Underwater Photography Underwater Photographya web magazine

Issue 45Nov/Dec 2008

Aquatica Nikon D700FIX LED1000DXSubal Nikon D700INON macro fisheye lens

Great White Shark Chalkidiki Bimini magicEast Kalimantan

School’s out Coding a vessel Parting Shots

Nekton RED housingsShooting Magic DVDOlympus Mju770SWCheap pole-cam

Patima Canon G9Sony A350 and BS KineticsWetpixel QuarterlyCornwalls King of Prussia

SLR-DC Housings

The Ikelite SLR-DC housing takes full advantage of the digital SLR camera’s innovative features. The housing is injection molded of clear, lightweight polycarbonate for strength, visual access to the camera, LCD screens and camera controls. The housing provides controls for most camera functions. Most Ikelite SLR-DC housings include conversion circuitry that provide TTL compatibility with the latest Ikelite DS Substrobes. Many housings also include a Flash Compensation Module which provides over and under-exposure compensation in the TTL mode and easily allow you to switch to Manual Exposure Mode which provides eight power settings. All exposure compensation is done on the back of the housing. There is no need to access complicated camera menus.

CanonEOS 5DEOS 20DEOS 30DEOS 40DEOS 50DEOS 350D, Rebel XTEOS 400D, Rebel XTiEOS 450D, Rebel XSiEOS 1000D Rebel XS

NikonD40, D40xD50D60D70, 70sD80D90D200D300D700

OlympusE3E330E-400, E410E420E510, E520

SonyA-100A-200A-300A-350A-700

Underwater Systems • 50 W. 33rd. Street • Indianapolis, IN • 46208 • 317-923-4523 www.ikelite.com

Substrobe DS160From its first introduction in 2001, the Substrobe DS125 became the overwhelming choice of professionals and discerning photographers the world-over. Now the best is even better. Introducing the new and improved Substrobe DS160.

The Substrobe DS160 is compatible with all Ikelite TTL systems and current digital cameras, as well as all older TTL film cameras including the Nikonos system. A variety of sync cords, sensors, and TTL adapters are available to connect to almost any camera system currently on the market.

Compact Digital Housings for

• Canon • Fuji • Nikon • Olympus • Sony

Ikelite offers housings for more than fifty different digital still camera models to meet the diverse demands of the underwater photographic community. Ikelite’s Compact and ULTRAcompact Digital Still Housings are molded of clear polycarbonate. Dive while knowing your system is safe and have complete visual access to the camera, LCD, monitor and control functions. Most housings are rated to 60m (200’).

45/�www.uwpmag.com

Underwater PhotographyA web magazine UwP45 Nov/Dec 2008

Underwater PhotographyContents4 Editorial 5 News & Travel14 New Products

22 Olympus Mju770 byRobSpray

Underwater Photography2001 - 2008 © PR Productions

Publisher/Editor Peter Rowlandswww.pr-productions.co.uk

peter@uwpmag.com

29 Patima Canon G9 byJohnCesere

33 Sony A350 and BS Kinetics byKarinBrussaard

36 Wetpixel review byDouglasDavidSeifert

Cover photo byAlex Tyrrel

26 Cheap pole-cam byAlexMustard

40 King of Prussia byMarkWebster

44 Great White byJulianCohen

47 Chalkidiki byNicholasSamaras andRabaeLatridou

53 Bimini magicbyTimRock&YokoHigashide

56 East Kalimantan byAlexTyrrel

62 School’s out byMarkWebster

66 Coding a vessel byCharlesHood

72 Parting Shots byDaveBluck,JoeDovala, JohnNatoli&TobiasReitmayr

45/4 www.uwpmag.com

EditorialDEMA and Antibes

ApologiesforthelatearrivalofUwP45butI’vejustgotbackfromexhibitingatDEMAinLasVegasandAntibesinthesouthofFrance.BothwereverypleasanteventsbutratherthanincludedetailsoftheminthisissueI’dliketopointyoutosomeexcellentcoverageat

www.wetpixel.com and

www.divephotoguide.com

Digital capability

Theoldchestnutusedtobe“Willdigital ever be as good as film?” but now,withtheadventofcamerassuchastheNikonD�andD700,wehaveasituationwheredigitalcamerasareeasily outperforming film, certainly in termsofhighISOcapability.This,inturn,shouldreleaseawholenewsetofimages,neverpracticallypossiblebefore,of,forinstance,deeperwrecksinsharperdetail.Isaywrecksbecausetheyareofparticularinteresttomebutwhatissoexcitingaboutunderwaterphotographyatpresentishowthesenewcapabilitiesarebeingembracedandwillbeusedtoproduceawholenewgenre.

Is enough enough?

AninterestingsituationwasbroughthometomerecentlywhenItriedtoburnanHDfootagevideoaboutShootingMagicFiltersontoDVD.ImaginemysurprisewhenIfoundoutthatIhadtocompress/downgradetheimagequalityslightly in order for it to fit onto a conventionalDVD.IsayconventionalreferringtotheuniversallypopularsinglesidedDVDsratherthanthedoublesidedorBlu-Raydiscswiththeirincreasedcapacitybecausethelattertwo,whilstcapableofstoringmuchmoreinformation,arenotatallpopular.ItseemsthatthegeneralpubliccanseenoreasontoupgradetheirDVDplayersandcomputermanufacturershavenotfullyembracedBlu-Ray.

IntheolddaystherewasadistinctadvantagewithDVDsoverVHStapes.Thequalitywasvisuallymuchbetter,thesizesmallerandtheloss-lesscopyingcapabilityquitegroundbreakingsotherewasanalmostuniversaltakeup.

NowitseemsthatthegeneralpublicarestayingputforthetimebeingandIsuspectthatthepreferredmethodofvideodeliveryinthefuturewillbeonlineratherthanondisc.

Please contribute to the contributors

Attheriskofsoundingrepetitive,UwPcanonlybedownloadedforfreebecausethecontributorsdon’taskforanypayment.

If you feel you have benefited fromorsimplyenjoyedthecontentsofUwPwhynotmakeadonationwhichwillbedividedprorataamongstthecontributors.LastyeartheywereverygratefulforyourgenerousityandanydonationsthisyearwhicharereceivedbeforeDec�1st2008willbedividedupamongstthisyearscontributors.

YoucandonatebyPayPalorcreditcardatwww.uwpmag.com/donate.html

45/5www.uwpmag.com

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News, Travel & Events

Small and light enough to hand carry on aircraft, the Seatool ND300 offers exceptional underwater balance.

All camera controls are placed within easy reach, even for divers with small hands. The command dials and shutter release are exactly where you expect them to be for effortless operation, even one handed.

Your new Seatool ND300 housing comes standard with connections for optically fired strobes with opional single or dual Nikonos style bulkheads.

The Seatool ND300 offers three viewfinder options: Optical window, 45° or 180° Inon Magnifying Viewfinders.

www.reefphoto.comwww.seatoolusa.com

Seatool Nikon D300 housing

TheSeaShepherdConservationSociety has announced its fifth AntarcticWhaleDefenseCampaigntotheSouthernOceanstodefendwhalesfrom the Japanese whaling fleet. This year’scampaignhasbeennamedOperationMusashiinreferencetothelegendaryJapanesestrategist,MiyamotoMusashi(1584-1645)knownasagreatsamuraiwarrior,strategistandtacticianandapersonalrolemodelandherotoCaptainPaulWatson,FounderandPresidentofSeaShepherd.

“WeintendtosinktheJapanesefleet economically,” said Captain Paul Watson.“Ourstrategyistopreventwhalesfrombeingkilled,toforcetheJapanesewhalerstospendmoneyonfuelwithoutkillingwhales.WewillonceagaininterveneagainstillegalJapanesewhalingandonceagainwe

Sea Shepherd Operation Musashi

intendtosavethelivesofasmanywhalesaswecanwiththeresourcesavailabletous.Wehavebeenthecause of the Japanese whaling fleet losing profits for three years in a row. Weintendtomakeitafourthyearofred ink for the whaler’s books.”

The Japanese whaling fleet will departfromJapannextmonth.TheSeaShepherdshipSteveIrwinwillalsodepartattheendofNovemberfromBrisbane,Australia.TheJapanese fleet and the Steve Irwin shouldarriveintheSouthernOceanWhaleSanctuaryaroundthesametime.SeaShepherdwillnotdependonthegovernmentofAustraliatohelpthewhales.

www.seashepherd.org

Greenpeace Surrenders to the Japanese Whaling Fleet

Greenpeace has officially announcedthattheywillnotbesendingashiptotheSouthernOceanstoopposewhalingbytheJapaneseWhaling fleet. This means that Sea ShepherdwillbealoneinourhighseasoppositiontoillegalJapanesewhalingoperationswhenthewhalingseasonopensinamonth.

“AsaGreenpeaceco-founder,IamdeeplyoffendedthatGreenpeacehasbeenraisingmillionsofdollarsinthenameofdefendingwhalesallyearandnowtwoweeksbeforetheJapanese whaling fleet is scheduled todepart,theyannouncetheywillnotbe going,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Inmyopiniontheycollectedfundsunderfalsepretensesandnowtheyhaveabandonedthewhales.Shameonthem.”

www.greenpeace.org

45/6 www.uwpmag.com

The Seatool SR11/SR12 underwater housing for the Sony HDV Handycam HDR-SR11/SR12 is one of the smallest, lightest underwater video housings ever produced.

At just 1.5kg it’s small and light enough to hand carry on aircraft and because the housing body conforms so closely to the camera, the housing attains nearly neutral buoyancy (slightly negative) for effortless handling underwater.

The housing utilizes a flip out mirror & lcd reversing circuit, allowing the user to take advantage of the camera’s LCD Screen for composition. Optional 3” external monitor now available.

www.reefphoto.comwww.seatoolusa.com

Seatool Sony HDR-SR11/12

JoinunderwaterphotographerAlexMustardforhis2009workshopinthenorthernRedSea.Asinpreviousyears,thisworkshopisscheduled specifically to coincide withtheaggregationsofsnappers,emperors, trevallies, batfish, barracuda and unicornfish at Ras Mohammed. Butwewillalsodedicatetimetophotographingthephotogenicwrecksandreefsthatcharacterisethisregion.

TheworkshopisaimedatDSLRphotographersandisdesignedtohelpyouprogressfromtakingimagesthatcomeouttophotosthatstandout.Theworkshopwillalsofocusonvarious

wideangletechniquessuchasstrobepositioning,workingwithmodelsand filter photography. The workshop will also cover fish portraiture and photographingmarinelifebehaviour.

MVWhirlwindhasbeenespeciallychosenforthistripbecauseofherunderwaterphotographer-friendlydesign,greathospitalityandthedivingfreedomessentialforproducingstunningimages.Thecostis£1050.LondontoLondon–fullpackageprice.

FormoredetailspleasecontactAlexat

alex@amustard.com

Alex Mustard U/w Photography WorkshopRed Sea. 27th June to 4th July 2009.

DivePhotoGuide Awarded Best Website At Antibes

Popularunderwaterphotography&videoportalDivePhotoGuidehasbeenpresentedwiththebestwebsiteawardatthe�5thAnnualWorldFestivalofUnderwaterImages,oneofthemostprestigiousunderwaterphoto& film festival in the world, held annuallyinAntibes,France.

FounderandPublisherJasonHellersaid:“WearehonoredtoreceivethisrecognitionfromsuchaprestigiouscompetitionandIwanttotakethisopportunitytothankallofourreadersfromaroundtheworldaswellasourexceptionalteam-WendyHeller,MattWeiss,GyulaSomogyi,RichardMorris,Andrea&AntonellaFerrari,KeriWilkandMiguelNovey.I’mhonoredtohavesuchanamazingbunchofpeopleonourteamwhoshareanintensepassionforunderwater imagery and the ocean.”

www.divephotoguide.com

45/7www.uwpmag.com

Subal ND30 Housing for Nikon D300

with GS Magnifying or 45° viewfinder

Nikon and Subal. Romeo and Juliet.

Monty and Python. Reef Photo & Video

Simply perfect.

Free international shipping on Subal packages

Nikon D700 orders being taken now

Call Toll Free877.453.8927

International orFt. Lauderdale: 954.537.0644

www.reefphoto.com

12th International Underwater Film Festival in Belgrade, SerbiaDecember 12th to 16th 2008

Weareverypleasedtoannouncethe12thInternationalUnderwaterFilmFestivalinBelgrade,Serbia.Thiseventwillbeheld,likeeveryyear,duringthebeginningofDecember,from12thto16th2008.

Filmsforthecontestwouldhavetobe2007.or2008.production,withatleast�0%underwatershotsandformatsareBETASP,DVCamorMiniDV(PAL)

Thesubjectisfree.Competitionadmissionisfree.DeadlineisNovember15th,2008.

www.kpa.co.yu

Divequest 2009-2010 catalogue

Divequestarrangesprofessionallyorganized,dedicateddivingholidaysofthehighestqualityto the finest dive destinations in the world.

Ouraimistomakeyourholidayarichandunforgettableexperience.Diveinwarm,crystal-clearwaters.Floateffortlesslythroughunderwaterforestsandgardensofcoralsurroundedbyrainbow-colouredreeffish. Enjoy the thrill of an encounter withaswirlingschoolofbarracuda,anelegantWhite-tippedReefSharkglidingbyorabreathtakingmeetingwithMantaRays.DivequestmakesitpossibleforpeopDivequestcatersforindividuals,couples,familiesorsmallgroupsoffriendsandlargergroupsoriginatingfromdivecentres,dive

shops,clubsorsocietiesgroupsof10ormoreoftenqualifyforspecialrates.Wealsoarrangeourowngroupdiveadventures,includingphotographicexpeditionsandcourses,thatareguidedbyskilledandexperiencedleaders.

Wonderful diving, efficient travelarrangements,highqualitydiveoperationsandmostlysuperioraccommodationcombinetomakeDivequestholidaysratherspecial.Weselectourdivecentreswithgreatcare,lookingforattentiontoquality,safetyandafriendlyandpersonalapproachratherthanbudgetprices.WhereverpossibleouraccommodationsarechosenbecausetheyconformwiththeDivequestphilosophyofhighqualitycombinedwiththepersonaltouch.

Weprovideallourclientswithcomprehensivepre-departureinformation,includingadetaileddescriptionofeachholidayinourbrochure,andallrelevantinformationaboutsuchmattersasvisas,customs,currency, health, flight details, luggage allowances,transferarrangements,travelinsurance,clothing,equipmentandguidebooks.Allourinformationiscomputerizedandisconstantlybeingupdated.

www.divequest.co.uk

We are divers and photographersEveryone on our friendly staff is an underwater photographer.We use the gear that we sell, and we keep up with the latestimaging products for both underwater and topside.

U/W photography is our only businessWe’re not a dive shop and we’re more than a camera store.We concentrate all of our energy on the constantly changingworld of underwater imaging.

Selection and InventoryOur huge inventory from over 58 manufacturers means that we probably have what you need in stock. Orders forin-stock items placed by 4pm EST ship the same day!

Service After the SaleOur in-house technicians are experts in repair and service of your equipment. In addition, our custom shop can fabricate those ‘outside-the-box’ parts that you may require.

Free Ground Shipping!Orders over $200 qualify for FREEdomestic Ground shipping via UPS!

www.reefphoto.com

important reasons to make Reef Photo and Video your choice for underwater photo and video

FromOctober2008,EcoDiversisteamingupwithOxygèneDiving.WithitsrootsinScandinavia,Oxygèneisaninternationalnetworkofdiveretailstores,diveresortsandliveaboardsinSweden,Finland,England,Malta,Egypt,Philippines,Pemba,Croatia,Estonia,CanadaandTenerife.TheOxygèneDivingcorevaluesare:Caring,Competent,andFun.

OxygènewaslookingtoexpanditsdivecentrechaintoNorthSulawesi,inordertooffersitsclient-basemoredestinationchoiceandsawEcoDiversasthemostsuiteddivecentrefortheirhighstandards,sothemarketingcooperationwasformed.

“Wearedelightedtobeworking with Eco Divers,” says HenrikAlmers,CEOofOxygèneInternational.EcoDivers’ManagingDirector,JimYanny,added,“Wehavealwaysaimedhightoprovideexcellentservicelevelsandproducts.Weimmediatelyrecognizedahighlevel of affinity with the core values oftheOxygènegroupandbelievethatthis cooperation will bring benefits to ourbusinessand,moreimportantly,toour customers.”

www.oxygenediving.comwww.eco-divers.com

Eco Divers teams up with Oxygène Diving

45/9www.uwpmag.com

Photographersofalllevelswillhelpcelebratethebeautyanddelicacyofthemarineenvironmentasthe4thannualinternationalunderwaterphotographyandvideocompetitionserieshostedbyUnderwaterCompetition.comkicksoffthisweek.

Thecompetitionhasbecomethe “Superbowl” of international underwaterimagerycompetitions,withover$75,000ofworld-classprizes,majorindustryinvolvement,andtheopportunitytohaveyourimagesshowcasedtotheworldassomeofthebest.Esteemedjudgesincludeleadingprofessionalunderwaterphotographers,cinematographersandmagazineeditorsfromaroundtheworld.

TheuniquecompetitionserieswasfoundedbyprofessionalunderwaterphotographersJasonHeller&EricChengandhostedbypopularwebsitesDivePhotoGuide.comandWetpixel.com.Theseriesisheldinassociationwithtwoleadingscubadivingexposonoppositesidesoftheworld,simultaneously-Our

WorldUnderwater,nowinits�9thyearandoneofthelargestconsumerscubadivingexposintheUS,andDEEP Indonesia, the first and only scubadivingandwatersportsexpoinIndonesia.

NewthisyearisanovicecategoryintheOurWorldUnderwatercompetition,whichopensupthecompetitiontoafargreaternumberofscubadiverswhoarecasualunderwaterphotographers.

DeadlineforsubmissionsJan15,2009

WinnersforeachrespectivecompetitionwillbeannouncedliveonstageateithertheOurWorldUnderwater film festival in Chicago (February20-22,2009),oratDEEPIndonesiainJakarta(March27–29,2009)

www.underwatercompetition.com

AswithallUnderwaterCompetition.comevents,15%ofentryproceedswillbedonatedtomarineconservationefforts.

Sam Bean is an up and coming talent in underwater photography. Her focus and determination enable her to capture and present award winning images.This trip to Roatan is a fantastic opportunity to learn how to achieve your photographic best whilst diving on some of the Caribbean’s most stunning barrier reef sites. Sam will be there to support and help you to develop your existing photographic expertise, to work with the strengths of your own photographic system and to explore your creative ideas.For further details, contact Divequest.

DIVEQUESTpresents

Explore the Caribbean’s barrier reef

with Sam Bean22nd May – 31st May 2009

DIVEQUEST ATOLProtected2937Telephone:01254-826322

e-maildivers@divequest.co.ukwebsite:www.divequest.co.uk

TheUltimateinUnderwaterPhotographyAdventures

45/10 www.uwpmag.com

LembehStraitsisnowknowntomostunderwaterphotographersasthemuckdivingcapitaloftheworld.AlmosteveryweirdcritteryoucanimagineisfoundinLembehStraits–frommimicand‘wonderpus’octopus,Rhinopias scorpion fish, hairy frog fish to the diminutive pigmy seahorses andahostofothercolourfulandastonishingsubjectsinbetween.

Mark’sworkshopwillcombinethiswiththeluxuriousaccommodationsoftheLembehResortontheshoresofLembehIsland,justminutesawayfrommorethan40divesites.IfyouneedthevarietythenLembehalsohassomeexcellentreefdivingonofferandevensomeshipwrecks.Thedivecentrehasremarkableguidesthatknowall

thesecretsofLembehandwillevenhelp you search for a specific critter to completeyourportfolio.

TheworkshopwillbesuitableforbothDSLRandcompactusers.Markwillbeonhandtohelpandadviseonthebesttechniquesandsolutionswhateverequipmentyouchoosetouseandmakeanumberofthemedpresentationsontechniquestoensuresuccessfulresults.Theweekcloses with a competition to find the bestimagetakenduringtheworkshop.

Thecostoftheworkshopwithwillbe$1625.

www.photec.co.uk

Lembeh Straits Photo Workshop with Mark Webster 31 Oct to 7 Nov 2009

Kima Bajo Resort & Spa and Eco Divers

The best of both worlds

Dive from traditional style boats with modern facilities. Small dive groups of no more than four and a maximum of eight guests per boat.

New Kima Bajo dive and accommodation packages for 20084 nights all inclusive package (2 dives per day) US$ 6904 nights all inclusive package (3 dives per day) US$ 750Includes diving, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, taxes & service

Kungkungan Bay Resort, Lembeh4 nights all inclusive package US$ 750

(free transfer when you combine Kima Bajo)

Tasik Ria Resort, Manado4 nights all inclusive package US$ 540

UWPMAG_KIMA_07_08 30/7/08 12:26 Page 1

45/11www.uwpmag.com

The2ndMedex2009whichisthebiggestfairofMediterraneanBasin shall be held in İstanbul Fuar Merkezi (İstanbul Fair Center) on March18-22,2009.

WithinthescopeofMedexIstanbul,whichisthebiggestunderwaterandnaturesportsfairofourcountryandtheMediterraneanBasin,localandforeigndivingandnaturetours,divingcenters,divingschools and sportive fishing shall be introduced.Furthermore,The2ndFreeDivingandUnderwaterHuntingSymposiumandParticipantTrainingandPublicitySeminartowhichnationalandinternationalspeakersaregoingtoattendwithdifferentsubjectsshalltakeplace.

BesidethefactthatMedex2009isacommercialplatform,ithas undertaken a significant task inthepublicityofinternationalunderwaterandnaturesportstourism.Ourfair,whichisameetingpointforprofessionalsindifferentsectorsthatareinconnectionwiththe

Medex 2009, IstanbulMarch 18th -22nd

DIVEQUEST

For more information call:01254 826322

www.divequest.co.uk

Tailor-made world-wide diving holidays

Photo: Martin Edge

Everything under the sea...

subject such as tourism offices, travel agenciesandfacilities,hasabroadrepercussioninvisualandwrittenmedia in respect to the significance andvulnerabilityofthesubject.Underwaterandnaturesportsactivitycenterwhichhasademonstrationpool,pressurechamberandaclimbingwallshallhavethecharacteristicofaninformationandentertainmentcenter.

Moreover,InternationalUnderwaterPhotographyContestwhosesponsorisMarinePhotoMagazineshallbeorganizedforthefirst time and traditionalized. The prize-worthyphotographsshallberewardedwithMedexInternationalUnderwaterPhotographyAward.TheopeningceremonyandcocktailshallbeheldonMarch18,2009withtheparticipationofVIPguests;variousshowsanddemonstrationsshalltakeplace.

www.medexistanbul.com

45/12 www.uwpmag.com

Raja Ampat Tourism Entry Tag Contest

Afterthreeweeksofpublicvoting, Marcio Lisa won first place inthe2009RajaAmpatTourismEntryTagContestwithhisdramaticsilhouetteofamantaray.

Hewillreceivean11-day,all-inclusivedivingpackageatPapuaDiving’sKriResortinRajaAmpat.Thetworunnersupwilleachreceiveacopyofthefabulous,soon-to-be-releasedbook,“RajaAmpatthroughthe lens of ...”, which includes contributionsfrom10oftheworld’sleadingunderwaterphotographers.

Allcontributorsandsupportersofthe2009RajaAmpatentrancetagdesigncontestarecommendedfortheirsupportandsubmissions.

www.wetpixel.com/raja

Seayoo.com

Seayoo,whichappearedforthe first time this month, is the first geographically-awarewebsiteofitskind,enablingitsmemberstomeet other divers and find relevant contentclosetotheirhomesordivinglocations.Membersareinvitedtoshareinformationaboutnewdivinglocations,postphotos,listequipmentforsaleandmuchmore.

Asocialnetworkwithuser-generatedcontent,Seayooallowsdiverstokeepintouchwitheachotherandtomeetnewdivingpartners,whileprovidinganexchangeofinformationaboutdivesites,facilitiesandsupplierstohelpmemberswiththeirtravelplansandtoprovideafreeplacetopublishdivingarticles,photosandvideos.

SeayoowasconceivedbyMichelBraunstein,apassionatediverandunderwaterphotographer,afterhisownpersonalwebsite,www.braunstein.co.il,waschosenasthebestpromotiondivingwebsiteattheAntibes�4thWorldFestivalofUnderwaterPicturesin2007.DavidPilosof,thefamousveteranunderwaterphotographerandcreatorofrenownedphotoalbum“Samantha”, joined Seayoo as a partner.

www.seayoo.com

http://www.aquatica.ca

45/14 www.uwpmag.com

New ProductsAquatica Nikon D700

Aquaticaisproudtoannounceitslatestaddition,thenewlookAquaticaDigitalProhousingforNikon’snewreferencecameratheD700,with12.1megapixelsandasettinganewbenchmarkinlowlightcapabilitythiscamera/housingcombinationwillopenupnewfrontierstotoday’sunderwaterphotographer.ThenewAquaticaD700featuresaboldnewdesignmachinedfromsolidaluminum,itistreatedandanodizedto military specification, then painted witharobustweatherandwearresistant finish; this new housing joins therankofouralreadywideselectionofhousings,aswithhisothersiblings,theAquaticahousingfortheD700benefits from the same 300 ft. depth ratingthatsetusapartfromourcompetitors.

ThisAquaticaDigitalProhousingincorporatethesamemountingbayonetasallourcurrenthousings,meaningthatitwillacceptourexistingportsandextensions,includingourtacksharpMegadome.Asexpected,ourlineofstandardaccessoriessuchastheAquaViewfinder, remote control cord, and TLC lineofstrobearmsarealsofullycompatiblewithit,thisintegrationintotheindustry’smostcompleteunderwaterphotographysystemputstheD700housinginapositiontofaceeveryaspectofthiseverso demanding field of activity and rewarditsuserwiththebestresultthattechnologycanoffer.

www.aquatica.ca

Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale

Savethoseoverweightairlinefees,weighyourluggageathome,attheairport,orinyourhotel.Easytopackinanousidepocket,soitisalwaysavailable,(weighslessthan8oz).Weighsinpoundsorkilograms.(comeswith2AAAbatteries).$24.95

www.ulcs.com

FIX LED1000DX

FreshfromtheDEMAshowinLasVegasisthenewFisheyeFIXLED1000DXfocuslight.ThislightcombinesthebestofthepopularLED48DXandtheincredibleHG20DXhalogenlightinoneamazinglight.

Featuringawhopping1000lumensofoutputfrom9LEDbulbspoweredbyarechargeableLiOnbattery,thisisthelightofthefuture!ThislightwillbeavailableforChristmas,soifyou’remakingalist,eitherforyourfavoritephotographerorforyourself,thisoneshouldbeatthetopofthelist!

UwPhasbeenloaned2unitsfortestingandtheirperformanceasbothfocusassistlightsaswellasvideolightswillbereviewedintheJan/FebissueofUwP.

www.reefphoto.com

45/15www.uwpmag.com

Ultralight tripod

BasedaroundtheAC-TRItripodclamptheUltralightunderwatertripodcanbecustomdesignedtosuityourneedsbyincorporatinganyoneofanumberofcombinationsofleglengthandadjustability.

Theresultisaversatileandadaptablesystemwhichcanbeexpandedasyourrequirementsprogress.

BeingUltralite,alloftheirproductsaremadewith6061aluminumthatismachinedandthenhardanodized,towithstandtheharshesttreatment.

www.ulcs.com

Subal ND700 for Nikon D700

TheND700isthelatestinalonglineofNikonhousingsfromAustrianmanufacturerSubal.Thecameraismountedonasaddleforprecisepositioninginsidethehousing.Ergonomicplacementofallimportantcontrolsprovidesconvenientandcomfortablehandlingofthecamerafunctions.

A4mmmain-O-ringandtheSUBALQuickLocklatchingsystemmakeitvirtuallyimpossibletoclosethelidiftheO-ringisnotlyingcorrectlyinitsgroove.Threadedholesonthebaseandinthetopshoeallowsmountingoftrays,aiminglightsorotheraccessories.GenerousshadingoftheLCD-monitorprovidesabrightandclearimage.Thehousingincorporates an excellent viewfinder opticforfullframeviewingandthereare180and45°options.

AlexMustardwillreviewtheND700inthenextissueofUwP.

www.subal.com

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INON macro fisheye lens

Macrolensesforunderwaterphotographyareusually50mmor100mmfocallengthtoshootsmallsubjects whereas a fisheye lens is used toshootlargesubjectssuchasschoolsof fish, coral reefs or a wreck.

TheINONUltracompactsemifish-eye relay system lens is a tiny

semi-fisheye lens for close up photography.Whileitsfrontlenselementisrelativelysmall(24mmindiameter),thelenshasprettyuniquecharacteristicsincluding

1�0degreeviewangleunderwaterandminimumfocusof0cm!

Unlikethecombinationofalandlensbehindaport,thislensisspecifically designed forunderwateruseto benefit with less aberration,wideviewangleanddepthoffield tiny subjects can bephotographedindetailtogetherwithbackground.Theimagewiththislens is just like fish’s way of looking atthingsunderwatersothisisareal“fisheye lens”!

Thislenswillexplorenew

underwaterimageexpressiontotallydifferent from existing fisheye lens or macrolenses.

www.inon.co.jp

Photos byKanako Nagashima

45/17www.uwpmag.com

TRAYS, PIVOTS AND ARMS FOR CAMERAS, HOUSINGS, STROBES AND LIGHTS

The original arm with O-rings in the balls for ease of use. Accept no imitations.

Your quest for the best arm system is over.Once you have an Ultralight armyou will never need to upgrade.

Used by more underwater photographers than any other arm system.

Visit our website www.ulcs.comE mail: info@ulcs.com

Ultralite 2” buoyancy arms

MostDSLRhousingmanufacturerstakegreatcaretoproducehousingswhichareneutrallybuoyantbuttheycannottakethelensandportchoiceintoconsideration.Addacoupleoflumpystrobesandyouhavearigwhichwillcausewriststrainaftereventheshortestdive.

Ultralight’slargeBuoyancydoubleballarmsegmentsweredesignedfortheheavyDigitalSLRrigsandvideohousings.

They are 2” in diameter and constructedthesameastheregularbuoyancyarms.

They range in size from 8” to 16” in 2” increments to be able to add just theamountofbuoyancyyouneedtooffsettheweightofthehousingandstrobesorlights.

2 x 10” arms would give 7oz (200gms) of lift while 2 x 16” would give2�oz(650gms).Thenewstyleclamp(AC-CSB)isneededtoputbetweenthetwonewarmsifyouwantthearmstocometogether.Thisclampweighs1.�ozmorethantheregularclamp.

Saltwaterisapproximately1.026

The new style clamp (AC-CSB) is needed to put between the two new arms if you want the arms to come together.

Xmoredensethanfreshwater.Allthesetestsweredoneinfreshwater.

www.ulcs.com

45/18 www.uwpmag.com

Nekton housings for RED cameras

PeterScooneshasannouncedthathisNektonbroadcastvideohousingswillshortlybeavailablewithREDcapability.TheywillbeavailableforrentalfromJan2009throughTopTeks.

TheREDcameraisamultiformatanimal,At4KtheformatisbroadlysimilartoDXformatdigitalstillscameras.aimedatcinemaproduction.ItcomeswithaPLmountforcinemalenseswhicharemostlyprimesandveryexpensive.Zoomsareevenmoreexpensiveandbig.

REDisofferingarestrictedrangeofprimesandshortzooms

butnotreallywideenoughforunderwater.indeedinthecinemalensworldtherearefewlensesaroundthatareidealforUW.ThehousingswillprovidecontrolsforCookeandZeiss primes first and these lenses willbemarketedbyTopTeksinthenewyear.

Leavingasidethe�KoptionforRED,the2KformatisclosetoSuper16and2/�inbroadcastformatweareusingatthemoment.Nektonhousingsandlenscontrolsystemsarealready set up for these. The RED fits existingNektonhousingswithspaceforbatteryandharddrivesetcand

operatingtheREDwillbenodifferentsoanyonefamiliarwithNektonhousinghandlingwillhardlynoticeanydifference.

Thereare4housingsthatwillbeREDcapablefromJanuary2009.TheywillbeforHireaswiththecurrentBroadcasthousingsavailable

fromTopTeks.ThesearefortheSony759,790and900.andPanasonic900andVaricam.

www.top-teks.co.uk

45/19www.uwpmag.com

EasyDive Leo USB control

TheLeohousingfromEasyDiveisdesignedtobecompatiblewithevery digital reflex camera available onthemarket.InEuropeEasydivedesigned,producedandpatentedUSBFotoControl,anelectronicpush-buttonpanelthatbringsaboutarevolutionintheideaofunderwaterphotography.Thispanelcanremotelyselect all reflex camera controls. This featuremakesLeohousinguniversalandunparalleled.

ThestandardversiondesignedbyEasydiveincludesaLEOhousingequippedwithUSBFotoControlpush-buttonpaneltoselectthefollowingcontrols:time+/-,diaphragm+/-,preliminaryshutterrelease,shutterrelease,Iso+/-,modeswitch,exposuremeter.Furthermoreanadditionalpush-buttonpanelwithcustomizedprogramscanbeinstalledonrequest.

Leoisthemostversatileandreliablehousingfor reflex cameras availableonthemarketbecauseitcomessuppliedwithaninnerslide specifically designed, special bayonet fitting rings compatiblewithaverylargenumberofsphericalopticalwindowtypesthatarealreadyavailableonthemarketand manufactured for previous Reflex cameras,andtopsafetystandards(doubleo-ringforeverywaterinlet).

TheLeoiscompatiblewithCanonEOS,Nikon,Pentax,Sony,Fujiandmanymorecameras.

www.easydive.eu

http://www.digideep.com

join the contest and win a funkyt-shirt!!!

2.700 underwater imaging products - photo & video5.200 enthusiastic underwater photographers600 news, articles, reviews and travel reports 5.000 images in our weekly photo contest ...growing every month!

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45/20 www.uwpmag.com

Shooting Magic DVDA photo-pro in your laptop

MagicFiltersareexcitedtoannouncetheinstructionalDVDShooting Magic: a guide to filter photographyunderwater.Itwillbereleasedon17thNovember2008.

JoinunderwaterphotographerAlexMustard,intheRedSea,ashepersonallyguidesyouthroughthe techniques of filter photography underwater,withbothdigitalSLRandcompactcameras.

ThisinnovativeDVDtakesyouunderwaterwithAlexlettingyouwatchhimphotographbothreefsandwrecks,whilehedescribesanddemonstratesthetechniquesheisusingandtheconsiderations,bothtechnicalandartisticthatgointoproducingstunningavailablelightphotographs.TheDVDcoverswhitebalancing,subjectselection,approach,exposure,composition,whyyouneeda filter, and much more.

AnimportantfeatureofthisDVDisthataftereachofthesixdives,Alexgivesyouaonetoonereviewofallhisshotsanddiscussesindetailwhysomehaveworkedandothershavenot.Youwillseethemunadjustedstraightfromthecamera.Theselivediscussionsarefilled with general tips and tricks foralltechniquesinunderwaterphotography.

ThischapteredDVDispackedwithextrafeaturessuchasademonstration of the benefits of filters, fitting filters to both compacts and DSLRs,FAQsandAlexdiscussingsome of his favourite filter images.

Theformatisidealasarefresherbeforeatrip,ortotravelwithyouasalightweightreferencesourceinyourlaptoportowatchontheTVonboardaliveaboardorataresort.

Totalrunningtime:90minutes.AvailableinPALandNTSCformats(mostlaptopswillplayboth).Tobereleased17thNovember2008.

www.magic-filters.com

The Ships of Darkness DVD

Helioxfilm have published the multiple award short film by Gyula SomogyionDVD.

‘Theshipsofdarkness’DVDhasseveraluniquefeatureswhichofferacomplexexperience:Theyinclude two underwater short films –award-winningartistic“Theshipsof darkness” and recently published documentary-style “One of us” take theaudienceformysteriousvoyagesinhistory,descendingfromthelightintodarknessinordertovisitthetwilightzone,wheretheremainsof wood, steel and flesh serve as a basisforthelivelycreaturesoftheunderwaterworld.Floodedchambers,

brokenmasts,explodedwallsandwindowshardenedintostonesmakeupthesurroundingsofawreck-dive.(FilmedattheRedSea,nearbyNorth-HurgadaandSouth-Sinai.)

The third film is an original Solarisvideoclipaboutthegroup.The “Book of Prophecies” brings backtheviewerstothepresenttimeandrevealsthemusiciansbehindthescenes. The films are based on the famousSolaris-album:Nostradamus–BookofProphecies,whichwaspublishedbyPerifericRecords.

Anadditionaluniquefeaturewillenabletheviewerstolookbehindthescenes:atask-basedAfterDiveTutorial®explainsthepost-productiontechniquesusedinthesefilms and will escort users to re-create themintheirprojects.The57minutestutorialteacheshowtouseAppleFinalCutPro®6,AppleMotion®�and Apple Shake® for specific tasks, suchassecondarycolorcorrections,image stabilization, optical flow retiming,nestedsequencesandretouchingthemovingpicture.

TheDVDisalsoequippedwitha16pagescolorbookletabouttheshipwrecks.Itcontainsfactualinformationregardingthewrecks’GPSposition,basicdata,andashorthistorysoitcanbeusedfordive-tripplanning.

www.helioxfilm.com

www.urprofilters.comClick on the link below to go to the Tech-Talk Newsletter

45/22 www.uwpmag.com

AyearorsoagoIrushedtobuyanOlympusMju720SWwhenitwasreleasedasitseemedtheperfecttoughcookiecameratopickupallthosedeckshotswhichmybig,heavyhouseddivingcamerawasnowjusttoobulkytocatch.Thecamerawasrobust,itcouldbedroppedfrom1.5m,andwaterproof,itcouldbetakento�mwithoutacasebutdespiteitscredentialsIneverdroppeditanddidn’ttakeitunhousedintothewater-thoselevelsofindestructibilityweren’tquiteenoughtofeelcomfortableabusingit.ItseemsIwasunjustified in my squeamishness.

Thethirdgeneration7seriesSWmodelhasjustlandedandnowit’sgrownup,ithasa10munderwaterratingandadds100kgcrushresistancetoshruggingofffallsfromthesameheightasbefore.Thesurpriseisthatyou’dbehardpushedtoseewheretheconstructionhaschanged.Itlooksasthoughtheoriginalratingswereconservative.

Likethe720it’sagorgeousthingtohold;exudingasolid,bigwatchfeeling rather than the flexible, creaky feelingthatotherwispycamerashave.

Thereisaraisedgriponthe

frontfacetomakelifealittleeasier.Howeverdressedinglovesforcoldwaterthecameraishardtoholdontoanditisverytrickytopickoutthetinybuttons.Withbarehandsthisisn’tsuchaproblemandIsupposethatwouldprobablyputalimitofaround14degreesConitsuse–thoughdrygloveswouldperhapsretainenoughprecision.Thecameraitselfisn’tbotheredbythecoldandisokdowntominus10degreesC,bywhichtimedivingisprettytough!ThematchingPT-0�5divecaseallowsthecameratobeuseddownto40mandmovesitupbyasizeortwo–makingthebuttonslargerandaddingathreadedportforadditional lenses and filters, a top cold shoeforlightsorstrobesandatripodplate(whichthecameraalsohas).Ifyoujustwanttokeepscratchesatbaythere’ssomesiliconeskinsonthewayto protect the finish on the metalwork.

Theexternalcasingisentirelymetal,amattcastframewithbrushed,bolted on panels and a 2.5” LCD on theback.Allthebuttonsaremetaltoo.Itisn’trubberyandtoy-like-whichisthenormaldesignshorthandforwaterproof,itfeelsmachined.Youcouldsuggestthatit’salittle‘bling’

buteventhat’sbeentoneddowntoasheenfromthechromed720.

OurunderwatertrialwasundertakenduringatriptoZeeland,Holland,wheremanyofthedivesweretolessthan10mmakingitasuitablevenuetocarryitasamatterofcourse.Wewereimpressedbythetrue

Olympus Mju 770SWby Rob Spray

The Mju770SW is tiny! It appears almost comically small beside other housed cameras (an Olympus C7070WZ here)

45/2�www.uwpmag.com

tolifecoloursandfounditresponsiveandfun.Usingitcasuallydoesn’tlenditselftoqualityphotographybutweweresurprisedbytheratioofscraptokeepers(whichisalwaystoughunderwater).We’reusedtopixelpeepingtoassesspicturesforhugeenlargementsorpublicationbutanormaluserwouldgetexcellentstandardprintsandenlargements.Gettingabitmorenerdy;steadying,concentratingandframingwillyieldbetterresults.

It’sworthnotingthatunhousedthecameradoesn’tsufferthe1-2stoplossoflightduetoacase’sflash diffuser. This helps the range of the little flash, but does nothing for backscatter.Whatyoumissfromthecaseisasunshadetoshieldthescreenfromthesuninshallowwater.Withthesunbehindyouitcanbehardtoseethepicture–atleastyouhaveafreehandtouseasashade!

Theoftensub5mvisinHollanddidn’treallyallowdistantshots,

whicharegenerallymorepredictableinanycase,sowemajoredonmacrouse.Webothnoticedhoweasyitwastoholdthecameraatarmslengthwhilsttrackingthesubjectandwatchingtheframingdownholesandunderrockswhichjustisn’tpossiblewithbighoused,strobedcameras.Anyonecantakeabadpicturewithcameraslikethisbutwhenyouplaytotheirstrengthsyourealisethatanydivercouldquicklylearntogetalibraryofdecentpicturesfroma

trip.Afteryearsofbig,heavy,bulkycamerasitwasfuntohavesuchatinycameraandtoenjoysnappingaway.The770usesthesamematchbooksizedLi-ionbatteryasthe720andwewerestruckbyhowmuchbetterthebatterylifewas.LittlebatteriesgetarealworkoutindigitalcamerasandrarelylastlongbutduringafrenziedhourImanagedmorethan200pictures.A1GBxDwillholdaround�00picturesinSHQmodeordoublethat in HQ (The SHQ jpeg file size is

Spot metering has taken care of the prawn The 770’s small size is less imposing to animals than a housed camera. This lobster has no reservations.

45/24 www.uwpmag.com

around�.5MB).Like all these ‘flat’ cameras

the770usesafoldedopticalpath,whichmeansthereisnoexternallensmovementasyouoperatethezoomasidefromametalcoveroverthelenswindowwhichistreatedtodispelwaterdropletsafteryousurface.Thelensitselfisa�xzoom,withthe�8-114mmequivalentrangetypicalofmostcompactcameras.There’sa‘plain’macromodewhichworksdownto20cmaswellastwosupermacromodeswhichcangetyouto

7cm.Thesearen’tgroundbreakingmacrodistancesbutyouwinanother25% magnification underwater which meansitwillbelightratherthanproximitythatwillbetheproblem.Thestandardmacromoderetainsfull use of the flash and zoom which makes it a good fish, crab or urchin settingforsubjectsafewinchesacrossfrom1-2feetaway.

Super macro fixes zoom mid way and disables the flash so if you havelightyoucangetclosebutislessusewhenit’sdark.Thereisasecond

supermacromodewhichusesawhiteLEDasafocusaidandtorchandhelpsabitbutthecamerastillhastoelevate the ISO (film speed) to keep theshutterspeeduseable.Atsupermacrodistancesfocusissupercriticaland the depth of field is limited so takingextraefforttosteadyyourselfwillaidsuccess.

Asanunexpectedbonusthecameraevenhasanonboardpressuremeter(manometer)whichmeansitrecordsthedepth(oraltitude)ofeveryshotandwillstarttowarnyouasyouapproachits10mlimit.Depthsbeyondthatlimitarerecordedas10mbutthecameracontinuesworking-wetookitasfaras16mwithnosignofanyproblem.Atlessthan10mthishasthehandysideeffectof profiling your dive and keeping yourdepthinview.WhenDawn’scomputerfailedonourlastdiveitwasapleasantsurprisetohaveanotherbackupdepthgauge.Abovewaterthegaugereadspressureandapproximatealtitudewhichmeansyoucancheckonaeroplanecabinpressure(820hPa,1800m–onVirginAtlantic).

Allinall,the‘indestructible’camerahascomeofage.It’snotquiteadedicateddivingcamera,butitmaybeasmuchassomepeoplewouldneedunderwater.Ontopithasrealallroundabilityforarduousadventuresportssuchasrafting,skiing,hikingandclimbingwithouthavingtoworry

This smiling oyster’s orange neighbours are bright and true to life.

aboutgettingarecord.Everbeenonatrekwhereyourcamerahadtobesafelypacked,tuckedoutoftherainor kept away from the snow? Not anymore!

Onlyafoolwouldexpectatinycameratorivallargerandmoreflexible models but the 770SW just doesn’thavetostopwhenthegoinggetstough.Understandthisisapointandshootratherthansomegrossubercamera and it’ll reward you with fine, first hand records of your adventures whichnootherunhouseddigitalcameracanmatch.

Rob Spraywww.1townhouses.co.uk

See us at

DıVE2 8

NEC, Birmingham1/2 November

UNDERWATER VIDEO HOUSINGS

Gates housing for HC7/9 camcorders- Aluminium alloy body- Depth rated to 137m- Broadcast quality ports£1390.00

www.camerasunderwater.co.ukphone: 01404 812277 / 020 7839 1991email: sales@camerasunderwater.co.uk

Cameras Underwater Ltd. Specialist equipment for scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing, skiing, water sports, hiking and all wet and demanding conditions.

Ikelite SLR housings- Fits range of cameras- Polycarbonate body- Depth rated to 60 m- changeable port system

From £859.00

CANON CAMERA PACKAGES

Canon IXUS 90IS + WP-DC24 housing package- 10 MP camera- Manual white balance- 3x optical zoom- Huge 3” LCDCall for best price

UNDERWATER STROBE SYSTEMS

Inon D-2000 underwater strobe- Coverage: 110° circular- Guide number 20- Automatic S-TTL mode

£399.00

SEE REDHere at Cameras Underwater we don’t just want to sell you a box, we actually want to help you to take better photographs. We can show you how to create wonderful, vibrant images with simple techniques and with the minimum of equipment and expense. You’ll see red but it won’t be because of our service.

SLR HOUSING SYSTEMS

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45/25www.uwpmag.com

See us at

DıVE2 8

NEC, Birmingham1/2 November

UNDERWATER VIDEO HOUSINGS

Gates housing for HC7/9 camcorders- Aluminium alloy body- Depth rated to 137m- Broadcast quality ports£1390.00

www.camerasunderwater.co.ukphone: 01404 812277 / 020 7839 1991email: sales@camerasunderwater.co.uk

Cameras Underwater Ltd. Specialist equipment for scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing, skiing, water sports, hiking and all wet and demanding conditions.

Ikelite SLR housings- Fits range of cameras- Polycarbonate body- Depth rated to 60 m- changeable port system

From £859.00

CANON CAMERA PACKAGES

Canon IXUS 90IS + WP-DC24 housing package- 10 MP camera- Manual white balance- 3x optical zoom- Huge 3” LCDCall for best price

UNDERWATER STROBE SYSTEMS

Inon D-2000 underwater strobe- Coverage: 110° circular- Guide number 20- Automatic S-TTL mode

£399.00

SEE REDHere at Cameras Underwater we don’t just want to sell you a box, we actually want to help you to take better photographs. We can show you how to create wonderful, vibrant images with simple techniques and with the minimum of equipment and expense. You’ll see red but it won’t be because of our service.

SLR HOUSING SYSTEMS

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45/26 www.uwpmag.com

Whatdoyougetityoucrossa broom with a bicycle? This short articleisaboutmyattempttomakeapole-camformystillsrigonaverytightbudget.IamgoingtotellyouhowitworkedandsomeofthedesignlessonsIlearnedalongtheway.

IhavejustreturnedhomefromDEMAandtheAntibesfestivalandonceagainIcameawayfullofadmirationforthehousingmanufacturers,whoarecontinuingtobringnewproductstothemarkettoallowtheirphotographerstoproducenewtypesofimages.InthelastissueofUWP,TimRockreportedonAquatica’swaterproofremoterelease.WhileSeacam,inparticular,deservespecialpraisefortheirpole-camsystem,whichnotonlyhaselectronicshutterrelease,butalsooptionsforremote viewfinder and even VR glassestoseewhatyourcameraisseeing.Theonlydownsideistheprice.Andifyouhavetoask…

IamnotaSeacamuserandIdon’thavemuchmoneytothrowaround,soIdecidedtotryandmakemyownpole-camsystem.OK,soitlacksthesophisticationandengineeringexcellenceoftheAustriankit,butifyoucantaketheteasingon

Pole-Cam On The CheapBy Alexander Mustard

thediveboatitiscertainlycapableofproducingstunningimages.Thewholelotcostmelessthan20Eurosanditistotallywaterproof!

Iamnotmuchofanengineer,butIdohaveatalentforthelateralthinkingrequiredforagoodbodge.SoaquicktriptothelocalhardwareshopandIhadmyessentials:ametalbroomforthepole,agardener’skneeling pad for floatation and a bicycle brake lever and cable to fire

theshutter.Thebicyclebrakecableis

ideal for firing the shutter because theoutersheathofthecablecanbesecuredtothepoleandthecamera,whilethecableinsidecanmovefreelytopulltheshutterleverbackandtaketheshot,withoutjerkingthehousing.Thebrakeleverisalsoadvantageousforthesystem.Notonlydoesthelongpulloftheleverprovideanidealmechanismforfeeling

The broom/cycle cam only cost 20 Euros to make. It is important to have the shutter release mounted on the pole, because all pole-cams will require two hands to manoeuvre.

Reef shark split level. The buoyancy on the base of the housings makes it easy to shoot split levels and makes the pole-cam much less tiring to use. Here I shot on manual focus, locked 30cm from the camera, set underwater. And manual exposure, metered on the sunset. I relied on strobes for flash fill in the dark water. Nikon D2X + 10-17mm @ 10mm. Subal Housing. Subtronic strobes. F13 @ 1/50th. Pole-cam.

45/27www.uwpmag.com

the shutter focus and fire, but the lever itself is alreadydesignedformountingontoapole,bicyclehandlebars,afterall,areasimilardiameter.Thisisaveryimportantpointbecausephotographersoftenforgetthattheywillneedtwohandstoguidethepoleandtherewon’thaveasparehandforpressingaseparateremoterelease.

Thenextjobisattachingthepoletothecamera.First,IgavemynewbroomahaircutandthendrilledtwoholesthroughthebaseandboltedittoalongsectionofUltralightarm.ThismeantIcouldthenmountbetweenthenormalmountingballsontopofmyhousing.IfIwanttousestrobesthenImustuseUltralightthreewayclamps.Ifoundthismethodmuchmoreadvantageousthanmountingthepoletoasingleballontopofthehousingbecausethetwomountingpointsstop

itrotatingontheendofthepolemakingaimingamuchlessinfuriatingprocess.Withasinglemountingballahousingwillrotateeasilybecauseofthedragonitcausedbypanningitthroughwater.Thedownsideofmymountingmethodisthatitisonlysuitableforhorizontalframing.

The only permanent modification required forthesystemwastodrilla1mmholethroughtheplasticshutterleveronmyhousing.Thisallowedmetopassthebrakecablethroughtheleverandsecuringitontheotherside,sothatwhenthecableispulledtheshuttermovesimmediately.Thespringinthebrakeleverreturnsthemechanism,readyforthenextshot.

Theotherfactorthatisoftenoverlookedinpole-cammingisbuoyancy.Iquicklyfounditwasmuchmorepreferabletohaveabuoyantsystem

Reef shark dreams. Here I experimented with aperture priority (with –1.3 stops of under exposure) to burn in the water colour with a long exposure. Movement of the camera has created a ghostly, dream-like effect, which I rather like. Nikon D2X + 10-17mm @ 11.5mm. Subal Housing. Subtronic strobes. F13 @ 0.8 second. Pole-cam.

I bolted buoyancy to the base of the camera, to make the system easier to handle. The buoyancy causes the camera to float close the correct height for a split-level photo. It is easy to push gentle down on the pole to shoot completely submerged images. The broom is bolted to a section of Ultralight arm, which then mounts to the standard strobe mouting balls. When I use strobes I must use three-way clamps. Note I used a fisheye dome for all the photos, the small dome it only used here for demonstration purposes.

The shutter is fired using the brake cable. The sheath surrounding the cable is secured to the handle of the housing with cable-ties. The cable can then move freely and passes through a small hole I drilled in the shutter release to fire the camera. The firing mechanism is 100% reliable and waterproof.

becauseduringphotographicsessions,theactionisalwaysinterspersedwithlongperiodsofinactivity.Duringtheseperiodsitismuchmorepleasanttohavearigsupportingitselfonthesurface.Furthermore,shouldyouaccidentallydropthepolethecamerawon’tsinktothebottomoftheocean.Ihadactuallyintendedtouseasimpleswimming

45/28 www.uwpmag.com

float for buoyancy, but they are difficult to find and, in any case, the foamkneeling-padforgardeningcostslessthanaEuroandprovidessimilarbuoyancy.Ijustboltedittothebaseofmyhousing,usingtheexistingboltholes.Ihavealsofoundthebuoyancymatveryusefulforshootingsplit-levels,whenIaminthewater,makingitmuchlesstiringtoholdthecamerahalfoutofthewater.

Thematissolightitcancomeonanytrip.WhichissomethingthanIcannotsayaboutmybroom.Thedownsideofthebroomisthatitsshapemeansitcannottraveleasily.Althoughareplacementcanoftenbefoundinsomecleanerdestinations!The final problem is salt accumulation

betweenthebrakecableanditssheath,whichmeansthatthecablemusttobereplacedaftereachtrip.ThecostisabouttwoEuros.

TheoneareaofmysystemIcouldnotemulatetheSeacamkitwithwas remote, electronic viewfinder. TheSeacamoneissocoolandIapplaudthemheartilyfordevelopingsuchapieceofkitforunderwaterphotographers.Inevitably,myapproachhasadoptedmoreofasprayandpraytechnique!ButaimingisactuallyprettyeasyandwithawidelensIgetanacceptablyhighhitrate.

Thephotographictechniquesofpole-cammingdodependagreatdealonwhatyouarephotographing.Ihaveusedbothauto-focusandlockedoffmanualfocus,andbothautoexposureandmanualexposure,andstrobesandavailablelightonly,forthevariousshotsIhavetriedtocreate.Inshortitisalotoffunandagreatwaytopasssurfaceintervals,ifyouhavemarinelifecrowdingtheboat.Italsoprovidesachancetophotographcreaturesorenvironmentsthataretooshy,dangerous,inhospitableorsmellyforinwaterphotography.Ihavejuststartedwithmypole-camandIhopetoreportbackinafutureissueonhowIgeton.

Alexander Mustardwww.amustard.com

We’ve got you covered!

www.magic-filters.com

Magic filters are now available in 3 options.Original Magic for use in blue water with DSLR and

compact cameras with Manual White Balance, Auto-Magic for compact cameras in automatic

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The brake lever mounts onto the broom handle and is easily pulled while using two hands to guide the pole. The long pull actually gives decent feel of the autofocus point and shutter firing.

45/29www.uwpmag.com

ThesmellofdieselfuelswirlslightlythroughthecabinandsettlesintheforwardareaswhereIhavechosentositandwritesothatImightsparemylaptopfromtheocean’searlymorninggreetingofsplashandsaltymist.MybrotherDanstandsclosebywithhisdivegroupashebeginsan energetic briefing about diving aroundthelavaformationsofftheislandofLanainearMaui.It’sbeenawhilesinceIsatcloseenoughtolistenandfeeltheexcitementinhisvoiceashestirstheinterestinyetanothergroupofdivers.WhenhebeginstoexplainsomeofthetechniquesofhowtocapturethelightinFirstCathedralIlookuptoseehisgroupofphotographershangingonhiseverywordexcitedtogetgoingonanotherdivingadventure.

AsIlookaroundthetable,IrealizethathalfofourstudentsaredivingwiththeCanonG9,andmostofthemaredivingwiththenewPatima housing. As if our “job” of teachingandsharingourpassionfortheoceanthroughdivingandphotographyisn’tfunenough,wealsogettheopportunitytohelpourfriendspickandchoosetheirphotography

equipment,whichmakesitfeellikeit’sChristmaseveryday.

Continuingtoscanthetableandequipmentwehelpedselectforeachdiver,itseemsasthoughmybrothersandIhavebeensubconsciouslysteeringallofourfriendsanddivebuddiestowardsthisexcitingnewPatimahousing,Iguessit’stimetoexplainwhy;let’sstartwithwhywechoseCanon’sG9.

Foralongtimenowwe’vebeenteachingunderwaterphotographyclasseswiththeCanonGseriescameras.WehavealwaysbeenimpressedwiththewaytheGseriescamerascanprovidethetoolsofamuchlargerSLRcamerainhalfthesize.TheCanonG9canbeusedas a simple “point and shoot,” but asadiverstudiesandlearnsabout

thetoolsoftruephotography,theG9cantransformintoanamazinglypowerful,fullyfunctioning,manuallycontrolled,mini-SLR.Allofthe“big four” manual functions that are crucialtounderwaterphotographyareeasilyaccessible:ShutterSpeed,Aperture,ISOandWhiteBalance.

ISOisprobablytheeasiestfunctiontochangeontheG9andthehigh-poweredCCDsensoriscapableofprovidingclean/noiselessphotosuptoISO400,whichisincrediblyhandytoanunderwaterphotographerconstantlydealingwitheverchanginglightingconditions.ShutterSpeed

The Patima Canon G9(Plus, first impressions on the New Canon G10)by John Cesere

45/�0 www.uwpmag.com

canbeadjustedwiththespinofthedialandafterapressofabuttontheAperturesettingcanbechangedjustaseasily.ManuallyadjustingWhiteBalancerequiresafewmorestepsbutitisnomoredifficult than a normal SLR. To be honest, the WhiteBalancingsystemontheG9istheeasiestandbestCanonsystemI’veusedyet.WhatisevenmoreimpressiveisthattheG9’ssensordoesareallygoodjobofsettingtheautowhitebalance,makingitrelativelyeasyforbeginningunderwaterphotographerstoachieveprofessionallookingresults.

ProbablythemostamazingfeatureoftheCanonG9isthatithasthecapabilitytoshootRAWfiles, which store more than double the amount of informationfromasinglephotothanatraditionalJPEG.ThosedigitalshootersthatarehandywithPhotoshoporsimilareditingprogramswillgreatlyappreciatetheenormousamountofinformationprovided by a RAW file. Don’t be fooled however, even huge files and hours of editing won’t fix a poorlycomposed/exposedphoto,doyourbesttotake the shot right the first time.

AnothergreatfeatureoftheCanonG9isit’sshortshutterlagtime(0.5sec,innormalconditions)incomparisontootherpointandshootsonthemarket.Notonlyistheshutterlagmanageable,(forapointandshoot)butalsoit’sDIGICIIIprocessorisfast,evenwhenshootinginRAWyoucanshootupto1.7fps!

Foralongtime,mybrothersandIwouldrecommendtheunderwaterhousingmadebyCanonasthebestoptionforbringingthehighpoweredCanonG9underwaterbecausethepricepointwashundredsofdollarscheaperthananyothercompetitorandabigger,boxierhousingdidn’tseemtomakesenseonsuchasmallcamera.Plus,wehave been such a fan of the fiber optic cable driven strobesonolderpointandshootmodelsthatwethoughtthatthedecisiontosavehundredsandstickwiththeCanonhousingwasanobrainer.

Itwasn’tuntilwecameacrossthenewPatimahousingthatwebeganswitchingouropiniononwhichhousingwouldbetheoneofchoicetohousetheG9.

IguaranteethatyouwillbesoldonthePatima

Housing from your first sight of it; the sleek, fullymachinedmetal,solidsilverlookisprettyawesome. When I first saw it I had the same feeling I had when I saw my first $10,000 video housing, thePatimascreamsprofessional,durableandintimidating;whicharequalitieseverydiverwantsinhisorherequipment.DidImentionthatthedepth rating is said to be 400 feet?

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AssoonasIunlatchedthehousingtoputmycamerainsideIreceived my first surprise. Hanging insideIfoundaneoprenecoverforthehotshoeconnectortokeeptheconnectionitselfsafeandthecoverhelpedkeeptheconnectorfromdamaginganythingelseinsidethehousing,justaverynicetouch.

ThePatimaalsocomeswithtwodifferentportoptions.Bothportshavea67mmthreadedend,whichisgreatforattachingspecialwetmountlenses.Ihadalotoffunwithmyoldwide-anglewetmountlensonthePatimawide-angleport.IwasagainimpressedwithPatimawhenIdidswitchportstothewide-anglesetupbecauseofthethoughttheyputintothesmalldetails.Thewide-angleportistighttotheG9’slens,whichmakeszoomingimpossiblewithoutanerrorandcamerashutoff,butthecloseportisnecessaryfornicewide-anglephotographyespeciallywithawetmountwideanglelensattachment.InordertokeeptheuserfromzoomingwiththewideanglesetupattachedPatimacreatedtheoptionforapinthat fits in place externally to keep the userfrombeingabletousethezoomfunction,anothergreatuser-friendlyidea.

WhenthePatimaisinyourhanditisabitheavybutbeingheavyalsomakesitfeelcompletelyindestructible.Allofthefeatures

oftheG9workexactlyastheydooutsidethehousing,whichisconvenientandeasy.Thebigfourmanualsettingsarejustaseasytouseunderwaterastheyareonthesurface.Afteronlyshootingafewtimeswiththenewhousing,Iwasabletogetacceptablecolorandexposurewithoutanyfrustrationfrombuttonpushingordialspinning.

IwasimpressedwiththePatimatrayandhandlesetupbecauseoftheabilitytoadjusttheamountofdistancebetweenthehandlesandthehousing.Plus,withavarietyofdifferentarm-mountingoptionsyoucanusemostpopulararmsystemswiththePatimatrayandhandlesetup.

WhiledivingwiththePatimaIfoundthatIdidn’tusethehandlestoholdthesetupwhileIwasshooting;Iendedupholdingontothehousingitself,withmythumbwrappedaroundaconvenientlyplacedmetalprotrusionwhichmusthavebeendesignedasahandhold.Tobehonest,IactuallyendeduptakingoffthesuppliedhandstrapbecauseI

foundittobeinthewaymostofthetime.

TheonlyrealnegativethatIfoundwiththehousingsofaristhelatchsystemusedforsecuringthesystemclosedandwatertight.Thelatchesaresetsotightthattheypopfreequicklyonopening,andtheycancatch your finger if you’re not paying closeattention.

Inonedayofshootingwiththisset up, I feel even more confident that mybrothersandIhavebeenmakingtherightrecommendationstoourfriendsanddivebuddies.WewillcontinuetorecommendthePatima

HousingfortheCanonG9toanyonelookingforanamazingunderwaterpointandshootsetupthathasallthefeaturesandfunctionalityofanSLRinastylishprofessionalpackage.

Thisjustin!CanonstartedshippingitsCanonG10,andIgottoplaywithone!I’vealreadyspokenwithPatima,andtheyareworkingonahousingtoo!I’mgettingthefeelingthatPatimaissavingtheunveilingofthenewG10housingforDEMA.

ThemajorupgradesfromtheG9arethattheG10boastsanimpressive14.7megapixelsandawide-anglelens,(theG9wasabouta�5mmand

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thenewG10isabout28mm.)Thecameraisabitlargerandseemstofit in your hand more like an SLR. Anothermajorplusforunderwatershootersistheadditionofanexposurecompensationdial.CanonaddedanotherdialbysimplymovingtheISOdialunderneaththemodedial,itseemstoworkquitenicely,we’llseehow it functions in a housing? All in alltheG10isn’tahugeupgradefrom

theG9,butthewide-anglelensandtheExposureCompensationdialarenicenewfeatures.

YoumightthinkthatthepricefortheverypopularG9woulddropwiththe introduction of the Canon G10? Youwouldbewrong.Infact,theG9wassuchapopularcamerathatmostdistributorscouldn’tkeepthemontheshelves,andCanonactuallycancelledordersandstoppedmakingtheG9whentheywereabouttointroducetheG10.SonowthepriceoftheremainingG9’saregoingup.Thisisagoodsituationforusconsumers,itmakesthedecisiontogofortheG10easy,orifyoualreadyhavetheG9yourhappybecauseit’sanawesomecameraoryoucouldselltheG9andbuyaG10andhavemoneyleftoverforaPatimaHousing.

John Ceserewww.c3submerged.com

YoumaynotknowthisbutnoneoftheUwPcontributorsgetpaid.TheyprovidetheirarticlesandphototalentinsupportofthecauseofUwPwhichaimstokeepthemagazinefreeforanyonetodownload.

DonationsareallhandledintotalsecuritythroughPayPalandyoucanalsopaysecurelybycreditcardusingthePayPallinks.

Yourdonationswillbedistributedtothecontributorsofeachissueonaproratabasisi.e.themorepagestheycontribute,the

moretheirpercentage.Whendecidinghowmuchyou

wanttodonatepleasebearinmindthatPayPal’schargeforamountssmallerthan£�or$6canbeashighas24%!!WhilstIacceptthatPayPalisabsolutelybrilliantandsafe,Idon’twantthistobecomea‘Donate a lot to PayPal”!!

YoucanmakeadonationineitherUS$dollars,UK£sterlingor € Euros by following this link

www.uwpmag.com/donate.html

Have you learnt something invaluable by reading this issue of UwP? Have you saved a lot of time benefitting for the experience of UwP contributors or do you simply just enjoy UwP and want to help it continue?If so, please donate to the UwP contributors

Donate here

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TheSonyAlpha�50isadigitalreflex camera for the advanced photographer.Professionalswillprobably find the speed of 2.5 frames persecondtooslow.However,underwaterphotographydoesnotrequireextremespeedsinceyounearly always make use of flashes and you also have to wait for the flash batteriestorechargebeforethenextshotisenabled.

SonyusesCarlZeisslensesfortheSonyAlpha�50.Thecameraislightwithits582grams,aswellascompact and has a pleasant hand-fit. TheCCDsensoroffers14.2effectivemegapixels.PicturescanbestoredinRAW,JPEGaswellasRAW+JPEG.TheAlpha�50supportsvariousstoragememorycards.NotonlytheSonytypes(MemoryStickDuo,MSProDuoandMSProHG)aresupported,alsoCFcardstypeIandII.Totacklethedustproblemofduststickingtothesensor,theAlpha�50hasbeenequippedwithadualanti-dustsystem.Thesensorhasananti-staticcoatingandashakemechanism.Thismechanismisactivatedautomaticallyafterchanging

Sony Alpha 350 and BS Kinetics housingby Karin Brussaard

thelens,givingdustnochancetosticktothesensor.ThetiltingLCDof2.7inchcanbefoldedoutto90degreesupwardsandtilteddownwardsat45degrees.ItfacilitatesusingtheLiveview.TheLiveviewfunctionoftheSonyDSLR-A�50notonlyworksatmanualfocus,alsoatautofocus.FocussinginLiveViewiscarriedoutevenfasterthanusingtheopticalviewfinder!

BSKineticsisaGermancompanymanufacturingunderwaterhousingsforphotocamerasandvideocameras.Inaddition,BSKineticsalsoproducevideolamps.ThehousingfortheSonyAlpha�50belongstotheGibsonmodels.ThisseriesofunderwaterhousingsofBSKineticsis made in particular for digital reflex cameras that fit in the dimensions of thisseries(180x190x1�0mm).Otherseriesofunderwaterhousingsare available for larger reflex cameras andcompactcameras.Theunderwaterhousingiscompactandthesmallsize of the Sony Alpha 350 benefits fromthis.Thesetasawholeremainspleasantlyportable.BSKineticsisoneoffewmanufacturersthatuses

carbon fibre for their housings. This fibre is light and solid at the same time.Despitethis,theunderwaterhousingweighs1900grams.Thisslightlysurprisedme,sinceIreallyexpected a carbon fibre housing tobemuchlighter.However,thisweightcaneasilybeexplained;theunderwaterhousinghasbeentestedtoadepthof80meters.Thepressureatadepthlikethatisofsuchheight(9bar) that a thicker layer of carbon fibre isrequiredtowithstandthepressure.

ObviouslyBSKineticsdeliveralargeamountofportsforwideangleaswellasstandardandmacrolenses.Theportsfeaturebayonetmounts.

Thelowwatertemperatureandtheuseofdry-glovesarethemostextremetestconditionsforanunderwaterhousing.TheBSKinetics passes with flying colours. The handgrips look a bit silly at first glance,however,theyareextremelypleasanttohold.Thedistancebetweentherighthandgripandtheshutter

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releasebuttonseemedtohavebeenhand-madeformy hand! A flash arm can be attached to the outside ofeveryhandgripwhichworksperfectly.Thebuttons to operate the camera with are sufficiently largetopressorturnwithdry-gloveson.Theunderwaterhousingismadeof(dark)carbon.Thismeansthatthecameraitselfisnotvisibleonceinside.Tohaveacluewhatyouaredoing,thebuttonscontainstickersasforwhatfunctiontheyserve.Nearlyallfunctionscanbeoperatedbythebuttonsoftheunderwaterhousing.Oneunpleasantfactoristheon/offbuttonthatcannotbeoperated.Ithinkthatisarealmiss.Ifyouforgettoturnonthecamerabeforeclosingtheunderwaterhousing,youwillhaveadivewithoutpictures.ThisisevenmoreapplicabletoSpitsbergenwhereyoucannotjusttakethecameraoutofthehousingandinordertoturnitonbelatedly.

UnderwaterIconcentrateontakingpictureswith an overview. The ice floes and underwater landscapes are that fascinating and colourful, I find itapitytotakemacroshots.It’sthe11-18mmwideanglelensofSonythatIuse.ThedomeportoftheBSKineticsclosesbymeansofabayonetmountontheunderwaterhousing.Turningitaquartertotheright suffices to attach the port to the housing. The domeportisextremelycompact.Thisispleasantwhiletravellingaswellasunderwater.Thebiggerthedomeport,themoreresistancewhileswimming.Thecombinationoftheunderwaterhousingwiththe dome port and two Sea & Sea YS 110 flashes isalmostneutral.Personally,Ilikethesettobesomewhatnegative.Itiseasierhavingtoholdthecameraupunderwaterthanhavingtopullitdown.Althoughaheavynegativewouldnotbethatpleasanteither:itwouldsoonturnintoagameofweightlifting.At11mmthedomeportshowssome

distortion,however,thisdecreaseswhenzoomingin.

OnemorningIamquietlychattingawaytothecaptainasasuddennoisesurroundsus.Thereseemtobewalrusesontheice.FromwhereIstand,Icanonlyseeabrownblobontheice,nothingthatlookslikeawalrus.Thecaptainskilfullymanoeuvresthebigvesselclosertotheblobandslowlybutsurelythecontoursofthebrownblobbecomesvisible.Thewalrusesarenicelynestledagainsteachotherandseemtohavejustwokenupfromadeepsleep.Theypeeraroundcuriouslyandquestionis:whois watching who? Finally, we are close enough totakesomepictures.Andcloseenoughmeans,closeenoughforatelephotolens.Thesecolossalgiantscanweighuptoanincredible1400kilos;you definitely don’t want to disturb them and experiencetheirrage.The70-200mmlensfocusesfast,veryfast,evenat200mm.Thelensofferingabrightoff/2.8throughouttheentirezoomrangeisclearlynoticeable.Andthesupersonicwavemotorinsidethelensperformsgreatly.AlthoughthebodyoftheAlpha�50isnotthatbig,thecombinationofhousingandtelephotolensof1�40gramsis

pleasanttohold.ItookpictureswithoutmakinguseofatripodwhichisverywellpossiblesincetheSonyAlphafeaturesanintegratedstabilizer(SuperSteadyShot).Shootinginiceandsnowconditions is usually awkward and it is difficult to getacorrectexposure.TheSonyAlphaA�50seemstobepreparedsincethecamerarespondsstronglytothelightareasinthepicture.Pictureswithsnowinthebackgroundtendedtobeunderexposed.ObviouslySonyistryingtopreventlightareastobe

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bleachedatallcost.Andtobehonest,Iappreciatedthisfeaturebecauseitiseasiertocorrectanunderexposedpicturethanapicturewithbleachedareas.

TheLiveViewoftheSonyAlpha�50isthefastestIhaveeverseen on a digital reflex camera, and cancertainlybeusedunderwater.Idoregretthemonitornotofferinga100%view.Thedualanti-dustsystemiswellthought-throughbecausetheshakemechanismisactivatedaftereverychangeoflens.Andthatisexactlywhenthehighestriskofgettingdustoccurs.Theunderwaterhousingisextremelypleasanttoholdandoperate,evenwithlargedry-

glovesbut,regrettably,itdoesnotofferanon/offbutton.

Karin Brussaardwww.karinbrussaard.nl

The expedition to Spitsbergen was organized by Waterproof Expeditions

This company organizes expeditions to the Arctic as well as the Antarctic area.

www.waterproof-expeditions.com

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TheexponentialexpansionofcontentontheInternetandthereadyacceptanceofitasadeliverymediumacrossalldemographics(withoutlanguage,geographicorculturalboundaries)hascausedarevolutioninpublishing.

Nolongeristheconsumerforcedtopayforannualsubscriptionsorwaitinterminalperiodsoftimeforthepostalservicetodeliveryperiodicals.Thereisanalternative.Indeed,thesuccessofUWPandotheronlinemagazinesistestamenttothisnewdirectioninreadertastesandtherelativeeasewithwhichavirtualmagazinecanbeproduced.

Thephenomenaissopervasive,intheinterestofclarityanewdescriptivevocabularyisneeded:onlinepublishingisselfdescribingandneedsnoelucidation,butmagazinepublishingitself-theproductionanddistributionofatangibleproduct,aproductwellestablishedandtakenforgrantedthathasbeenaroundmorethanonehundred and fifty years - should now bereferredtoashardcopypublishing.

Wetpixel and Wetpixel Quarterly: A Review by Douglas David Seifert

Thedifferencebetweenthetwobeyondtheobviouscircumstanceofwhatcanbeheldinthehandswithoutneedingamachineiseducational.Unlikehardcopy,tangiblepublishing,theonlinepublisherisexposedtolittle risk financially. Most, if not allofthecontentisdonatedfreeofchargeand/orisself-generatedbythepublisher.andafewassociates.Thewritersoffeaturesandphotographerswhoseworksarepresentedareforthemost part not compensated financially orotherwise.

Thiscuriouscircumstanceoccurredlongbeforethebirthoftheinternet,however,withthehardcopypublishingofwhatwereaptlycalled “fanzines”. The appeal of Fan magazineshasalwaysnecessarilybeenlimitedtospecialistnichegroups.Theylastforatimeduetothe financial resources (aka deep pockets)oftheirpublisherswhoproducesomethingthatcanshowcasetheworkoftheirfriends(whocanbecajoledintodonatingfreecontent)andtoshinesomeofthatglorybackuponthepublisherhimorherself.

Onecanrecognizetheseeffortsfromalackofcontentbalanceduetothepresenceoftheeditor/publisherbeyondtheeditorialandintomanyachummyfeatureglorifyingpersonalexperiencesofdubiousveracitywithimagesthataddnothingtothetext.Onoccasion,thefanzinementalityhascreptintomainstreampublishing,usuallywhentheparentcompanyisalargecorporationnotparticularlyinterestedinthecontentofwhatispublished,justtheadvertisingrevenue.Thiswasthedeathsentenceforthe�0yearlifeofSkinDivermagazinewhenitwenttobeingjustanotheracquisitionbyaconsortiumandwasrunintothegroundbyarrogant,egocentrichackswithout

talentorimagination.Interestinglyforthewould-be

professionalphotographertoknowaboutistherelatedscenariowheretheeditor/publisherappropriatesinteriorimagespaceandeventhecoverphotoitself.(Intheindustry,thisisknownas “The Hornsby Syndrome” after aneditorinfamousforputtinghisownimagesonthecoverinspiteofhavingquestionablephotographiccredentialsatbestandnoimagingcareertrackrecordbeyondwhathispositioninpublishingwiththatparticularpublicationcouldforceontothepublic.(andthepracticestillshamelesslycontinuestodaywithcertainUS-basededitorswithoutsizedegosanddeplorableethicswho

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shallremainnameless..)Overtheyears,Thedivingworldhasseen

itsshareofthesefanzinescomeandgo,thequalityonesamongthem,fromHongKong,AlfredLi’sSportdiversJournal;fromtheUS,BretGilliamandFredGarth’sFathomsandmostmemorably,theevilladiesfromTexas’OceanRealm.Othershavepoppedupandgoneaway,theirnamesforgottenandmorestartupsandfailuresarecertaintobeonthehorizon..

Thedifferencebetweenhardcopy,tangiblepublishingandinternetpublishingisthattheinternetpublisherisabsolvedofvirtuallyallfinancial risk. In addition to not paying their contributors,theydonothavetobeartheproductioncosts of office rental, an art editor, layout designer, editor, news editor and sub-editor, office manager, advertisingdepartment,etc.ANDpayingforthephysicalcostsofproducingahardcopy,tangiblemagazine:theprinterandhisstaff’stimeandmaterials:colorseparations,proofs,ink,paper,delivery,distribution,postage,etc.Thosebigeconomicfactorsultimatelybringdownthefanzines

publishinghardcopy.WhereareSportdiversJournal, Fathoms, and Ocean Realm now?

Thesadrealityisinregardstoareadershipofpeopleinterestedindivingandtheoceanandunderwaterphotography,theresimplyhasnotbeenalargeenoughaudience-atleastsofar-willingtosupportaqualitypublicationlongtermbypayingarelativelyexpensiveannualsubscriptioninorderforthefanzinetobreakeven(breakeven!Forgetprofitability) on the hard publishing costs.

Andreadershipistheoperativeword.Magazinesandjournalsareplaceswherethoughtisthecommodityonequalfootingwiththeimagery.Sofar,noonehasmadeasuccessofahardcopypublicationofwordswithoutimagesorofallimageswithoutwords.

Thebestofonlinepublishingandthebestofhardcopypublishingcombinebeautifulorinterestingimagerywithstories,features,reviewsandotherfoodforthought.ThisiswhereUWPandWetpixel.comsucceedasonlinepublishers;whereDiveandFinssucceedashardcopypublishersandwhyUSdivemagazinessuchasScubaDiving

andSportDiveraresopoorly-regarded(forthemost part, their articles are fluff, devoid of factual information,educatedopinionorconveyedexperience,simplyarecordofadvertorialagendasmasqueradingasjournalism).

Anyonereadingthisonlinepublicationcertainly knows of Wetpixel.com. Since it first went onlineeightyearsago,Wetpixelhasbeentheplaceforunderwaterphotographyenthusiaststogotoforuptotheminutenews,industrygossip,productannouncementsandreviews.Itprovidesforumsforaspiringunderwaterphotographerstoconnectwitheachotheronvirtuallyeveryconceivableaspectofphotography,diving,destinations,techniques,queries,tipsandopinionsandmore.

Bestofall,itisfreeofcharge.Wetpixel.com’sappealisirresistibleand

theworkputinbyowner/founder/creatorEricChenghasrightlymadeitthecyberepicenterofunderwaterimaging.Althoughithasonly10,000registeredmembers,Wetpixelreaches100,000uniquevisitorspermonth,manyofthemrepeatviewers.

Wetpixel.compartnerswithotheronlinesitesandwithphotoconteststopromoteanddistributeunderwaterimagerythatsadlymightneverhaveseenwidedistributioninthelightofdaybeforethemiracleoftheinternet.Wetpixel’stirelesscollectionanddistributionoftheseimageshasdone a profound service to the field of underwater photography.

Scoresofphotographershavebeenencouraged,inspiredandenergizedbyseeinganewworldofcreativityandartistictechniques.Asaresult,therearealotmorediverswithcamerastakingbetterqualitypicturesthaneverbefore.

Now,Wetpixel.comhasbranchedoutfrom

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itsbenevolentdominationofallthingsunderwaterphotographicwithaforayintotheworldofhardcopypublishing,theresultbeingWetpixelQuarterly.

Beforewescratchourheadsandaskwhy,letusconsiderthemagazineitself.

IssueOnesetthetonethusfar:an8.5x11inchhorizontalformatjustperfectforpresentingasingleimageperpage.Thecoverstockandpaperarehighqualityandthegreenpedigreeofthepaperandinksaredetailedforecopurists.

The first issue’s cover of

asmalloceanicwhitetipsharkenveloped by a shoal of pilot fish has the one true attribute that defines greatness:peerenvy..seasonedunderwaterphotographerslookedatitandresponded:“wishI’dtakenthat photo.”. No truer praise is forthcomingfromadiscriminatinggroup that flips rapidly through any collectionofunderwaterphotographycomparingwhathasbeenpublishedbyothers-usuallyunfavorably-withtheirownefforts.(Achillingspectacletoobserve.)

ThereisaveryniceportfolioandQandAwithimaginginnovatorand

longtimeprofessionalNorbertWuandlotsofpagesofpictures.Lotsandlotsofpictures.Themagazineis82pageslongandfeelscompletewithoutbeingpadded,content-wise.Anotherbonusistheminimalrelianceonadvertisingpages.Itisarefreshingluxurytoenjoyartforartssakewithoutbeingsoldagoodorserviceeveryotherpage.

ThesecondissueshowedimprovedprintingandpaperstockandwasmainlyfocusedonWetpixel.com’s “staff” of regular contributors andtheirbestimages.Lotsandlotsofpictures.

ThethirdissuededicatesaquarterofitspagestoexcerptingAlexKilbride’snewbookAmericanWatersandthereisabriefarticle(threepages)ongreenseaturtlesoffSanDiego.TheextantpagesareimagesfromOurWorldUnderwaterandDeepIndonesiaphotocontests.

Itappearsafterthreeissues(thefourthhasnotbeenreleasedatthiswriting)thattheformulaWetpixelQuarterlyhaschosentofollowispureportfolio.Imagerywithoutatextcontext.Apicturebook.Asoftcovercoffeetablebook.Arguably,foragenerationnotoriousforhavingashortattentionspan,thisisanidealformat.Themagazinecertainlyisbeautiful,hasaclean,well-designedlayoutandsomeoftheimagesarebreathtaking.

Butthequestionofwhythenpublishhardcopiesofportfoliosatall? Isn’t it just as efficient to have full screen web galleries? (And without the financial burden on WetpixelLLCorthesubscriberandtotheenvironment.)

Doimageswithoutanyotherinformationsatisfytheneedsofunderwater imaging enthusiasts? Do imagesmadeinexoticdestinationsofferasenseofwhattheexperienceofencounteringthesubjectislikeandhowitwasachievedandwhatdoesitmean-orarethesequestionsthatevenmattertotheviewership(withouttext,howcanonereallysayreadership?)?

Thesayings“apictureiswortha thousand words” or “the picture tells the story” really are true only in veryrareinstancesandtobehonest,manyofthosestoriesareonlyslightlyinteresting.Afterall,weliveinaninformationage,notacultureofideograms.

Ultimately,regardlessofpointofviewwhethertheadditionoftext would add significant value to WetpixelQuarterly,themagazinestandsasitisanobjectofbeautyandundeniablyhasafeelgoodvaluetoallthephotographerswhoseimagesareprintedwithin.Afterall,isitnotthedreamofeverypurchaserofanunderwatercamerasystemtohavetheir work published? And why not?

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WetpixelQuarterlyshouldbesupportedbyanyonewithaninterestintheunderwaterworldingeneralandunderwaterphotographyinparticular..

Ericcheng’svisionanddedicationshouldbeapplaudedandsupported financially; it would be mostdesirableforWetpixelQuarterlytohavealongandsuccessfulrun.

Subscribenow;itwouldbeatragedyifthisventuredoesnotsurviveandthrive.RegardlessofanymixedfeelingsWetpixelQuarterlywouldbemissedifitwasgone..

WetpixelQuarterlyCredits:EricCheng,EditorandPublisher;and

ElijahWoolery,EditorandCreativeDirector.Aquarterlypublicationforacostof$45.00peryear.

Douglas David Seifert

Douglas David Seifert is the former Editor-in-Chief of Oceans Illustrated and is currently World Editor of Dive

Magazine.

www.wetpixelquarterly.com

©To

ny W

u

EXPEDITIONS

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Tomostdivers,usingahardboatorRIBasyourdivingplatformissynonymouswithmovingfurtheroffshorenormallyinsearchofdeeperreefsorwrecks.Thesuggestionthattheboatshouldbeusedtoreachshorelinesitesinaccessibleviabeachdivingmightseemawastetomanybutforaphotographerthisprospecthasmanyattractions.ThecoastofCornwallisblessedwithcountlesssiteswhichcanbespottedtemptinglyfromthetopofcliffpaths,orperhapsrequirealongbackbreakingtrekwithheavykitfromadistantcarpark,manyofwhichofferstunningdivingintherightconditions.Oneof my favourite sites which fits this descriptioniscalledPrussiaCove,whichisnestledontheEasternedgeofMountsBaybehindCuddenPointinthefarwestofCornwall.ItisperhapsbetterknownlocallyandtovisitingtouristsforitsmurkypastasthecentreforthesmugglingactivitiesthenotoriousJohnCarterknownasthe “King of Prussia”. Legend has it that many of the fine houses in this vicinitywerebuiltontheproceedsofsmuggledcontrabandfromEurope.

Althoughthiscovedoessupport

Cornwall’s King of Prussiaby Mark Webster

asmallcommunity,theonlyaccessfromtheclifftopisviaaprivateroadwhichoffersonlyfootaccesstononresidents.Thereisasmallcarparkattheclifftopbutbasingyourselfhereinvolvesawalkofhalftothreequartersofamileandthenaclimbdowntherockstothecoveitself.ComingherebyboatfromnearbyPenzanceismuchthebestoption!PrussiaCovefacesalmostduesouthandisthereforeexposedtoalmostallbutwesterlyandnorthwesterlywinds.Sothisisusuallyasummersitewhentheweatherissettledandthereisnosignificant swell from the Atlantic. As youapproachthecovefromtheseayousoonrealisewhythisbecameafavouritelandingpointforsmugglersasthehighlandsurroundingthesmallbeachprotectsitfromtheviewofallbutthemostdeterminedExciseman.

AlthoughIwouldconsiderthisareefdiveassuchtherearesomeremainsheretointerestahardenedwreck aficionado as well. Some UK diversmayrecognisethenameofHMSWarspite,aDreadnoughtclassbattleshipbuiltin191�whichservedinbothWorldWars.In1947,havingbeendeclaredredundant,shewas

undertowtothebreakerswhenshebrokeawayfromhertugsinastormandwasdrivenashoretobestrandedintheshallowsoffPrussiacove.

Somesalvageworkwasundertakenhere before she was refloated and towedfurtherwesttoSt.Michael’sMountwhereshewaseventually

HMS Warspite in her glory days when she served during both world wars.

HMS Warspite stranded in the shallow waters of Prussia Cove where she was partially salvaged in order to re-float her.

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brokenupoveranumberofyears.Evidenceofthesalvageworkcanstillbeseenonthecliffedgeonthewesternsideofthecovewherevariousitemsofequipmentweremounted.Underwaterthereisasurprisingamounttobefoundfromhundredsofceramictilesfromthegalleytopumps,hosesandassortedpartsofwreckage.Overtheyearssome interesting finds have turned up including maker’s plates and at least one instance of a “man” sizedporthole,whichusedtobeonshowatthelocalPenzanceBSACclubhouse.Thebulkofthiswreckageliestowardthecentreofthecoveapproximately100moffshoreandin10-12mofwater.

Themostattractiveareaformeisontheeasternsideofthecovewheretherockyforeshoreplungesintothesea.Thisareaisriddledwithdeepgullies,swimthroughsandsomespectaculartunnelsallbrimfulloflifewheremanyhappyhourscanbespentwithoutreferringtoyourcomputer.The

southerlyrunningspursseenontheforeshorearereflected in the underwater topography as you progressoffshore.Thisproductiveareaextendsaroundtheeasternarmofthecovetowardsarock“island” with average depths of 6-12m and is totally shelteredfromtidalstreams.Thereareoccasionallysealshereandonthewesternsideofthisislandthereisaspectaculartunnelsome25-�0minlengthwhichrunsthroughthecorneroftheisland.Asyouenteryoucannotquiteseetheexitduetoadoglegbutafter10morsothelightfromtheendappears.Thisisalargetunnelwideenoughfortwodiversandtheoccasionalseal!Theroofiscarpetedwithredandorangeseasquirtsandavarietyofcolourfulanemonessotakeatorch.Thetunnelissafeincalmconditionsbutshouldbeavoidedifaswellprevailsasdepthsareonly6-10mandthesurgecanbequiteremarkable.

Beingashallowcoastalsitethereiskelphere,

On a calm summer’s day Prussia Cove is an idyllic setting and tempting dive location.

The deeper gullies are kelp topped and harbour a wide ranges of marine life. Nikon D100, Light & Motion Titan, 10.5mm FE, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 200 f8 1/60.

Late summer is also time to find sleepy dog fish resting on the seabed. They will hold their ground as long as you make a gentle approach. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 12-24mm zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f8 1/30.

Leopard spotted blennies can be a little camera shy and are best approached with a 105mm macro lens. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

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butbecauseofthedepthandundercutnatureofthemajorityofthegulliesitisrestrictedtotheverytopsoftherocks.Sodon’tbeputoffbythesiteofkelpfromthesurface,especiallyatlowwater,becauseonceyouarethroughthecanopyyourprogresswillbelargelyunhindered.Theshelterprovidedhereisidealforbreedingformanyspeciesandduringthespring

andearlysummeryouwillencounterfuriousactivityandjuvenilesofallsorts.Inthekelpcanopywatchout for John Dory’s and the fifteen spinedsticklebackmimickingthefronds, scorpion fish of all hues and inFebruaryandMarchtheoccasionallumpsuckerjealouslyguardingitseggs.AprilandMayaregoodmonthsfor invertebrates and it is difficult to

movewithoutencounteringhostsofnudibranchs, sea hares and flatworms allweavingtheirexoticpatternswiththeireggs.MayandJuneseestheturnof many fish species and the wrasse inparticularareveryapproachableastheyseemmoreconcernedwithnestbuildingorrestingthanbythisstrangecreatureapproachingwithacamera.Throughoutthesummermonths

therearealsogoodopportunitiestoencounter groups of cuttle fish coming togethertobreedwhowillallowatouchifyouareverypatient.

Therockfacesofthegulliesarecarpetedwithlifesomeofwhichisquiteunusualorrare.Spongesofallsortscompeteforspacewithseasquirts,boththeattractivelightbulbvarietyandthecarpeting

Even the bladder wrack weed is quite colourful here and can make an attractive composition with a dash of Snell’s window. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 10-17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/80.

One of my favourite fish, the Tompot blennie, is found throughout the reef system in the cove. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

Another fine macro subject found in the reef fissure is the common prawn which is sometimes found in their dozens packed into a small space. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

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strawberrytunicate,whichtogetherwithcoloniesofcolourfulanemonesaddsomuchcolourthatwhenthewater is clear you find yourself comparingittothetropics.Jewel,daisy,dahlia,strawberry,beadlet,snakelockandprobablyoneortwospeciesofanemonesIcan’tidentifydecoratethisunderwatergardeninneat flowerbed arrangements. Where theybordercracksandledgesyouwill find all sorts of crustaceans and sedentary fish life who seem to peer hopefullyoutatyou.Ifyousearchdiligently you should find examples oftherareredMediterraneancup

Thisisamarvelloussiteforphotographers,naturalists,orthosediverswhojustloveshalloweasydivingamongstanabundanceofmarinelife.ItisalsoanideallocationforashallowsecondorthirddiveofthedayforthosewhohavebeenvisitingthedeeperoffshorewreckssuchastheHellopes,J.A.ParkorcoralBalanophylliaregia(thegold

starcoral)whichareverystrikingwhencomparedtotheirDevonshirerelatives,orthediminutiveCornishsucker fish.

Intheopenwatersjustoutofthe gullies you will find shoals of sandeels,juvenilemackerel,mulletandpacksofhuntingpollack.InJulyandAugustwhenplanktoncanbeheavierandglassycalmdaysaremorefrequent,itisnotunknowntoseebaskingsharkstakingaturnthroughthecovescoopingthemicroscopicfooddowntheircavernousthroats.Aperhapsrarervisitoratthistimeofyear is the Atlantic trigger fish, which isseenallalongthiscoastasfarasPlymouth,andcanbequiteasurprisewhen found firmly standing its ground at the end of a gulley. These fish are becomingquitecommoninthenetsof commercial fisherman as is the occasionalunfortunateentrapmentoflarge leatherback turtles which find theirwayherefromtheAtlantic.Ihaveevenseenasmallelectricrayhereonthesand,sowhoknowswhatyou might encounter on a good day?!

theAliceMarie.Whateveryourpreferencethereissomethingofinteresthereanditisjustoneofthe many “shore sites” along this stretchofcoastlinewhicharesooftenbypassedintherushoffshore.

Mark Websterwww.photec.co.uk

In high summer some of the gullies are carpeted in several different colourful species of seaweed which hide pipefish, cuttlefish and scorpionfish. Nikon D300, Subal ND20, 10-17mm FE zoom, GW Magic Filter, ISO 200 f8 1/60.

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“Sharkcominguponthebaitfast from the right hand side” is the cryfromMothwhoisstandingnexttomeandstaringattheseasurface.HeispointingacrossmeandIfollowthelineofhisarmtoseethehugedarkshadowappearfromtheblue.Nothingcan quite prepare you for your first sightofaGreatWhiteShark.Youmayhaveseenphotos,watchedmoviesorNationalGeographicdocumentaries, but the first glimpse ofthisenormousanimalinit’snaturalelement,onaclear,calmseawiththesunshiningaboveyou,justmakesyourbreathcatchinyourthroat.Itisjustsomuchbiggerthanyoueverthoughtitcouldbe;andfast.

AlongwiththreefriendsIamonThePrincessII,aliveaboardinTheNeptuneIslandsoffthesoutherncoastofAustralia.TheboatisrunbyAndrewFox,thesonofRodneyFox,probablyoneofthemostfamoussharkattackvictimsever.Hewasattacked while spear fishing in his youthandmiraculouslysurvived.Tohearhimtellthestoryleavesmealittledisturbed.Theimagehedescribesofseeingtheteethofthesharkasitwascomingupathimthroughapoolofhisownbloodwill

neverleaveme.Incrediblyhewentontobecomeoneoftheshark’sgreatestprotectors and many of the films and documentariesyoumayhaveseenhavebeenmadewithhishelp.Heisalsoanincrediblynicebloke.Andrewistheonlyoperatorintheworldwhorunsacageatthebottomaswellasatthesurface.Seeingtheseanimalsatadepthoftwentymetresofwateryoufeelthatyouhaveenteredtheirhabitatanditisatotallydifferentexperiencetoseeingthematthesurface.

Thesharkappearstolanguidlymovetowardsthebait,theheadofaoneandahalfmetretunatiedtoaropethatisbeingdangledfromasmallbuoyoffthebackoftheboat.Itpassesunderthebaitandthenwithonebarelyperceptiblemoveofitstailithasdoneacompleteone-eightyandsuddenlyallIcanseeisteeth.Johnsie,ontheotherendoftherope,pullsthebaitinjustatthe

Great White Sharkby Julian Cohen

1/125 at f4. 12-24mm at 24mm. ISO 320. Nikon D200

1/160 at f6.3. 12-24mm at 17mm. ISO 160. Nikon D200

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rightmoment,andthesharkbitesair.Itkeepsbiting,pursuingthebaitasJohnsiepullsitsmoothlytowardsthesternoftheboat.Thetrickisnottofeedthesharks,buttoencouragethemclosertothecagethatistiedtothestern.Someofthesharksswimaroundtheboatinlargecircles,passingtantalisinglyclosetothebaitandappearingtoignoreitcompletely.Thensuddenlytheywillturnandtrytograbit.Others,especiallythesmalleryoungerones,andwhenIsaysmallIamtalkingaboutthreeandahalfmetres,lungeandsnapatthebaitconstantly.Johnsiehastostayalertto

avoidhavingtoreloadtheline.Timetogetinthecage.Four

diversjumpinandstayaslongastheycanstandthecold.Thatcanactuallybequitealongtimeaswhenthesharks are active it is difficult to tear yourselfaway,nomatterhownumbyoufeel.Idroppedintothewaterandaftertheinitialgaspofbreathasthecoldhitme,Irememberedtobreatheandtookmyplaceinthecageandstartedtolookaround.

1/100 at f4. 12-24mm at 20mm. ISO 200. Nikon D200

1/125 at f4. 12-24mm at 24mm. ISO 320. Nikon D200

1/100 at f6.3. 12-24mm at 12mm. ISO 200. Nikon D200

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About fifteen metres from me was a four and ahalfmetresharkswimmingslowlypastthecage.EventhoughIhadmycamerariginmyhandIjuststoodandstared.Ithinkthethingthatsurprisedmemostwashowwideitwas.LaterIfoundoutthissharkwasCurly,amalethatisthesharkequivalentofshortandstout.Heseemedtometobeatleastametreandahalfindiameterathiswidestpart.Asheopenedhismouthtotakethebait,oneofthetimesJohnsiewascaughtnapping,hejustgotwiderand wider. I could easily have fit into his mouth and downhisthroatwithouttouchingthesides.

Igotmyselftogetherandstartedtothinkabouttakingphotos.Iwasshootingwithambientlightonly,nostrobes,astherewasplentyoflight,

thecagewasatthesurfaceandIalsowantedtomakesureIwasn’ttakingtoomuchgearintoasmallspacetogetbangedaroundastheboatgentlyrockedinthebay.IworkedonISO400sothatIcouldgettheshutterspeedtofreezetheaction.Iwasaloneinthecageatthispointastheotherdiversweredoingashiftchange.Averyaggressivesharksuddenlyturnedup.RustywasoverfourmetreslongbutnotaswideasCurly.Shehadbrownstreakmarksonherjawsfromtryingtothrustherheadthroughthesteelnetsthatthelocalfishermen use to hold the tuna. Tuna fishing and harvestingistheprimarysourceofincomeinPortLincoln,thenearesttown.ShecameupfromthedeepinaclassicGreatWhiteambushattack,fastandnearlyvertical.AtthelastmomentJohnsiesawhercomingandpulledthebaitoutofherreach.Shenearlybreachedasshemissedthebaitandthenturnedtochaseit.Iwasstandingatthecornerofthecagewithbotharmsoutholdingthecamera.Johnsiewaspullingthebaittowardsthecageandthesharkwasfollowingthebait.IstartedtopullmyarmsinasJohnsiepulledthebaitclearofthewaterandRustyslammedintothesideofthecage.Fifteen

hundredkilosofsharkwassnappingatemptywaterabouthalfametrefrommyface.Sheclampeddownon the edge of the cage where five seconds ago my camerahadbeenandIstumbledbackwardsacrossthecage.Everythingseemedtogointoslowmotion.I remember thinking to myself “Am I scared? No. Amazing!I’mnotscared.Gettheshot!Gettheshot!” As I fell backwards I fired off three shots. LaterIlookedatmycomputerscreenandsawtheteeththatRodneyhadseen.Howeverinmycasetherewasasteelcagebetweentheteethandme.Istilldon’tknowhowRodneycansleepatnight.

Over the thirty five years that Andrew has beencomingtoTheNeptuneIslands,heandhisfatherhavebeentaggingandtryingtoidentifythesharkstostudytheirbehaviour.ManysharkscomebackagainandagaintotheIslands,oftenatthesametimeoftheyear.ThefavouritetimeissealcalvingtimewhentheAustralianFurSealpupsarelearningtoswimandhavetodoitinaseathatisliterallypackedwithGreatWhitesharks.Wesawelevendifferentsharksonourfourdaytrip,andwedidn’tmoveoutofthebay,butstayedmooredupthewholetime.

Julian Cohen

www.rodneyfox.com.au

1/100 at f5. 12-24mm at 12mm. ISO 200. Nikon D200

Rodney Fox

www.magic-filters.com

Don’t settle for 2nd best

Digital cameras have opened up new possibilities to underwater photographers. For available light photography manual white balance is an invaluable tool for restoring colours. But when you use it without a filter you are not making the most of the technique. You’re doing all the hard work without reaping the full rewards.

These three photos are all taken of the same wreck in the Red Sea. The left hand image was taken on slide film, which rendered the scene completely blue. The middle image is taken with a digital SLR without a filter, using manual white balance. The white balance has brought out some of the colour of the wreck, but it has also sucked all the blue out of the water behind the wreck, making it almost grey. The right hand image is taken with the same digital camera and lens, but this time using an original Magic Filter. The filter attenuates blue light meaning that the colours of the wreck are brought out and it stands out from the background water, which is recorded as an accurate blue.

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Chalkidiki,thefamousthree-prongedpeninsulainNorthernGreeceliesnearthecityofThessaloniki(only60minutesawayfromtheinternationalairportofThessaloniki),thesecondlargestcityinGreece.

Thisregionisaresortareaservicedbymostinternationaltouroperators.EveryoneknowsChalkidikiasagreatholidaysdestinationwith magnificent white sanded beaches(mostofthemawardedwithE.E.C. blue flags), landscapes fully surroundedbyforestsofallkindsoftreesandofcoursethebluestoftheuniqueAegeanSea.

Whatmostpeopledon’tknowisthatChalkidikiisnotonlyaplacetorelaxonholidays,getaperfecttanandenjoynightlifebutisregardedastheDivingparadiseofGreece,fordiversandunderwaterphotographers.Thesameplacegivesyoudifferentdivedependingonthetimeoftheyear.Thisismagical.Thedivinglocationtransformsduringtheyearandgivesmultiplecolourcombinationsandlighting.

Asadivingdestination,

ChalkidikiThe Diving paradise in Northern GreeceBy Nicholas Samaras & Rabea Iatridou

Chalkidikihastooffermanygreatdivingspotswithperfectconditionsforscubadiving,anddigitalunderwaterphotography:excellentvisibility,afewwrecks,somebeautifultunnelsandcaveswithexcitinglightingeffectsandrockswithsoftandhardcoralsandfascinatingmarinelife.

Watertemperatureduringwinterdropsto12-14andduringsummerriseupto26-28oC.SothedivingseasonrunsfromthebeginningofApriluntiltheendofOctoberandforbraverdiverswiththeappropriateequipment(dryorsemi-drysuits)itlastsallyear.

Chalkidikihasthreelargepeninsulas:Cassandra,SithoniaandMountAthos,butdivingisallowed only in the first two. In both peninsulastherearemanydivingcentreswithmodernfacilities,up-to-dateequipmentandhighlytrainedandexperiencedstaffandmostofthemarelocatedatthebestbeaches,bighotelunitsandcampingareas,veryclosetodivingspotsandoffernotonlydivingequipmentforrental

Aegean scene with Gorgonian & Anthias. Canon 5D, Canon 15mm Fish Eye, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f10 @ 1/125

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butalsodailydivingcruisesandgroup diving from boat at specific destinations.

ThebrightGreeksunisyourbestfriendherebecauseyoucantakegreatshotsofsunballsandsunburstsalldaylongandshootwrecksandreefswithnaturallightwithnostrobesused.

Dependingonhowlongyourvacationis,youcanarrangeyourdivesinbothpeninsulas.Ifyourstayingissort,itisbettertochooseoneofthetwopeninsulas

andenjoyyourstayingthere.Alsoitisrecommendedthatyoukeepawayfrommovingtoplacesduringweekendíshothours(SaturdaymorningandSundayevening).ChalkidikiistheweekendvacationresortforcitizensofThessalonikiandthe traffic is absurd.

PeninsulaCassandraisthemostpopularholidays&traveldestinationinChalkidikiandhastogivehighqualitytravel&tourismservicesforaccommodation,rentals,cruises,ectat

affordableprices.Mostofdivingspotsthereareaccessiblefromshoreandsomeothersrequireboat.

MostknowndivingspotinCassandraisthewreckofboatMitiliniNorth-WestofbightnamedKipsa.Shipliesat20mandifthevisibilityisgood,thiswreckcannotfailtoimpressyou.Itisgreatforwideangle and fish eye shots early in the morningbeforegroupsfromlocaldivingcentresmaketheirmorningdive.Thewreckisdecoratedwith

shells,corals,anemonesandcoilsanditconstitutesashelterforgroupers,morays, scorpionfishes and big blacks. TodivetoMitiliniwreckaboatisrequired,soifyouwanttoplanadivetheretheeasiestwayistocontactthedivingcenterinSani.Intheafternoon,aftertheìbusyhoursîwhenthevisibilityispooreritísthetimeformacroshooting

Koursaros(dokos)bayisanimpressiveshorediveatsouthñeastofpeninsulaCassandra.Theroad

Orange Mediterranean Sponge & Diver. Canon 5D, Canon 15mm Fish Eye, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f9 @ 1/60

Nudibranch Cratena Peregrina. Canon 5D, Canon 100mm Macro, S&S YS-110 flash, ISO 250, f8 @ 1/100

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endsatmarinaandyoucanleaveyourcarthereandgetreadyforyourdive.Thedivestartsabout100metersfromshoreattheendofrighthandsideofbay,soyouhavetoswimalittle.Ifyoulookdownyouwillseeinyourlefthandanunderwaterentrancebetweentwobigrocks!Itísmagnificent! You will be thrilled. Rich marinelife,plentyofcoloursandshapes.

IntheothersideofbayisAlonakiandyoustartyourdivebyreachingtheshorepassingfromoldcampingfacilitiesofEOT.Verynicedivewithunderwaterwalls

andbigsinglerockshereandthere.Biganemonesandcoilswillgiveimpressivecolourstoyourpictures.

PortoValitsabayisonemoreexcellentshoredivespot,veryclosetoKoursaros.Iftheseaiswavyinonebay,divingcanbedoneintheotherasthetwobaysareoppositeoriented.InPortoValitsathereisaminimarinaforyourwaterentrybutifyoudoníthavea4X4car,youhavetocarryyourequipmentdowntothemarina(�0m)onfoot.Youcando2divesinthisbay:oneleftandoneattherightand is magnificent for night dive also. Bothsideshavestraightverticaland

horizontalunderwaterwallsfullofholes where you can find Lobsters, Octopus, Shrimps, Cuttlefish, Damselfish and Mediterranean eels withtherighthanddivegoingdeeper.

AvlakiisasmallbaynearPaliourivillage.Theroadtogetthereisbadfullofgravelsandpotholessoyouhavetobeextracarefulwhendriving.Whenyougetthereyouwillseestraightinfrontofyouasmallbreakwaterwall.Youwillstartyourdiveatthelefthandsideandfollowtheleftturnunderwaterfor20minutes

approximately.Maxdepth40-45mwithgreatseasceneryeverywhere!Big fishes come and go but they keep theirdistance.

Atpeninsulasendaremarkedsomeverygooddivesbutrequireaboatsoyouhavetovisitoneofdivingcentresinareaandplanyourdives.Youmustn’tmissdivespot‘faros’(lighthouse)whichisoneofthefavouritedivespotsthere.

PeninsulaSithoniaisconsideredtobeapeacefultraveldestination,whereyoucanrelaxandenjoythe

Under the platform. Canon 5D, Canon 15mm Fish Eye, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f7,1 @ 1/250

Blenny. Canon 5D, Canon 100mm Macro, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f18 @ 1/125

Lophius Piscatorius. Canon 5D, Canon 17-40mm, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 200, f18 @ 1/160

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naturalanddesolatewhitesandybeaches.Thecoastlineisoutstandingbymakingallkindofturnsandshapes,creatingsmallgulfsandbays.Therearesomanytreeseverywheresothegreenmixeswiththeseablue,andcreatesmagiccontrast!

InSithoniatherearenumerousmappeddivingspots,mostofthemboatdives.IfyouchoosetodivetoSithoniaitissuggestedtobookahotelroom,orselectanorganizedcampingassouthasyoucan,becausealldivingspotsaredownthere(eastandwestside).MostofdivingspotsaremappedatKelifosIslandandatKalamitsibay.

4milesfromPortoKoufoisanunderwatercavenamedErica’scavefromagirldrownedtheresomeyearsbefore.Underwaterentranceforcaveisat12mandthecaveisnotcoveredalloverwithwaterbutithasanaturalimposingdomeintop,withfreshairandofcoursethepossibilitytoswiminit.Underwaterthecavegoesinfor60metersandithasabout10meterswidth.Asacaveitdoesn’thavesomethinguniquetosee,exceptthatitisaplaceforreproductionofcrabs,lobstersandshrimpsAlsosomediversmetthere,atsomepointinadive,afemaleMediterraneansealmonachous-monachous.TherealadvantageofErica’scaveandthereasontodiveitisthespectacularexit,especiallyinmiddleoftheday

inasunnyday.Betweentherocksthemostlovedblues,turquoise,darkblueandintopabrilliantbigsunballandsunbeamsenteringinwater!Excellentspot for wide angle and fish eye photoshooting.

WreckofaTurkishcommercialship7milesnorthñeastofPortoKoufothatislocatedateastsideofSithoniapeninsula.Thewreckiscrackedintwopiecesthefrontandthebackalmostinthemiddleindepthof17to40meters.Thiswreckisexcellentforwideangleshootingbutalsoformacroasithasbeentransformed to an artificial reef, a hometomanylittleseacreatures,fishes and colourful corals, many moraysandMediterraneaneels.Thisisaboatdivesoyouhavetocontactalocaldivingcentre.

AdivesuitableformacrophotographyisinKriaritsidivingspot.Youcangetthereonlywithboatandbesurethatyoumeetaplethoraofnudibranchesandseaslugsofallkindsandcolours!Youcanmeetminiflabelina trees, little sea plants with so many flabelinas climbed on (if you areluckywiththeireggsalso)thatitlookslikeChristmastreesdecoratedinpinkandpurple!!

IfyouarrangeKelifosIsland,yourstayingmustbearrangednearthevillageofMarmaras.Thereareplentyofhotels(simple,luxuryandpersonalvillaswithpools

andallcomforts)androomstoleteverywhere.AvoidvisitingMarmarasbetweenthe1stand15thofAugustbecauseitisfulltouristseasonanditis hard to find a place to stay. Diving inthisareaaremappedaroundasmallislandcalledKelifos(meansshellbecauseofitshapethatseemslikeaturtleshell).Theislandislocatedbetweenthetwopeninsulas

Scorpaena Scrofa. Canon 5D, Canon 17-40mm, &S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f13 @ 1/60

Tylodina Perversa. Canon 5D, Canon 100mm Macro, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f22 @ 1/125

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�milesfromMarmarasanditisveryinterestingtodivetobecauseithasmorethan10divingspotstheonebetterthantheother!Alloverbigrocksfullycoveredwithcorals,seaplants,smallandbigholessheltersfor all kinds of fishes and sea slugs, precipicesandabruptstonewallsdecoratedwithcolours.Thevisibilityatthisspotisexcellentandgivesyoutheopportunitytoseebottomcharacteristicsfromthesurfacewhensnorkellingevenindepthof25m.Don’tmisstheopportunitytodiveinKelifos.Localdivingcentresorganizedailytripswith2-�divesmostlyatthe

eastsidewhichisthemoreinterestingfordivers.

KalogriasbeachislocatedinthesouthñwestsideofSithonia.Agreatspotforvacationandalldayactivities.Ithaseverything:sandybeach,crystalclearwater,beachbarandrestaurantandofcourseaverygooddivingspot.Atthemiddleofthebaythereisatinyrockislandwithrichmarinelife,a good variety of fish and nidibranch, occasionaloctopus,andhundredsofshellcrabs,funnydecoratedforcamouflage, with everything you canimagine:seaweed,corals,evenanemonesandotherseaplantsItisan

easyshoredivearoundtherocktinyislandandperfectchoicefornightdivealso.

ArmenistisRockisanothershorediveinthelefthandendofArmenistisCampinginsouth&eastsideofpeninsulaSithonia.ThebeachinArmenistisisadream.ThesandissowhiteandthewatertheremakesyouthinkyouarenotinGreecebutinatropicalparadise.Forthediveyouhavetogetreadyonthebeachandswimalittletillyoureachtherock.Thenyoudescentfromonesideandswimaroundwithmaxdepthforthedive47metersandmanymoraysandseaeelstosee.Unfortunatelyitis difficult to meet big fishes because of the spear fishing with tanks at night,witchisillegalinGreece.Itisabeautifulspotanditcangiveyoumanygoodscenestoshootunderwater.

PeninsulaofMountAthos(AgioOros)isaplacethatcancaptivatethesoulofanyvisitor.MountAthosisthelandoftheGreekOrthodoxmonasteries,whereentryisnotallowedtowomen.DivingisforbiddennearMountAthosbutthereisinOuranoupoliadivingcenterthatcanprovideboatdivesinbeautifuldivinglocationsjustintheborderlinewithMountAthos.Thereyoucanmeet flocks of big fishes and if you takethedailycruisearoundMountAthosdolphinswillfollowyourboat

andswimaroundyouplayingandjumpingofthewater!

TherearemanymoredivingspotsinCassandraandSithonianotmentionedhere,butitwillbeuninterestingandboringtodescribeitall(Elina,Kerato,Stiresect).ThebestforyouifyoudecidetovisitChalkidiki(somethingIrecommendunconditionally)istocontactoneofthemanydivingcentresneartheplaceyoustayandplananumberofdivesinbothpeninsulas.

Nicholas Samaras & Rabea Iatridou

www.underwater-photography.gr

Hermit Crab. Canon 5D, Canon 100mm Macro, S&S YS-250PRO flash, ISO 100, f16 @ 1/125

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Allthisspacecouldbeyoursforaslittleas£100anditwillbeseenbyover10,000underwaterphotographersworldwide.

www.uwpmag.com/advertising.html

oremailPeterRowlandspeter@uwpmag.com

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IwashangingintheBiminiblue.IcouldseethesandybottomandIcouldhearthecallsofthewildocean.Iturnedandtheretheywere.Oblivioustomymerefloating presence, they were calling, swimmingandslappingoneanotherinawildfrenzy.Itwasagroupofspotteddolphins.Andtheyweregoingcrazyinamadballofpre-sexualforeplay.IhadneverseenanythinglikethisintheseaandImayneverseeitagain.

It’salittleplacewithabigname.Madefamousinthe‘�0sbyrumswilling fishermen and angler-author ErnestHemingway,itwastheplacewherefactsbecamefables.Butthatwasthenandthisisnow.

Fishingandrevelrynowsharethestagewithskindivinganddolphins.Ringedinsandyshorelinesof snow-white powder fine beaches, itsblueandginclearwatersarejusteye-popping.ItsquintessentialBahamas. Just a half hour flight from Florida’sFortLauderdale,it’saworldawayintermsoflifestyle.

The yards are flush with flora,

dottedinchartreusebougainvilleaandother tropical flowers. People ride bikes,rollbyingolfcartsandthere’sevenacarortwo.Manypeoplejustwalk.

Ifyou’relucky,ajunkanoobandwillparadedownthestreetplayingmusicthatmakeseveryonewanttodance.Restaurantsboastfarelikeconchsaladandlobsterfritters.LiquorstoresstillhavecheaprumandBahamianbeer.

AlSweetingJr.haslivedamidstthistropicalsplendorallofhislife.HisheritageintheseislandsdatesbackmorethansevengenerationsHegrewuphereandlearnedtolovetheBiminiseasandtofreediveitsmanyreefs.He’sexploredtheinfamousBiminiRoad,foughtgiantmarlinandlearnedashisocean-lovingfatherandunclepassedonthesecretsofthesea.Hewasraisedonabeachandcuthisteeth on boatsSˇ all sorts of boats. He leftBiminitobecomeabankerbutthatdidn’tlastlong.Hereturnedtohistruepassionoffreedivingandstartedanadventurecompanythatnowspecializes in finding wild dolphins in

Bimini MagicA Frolic with Wild Dolphinsby Tim Rock and Yoko Higashide

Camera data: I used Nikon D200 cameras in Aquatica housings with 8” dome and Ikelite DS125 strobes at 1/8 power for fill when the sun was starting to set. All underwater images were made with the Tokina 10-17mm lens. Land images were mainly made with the Sigma 10-200MM OS lens and circular polarizer.

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theNorthwestProvidenceChannel.Biminiactuallyhaslotstoofferinterms

ofmarinelife.SittingattheedgeoftheshallowBahamasBanksononesideandtheverydeepStraitsofFloridaontheother,theentireareaisafertilebreedingandnurseryareaformuchoftheCaribbean.Athorseshoe-shapedHoneymoonHarbourBay,youcansnorkelwithsouthernstingraysalaGrandCayman’sfamedStingray

City.YoucanalsohaveafrolicwithCaribbeanreefsharksjustsouthofBiminioverashallow,sandytrenchatTriangleRocks.AtTheConcreteShip,whosenamesaysitall,youcanwanderoverthewateryinnerholdsofa1929shipwreckwhosefatewassealedbyahurricane.

ButwithallthatBiminihastooffer,Al’spassioncanbefoundtenormoremilesouttoseaintheshallownorthernbanksthatrunthroughmuchoftheBahamas.AboutthetimeBiministartstogetprettysmallonthehorizon,Al’spalsshowup. He likes to find, swim with and photograph wildspotteddolphins(Stenellafrontalis).HeworkscloselywithKellyMelillooftheDolphinCommunicationProject(DCP).She’sadedicatedmarinescientistwhospecializesinnothingbutobservingthisBiminifamilyofperhaps100dolphinsthatliveinthebanksnorthoftheisland.

AlspotsthemfromfourstoriesupinahightowerthatswaysabovehiscomfyHatterascruiser.Hewatchestoseetheirdemeanor.Iftheylook

curiousorinquisitive,hewilltellfolkstodontheirfins and mask. The boat slows to a stop and people slideintothewater.

ThenallHellbreaksloose.Crazedandseeminglyfrenzied,thedolphins

willswimamongthesnorkelers,satingtheircuriosity.Adomedcamerahousingseemstoalwaysattractattention.Sometimestheyoungeronesswimrightuptothefrontport.Theyalsoliketoplaysogoodfreediversdipdownandmimicthedolphins.Thissometimesdrivesthemnutsandevenmoreplayensues.Thisdivertodolphininteractionistotallyuptothedolphins.Itcanlast�0secondsoritcangoonforhours.Ifthedolphinsarecuriousandengaged,itsnever-endingfun.Usuallyit’sthesnorkelers who surrender first, elated and exhausted.

Ononeofourlastdaysatsea,weencounteredsomethingthatAlsaysisprettyrare.Itwasamatingcongregation.Actually,itwasmoreofahugegroupforeplaygatheringanditwaswild.Dolphinsapparentlylikeitrough.Theywereswimminginalargegroupofmaybe�0dolphins.Theolderoneswerereallygettingintoit.Wecouldlookdownand see them swimming single file almost like a

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bracelet.Thentheywouldgrouptogetherinabigballnearthesurface.Theywouldstartslapping,biting,chirpingandchattering.Altoldmetonotgetintothemiddleofthisasapowerful “love slap” from a dolphin canknockyourmaskoff.Andifyou’reinthemiddleofthis,you’refairgame.

Sowewoulddivedownontheperipheryandwatchinamazement.Oncetheyhadenoughthedolphinswoulddivedownandswimoffagainonlytosurfaceperhaps100yardslateranddothesamething.Theywasnopatterntothis.Attimestheywouldswimfarawayfromus.Othertimestheywouldcomebackandberightinourmidst.

TheyoungeroneswouldplaywithmylensorfollowmysnorkelmodelYokoasshedippeddownandtwirledaround.Buttheolderonesweretotallyenthralledwiththisforeplay.

Actualdolphinmatingtakeslessthanaminuteontheaverage.Buttheforeplaygoesonforalongtime.Weleftthisunpredictablebutfascinatinggrouptolookforsomeothers.Buttheyhadbeendoingthematingdanceforoveranhourthatwesawandshowednosignofstopping.

Biminiisafascinatinglittleplacefortheoceanlover.Asidefromdolphins,sharks,wrecksandraysthereisamarinelabtherethat

specializesinsharksandtheextensivemangrovesholdanamazingarrayofCaribbeanjuveniles.Freedivingintheopenoceanwithcuriousdolphinsisadreamformany.OnBimini,thedreamcancometrue.

Tim Rock

Tim is a professional marine photojournalist based in Micronesia.

He is a Lonely Planet author and correspondent for many ocean-oriented

magazines.

Tim’swebsite:www.doubleblue.com

AlSweeting’swebsite:www.biminiadventures.com

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AtthebeginningofJune2008IwasleavingThailandonmywaytoJakarta,andafteranovernight stop, boarded my early morning flight toTarakanviaBalikpapanbothinKalimantan,theIndonesianpartofBorneo.ThiswasthebeginningofafourmonthdivingadventurestartinganewjobasTripManageronthelive-aboardboatPanuneeSeamasterwhichwouldbecruisingtheSuluSeaandvisitingtheislandsofDerawan,Sangalaki,KakabanandMaratua.

PanuneeisnormallybasedinPhuketfromNovembertoMayplyingthewatersoftheSimilanandSurinIslands,plusregulartripsintoMyanmar(Burma)duringJanuarytoAprilwhentheconditionsareattheirbest.Whenthemonsoonwindandrainscome,PanuneeleavestheAndermanSeaandheadsdowntoIndonesiaforcalmerwatersandthistimehadachangefromLembehStraights,whichitvisitedinpreviousyears.

Panuneeisa�2msteelhulledvesselthatcomfortablycarriesupto20diversandhasNitroxavailableatareasonablecost.Shehasacrewofeight,plus4Divemasters,thatareveryhelpfulandtheboatisaccustomedtocateringforphotographers.Theyevenhavetwocabinsspecifically designed with photographers/videographersinmindwithwelllitset-upbenchesandblowgunslocatedunderyourbunk.Ithelpsthattheowneroftheboat,JakrinKittisarn,isfanaticalaboutunderwaterphotography,sohasdesignedtheboatandplannedit’sitinerarieswiththisinmind.Panuneeistheonlylive-aboardboatinthearea,so

solitudeunderwaterisguaranteedinthisvirginarea–werarelysawotherdiversunderwater.

TherearesmalldivecentersonDerawan(DerawanDiveResort),Sangalaki(SangalakiDiveLodge)andtwoonMaratua(MaratuaParadiseandNabuccoDiveResort)wherelocaldivingandtripstotheotherislandscanbearrangedusingsmallspeedboats.However,theeaseandcomfortoflive-aboarddivingmakesthisoptionmypreferredchoice,especiallyforphotographerswhowillwanttochangetheirlensset-upsforthedifferentdivesitesinairconditionedcomfortinsteadofrockingandrollingonasmallboatwithseaspraygettingontothecamerasensor!

THE DIVING

Theboatsitineraryvariesslightlyoneachtriptakingintoaccounttidesandcurrentstoensurethatthesitesaredivedatthemostproductivetime.Werana5day6nightcruiseleavingTarakanonaFridaynight,having5fulldaysofdiving(4divesperday)returningtoTarakanonaThursday

morning.Divetimesarenormallyaroundtheonehourmark,butnotlimited,soforthosegoodonair1_hoursisfeasibleandevenlongerontheshallowjettydivesofDerawan.Thismeansanun-hurrieddive,allowingphotographerstotaketheirtimeandconcentrateonthegetting‘theshot’.BelowaremyfavoriteDiveSitesateachoftheislands,buttherearemanyothersespeciallyaroundMaratua,thelargestofthefourislands.

East KalimantanBy Alex Tyrrell

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DERAWAN

Tuturugaisaslopingpatchyreefwhichlevelsofftosandataround20-22monthesouthernsideofDerawan.Descendup-currentalongthecoastlinedowntothesandthenfollowthereefalonguntilyoucometoalargepurpleSeaFanthathasafamilyofPygmySeahorseslivinginit.Thengraduallywork along the reef coming shallower finishing the divearoundoneofthetwojetties.Manyexoticanddifferentmacrosubjectscanbefoundhere.

CoralGardenisanotherslopingreefthatlevelsofftosandataround12-15montheeasternsideofDerawan.Startthediveatthereeftopdescendingdownto10mworkingyourwayeasttoacoralbommeywhereyoucanseePurpleHairySquatLobstersinaBarrelSponge,WhipCoralShrimps, juvenile Frogfish, Leaf Scorpionfish and a HoneycombeMorayadornedwithcleanershrimps.As you go a little deeper you can find Flying GurnardandvariousspeciesofGobyinthesand,including Black Sailfin and Rayed Shrimp Gobies. WorkingalittleshalloweryoucometoabrokencoralandweedybottomthatisgreatforvariousspeciesofNudibranchsandFlatworms,plusagroupofresidentFlasherWrasseareherewhereyoucanwitnessthemalesputtingonaverycolourfulcourtshipdisplaytothefemales,chasingthemaround ‘flashing’ their brightly patterned dorsal and anal fins. Finishing the dive you can see Jawfish in their burrows, Cuttlefish, Green Turtles and a myriad of different reef fishes as you ascend to the reeftopat5mforyoursafetystop.

BeachCafeJettyisasunset/nightdivenottobemissedinshallowwaterenablinglongleisurelydives.Startin8matsunsettowatchthematingritual of the colourful Mandarinfish – wait besides

their Staghorn Coral home for the males to flirt with thefemalesbeforeapairslowlyriseupabovethecoraltogether,releasetheirgametesanddisappearbackintotheirbranchingcoralabode.Youmaybeluckyandgettheminagoodmodeandseethemmate10timesormore.Whentheactionisoveryoucanhuntforcrittersbotharoundandunderneaththejetty.Agreatmacrodiveforphotographers–Iregularlyspent2hoursunderwaterheresearchingthedebrisfortheweirdandwonderful!

Derawanhasalargepopulationofthemouthbrooding Jawfish and approximately 7-8 days after thefullmoontheeggshatch.Justasthesunisrisingbetween 5.30 and 6.00 am, the Jawfish spit out their hatchlingsintothecurrenttobesweptawayandbeginlife.Anearlystartisobviouslyrequired,sohittingthewaterat5.00amisthenormtolocatethemarkerstheguidesplacedthepreviousday.Getyourself settled by the hole of the Jawfish, position yourstrobesandfocuslight(nottoobrightasitcanstopthehatching)andwaitfortheactiontostart.

Ifyou’relucky,youwillwitnesswhatfewpeoplehaveandseethebirthofthesefewmillimeterlonghatchlings!

SANGALAKI

MantaParade,asthenamesuggeststhisisagreatsiteforMantaRays,butalsothereisahighchanceofencounteringLeopardSharks,GreenTurtlesandMarbleRays,togetherwiththehugevarietyofReefFishesthatliveamongsttheabundanceofhardcorals.Startthediveinthesandychannelin17mwiththecurrentpullingyoueasttoashallowersandyarea,checkingoutthevariouscleaningstationsasyoudriftalong.OnagooddaytheManta’squeueupatthestationspolitelytakingtheirturntobecleaned.WhenaMantaisseenstaylowslowlyworkingtowardsittowitnesstheBlue-StreakedCleanerWrassegoingabouttheirbusinesson these huge fish - an unforgettable sight. Also, keeplookinguptowardsthesurface,astheyare

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regularlyseenlinedupfeedingonplankton.MantaCleaningStationissimilartoManta

ParadebutalittlebitfurthernorthfromSangalakisoaslightlydeeperaveragedepthtothedive.AgaindrifteastwiththecurrentcheckingoutthevariouscleaningstationslookingfortheManta’s,plusalsoachanceofencounteringEagleRays,White-TipandBlack-TipReefSharksandmaybeevenmatingGreenTurtles.Watchastwoofthreeofthesegiantturtlesarestackedontopofeachotherwithnumeroussuitorswaitingaroundtheedgeoftheaction.

MantaRunisagreatdriftdiveonthewestsideofSangalakiheadingsouthwiththecurrentthatsometimescanbequitestrong.Startin8mmaybeseeingLeopardorWhite-TipReefSharksrestingonthebottom,thenletthecurrentpullyoualongfor15-20minutesuntilthetopographychangesfromvariousspeciesofhardcoralstosandandgetsalittledeeper.ThisistheareaforthecleaningstationsandbestchanceofseeingManta’sontheupcomingtideintheafternoon.KeepinglowonthebottomandwaitbythecleaningstationsfortheManta’stoappearfromdown-current,effortlessly

swimmingtowardsyouonitswaytothecleaningstationforitsdailyservice.Agooddiveherecanproducenumeroussightingsandisanawesomeexperiencenottobemissed!

MARATUA

MidReefisonthewesternsideofMaratuawhichisagreatdriftdiveandyouhavethepossibilityofseeingThresherSharks.Theslopingwallgoesdownto45-50mbeforeitlevelsofftoasand/rubblebottom.Dropdowntoabout�0-�5mandletthecurrentpullyoualongwhilekeepingyoureyeoutbelowforthesemajesticelasmobranches.After10minutesofstayingdeep,

onceyouhavepassedthecleaningstation,moveshallowerandbackclosertothewallbeforethecurrentpicksupandpullsyouoffthesite.Nowturnyourattentiontothesmallercrittersthatlivehere,as you can find three different species of Pygmy Seahorses(Bargibanti,DeniseandPontohi)togetherwithmanydifferentNudibranchs,Flatworms,Leaf Scorpionfish, Porcelain Crabs, Flasher Wrasseandmuchmore.Youcanalsoseegroupsof Bumphead Parrotfish and loads of Turtles, both GreenandHawksbill.Finishyourdiveat5monthereeftopandyoumayseeschoolingBig-EyeTrevally.Agreatsiteforbothwideangleandmacrophotography,posingadilemmainhowtosetupyourcamera!

TheChannelisanawesomedriftontheeasternsideofMaratuagoingintothelagoonformedbytheislanditselfandthecoralreefsystem.Startthediveonthewallup-currentfromthechannelopening;anegativeentryandquickdescentisneededtostop you getting swept over the reef flats! Level offat25mandletthecurrentpullyoutowardsthechannelopeningand,asyouapproach,getreadytoholdonorattachyourreefhook.Lookoutintotheblueforthechanceofseeingpelagiclifeonanearlymorningdive.Movealongthechannelentrance to find the Blackfin Barracuda, where they schoolintherethousands,formingamazingshapesandformationsinthecurrent.OccasionallyjoinedbylargeschoolsofBig-EyeTrevallyandMidnightSnappertheschoolcanbesodensethatitblocksoutthesunlight.Ifthecurrenteasesofftheymaymoveintothechannelentranceataround15-18mandforma‘tornado’makingtheperfectphotograph.Youeitherspendallyourdivehereandthendoyousafetystopdriftingbackintothelagoonatarateofknotsorifyouhaveairremainingstayat

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17mandheadintothelagoontoatrenchwhereitiscommontoseeEagleRays,sometimesinschoolsof 10 or more. End the dive with an adrenalin filled rideonthesafetystopasthecurrentincreasesintheshallowsasyougetfurtherintothelagoon,butwatchoutforthewhirlpoolsthatareformedbythestrongcurrentsthathavethetendersspinningonthesurfaceastheypickyouup!Anunforgettabledivethat you will definitely want to do more than once!

LighthouseisonthenortherntipofMaratua.Thissitecanbepronetocurrents,soisnormallydivedontheslackwaterlettingyouhavearelaxingdivehuntingformacrosubjects.Theslopingreefdropsdownto45-50mandisdottedwithSeaFans where you can regularly find Denise Pygmy Seahorses.OnthewallitispossibletoseetherarerPontohiPygmySeahorse,togetherwithmanydifferent Nudibranchs, Longnose Hawkfish, Fire and Decorated Dartfish, plus sometimes Dogtooth Tuna, Blackfin Barracuda and Spanish Mackerel in theblue.AsyouendthediveintheshallowsyoucanregularlyseejuvenileRockmoverWrasse,Leaf

Scorpionfish and Ribbon Eels. LumantanandMacronesiaaretwogreatwall

diveswhicharenexttoeachotherontheeasternsideofMaratuaafewKilometresdownthecoastfromLighthouse.ThewalldropswelloutofdivingrangeandarecoveredinSeaFanswhereDenisePygmySeahorsesarecommonlysighted.AlsomanydifferentNudibranchspeciescanbefoundtogetherwith Sailfin and Tangaroa Shrimpgoby’s, Fire and Decorated Dartfish, Leaf Scorpionfish, as well as PorcelainandOrang-utanCrabsinAnemones.ThereareoccasionalsightingsofReefandLeopardSharks,MarbleRays,DogtoothTunaandSpanishMackerelifyoutakeyoureyeoffthewallandlookintotheblueeverynowandthen.

KAKABAN

CornerWallisagreatwalldiveofferinglotsofmacrosubjects.Startdeepataround�0mto see the Decorated Dartfish (Purple Fire Goby)

whichareplentifulhere,thenascendabittoseeif you can find any Denise Pygmy Seahorses in thenumerousSeaFansthatadornthewall.LookforthemanyspeciesofNudibranchs,Orang-utanCrabs, Longnose Hawkfish, Fire Dartfish, Square SpotAnthiasandFlasherWrasse.MaybeseeacruisingLeopardShark,DogtoothTunaorSpanishMackerelintheblue.FinishyourdivecomingintotheshallowswhereyoucanseeSpineCheekAneomefish, Moray Eels, Leaf Scorpionfish and RibbonEelsamongsttheexpanseofhardcoralsatthereeftop.

GorgonianForestisontheothersideofKakabanandisanicewalldivewhereyoudrift

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slowlyalongwiththemildcurrentadmiringtheexpanseofGorgonianSeaFansthatadornthewallwhichdropsintothedepthsbelow.Thereisagoodchance of finding Denise Pygmy Seahorses, as well asmanyothermacrosubjects.TheslightlycolderwateratKakabanmeansthereisalwaysthechanceofScallopedHammerheadscomingupfromthedeep,sokeeponeeyeontheblue!

KakabanismostfamousfortheisolatedmarinelakeinitsinteriorandisasimilarenvironmenttoPalau,howeverallofourgueststhathadbeentobothratedKakabanwellaheadofPalau.

arecarpetedwithsponges,seaweedsandtunicates.Visibilityisaround10-12meters(unlessthesiltybottomisdisturbed)andatitsdeepestpointthelakeisaround18meterswithtidalvariationofabout0.2m,whichisaresultofanetworkofundergroundfissures that connect to the ocean. This truly is a biologicalparadisewhereeverythingcaneasilybeseenonsnorkel.

Tosumup,thisareaisaverypristineenvironmenthavingonlyalimitednumberofdiversandoffersagreatmixofbothmacrosubjectsandwideangleoptions.FromtheminuteBumble-BeeShrimpsandPygmySeahorsestothemajesticManta’sofSangalakiandthethousandplusschoolofBarracudaatTheChannelyouwillbespoiltforchoiceandcomehomewithaharddrivepackedfullofmemorableimages.Formoreinformationonprices,dates,etc.,forthe2009season,plushowtogetthere,visitwww.panunee.com.

Alex Tyrrellwww.alex-underwater.com

Alex is the In-House Photo Instructor at Atlantis Dive Resort in Puero Galera, Philippines

Commonly known as Jellyfish Lake, thousands of yearsagotheislandwasnaturallyupliftedwhichisolatedthemarineecosystemfromthesurroundingseaallowingthismarinelaketobecomeveryuniqueandendemiccreaturessuchasfourspeciesof non-stinging jellyfishes and non-stinging anemonestoevolve.Marinebiologistshavealsofoundanumberofunknownspeciesofanemones,tunicates, flatworms and crustaceans in the lake. There are also Gobies, Cardinalfish, Needlefish and sometimesSeaSnakesinthelake.Theshorelineisfringedwithatangleofmangrovesandtheirroots

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Oneofthemostexcitingexperiencesforanydiveristogetclosetolargenumbersofschoolingfish, swim with them and perhaps even enter the shoalandbecomeapartofitforafewmoments.Thisexperienceisperhapsevenmoreexcitingforaphotographerasitenablesyoutogetverycloseto your subject and perhaps fill the frame entirely with fish. Many schooling fish are normally wary oflettingadivergettooclose,soweshouldmakethemostoftheopportunitywhenitarisesandadoptthebesttechniquestoensurethattheimageswecaptureareasuccess.Italsohelpstounderstandalittle about schooling fish behaviour which can help youmakethebestapproachwhenyouencounterashoal.

So, exactly why do fish school together and howdotheyachievetheincredibledisciplineandcommunicationrequiredtobehaveasasingleentity? Research has shown that approximately one quarter of all fish school throughout their lives and thatatleasthalfofallspeciesshoaltogetherforpartoftheirexistence.Thereasonsforthisarenumerous-togrow,travel,feed,rest,spawnandmostlyofcoursetoavoidpredators.Althoughitismostlyfish of the same species and same size that you will find schooling together, you will occasionally find a rogue species within a shoal using them as protection.

Themostamazingskillthatschoolingfish possess is the ability to move in a totally coordinatedfashionalwaysseemingtomaintain

the same distance from the other fish in the shoal. Theyapparentlyaccomplishthisusingatechniquedefined as the ‘optomotor response’ which is the simultaneoususeofeyes,nervesandmusclestocommunicateandsensemovementbetweentheindividual fish. Often fish will feature a dark stripe or spot in their livery which enables each fish in the shoaltozeroinonthemovementsofitsneighbour

andthusachievetheastonishingchainreactionofmovementshoalsproduce.Sothereisno‘leaderof the pack’ as such, each fish is reacting to those aroundit.

Confusingpotentialpredatorsisthesinglemostimportantactivityfortheschool.Mostpredatorswillintendtohomeinonanindividualfish, which display the shape and behaviour of prey

School’s outby Mark Webster

Shooting head on to the shoal is another way of avoiding reflection and glare. The fish swimming towards the camera here look quite ‘flat’ with little reflected light. Nikon D300, Subal ND20, 10 to 17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/60.

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frompreviousencounters.Sotheobjectiveoftheschoolistoconfusethis identification process and prevent thepredatorfromsinglingoutanindividual.Asapredatorapproachesaschoolthetypicalbehaviourpatternisfortheshapeoftheshoaltocontractandpresentatightersmallervolumeandperhapsadifferentshape.Thiswillbefollowedbyquickchangesindirectionandspeedtoconfusetheenemy.Thesemovementswillalsoalterthecolourationoftheschool-onemomentdarkandthenthe

thepredatorwhilstonepartsweepsbacktopickupthestragglers.

Fishwhichdonotnormallyschooltogetherwilloftenshoalwhenthebreedingseasonstartsinordertoincreasethechancesofsuccessfulfertilisation.Theshearnumberandproximityofmalesandfemalesisaboost,althoughsomespeciesdobreakawaytemporarilyfromtheschoolinmatingpairswhenthemomenttospawnarrives.Encounteringnormallysolitary reef fish in big concentrations canbequitespectacularandforme

themoststrikingincludethebrightyellow masked butterfly fish and those cute looking masked puffer fish which swimupanddownthereefwhichsuchpurposewhentheyshoal.

Choosingtherightlensforschooling fish is always going to be a compromise, unless you are confident that your fish are waiting for you and youknowthesizeoftheschool.Shortrangezoomsareperhapsthebestchoice–the10-17mmor12-24mmonaDXformatandperhapsthe17/18-�5mmrangeonanFXformat

nextbrightandsilveryasthelightis reflected from their scales. This wholeactivitymaskstheshapeofthe individual fish presenting only a massofglimmeringsilvermakingitextremely difficult for the predator to decide where to attack. Not every fish intheshoalcankeepupwiththisandoften single fish or small groups will getleftbehind,whichmayhavefatalconsequences.However,thereseemstobeagameplanforthisaswellandyouwilloftenobserveschoolssplittingintotwotofurtherconfuse

Many reef fish that are normally seen singly or in pairs congregate in schools to breed in the summer. These masked butterfly fish in the Red Sea are a good example. Nikon D300, Subal ND20, 10 to 17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

Anthias are perhaps the most common schooling fish in the Red Sea and are a good subject to practice with. They are very sensitive to noise and you can make the shoal converge at the right moment by blowing air out of your regulator. Nikon D100, Light & Motion Titan housing, 10.5mm FE, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO200 f11 1/60.

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guns,againwiththeintentionofdirecting reflected light away from the lens.Inmanyinstanceswejusthavetoacceptthatsomeofoursubjectswithintheshoalaregoingtobe‘hot’orslightlyoverexposedwhichmightevenconveyasenseofmovement.Thegreatadvantagewenowhavewithdigitalisimmediatefeedbackandtheabilitytohighlighthotspots– although I find the histogram can be misleadingwiththesesubjects.

Thereareofcoursespeciesthatare not quite so reflective, for example

anthias, goat fish, big eye squirrel fish etc.whichareeasiertopracticewith.

Don’tforgetnaturallightaswell,with or without filters, particularly for largeschoolsinshallowwater.Takingawhitebalancereadingoffanun-glovedhandworkswellandyoumaywanttotryshutterpriorityormanualmodeiftheshoalisfastmoving.

Thereisnomagicformulaforapproaching schooling fish, although insomecircumstancestheyseemtobelessconcernedbyyourapproach.Shoalsthathavegatheredtospawn

onlyhaveonethingontheirmindsandarenormallyverytolerantofacloseapproachandmayevenignoreyouenteringtheshoal.Knowingwhereandwhentogowillincreaseyourchancesofexperiencingthis–forexampleApril/MayatGladdenSpitinBelizeforCoborasnapper(andMantasandwhalesharks)andJune/JulyatRasMohammedforred

although a true fish eye on either formatworkswellifyoucangetcloseenough.Theselensesshouldbeabletoletyoucaptureareasonablylargeschoolfrommediumdistances,whistthelongerendofthelensisgreatforsmaller groups of fish. For tighter groupshotsa60mmorequivalentisagoodchoiceoneitherformattoenableyoutoconcentrateonperhapstwoorthree fish in a shoal with more fish in the background to fill the negative space.

Flashexposureandsilveryreflective fish scales is a real challenge.Unlessyouareshootingaschoolheadonthereisalwaysgoingtobethechanceoflightbeingreflected from the scales of the fish causinghotspotsandoverexposure.You may find that you want to deliberatelyunderexposetoavoidthisandtryandcorrecttheexposureinpostprocessing,oralternativelyexperimentwithpracticaltechniques.Shooting straight towards the flanks of the fish poses the biggest chance of reflection and may be improved by gettingamoreobliqueangleonthesubject,perhapsbyshootingalittlebelowthemorslightlyfromthesidewith the intention that reflected light willnotcomestraightbackatthelens.Scales are fickle though and fish are alwaysonthemoveinashoal.

Ifyouarecloseenoughperhapstry divergent lighting with twin flash

Schooling cat fish are another very approachable subject, but they are always on the move feeding on a sandy bottom. Keeping ahead of the fish and not stirring up the visibility is a challenge. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 10 to 17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/60.

Not all schooling fish are silver of course. These big eye squirrel fish present far fewer problems for obtaining a correct exposure. Nikon D300, Subal ND20, 10 to 17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

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snapper, unicorn surgeon fish, bat fish and barracuda.

On exposed reefs you will often find schools of fish on promontories where there is significant current. Approaching them can be hardworkbuttheyareoftenmoretolerantifyouareholdingstationwiththem.Onthereefitself there are species like goat fish, black spotsnapperandsweetlipswhichareveryterritorialandwillco-operateifyoumakeaslowapproach.

Wrecksareafavouritehauntforsomespecieseitherbecausetheyofferprotectionfrom strong currents. Species like bat fish areoftenfoundschoolingonwrecksandofcourse you will almost certainly find glassy sweepersinthedarkerrecesses.

On popular reefs you may often find that fish begin to school beneath day boats or live aboardboatsalmostassoonastheymooror

anchor.Thiscanprovideanopportunityto get close but of course the fish are often inshadow,sotightercompositionmayproducethebestresults.

Itisasadfactthatinmanyareasoftheworldtheveryschoolingbehaviourwhich protects fish so well from their naturalpredatorshasbeenthedownfallofmanyspecieswhicharetargetedbythemost efficient predator of all, man. Modern oceanographic and fisheries technology means that determined fleets can track a speciesfromitsspawningandbreedinggroundstofeedinggroundswherethetarget fish can be scooped from the sea with frightening efficacy. Although many countriesnowhavelargenotakeareasorprotected zones, illegal fishing is still a big problem and one that is very difficult to policeparticularlyforpoorernations.Sometropicalregionshavenotyetbeensubjectedtothistechnologicalassaultandsowecanstillwitnesstheamazingsiteofschoolingfish. One can only hope that these areas will persist until the fishing industry has developed better fish farming methods orstockmanagementtechniqueswhichallowspeciestoregenerateinstepwiththehunter’sdemands.Untilthenenjoythespectacleandexperiencewheneveryouencounterit.

Mark Websterwww.photec.co.uk

A classic school of small scad balling as a defence against an approaching predator. Nikon D300, Subal ND20, 10 to 17mm FE zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/125.

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Therules(law)statethatanyvessel(intheUK)beingusedinacommercialcapacitymustbe‘Coded’,i.e.inspectedbyaMCA(marinecoastguardagency)approvedauthoritytocomplywithSOLAS(safetyoflifeatsea)regulations.Furtherthattheskippermustbesuitably qualified in seamanship to a standardfortheconditionsthatthevesselwilloperatein.Atthispointitmay be worth defining commercial. Commercialinthiscontextisanyworkcarriedoutonorusingthevesselformonetarygain.Dividingupthedirectfuelcostonaclubtripdoesnotfallintothiscategorybuttherecannotbeanyotherformofpaymentforexamplemaintenancecostsorwagesofanykind.Sowhathappensif you don’t comply with the rules? Quitesimplyyouopenyourselfuptopossiblelitigation,abitlikeifyouweretooperateataxiservicewithaprivatelyownedcar,whichisnotdulyinsuredandlicensedwiththelocal council. How will anyone find out? The charter business at sea is a highlycompetitivebusinessandrivalskippersmissnothingintheharboursthattheyoperatein–saynomore!

Withtheaboveknowledgeon

Getting a vessel codedby Charles Hood

boardafewyearsagoIpurchasedaseven metre RIB (rigid hull inflatable boat,sometimesknownasRHIB),calledLogan,alongwithacolleagueandwedecideditwouldbepurelyforpleasureuse.BizarrelyintheUKtherearenoregulationsatallwithrespecttothevessel’sconditionorcompetenceofthecoxswainifyouarepurelyusingtheboatforyourownuse.Overathree-yearperiod we filmed and photographed predominantlybaskingsharksbutalsoothermarinelifeandstartedtogetareputationforknowingwheretheactionwas.Afterseveralenquiriesfromvariousoverseassharkaficionados, film companies and televisionstationsIagreedtoactasasafetyboattoacommercialhardboatandtotakeafewdiversoutjustforashareofthefuel.Thisworkedextremelywell,however,Icouldn’tbepaidforavaluableservicethatIthoughtIwasoffering.FurthermoreLogan’sotherownerwantedtostarttoofferunderwatervideocoursesthatwouldalsorequireaboatcharter.SowedecidedtogetherCodedandalsoget qualified as a commercial skipper.

Thelatterwastheeasypart.IwasalreadyaRYA(royalyachting

association)CoastalSkipperandhadthousandsofhoursatseaundermybelt.ThusIsimplyenrolledontheRYAPowerboatparttwoexamandcompletedaSeaSurvivalcourse,sentofftwentyquidtotheMCAandI received my certificate a few days later.ForanyonewithoutexperiencetheRYAoffercoursesdesignedtotakethecompletenoviceuptoa

commercialstandardbuttheydorequireacertainamountofseahourstobecompletedinbetweencourses.Theexamisfairlystraightforward.Itinvolvesareasonableunderstandingofchartsandpassageplanning,meteorology,boatoperationsandmaintenance,radiocompetence,knots, emergency procedures, first aid,nightoperations,knowledgeof

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GPS(globalpositioningsystem)andotherelectronicequipment.Thedayoftheexamisbasicallyinthreeparts.Themorningisgenerallytheory,theafternoonpracticalboathandlingandeveningisalldowntonightoperations.TheSeaSurvivalcourseisnotanexamassuchbutyouhavetodemonstrateadegreeofcompetencywiththeknowledgetheygiveyouandbeabletogetyouandyourfellowcrewintoaliferaftfromthewater,whichnotaseasyasyoumaythink.

Oh,youalsorequireamedical.AsIamanHSE(healthandsafety)commercially qualified diver the divingmedal,whichIalreadyhavewouldcount,otherwiseit’savisittoyourGPatacostofaround£100.

Sofarsogood.NextcamewhatturnedouttobeoneofthemostbureaucraticandtediousprocessesI’veeverembarkedon,i.e.gettingLogancoded.AfterItrawledthenet(internet)forafewhours,whichresultedinacompletelackofinformationIcontactedtheMCAdirecttotryandascertainwhatwasrequiredtogetLogancoded.ThisgotmenowhereexceptIdidlearnthattheinformationIrequiredmaybegainedbyploughingthroughvastpagesoftheMCAwebsite,whereIwouldhavetodeciphergobbledygookofthehighestorder.AlsoIwasinformedthatallthestuffonthesitewasallabouttobe‘harmonised’andjustfor

therecordsthiswasOctober2007andtodatethisharmonisationhasstillnottakenplace.TheissueisthatRIBsarenot classified separately at this higher level,theyjustfallintothecategoryofacommercialvesselaswouldanyotherhardboat.

AsluckwouldhaveitonmyPowerboatexamIranintoachapwhocodesboatsandheofferedtohelp,albeitforasumofmoneythatwouldrivaltherecentgovernmentbailoutofthehighstreetbanks.Itwouldappearthatallcodingcompanieskeeptheircardsveryclosetotheirchestssoonehastopayforadvicebeforeyouknowwhatyourgettingyourselfinto.Sothe

followinginformationisworthahugesumofmoney(andalargedonationtoUWPcontributors!)toanyonewantingtoembarkonasimilarexercise.

Inessencetherearetwomainareastheboathastocomplywith.Thefirst is the build specification and a stabilitytestatseaandthesecondisalistofsafetyequipmentithastocarryonboard.Ifweaddresstheformerissue first: in theory any manufacturer building boats to CE specifications shouldbeabletoprovidethisinformation–afteralltheybuiltthevesselandithastobeuptoEuropeanstandards.Inpracticeitwouldappear

thatEuropeanstandardsandMCArequirementsdiffer,andneitherpartyapparently‘believes’theotherisright.SoalthoughIhadvastdocumentsfromthemanufacturershowingwhatlookedliketomewhattheMCAwanted,asitlatertranspiredtheyweren’t.ThusIneededtohaveLoganinspectedatsea.Thisinvolvedloadingherupwithvastamountsofweightandpeopleandhavinganinspectortakevariousmeasurementsofload-line,angleoftiltandtransomheightwhentheweightsandpeoplewere in various predefined positions. Then we had to completely deflate oneofthesterntubestoensureshe

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would still remain afloat with a punctured tube. TheInspectorthenwentawayandenteredallthesemeasurementsintoanumbercrunchingmachinetoseeifwewereOK–andasithappenswewere.

Thesecondpartoftheexercisewasthentocompileaninventoryofsafetyequipmentandjustbytheguy’sfacialexpressionIknewitwasgoingtobepainful.Firstoffwerethefuellines.Whatanearth can be wrong with our fuel lines I thought? OurswherethenormalISO8469approvedtypefoundonanyboatanywhereintheworld,butnotupto specification, no. We required ISO 7840, which are fire rated to withstand 900 degrees centigrade fortwominutes–onaRIB!Soourexistinglineshadtobeallreplaced,however,Inowhavepieceof mind that should Logan catch fire and be totally destroyedatleastthefuellineswillremainintact. Oh also we would have to fit fuel shut-off valvesatthefueltankendofthehoses,beingabletodisconnectthelinesattheengineisnotgoodenough.Andjustincaseourfueltankdevelopedaleakventshadtobeputintotheconsole,originallythey requested a hydrocarbon sensor fitted but as therearenowaterproofonesonthemarketandthefueltankisabovedeckheightwesettledforvents.ThencamealistIwaskindofexpecting,two fire extinguishers, a first aid kit - not your normalonebutaSOLASapprovedone(basicallysimilarbuttwicethecost),stillatleastIknowIcansupplyeveryonewithanti-seasicknesstabletsforaboutfourweeks!NextupahandheldVHFto accompany our fixed one, ten life jackets – we wereonlygoingforapprovalforeightpeopleonboardbutapparentlyyouneedtwospares,showsthe confidence they have in SOLAS approved life jackets!Foghorn,torch,manualbilgepump(wealreadyhadanelectroniconeplustwinelephant

trucks),bailer,twofoamlife-rings-onewith18metres of floating line and the another fitted with a drogueanddulymarkedwiththevesselsnameandportofregistration.Apparentlythelatterisrequiredifitallgoestits-up.Theselife-ringswillatleastinformthecoastguardofthevesselthatwaslostwhentheyarewasheduponshore.Ohandalsotheymust have an additional SOLAS radar reflective patch stuck on them. Barometer – what? Yes we neededabarometer,fortunatelyIfoundaneatlittlegizmoonEbaythatresembledadigitalwatchforaround£12sonottoopainful.

Unfortunatelywedidn’tfairthatwellintheradar reflector department. Ours was just a normal one,thecriss-crosskindofdeviceyouseeonyouraverage fishing vessel up to five times Logan’s size. Nowerequiredonethatwouldgivetheequivalentofa10squaremetresheetofmetal–ohwellitsonlyanother£400pounds,letskeepgoing.CanIhave a look at your anchor, was the next question? AhhaIthought,agoodsolid7kilogramsofSheffield’s finest, five metres of chucky chain you couldhaultheQEIIoutofthewaterwithand70

metresofwarp,plusagrapnelanchor,similarchainand50metresofropeweusedforashotline,surelythis would suffice? Wrong! We needed two (one primaryandonespare)8kilogramanchors,with10metresofsixmillimetrechainand�0metresofline–althoughintheendwedidcompromisethatour existing anchor would suffice as a back-up. Enough warp to tow the vessel? – well yes we’ve gothalfamileofanchorwarp–pointtomeIthink.Next up flares. Yes again, we have not only one but twoRYAoffshorepacks–enoughforajollygoodfirework display in anyone’s book. Not enough. We needed two more handheld flares. Fortunately we havetwoengines,eachwiththeirownbatterysoasecondarymethodofstartingtheenginewasbydefactoinplace.Emergencysteeringwasalsofairlystraightforwardaswedecidedwecoulduncouplethebarthatjoinstheenginessteeringmechanismanduseitasacrudetiller.Oars-alongsidebothmidshipstubes,navigationlights-onstern‘A’frame,amethodofrecoveringamanoverboard–ladder,portsideaft,enoughhandrailsforallpassengerstoholdontowhenseated–ohyes,GPS

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andsounder–onconsole,killcord–leftofhelm,sparekillcord–bugger.Incasethecoxswaingoesoverboardalongwiththekillcordattachedtohimthere’snoeasywayofstartingtheengineswithoutaspareone–OK.Iconcedeavalidpoint.

Nowwithashoppinglistapproachingtwograndwecametotheexpensivebit-theliferaft.Soanother£1000boughtmeaSOLAS,CE,RYA,ISO,DoT,HSE,etc,etcapprovedraft.Sorrynotgoodenough.But it’s got all the certificates! It can keepalleightofusaliveinstormforcegalesinasub-articclimatefortwentyyears.No.ItneededtobeSOLASBnotjustSOLAS.That‘B’isveryimportantaswewouldrequireTPAs (thermal protection aids), a first

aidkitandhandheldGPS.Butwe’vealreadygotallthese–betterstillourTPAsarefulldivingstylesubmersibleones.OKweagreedaslongalldiverswereindrysuitsandIhavethefirst aid kit and VHF in a grab bag alongwithourhugecollectionofpyrotechnics,thiswoulddo.Sonowwewereonthehomewardstraight.Awaterproofpouchcontainingcharts,liferaftandlifejacketinstructions,enginestartingprocedures,tidetables,almanac,handbearingcompass,safety manual, first aid manual, manualofmanuals,VHFemergencyoperationdetails,logrecordsandpassageplanningsheetscompletedtheinventory.

So what was the final cost? The thickendof£�K-OUCH.Wasitall worth it? In a nutshell yes. We cannowoperatecommerciallyandfurtherexplorethestunningmarineenvironmentuniquetotheCornishcoastandatthesametimehopefullytoearnsomemoney.Loganhasbeenspecifically designed for film and camerawork.Shehasalargeopendeckareaforthelikesofgiganticcamerahousingsevenwhencarryingfourtwinsetsorrebreathers.Wehaveahugeexperience(acombinedtotalofover40years)oflocatingbaskingsharks, seals, sunfish and other marine lifeaswellaswrecksandsomeofthemostdramaticunderwatersceneryinUK.Wehavealreadyhadpaying

customers, including the French film companyGalateewhosuccessfullyfilmed basking sharks off Sennen with usfortheirforthcomingblockbusterfilm. What we specialise in is small groupswhowanttogetthemostfrom a days filming. All activities arecarriedinaccordancewithMCS(marineconservationsociety)guidelineswithminimaldisturbancetotheanimals.Letthemcometousanddon’tchasethemisourrule.Whatwedon’tdoiseverydaydivingoperationsatabudgetpricethataclubmightexpect.Althoughwearelicensedtocarryeightpeopleincludingskipperandcrewwe

‘Logan’ Specialist RIB charter7 metre RIB purpose built for photography and filming

Cornish pelagic life including

Basking sharksGrey seals

Sunfish

Fully MCA codedTwin 90HP engines for reliability and speed

Long range fuel tanks www.charleshood.com

generallyrecommendalimitoffourdivers/snorkellers to maximise filming opportunities.

Charles Hoodwww.charleshood.com

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Magic Filters

By popular demand an expanded version of the eBook, Ghost Fleet of

Bikini Atoll by Joseph C. Dovala, is now available. With almost 4x the pages it contains nearly 100 photos and much more text. The book is in PDF file format easily read by a number of free existing software programs such as Acrobat Reader. Electronic photo books, or eBooks, are able to showcase high quality images and text in a new, exciting, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly way. They have relatively small file sizes, usually less than 20mb. Ghost Fleet of Bikini Atoll (12mb, 89 pages) is only $5.95 each emailed. Please visit www.jcdovala.com for details.

Bikini Atoll is now closed once again! But at least you

can still see some of the majesty of the “Nuclear Fleet.”

Thisspacecouldbeyoursforaslittleas£25anditwillbeseenbyover10,000underwaterphotographersworldwide.

www.uwpmag.com/advertising.html

oremailPeterRowlandspeter@uwpmag.com

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Guidelines for contributorsTheresponsetoUwPhasbeennothingshortoffantastic.Wearelookingforinteresting,wellillustratedarticlesaboutunderwater

photography.Wearelookingforworkfromexistingnamesbutwouldalsoliketodiscoversomeofthenewtalentoutthereandthatcouldbe you! UwP is the perfect pubication for you to increase your profile in the underwater photography community.

The type of articles we’re looking for fall into five main categories:

Uw photo techniques-Balancedlight,composition,etcLocations-Photofriendlydivesites,countriesorliveaboards

Subjects- AnythingfromwhalesharkstonudibranchsinfulldetailEquipment reviews-DetailedappraisalsofthelatestequipmentPersonalities -Interviews/featuresaboutleadingunderwaterphotographers

If you have an idea for an article, contact me first before putting pen to paper.

E mail peter@uwpmag.com

How to submit articles

To keep UwP simple and financially viable, we can only accept submissions by e mail and they need to be done in the following way:1. The text should be saved as a TEXT file and attached to the e mail2.Imagesmustbeattachedtotheemailandtheyneedtobe144dpiSize-Maximumlength15cmi.e.horizontalpictureswouldbe15cmwideandverticalswouldbe15cm.File type - Save your image as a JPG file and set the compression to “Medium” quality. This should result in images no larger than about 120kwhichcanbetransmittedquickly.Ifwewantlargersizeswewillcontactyou.�.Captions-Each and every image MUST have full photographic details including camera, housing, lens, lighting, film, aperture, shutterspeedandexposuremode.Thesemustalsobecopiedandpastedintothebodyoftheemail.

45/7�www.uwpmag.com

Parting Shots 1Ever had a lazy dive buddy ?

Thesortwhocomesontheliveaboardwithyou,withfullintentionstomaximisehisin-watertime,andtobe the first in and last out on every dive,butwhenitcomestothecrunchcan’tgetoutofbedinthemorningorsnoozesjustabittoolonginthesunafterlunchandmissestheafternoondive.

Oneofmybestfriends,andtheguywhogotmeintodivinginthefirst place, is just that buddy. When hedoesgetinthewater,thereisno-oneIwouldratherdivewithortrustmore.However,onaliveaboardtriptotheSouthernRedSeainJuly2004,Ifoundmyselfbuddy-lessonseveralmorningsandhadtotrio-upwithwhoeverwasavailable.Severalofthesedivesprovedfairlymemorable,suchastheonewith8orsohammerheads,ortheonewiththegreyreefsharks.Eachofthesedivesculminatedinmyascenttothebackofthediveboatandableeryeyed“goodmorning” from my ex-buddy, asking whathemissed,andthengenerallyproclaimingthatIwas‘talkinggarbage’.Iwasfairlyinexperiencedinphotographyatthetime,andmostofmyphotoscouldneverdojusticetothetalltaleofthemisseddive,andsomybuddywasalwaysleftdoubting

theintegrityofmystory.Ononeparticularearlymorning

diveatDaedalusReef,asperusualmybuddystayedinbed,andIbuddiedupwithanothertwoEnglishguys(can’trememberyournames,sorryguys!).Thedivewasnotthateventful,thenormalrun of spectacularly beautiful reef fish andtheoddturtle.However,wedidmanagetobethelastinthewater,eventhediveguideascendedandleftustooursafetystop.Asweweredriftingbacktowardstheboat,awayfromthereefandintotheblue,themantarayinthephotocametowardsus,madeseveralfly-bys, including one so close that I got totouchhiswingtip,andthenspreadhiswingsandhungintheblueasifinmorningprayers.OnceIhadpinchedmyselfandmanagedtorememberthatIhadacamera(ahumbleSonyP7inaSea& Sea Housing), I fired off a few shots, oncompleteauto-muppetmode,andforthe first time in my life I took a couple ofphotosthatdidjusticetothediveexperience, finally silenced my buddy andwentsomewaytowardsstoppinghimfromskippinganymoreearlymorningdives.

Ihavesincetheninvestedheavilyinunderwatercameragearinanefforttotakeitmoreseriously,butIdoubtIhavetakenaphotothatmatchesuptothissince! Sony P7, Camera settings not really

known (other than ‘Auto’).Dave Bluck

Ex-UK, now Sydney Australia

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Do you have a nice shot with a short story behind it?If so e mail me and yours could be the next “Parting shot”.

peter@uwpmag.com

Parting Shots 2Wewerethirty-sixhoursoutof

GrandBahamaIsland,overtheLittleBahamaBank,ontheCaribbeanExplorerIlookingfordolphins.Eventhoughwe’llbeontheboatforaweek,I’mskepticalabouthavingcloseencounterswithmarinemammals.Afterallthesearefreewildanimalswhocancomeandgoastheypleaseoverhundredsofsquaremilesofocean.Theydon’thavetoperformforfood.Gettingcloseandbeingabletospendthetimewiththemfordecentphotographyseemedlikealongshot.

AfterlunchwebeganoursearchforFlipperandsoonmosteyesweresurveyingthehorizonformovement.Ihadjuststartedgettingmycamerareadywhentheproverbial“Thar-she-blows” rang out. Finishing up quickly, I grabbed my mask, fins, and sprinted offtheaftdeck.WhenthebubblesclearedIwasfacetofacewithwildAtlanticspotteddolphins.Itwasliketheschoolrecessbellhadrunganditwastimetoplay.Likeus,somedolphinswantedtogetinclosewhileotherswerehappykeepingalittledistance.Momdolphindelightedinshowingheryoungsterhowtoplaykeep-awaywithapieceofseaweedastheytwisted,looped,andbarrelrolledrightnexttous.Thefrolickingwassynergistic,themoreenergywe

showedinouractionsthehighertheenergyofthedolphins.

Oneofthefemalesbecameveryfriendlyandwantedmorethansynchronizedswimming.Shepickedoutacoupleoffolks(whodisplayedthemostenergy)andbeganadancethatchangedtempofrombarelyswimmingtohighspeedpasseswithinacouplefeetofthehumanpartners,finally adjusting her speed right next tothemaskingfordirectcontact.Whenthepersonheldtheirhandoutshearchedslightlyintothereachtomakesuretherewascontact.Wow!Completelywilddolphinswanting

tomakeaconnectiontoaspecieslikeus.Theyweresoclosetheirlikeness filled my fisheye lensandtheirenergywasinfectious.Wedancedtogetherinthebrilliantbluesea‘tillsunset.Itturnedoutthatnotgettingcloseorhavingenoughtimewasn’ttheproblem–concentratingontakingphotosthough,well…….

Joe Dovalawww.jcdovala.com

Nikon D2x, Subal ND2 housing, Nikkor 10.5mm F.E. lens, 1/200sec @ f10, ISO 200, available afternoon light

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Parting Shot 3Canyoudiveasiteyearinandyearoutandneverget

tired of it? I guess the answer lies in what it is you expect to seeatthesite!JulianRocksisoneofthosesitesthatyounevertireof.ItissituatedwithintheCapeByronMarineParkinnorthernNSW,only�kmsofftheshoreofByronBayontheeastcoastofAustralia.RegardedasoneofAustralia’stoptendivesites,itisanaggregationsitefortheendangeredGreyNurseSharks,CarchariasTaurus,whovisitinwinterwhenthewatertemperaturedropsbelow22deg.

Everyyearforthepast6years,IhaveanxiouslyawaitedthereturnoftheGreyNurseSharkintothewide,deeptrenchesonthenorthsideofJulianRocks.Thisyear,thesefabulousanimalsarrivedearlyinthemonthofMaybutconditionskeptvisibilitydowntowellunder10mtrsforsomeweeks.Inmid-July the water finally cleared up with reports that the viz was 20mtrsorbetter-perfectconditionsforawideanglelens.Itwastimetoshootsomesharks.

It was the first dive on Friday morning and at about 9.00amwebackwardrolledintoreasonablyclean,clearwater.Mybuddy,Lynda,andIwerenolessthan5minutesintothedive when we spotted the first Grey Nurse Shark of the dive. Muchtooursurprise,thiswasnotthenormalvisionofaGNS.InitiallyIthoughtthesharkwaseatingsomething,whichseemedsuchanunusualsightingforus,butasweproceededcloseritbecameobviousthatthissharkactuallyhadaforeignobjectembeddedinitsgullet.Iwasabletopositionmyselfwithin2–�feetofthesharktogetsomecloseupshotsoftheshark’sailment.Wecontinuedonwiththerestofthediveandatonestagehadasmanyas25GreyNursessurroundingus–anawesomeexperience.

Backatthediveshop,weimmediatelycontactedtheMarineParksAuthorityofNSWtoadvisethemofoursighting.BytheendofthedayIhadsentoffanemailtorelevantauthoritiestoalertthemofthesharksproblem-onethatwould

certainlyleadtotheearlydeathofthisbeautiful�.7mtrfemaleGNS.Authoritiesagreedtomountarescueattemptofthefemalesharkand5dayslatera

rescueteamfromSeaworld,oftheGoldCoast,arrivedbyboatatJulianRocks.Innotimethesharkwasspotted,withateamofdiversslippinganoosearoundtheshark’sbody.ItwasthenplacedintoacradleandwinchedontotheboatwhereaSeaworldveterinarianremoveda4ftlong ‘fishing gaffe’ from inside the shark’s gullet. The shark was then tagged and successfully returnedintotheocean.

Thisgeneratedoneofthemostpositivemediareportsonsharksthatwehaveseenforsometime,assistingintheawarenessofmarineconservationandtheplightoftheendangeredGreyNurseShark.

John Natoliwww.natoliunderwater.com

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Parting Shot 4

Itwassomestormydaysandthedivingwasnotsomuchfun,atleastontheboatbeingexposedtothechillywind.ThestormthatmovedacrossUtilaalsowashedwithhimalotofdebrisintoourbayatLagunaBeachResortincludingseveraltonsofSargassumseaweed.

Wehaditalluponourmainbeachandcoveringpartsofthebayandtheworkersstartedtoremoveit.JustcoincidentlyIwaspassingtheguysandsawthattheycollectedsomethinginsideabucketwithwater.AsIwaslookingcuriouslytooseewhatwasinside,Irealizedthatitwas a selection of different fish that theyhadcaughtaccidentallywhilepilinguptheseaweed.Therewasa tiny puffer fish, small groupers and an interesting fish I’d never seenbeforewithalotofhairsandakindoflegs.Iexamineditmoreand finally found that he had a rod on his forehead! A frogfish! It was averyexcitingdiscoveryformeas frogfish were always something veryrareandspecialtome.Buthow did he come here, frogfish wereinmyunderstandingsessilebottomdwellers.WiththesequestionmarksinmindIwenttoconsulttheHumann,thebookwhenitcomesto

identify Caribbean reef fish. Frogfish, frogfish.. There he was, I was pretty sure: Sargassum Frogfish, Histrio histrio, the only non sessile frogfish livinginsideSargassumseaweed,occasionallywasheduptotheshore.Sargassum.IrememberreadingColumbus’logbook,describinghistimeintheSargassoseaandhisexcitingobservationofdiverselifethat was existing inside this floating seaweedcoveronthesurface.

Thenitcametomymind:Ineedto shoot this frogfish in his habitat. I wasn’t sure if I would find him easily insidetheseaweedsoIjustwentwithout camera first with snorkel and masktodiginthisdenselayerofseaweed,branchesandplasticbottles.

Ittookawhile,butdiggingcarefullywithastickbeingsubmergedwaistdeepIfoundsomeinterestingpipefish and finally the frogfish himself.Okay,heisthere,nowIjustneed to get my camera and then find himagain.

SoIranbacktomyplacepreparingmyhousingandcamerawithdangerouslywethands,thestrobeIcouldforget,thebatterieswerenotcharged.MygirlfriendChristinewascuriouslyaskingmewhatwasgoingon,Iexplainedittoherandaskedhertojoinmesnorkelling,Ivisualizedalreadymyshot with the frogfish and her in the background.

SowewentinagainandittookanagonizinglylongtimeuntilIfoundhim.ChristineposedbehindhimandIshotfromdifferentanglesanddistances.Itwasalsoeasierthannormalbecausewecouldtalkonthesurface and really find the optimum constellation.Ithinktheworkersontheshorewherereallywondering

Canon EOS 350d, 18-55mm, Sea & Sea housing, natural light, ISO 100, 1/160, f7.1

whatthesestrangeguysweredoingallthetimeintheseaweedthatwasforthembasicallyjustgarbage.

Tobias Reitmayrwww.divologist.de

www.lagunabeachresort.infov

Do you have a nice shot with a short story behind it?If so e mail me and yours could be the next “Parting shot”.

peter@uwpmag.com