

Jens, That was a great read on your underwater photography. I have a confession there. I have always avoided taking up Scuba. As a biologist myself I did not think I could resist the urge to take up underwater photography. Instead I focused on wildlife photography and black and white. I will save underwater for another lifetime. I really enjoy looking at the beauty of underwater life though.
We have a photography section on the forum where you are more than welcome to post your underwater images anytime. Both myself and fellow admin Pat are very into photography. Thanks for sharing and again .. Welcome to SimplyDiscus!
Al

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Jens and what a life you lead. Your underwater photos are awesome. I got my divers certification as a young adult and dove in the Florida keys as a teenager/young adult but never with a camera. That came later. When I returned to the keys in 2009 I was horrified at the state of the coral in the keys today. Took a trip to the Dry Tortugas and the condition of the coral there was what I remembered from my youth.

Anyway a big warm welcome here and I do post my photos here on the forum in the photography section of the forum. I took up photography as a retirement hobby and never looked back.
Pat

[AquaticNerd]

Welcome to the forum Jens! I thoroughly enjoyed reading that article and it's so wonderful to see those images. I am hoping to get scuba certified myself so I can get to experience some of what you have.

Can't wait to read more about your fishkeeping journey and your photography.

[danotaylor]

Great article Jens. The quote “let’s just agree it was a dog hair” made me laugh out loud! What a great life experience you have had w scuba and underwater photography. Your images are fabulous!

[jeep]

Welcome to SimplyDiscus! I began diving when I was 13 years old in the lakes and rock quarries around my area. The water is pretty cold around here and the water can be very turbid with very little visibility, but I loved it so much and I went every chance I got. I used to perform open water checkouts for new diver certifications, so I logged hundreds of dives before I was 19 years old. I remember seeing the fish we catch from a boat in their natural habitat and found them to be amazing! And, everyone thought I was crazy when I reported seeing jellyfish in the fresh water lake we used for certifications, lol... I obtained my Rescue Diver certification in my late teens. As a high school graduation present, my family took me to Florida where I did my first ocean dives. First in Pensacola Bay, then on to the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, this spelled the end of my fresh water diving days because i was so spoiled on not having to wear a wet or dry suit. Since then, I've been to the Bahamas and Mexico many times where the water is warm and crystal clear. I never did much photography, other than to use a cheap instamatic camera placed into a housing. My photo's aren't as stunning as yours, but they do possess fantastic memories.