After taking my Open Water Dive Course in 1998 in Pulau Tioman, West Malaysia, I was instantly hooked. Since then I’ve logged over 800 dives, picking up underwater photography in 2004 when I bought a simple point & shoot camera and housing by Casio. The rest as they say is history. I love macro photography and the vibrant colors of macro critters. I make yearly trips to my favorite macro destinations in Manado or Lembeh Straits in Indonesia to capture the unique and rare creatures. I hope to do more wide-angle work in the coming years and travel to more dive destinations.

Lembeh Straits

Located at the busy port of Bitung at the northern tip of Sulawesi in Indonesia, this location has been described as the mecca for muck diving. I first dived at Lembeh Straits in 2004 as part of a day trip from nearby Manado. I was instantly hooked by the tremendous variety of weird and colorful creatures that reside in the sheltered bays and walls. Even more surprising is the clear visibility of the water at the busy port at Bitung despite the amount of rubbish in the water.

Since then I have made yearly trips to the area, sometimes twice a year. I love the combination of easy diving conditions, wide variety of photo subjects and how easy underwater photography conditions are there.

For more of Alvin Ho’s work, please visit his images on Flickr.