underwater_20photography_20magazine_20_2341_20_mar-apr_202008_

Underwater PhotographyUnderwater Photography

a web magazine Issue 42

May/June 2008

Aquatica Canon 1DS Mk111Subal 45° viewfinder Olympus E3 / Nexus E3Subal ND3 Nikon D300

Sealux CD300 Nikon D300Heinrichs iTTL ConverterStrobes and water colourDjibouti whale sharks

SeasonsWakatobi FakFak Parting Shot

http://www.aquatica.ca

42/�www.uwpmag.com

Underwater PhotographyA web magazine UwP42 May/June 2008

Underwater PhotographyContents4 Editorial 5 News & Travel14 New Products

18 Nexus/Olympus E3 byKarinBrussaard

Underwater Photography2001 - 2008 © PR Productions

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

[email protected]

21 Subal Nikon D300 byMartinEdge

26 Sealux D300 byColinGans

Cover shotby

Alexander Mustard

33 Heinrichs iTTL byMarkWebster

38 Water colour byAlexanderMustard

41 Whale sharks byMorrisGregory

46 Wakatobi byMichaelWicks

50 FakFakbyTimRockandMiyukiKonda

54 SeasonsbyMarkWebster

62 Parting Shot

42/4 www.uwpmag.com

Editorial

ItappearsthatIdidn’tneedtodonmytinhatwhenreadingyourresponsestoourquestionnaire.1�4readershavecompleteditoverthepasttwomonthsandithas,forme,thrownupsomeinterestingresults.

Forinstance.ThesplitbetweenDSLRandcompactusersisapproximately50/50witharound22%usingbothandabout17%shootingfilm. In truth nearly all of the film usersalsohadsomedigitalcapacitysoIwouldreadthatas‘havethecapability of shooting film’ rather than ‘only shoot film’.

Itsurprisedmethat41%divetemperate/greenwateralthoughinfairnessmaybeweshouldhavegiventheoptiontoanswer‘both’.Evensoit’s an interestingly high figure. Going theotherwayIwassurprisedthatonly25%choseliveaboards.Theyhavealwaysseemedtometobethemost efficient way to maximise dive timebut,obviously,whatdoIknow.

Onestatisticwhichamazedmewithenvywasthat65%goon�ormoretripsperyear.Anotherwhichimpressedmewasthat51%saidtheyhadboughtequipmentasaresultofseeinganadvertinUwP(potential

futureadvertisers,pleasetakenote...)Theserioussideofthe

questionnaireaskedaboutwhatsortofarticlesyouwouldliketoseeinthefutureand67%saidequipmentreviewsandtheory/tutorials,while87%wantedTips&Techniques.Only30% wanted Photographers profiles but58%wantedDestinationsandmoreMarinelife.

Finallyandmostreassuringly97%ofreadersthoughtthatUwPwasasgoodas,ifnotbetter,thanprintedmagazineswhichonlyleaves�%whobeggedtodiffer.Now�%equatestojust4readers,oneofwhom,you’veguessedit,worksforaprintedmagazine.1outof4is25%sothat’saquarterwhoarebiasedleavingonly75%oftheoriginal�%whoarenothappywithUwP.Ofthose75%,��%(i.e. 1) still shot film exclusively and somehowmanagedtogoon‘lessthan1’divetripayear.

Somewhatdepressingly,asfarasI’mconcerned,only25%wantedmoreHumour.

Peter [email protected]

Questionnaire findings

Plus Underwater Photography Group Trips and Courses with leading photographers: Martin Edge, Linda Dunk, Malcolm Hey, Charles Hood, Gavin Anderson and Alex Mustard.

DIVEQUEST ATOL Protected 2937 Telephone: 01254-826322

e-mail [email protected] website: www.divequest.co.uk

TheUltimateinUnderwaterPhotographyAdventures

Phot

oby

Pat

Mor

risse

y

DIVEQUESTThe Ultimate in Diving

BahamasTurks & CaicosTobago, DominicaBonaire, VenezuelaLittle Cayman, Cozumel, BelizeHonduras, South Africa & MozambiqueThailand, Sipadan, MabulLayang LayangDerawan & SangalakiBali, Komodo, Wakatobi,Manado, Kungkungan Bay

Palau, Yap, TrukBikini AtollAustralia’s Coral SeaPapua New Guinea, SolomonsFrench PolynesiaFiji, Hawaii, Sea of CortezRevillagigedo IslandsCocos & Malpelo Islands The GalapagosWrecks of Palau

mailto:[email protected]

www.divequest.co.uk

42/5www.uwpmag.com

News, Travel & Events

OceanOpticsandMavericksDivinghasrelocatedtoEssexbasedActionUnderwaterStudios.ThemovewillprovidetheunderwaterphotographyanddivingspecialistswithaccesstoActionUnderwaterStudios unique filming tank. The 10x12metretankisfully6metresdeep.AccordingtoSteveWarren,ownerofOceanOpticsandMavericksDiving,“sharingActionUnderwaterStudiosfacilitiesmeansthatwecanprovideourunderwaterphotographyequipmentclientswithabasicin-watercamerafamiliarisationsessionatthetimeofpurchase.We’realsoconsultingwithunderwaterphotographyguruMartinEdgeonconstructingadedicatedunderwatersettomeettheneedsofwideangleandotherspecialisedunderwaterphotographycourses.Ocean

Visionshasalreadysigneduptorununderwaterphotographycoursesatthetank”.

Forteachingcomplexskills,likeunderwaterphotographyorbuoyancycontrol,beingabletotalktothestudentishighlyeffectiveandmakestimeinthetankfarmoreproductive.WethinkwemaybetheonlyUKdiveschoolthatoffersthisservice”,explainsSteve.ActionUnderwaterStudios,locatedatArchersFields,Basildon,isequippedwithclassrooms,individualchangingroomswithshowersandfreecarparking.Thestudioisassociatedwith the filming of the “Star Wars”, “Bourne”,“Bond”and“HarryPotter”blockbusters.

www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Ocean Optics Relocates to Action Underwater Studios

Mark Webster’s Underwater Photo Workshops 200813 – 20 June & 1 – 8 October

TheRedSeaisaperfectphotographicstudioandhaslongbeenafavouritelocationforunderwaterphotographersandwithverygoodreason. The variety of corals, fish, spectacularcolourandwaterclarityarehardtobeat.

Mark Webster made his first visit herein1976,whenthingsweremuchmorebasic,andhasbeenreturninghereeveryyearsince.Therearesomanysubjectsherethatwhateveryourexperienceorinterestinphotographyyouaregoingtobespoiledforchoice.

For2008wehavetwoliveaboardphotoworkshopsonoffer.The first in June will depart from HurghadaandmovesouthinitiallytowardsSafagaandthenmakethecrossingtothespectacularBrothersislandswhentheweatherisright.

ThesecondworkshopinOctoberwilldepartfromPortGhalibnearMarsaAlamtodivethereefsofFuryShoal,SatayaandRasBanasinthesouthernEgyptianRedSea.

www.oonasdivers.com

42/6 www.uwpmag.com

U p c o m i n g I n t e r n a t i o n a l P h o t o & V i d e o C o m p e t i t i o n s

As the summer kicks in, several competition deadlines approach. Good luck!

June 1st Subios 2008 - Seychelles

www.subios.comJune 26th GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

www.gdtfoto.deJune 30th 4th annual underwater.com.au photo competition

www.underwater.com.auJuly 1st San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition

www.sdufex.com

July 1st 38th Annual National Wildlife Photo Competition

www.nwf.org

Weareexcitedtoannounceaveryspecialtripfor2009totheRevillagigedosArchipelago,morecommonlycalledSocorro,located in the eastern Pacific Ocean approximately250milessouthofCaboSanLucas,Mexico,atthetipoftheBajapeninsula,ontheliveaboarddivevesseltheSolmarV.TheseislandshavebeencomparedtotheGalapagosIslandsinEcuadororCocosIslandinCostaRicabecauseofthebiganimalencounterstheyprovide.

TheSolmarVandcrewhavedivedthisareasince1992.Theyhavehostedmanyunderwaterphotographers and film crews and havetheknowledgetomaximizeour

biganimalexperience.Weareseekingthe best opportunities for giant Pacific MantaRays,varioussharkspeciesincludingschoolingHammerheads,Dolphins, dense schooling fish, Whale Sharks,largeTunaandHumpbackWhales.

WehavescheduledthisexpeditionforlateMarchwhenthewatervariesbetweenaround70F-74F,whenthehumpbackwhalesvisitSocorroduringthesecoolerwatermonths.Youcanusuallyhearthesegentlegiantssingingonalmosteverydiveandunderwaterencounterswiththesewhalesareincreasingeveryyear.

www.divephotoguide.com

http://www.divephotoguide.com

http://www.divephotoguide.com

Antibes Film Festival 2008

The�5thWorldFestivalofUnderwaterPictureswillbeheldinAntibes – Juan-les-Pins – France, at theConventionCentrefromOctober29thtoNovember02nd2008

DuringtheFestival,thecompetitors’ films, slides and slides-showwillbescreenedintothreerooms.

1000m2ofspacewillbereservedforexhibitors.ThemainhalloftheConventionCentrewillhostmagazines,theexhibitionofworksincompetition(stillphotographs)...andthebaroftheFestival.

www.underwater-festival.com

Shoot to thrill

Photographersandphotojournalists Jeremy and Amanda Cuffhaverecentlypublishedanewbrochurecalled“ShootToThrillPolicy”whichshowcasesasamplemagazinefeaturearticleandanaccompanyingselectionofimages.

Jeremy said, “The aim of producing“ShootToThrill”ismainlyforthepurposesofexpandingourportfolioofphotojournalismworkandisagoodexampleofthetypeofcommissionthatwecanproduce.Itwillbesenttoeditorsandpublishers,butwe’realsohappytosendacopytoanyonewhomaybeinterestedinourwork.”

Copiesof“ShootToThrillPolicy” can be requested from Jeremy andAmanda’swebsite.

www.ja-universe.com

Q U A R T E R L Y

Wetpixel are offering UwP readers a US $5 discount on Wetpixel Quar-terly subscriptions.

See why Howard Hall described Wetpixel Quarterly as "a magazine for underwater photographers featuring the best underwater photogra-phers in the world."

To claim your discount, enter coupon code UWPM2008 at checkout or call +1.415.449.1456.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR UwP READERS

SUBSCRIBE ONLINE:WWW.WETPIXELQUARTERLY.COM

Marine Conservation Society25th anniversary year

Prizes include £100 in vouchers sponsored by

Bags2Keep in conjunction with London Camera Exchange £100 in dive shop vouchers sponsored by

Aquanauts and In Deepplus entrance tickets for

Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts and more!

Open Photographic Competition

Marine Conservation The good, the bad and the ugly

Plymouth Local Group

Photos should illustrate some aspect of marine conservation – they could include wonderful coastal landscapes worth conserving, people

working with conservation, marine or beach pollution or litter, marine related animal or plant species at risk………let your imagination roam!

Classes for land and underwater, for adults and juniors.

For a full list of • rules • judges • prizes • copy of the entry form go to www.mcsplymouthlocalgroup.co.uk/photocompetition

The winning and highly commended photographs will be displayed at

Wembury Marine Centre from 9th to 16th August

Prizes presented Wednesday 13th August

Closing date is Friday 18th July 2008

http://www.wetpixel.com

http://www.mcsplymouthlocalgroup.co.uk/photocompetition

42/9www.uwpmag.com

Join Sand Dollar and Bonaire Dive&AdventurethissummerfortheirFirstAnnualFishIDChallengeinconjunctionwithFishIDexpertsPatti&ScottChandlerofReefNet,Inc.andtheislandofBonaire’sDiveIntoSummerProgram.

Formanyyears,SandDollarandBonaireDive&AdventurehaveactivelysupportededucationandconservationprogramsdesignedtocontributetothepreservationofBonaire’s magnificent underwater Marine Park. Join them this summerfortheirlatestendeavor,inconjunctionwithFishIDexpertsPatti&ScottChandlerofReefNet,Inc..Wellknownfortheirworkinmarinelife identification and documentation, theChandlershavespentthelast17 years documenting fish species, behaviorsandcreaturesforfuturestudy and identification.

ParticipantswillenjoymultimediaFishIDseminarstargetingnovice to advanced fish watchers

duringtheirstay.Attendeeswillreceive a Bonaire specific, custom printedFishIDguideofthetop100most commonly sighted fish found in Bonaire’swatersaswellasaH2YONoisemaker(underwatersignalingdevisedesignedbyReefNet,Inc.)plusoneReefFishInteractiveDVDpercouple.Duringtheweek,PattiandScottalongwithBonaireDive&Adventure Naturalist Jerry Ligon will leadguidedshoredivesonBariReef.Severaleveningseachweek,PattiandScottwillshareraw,uncutvideooftheseandotherdiveswithparticipantsdiscussing fish ID and swapping the days “fish stories.” One of Scott’s specialtiesisshootinginHi-Defmacro,capturingontape,interestingfishes and creatures too small to be noticed by the naked eye and fish behaviornotnormallyseenbymostdivers.

www.sanddollarbonaire.com

First Annual Fish ID ChallengeAugust 9 – 16 or August 16 - August 23, 2008

42/10 www.uwpmag.com

Eco Divers – new diving at luxury resort Kima Bajo

FromMay2008,EcoDiverswillbeofferingdivingandsnorkellingservicesattheattractiveupscaleboutiqueKimaBajoResort,Manado.TheresortbeautifullycomplimentsEcoDivers’KungkunganBayResortinLembehbeingofthesamehighstandards.ThisexcitingdevelopmentseesKimaBajoandEcoDiversofferinghighlycompetitivenewdivepackageprices.

Withitsownprivatebeach,thisphenomenal,unspoiltlocationisidyllicfordivingandrelaxation,locatedjustashortboatrideawayfromworldrenowneddivesitesoftheBunakenNationalPark.ThismeansthatEcoDiverswilloffertwodivesinthemorningandonediveintheafternoonwithaleisurelylunchbackattheresort.

KimaBajoistheidealplacefordiversandnon-diversalikewithitsbar,restaurant,MayanaSpa,privatebeachandexcursionstonearbyplacesofinterest.

Accommodationincludes19luxuriousvillaswithasunkenoutdoorbathtubandshower,anexclusivetwo-villasuitewithitsownprivateswimmingpooland12spaciouslonghousesuites.Thedesignisconstructed from the finest natural materialsavailablelocallytocreateastylethatiscontemporaryandyetverymuchinkeepingwiththeNorthSulawesiimage.

EcoDiverswillbeofferingitsusualhighcalibreofcustomerservicetothedivingguestsandwill

beoperatingbrandnew,purposebuiltboatsdesignedbyEcoDiverswiththediverinmind.Theyarespacious,builtintraditionaldesignbutwithcontemporaryinteriorfacilitiessuchassundecks,rinsetanks,WC,shadedsalon and powerful, energy efficient doubleoutboardengines.

Theresultbeingthatgueststraveltothedivesiteswithspeedandinextremecomfort.AswithallEcoDivers’diving,theguest-to-guideratioiskeptsmallat4to1andwithamaximumofjust8guestsperboat.Snorkellersandnon-diversarewelcometojoinanyofthetrips.

“WearedelightedtobeinvolvedwithKimaBajo–ourexperienceofKungkunganBayandTasikRiastandsusingoodsteadandtheteamislookingforwardtowelcomingourfirst guests,” explained Eco Divers’ owner, Jim Yanny.

www.eco-divers.com

Turks & Caicos Uw Photo CompetitionJune-Sept 2008

ThisEventhasbecomeamajorCompetitionoffering$10,000USincashprizesandapproximately$15,000insubsidiaryprizessuchasdivetravel,cameras,photographicequipmentandSCUBAgearfromleadingmanufacturers.

Also,thebesttwelvephotographstakenduringtheCompetitionwillalsobeincludedintheTurks&Caicosannual,international“OutOfTheBlue”Calendarwitheachphotographassignedtoaparticularmonthoftheyear.

UnderwaterphotographerswhowishtoentertheCompetitionmusttaketheirphotographsintheTurks& Caicos during the months of June, July, August or September of 2008 whendivingconditionsandtropicalwatertemperaturesareoptimal.Eachparticipantmustapplyeitheronline or in the Islands for an Official IDCardsotheyarerecognizedasacompetitor,buttheCompetitionimposesnorestrictionsonartisticexpression.

www.underwaterphoto.tc

42/11www.uwpmag.com

The wreck of the El Arish El Tor, SafagaBy Laila Popper, Emperor Safaga dive centre Manager

CaptainKarmistartsthetwooutboardsandthespeedboat‘Mimi’roarstolife.Ittakesonlyafewminutesuntilwereachthesite.Abackrollgetsusintothewaterwherewedescendontheline.

AllIcanseeinthebeginningisbluewaterandaschooloffusilierbutasIcontinuedown,at17metreswereachthewreck.Shecametorestonherstarboardsideandwestartourdiverightatthebow.Thename‘ElArishElTor’isstilllegibleandtheanchorchainiscoveredwithsoftcorals.

Wedivepastwhathasoncebeenthebridge,descendfurtherto�5metresandshineourtorchesbeneaththevessel.Theorangerescueboatsaretuckedunderneathandlifevestsarehangingallovertheplace.It’saneeriescene,butfortunatelythesinking

ofthisshipdidnotcostanylives.Onthechimneywediscoverthe

logooftheSayedNasrlinesandIspotabluespottedstingraythathasmadeitshomeherewhileaverylargeschool of soldier fish attempt to hide inthewreck.Weswimthroughwhatoncewasashadedseatingarea.Nowonlymetalframesandtheroofofcorrugated metal are left; fire sponges andpurplefancoralgiveitnewlife.Asweroundthesternthetwoenormouspropellersaresilhouettedagainstthesurface,coveredwithhugesoftcoralsandIstoptotakeafewpictures.

Onourwaybackweencounterthousands(!)ofyellowtailbarracudas

thatareforminganactuallayerof fish over the top of the wreck, sweepingbackandforthassomelargemackerelsshootthroughtheminpursuit.It’stimetoascendandduringoursafetystopwewatchagroupofIndian mackerels fishing for plankton, theirmouthswideopenastheyswiminsynchronisedsplendour.

As we finally break the surface thecaptainisreadytohelpuswith

InternationalKemerUnderwaterDays(IKUD)isaweekofactivitiesorganizedjointlybytheCenterforMediterraneanUnderwaterArcheologicalResearch(AASAM)(www.aasam.net)andtheFoundationforthePromotionofKemer(KETAV)(www.ketav.org),whosegoalistointroducetotheworldthenaturalandthearcheologicalbeautiesofthedeepwatersofKemer-Antalya(Turkey)intheMediterranean.ThisactivityisamemberofEUIFAandthepartnerofUNEP/MAP–InfoRAC.

ourkitandduringtheswiftridebackwestarttodiscussallthethingswe’veseeonthisdive!

WecontinuerecallingmoreandmoredetailsallthewaythroughthebeautifullycookedBBQattheSafagaBeachClubrestaurantuntilit’stimeforournextdive.

www.emperordivers.com

International Kemer Underwater Days 16 - 19 May 2008

InternationalKemerUnderwaterDaysincludesmanyactivitiesandameetingprogramonunderwaterimagingandunderwaterarchaeology.ItalsocontainsunderwaterphotographyandvideographycompetitionswhichhappeninthecrystalwatersofKemerateveryyearinMay.

www.kemerfest.net


Experiencethebestinliveaboarddivingandlearnhowtotakegreatpicturesunderwateratthesametime.

CamerasUnderwaterhaveteamedupwithTonyBackhurstScubaTraveltobringyou“SnapperSchool”-theopportunitytoenjoydivingatitsverybestandwhilstyou’reatitwe’llshowyouhowtogetthebestoutofyourcameraunderwater.

Aimedatthediverwhoisjusttaking their first pictures underwater orsomeonewhofeelstheycoulddowithalittlehelp,you’lllearnsimpletechniqueslikehowtousemanualwhite balance and the benefits of wide anglelensestomoreelaborateideaslikeusingexposurecompensation.We’llhaveequipmentonboardsoyoucantryoutthelatestkitwithoutanycommitmenttobuy.Thisisunderwaterphotographyforall,noexoticequipmentandnoterrifyingpricetags.You’llworkwithdowntoearthguideslikePaul‘Duxy’Duxfield.

You’llbestayingaboardTyphoon,partoftheillustriousTornado Marine Fleet. They are fitted

outtoastandardofluxurythatputsthe rest most definitely in the shade. Jacuzzi, plasma screen and a host of othermodconsincludingafridgeineverycabin!Arewetalkingaboutaliveaboard here or a five star hotel! Price for all this? Just £995.00.

Seeyouonboard.

www.camerasunderwater.co.uk

WithsomeofthemostdiversemacrounderwaterphotographydivesitesinIndonesia,classicIndonesianmuckdiving,andgreatwide-angleunderwaterpictureandunderwatervideoopportunities,it’snowonderthebestunderwaterphotographersvisitingIndonesiaalwaysdiveBali.Whetheryouarejuststartingoutinunderwaterphotography,orarealreadyanexperiencedmarinephotographer,ourspecialistunderwaterphotographyguidescanhelpyouachieveyourgoalsinBali.

ForunderwaterpicturesorunderwatervideoofbigpelagicsinBali, Manta, and Oceanic Sunfish/ Mambo(Molamola)thenjoinusforspeedboatdivinginNusaPenida.

FormacrounderwaterphotographyinBali,Tulambenisthemostwell-knowndivesite.Thosewithmoretimecanalsodive‘SecretBay’, Seraya, Pemuteran and PJ divesites,allofwhichofferclassic

muckdivingwithawidevarietyofunderwatercritters.

OurspecialistunderwaterphotographymacroguideshavebeenguidingunderwaterphotographersaroundBaliforyears,andhaveapracticedmacrophotographer’seye.

Fromasimpleoneday(twodiveorthreedive)trip,uptoanextendedBaliDiving,Transport&Accommodationcustomdivingsafari,letBaliScubahandleallthedivinglogisticsleavingyoutoconcentrateoncapturingyourperfectmarineimage.

DependingonyourdivingitinerarywearehappytoprovideFREENITROXtodiversalreadyNitrox certified.

Letusknowhowmanydivers&howmanydivingdays,andanyspecialrequests,andwe’llgetbacktoyouwithsomesuggesteddiveitineraries.

www.baliscuba.com

SLR-DC HousingsThe 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 350D, Rebel XTEOS 400D, Rebel XTiEOS 450D, Rebel XSi

FujiS-5 Pro

NikonD40, D40xD50D60D70, 70sD80D200D300

OlympusE-330E-410E-500E-510E-3

SonyA100A-700

Underwater Systems50 W. 33rd. StreetIndianapolis, IN

46208317-923-4523

www.ikelite.com

Ikelite Compact Digital Still Housings forCanon • Fuji • Nikon • Olympus • SonyIkelite offers housings for more than fifty different digital still camera models to meet the diverse demands of the underwater photographer community. Ikelite’s Compact Digital Still Housings are molded of clear polycarvbonate. 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’).

Ikelite AF35 AutoFlash KitFits most compact digital camera housings.

Ikelite • Canon • Olympus • SonyThe AF35 AutoFlash replicates your camera’s flash for automatic exposure in any situation. You only have to know how to point. The AF35 AutoFlash kit is an effortless and affordable way to add an external flash to your point-and-shoot camera system. Everything you need to get started is in the box - just attach it to the bottom of your housing and start taking pictures!


New ProductsAquatica Canon 1DS Mark III housing

Aquaticaisproudtoannounceitslatestaddition,thehousingforthefabulousCanon1DSmarkIII,with21.1megapixelsthiscamera/housingcombinationwillpushtheboundariesofunderwaterphotographytoanotherlevel.Machinedfromsolidaluminum,treatedandanodizedtomilitaryspecification, then painted with a robustweatherandwearresistantfinish, this addition to our already wide selection of housings will benefit fromthesame�00ft.depthratingthatsetusapartfromourcompetitors.

The1DSMkIIIhousinghasthesamemountingbayonetthatwillacceptourexistingaccessoriesaswellasports,includingourtacksharpMegadome, Aqua View finder and remotecontrolcord,itisthereforeinapositiontoaddresseveryaspectofthisdemandingactivitythatisunderwaterphotography.

Keyfeatures:BayonetPort:Positivebayonet

mountingandlockingleavesnodoubtthatyourportsaresecureinplaceandwatertight.Thebayonetsystemdome,macroportsandextensionrings,offersthefastestaccessto

lensesforrapidchangingwithouthavingtoremovetheSLRfromthehousing.Allowsuseoflensesfroma15mm fisheye lens to a 180mm macro lens.Tele-converterportextensionsarealsoavailable.

FingertipaccesstoallcameramenucontrolsincludeOn-Off,Mode,bracket,Meterpositioning,focuscontrolandAE/AFlockaswellasAFpreferences.Accesstoallmenufeaturesincludereview,enlargeanddelete,histogramandinternalSLRpreferences.

Lensreleaseleverforeasylenschangingthroughthefrontportwithcamerainstalled.

Builtinremotecontrolcompatibility, no modification or specialconnectorstoinstall.

ThemostcriticalaspectofunderwaterSLRphotographyistheviewingsystem.TheAquatica1DSMk III uses a viewfinder that derives thebiggestandthebrightestimagepossibleinfullframeviewingtoyoureye.AnaccessoryAquaViewFinderisalsoavailablegivingtheuserunparallelviewingofthecamera’sviewfinder for sharp focusing and exactcomposition.

SPECIFICATIONSDepthrating:�00feet/90metersPrecisionmachinedfromasingle

aluminumblock.Itisfullyanodizedto military specifications and coated withrobustwearresistantcoating.Allfunctionlabelsarepadprintingsotheywillnotpeelofforfade.

Accuratelybalancedergonomicdesign-allcontrolsarewithineasyreach.

Excellentunderwaterbalance.Replaceable sacrificial anodes

protectthehousingfromelectrolysis.

www.aquatica.ca

http://www.uwleakdetector.com

42/15www.uwpmag.com

Heinrichsweikamp Remote Slave Unit

TheRemoteSlaveUnitRSUisaverysensitivemicroprocessorcontrolledphotosensorthattriggersunderwaterstrobesoverlargedistances.NoTTLfunctionisbuildintheRSUasintheDigitalAdapter.TheRSUdoesnotworkwithactivepreflashes. Hence in most cases an additionalexternalstrobeisnecessaryto suppress the TTL preflashes of mostdigitalcameras.Undermintconditionsdistancesexceeding25meterscanbecoveredwiththeRSUsystemunderwater.Themajorapplicationrangeiscreativepool,wreckandcavephotography.

Allunderwaterstrobes(TTLandnonTTL)with5pinNikonosconnector are working fine with the followinglimitations.Thestrobesareequippedwithastrobereadysignalofatleast4Voltsontheconnectorto

powertheRSU.Thetriggervoltagecanbeupto�0Volts.Instructionstomeasurethevoltagescanbegivenonrequest.

Furthermoreallstrobesknowntouswith4-pinSea&SeaMotormarineconnectorarecompatibletotheRSU-S version. Modifications to the strobe couldbenecessary.Adualsynccordcanalsobeusedwithoutlimitations.

www.heinrichsweikamp.com

Fantasea Canon housing

FantaseaLineannouncestherelease of a new housing specifically designedfortheCanonPowerShotSD1100IS/IXUS80ISdigitalcamera.

TheFSD-1100housing,depthratedto60meters/200feet,isfullyfunctionalprovidingphotographerswithaccesstoallcamerafunctions.

www.fantasea.com

Subal 45° viewfinder

ThenewWS45Finderaffordsacomfortableviewofthecameraviewfinder at 45° viewing angle. As the GS180 viewfinder the WS45 featuresanenlargementfactorof150%, with the visible finder area enlargedto2½timesoftheoriginal.WS45 pivots through 360°, with stops every 90°.

The 45° viewing angle offers distinctadvantageswhentakingclose-up pictures close to the sea floor or whenshootingabove/belowtypesituationswithsemiimmersedcamerahousing.Topqualityopticalelementsassure a bright and brilliant finder image.

www.subal.com

Tokina 10-16mm

AninterestinglensannouncedbyTokinaistheAT-X116ProDX,awide11-16f2.8zoomforNikonandCanoncropsensorcamerasboastingafocallengthof11-16mmandconstantf/2.8maximumaperture.Whilstthezoomrangeisnotexactlywhatyoumightcallextensive,thislensislikelytogenerateconsiderableinterestwithits17-25mmapprox.equivalentfocallength(onNikonDX,CanonAPS-Cuserswillgetaround18-26mm).

www.kenro.co.uk

Sealux JVC housing

The Sealux Universal JVC housinghasanintegratedhigh-resolving 16:9 color monitor . All JVC camcorderscanbeusedwhichareequippedwithIRforremotecontrol.Theymustnotbelargerthan190mm,widerthan1�2mmandhigherthan116mm.

www.sealux.de


NexusintroducesthenewsupercoatedglassdomeportDP1017-10made specifically for the Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom lens. This small dome, only4.75inchesdiameteroverall,isanother in the line of dome specific portsthatNexusoffers.RatherthanusebigoversizeddomestheNexusapproachistomatchaglassdome,smallinsize,toindividuallenses.

WithazoomlensliketheTokina10-17youhaveazoomrangeforwideanglecoveragefrom180degreesto100degreesofcoverage.Thesmalldomeportkeepsthecamerahousingmanageableunderwaterandverysmallfortravel.TheHG725zoomgearisusedforthezoomcontrol.

www.usanexus.com

Nexus 1017 Tokina Dome Port

Light & Motion Stingray HD and Bluefin HC7 compatible with Sony HDR-HC9

Light&Motionisannouncingthat its Stingray HD and Bluefin HC7Videohousingsarenow100%compatiblewiththenewSonyHDR-HC9HDVcamcorder.TheSonyHDR-HC9camcorderoffershighqualityvideoandiscompatiblewithawiderangeofeditingsuites.PairingitwitheithertheLight&MotionStingray HD or the Bluefin HC7 video housingsallowsyoutotakeyourvideotoanewlevel…underwater.

www.uwimaging.com

http://www.usanexus.com

42/17www.uwpmag.com

Aquatica Nikon D300 housing

AquaticaispleasedtointroducetheAquaticaD�00housingfortheNikonD�00DSLRcamera.Thisnewhousinghasanergonomicdesignandgivestheusereasyaccesstovitalcontrolstodeliverahighperformance,user-friendlyexperiencefortheunderwaterphotographer.AccessiblefromtherighthandaretheMainandquickdialcontrolsaswellastheshutterreleaseandAF-lockcontrolallthiswithouthavingtoremoveyourhandfromthegrip.

Developedbasedonourtestedandprovenportsystem,theruggedyetcompactAquaticaD�00iscompatiblewithallofourbayonetportsandaccessories,The100meters(over 300 feet) pressure certification is suretopleaseeventhemosttechnicalofdiver.

ThehousingissuppliedwithtwouniversallyacceptedNikonos-type

strobeconnectors,givingtheuserawidearrayofunderwaterstrobesto choose from and the flexibility to mixbrandsandmodelsofstrobesasdesired.Thesecondaryconnectorisreadytoacceptthenewunderwaterremotecontrolforpolecamerauseorforlongexposureinlowlightsituation.Thereisatappedholeonthetopofthehousinginthesameaxisasthelensformountingafocusinglight.

www.aquatica.ca

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TheOlympusE�isthenewflagship based on the Four Thirds standardE-System.TheE�isanextremelyadvancedcamerathatcanbeusedforeveryassignmentandfullycomplieswiththestrictrequirementsofDSLRphotography.

Olympushaveputtheirownunderwaterhousings,madeofpolycarbonate,onthemarketfortheE-��0,E-�00andE410.FortheirunderwaterhousingoftheE-�OlympushavesoughttocooperatewithNexus.Nexushavebeenproducingaluminiumunderwaterhousingsformanyyearsnow,initiallyfortraditionalSLRcamerasandnowDSLRsofvariousbrands.

NexushasalotofexperiencedevelopingunderwaterhousingsandyoucantellbytheE�.Theunderwaterhousinglooksneatandwellthought-out.TheOlympusE-�fits nicely in the housing and the way Nexushasbuiltthehousingitenablesthe internal flash to be folded up. This allows operating the flash with an opticalcable.DespitethisNexuswasabletokeepthehousingcompact.TheNexushousingissuitableforadepthupto70meters.

BesidesunderwaterhousingsNexusalsomanufacturesvariousbayonetmountlensports.Olympusalsohasapackofportsdevelopedforuseontheirownunderwaterhousingsbuttheyhaveascrewmount.AnadaptercanbeusedtoutilizeportsfromOlympusandotherbrandsthatalsoworkwithscrewmounts(Inonforexample)ontheNexushousings.ThisisveryconvenientforphotographersalreadyinthepossessionofOlympusportsbutalsoforthosewhodon’townportsyetandcanthuschooseOlympuscompactports.

IhavetestedthecamerawithsomeOlympusports.ThePPO-E�has been designed specifically for the50mmmacrolens.Thisporthasawidebaseatthescrewconnectionandtaperstowardstheend,makingitextremelycompact.Thisisveryconvenientwhenphotographingmacrosubjects.The7-14mmwide-anglelensnotonlyrequiresthedomeportPPO-E04butalsoanattachmentring(PER-E02).Thewide-anglelens is that long it won’t fit directly onthedomeport.Thedomeportisstrikinglycompact.Thedomeportshowssomedistortionat7mmbutIfind that very acceptable for a wide-

anglelenslikethis.OlympusdeliversaspecialzoomringforthislensbutunfortunatelyitcannotbeusedwiththeNexushousing.Thecogsonthezoomringdon’tcoincidewiththoseofthecog-wheeloftheNexushousing(contrarytothecog-wheelsoftheOlympushousings).Ithinkthisisarealpitybecauseyouhavetodecidewhichsettingthelenshastobeinbeforegoingintothewater.HopefullyOlympusandNexuswilldevelopanewzoomringforthis.

For the 8 mm fisheye lens the sameportcanbeusedbutwithouttheextraring.Itmakesthesystemtravel-friendlysinceyouonlyneedonedomeportfortwolenses.The

domeporthasbeenequippedwithalenshoodthatisattachedtotheportwithanumberofsocketscrews.TherewasoneproblemIencounteredwhenusingit.ThelenshoodwasinthecorrectpositionwhenIusedtheportwiththeextraring.ButwhenIattachedthedomeportdirectlytothehousing,thelenshoodstayedononeside.AndnomatterhowItried,Icouldn’tgetthewordOlympustoappearonthetop,butonlyaquarterturned.WedidtwodivesonthesamelocationthatiswhyIwantedtochangelensesinbetween.Thewholeof Dahab went looking for a fitting hexagonsocketwrench,becauseminestayedbehindinthehotelroom….

Olympus E3 / Nexus E3By Karin Brussard

42/19www.uwpmag.com

TheNexushousingisstandardequippedwithtwo flash connections for electronic cables and twoconnectionsforopticalcables.TheelectronicconnectionshaveastandardOlympusmountandare meant for connecting Olympus flash units. UsingtheFL-�6inthePFL-E01underwaterhousingoritssmallerbrotherFL-20inthePFL-01 housing TTL flash is enabled. However; I have used two Sea & Sea YS 110 flash units that can not directly be attached to the flash connections. They requireaspecialAthenaadapter.Unfortunatelythisadapterwasdeliveredtomyhouseonedaytoolate.

If you want to operate the flash units through theopticalcablesyoushouldnotforgettofoldupthe flash of the camera because there is no button on theunderwaterhousingtodoit.

Theunderwaterhousinghasahandleonbothsides.MyhandsarequitesmallandIamverywellcapableofoperatingtheshutterreleasebuttonandthecommanddialwithouthavingtomovemyhand.ThehandleshavegroovesonthemwhichIdidnotfind very pleasant to hold. Although I can imagine

otherphotographerslikingthem.Theunderwaterhousingcomeswithtwo

magnifyingglassesthatyoucanplaceintheviewfinder of the house. The magnifier strongly magnifies the image but it only leaves a small part of the viewfinder visible. This is excellent for macro shootingasyouwillhaveanexcellentviewwhetheryourobjectissharpornot.Thedisadvantagehoweverisevident;youmissalargepartoftheimagewhichmakesithardtodecideonanaccuratecomposition.Abouttheotherglassunit,thepick-upunit,Iamnotentirelysureofitspurpose.Ithoughtafterwardsthatitmightbemeantforpeoplewearingglasses,assomesortofcorrection.IhaveusedbothglassesafewtimesbutIreallypreferworkingwiththe housing without magnifier or pick-up unit.

Thecapacityofthebatterylastsforabouttwo dives. Since I operate the flash with an optical cable the flash of the camera has to do a lot of work. Thankfully it does not influence the battery life significantly. It means that I don’t have to open the underwaterhousing.

Allcamerafunctionsareoperableunderwaterwith the exception of folding up the flash. The functionsarenotdisplayedonthehousingandduetothefactthehousingisnottransparentyoucan’ttakeapeekastowhichbuttonyouhavetouseforacertainfunction.Thiscanbeverytrickyifyoustilldon’tknowthecamerathatwell.Ihadsetthecamera in the manual mode during the first dive, withanapertureoff/5.6.DuringthediveIcouldnotrememberhowtochangeaperture.Ihadtoworkwiththesameaperturetheentiredive.Andbecauseofusingthe50mmmacrolensIhadalimiteddepthof field. Still I carried on shooting and in the end I gotsomesurprisingandunusualresults.

TheautofocusontheE-�worksfastandverypreciseandthe11focuspointsareidealtocapture fish. Although the camera fits perfectly inthehousing,itonceshiftedandIwasunabletooperatethecameraunderwater.ItmeantIhadtoascend,takemydivinggearoff,getoutofthewater,drymyselfandthecamera,opentheunderwater housing, fit the camera properly, close


theunderwaterhousing,gobackintothewater,putdivinggearon,descendand finally shoot. My buddy was not amused!

TheOlympusE-�hasbeenequippedwithLiveViewjustlikeitsyoungerbrothers.TheLCDmonitoroftheE-�hasanicelargesize(2.5inch)anditsbrightnesscanbeadjustedin15stops.Itmakesiteasytodecideacompositionevenunderwater.IhavetriedoutLiveViewwhilemakingpicturesofmybuddy.Thatisnotaseasyasitsounds.Idecideonthecorrectcomposition,Iseemybuddyintherightspot,notbreathingoutandpresstheshutterreleasebutton.WhenIviewthepictureIseebubblesinfrontofhereyesbecauseofbreathingout,duetotheshutterlagwhenusingLiveView.LiveViewworksgreatforstillobjectsbutnotformovingobjects,itneedsanexperiencedphotographertodealwiththelimitedfocusspeed.

TheOlympusE-�andtheNexushousingmakeagreatcombination.TheE-�isaDSLRcamerawithfastautofocusand11focuspoints.TheOlympusE-�hasabsolutelynoproblemwiththelightareascausedbythesun.TheshutterlagmakesLiveViewlesssuitableformovingobjects.TheNexushousingiswellbuiltandhas a number of special specifications. External flash units can be operated throughelectronicaswellasoptical

cables.Whenusingtheopticalcable,donotforgettofoldupthecamera’sflash before closing the housing. The NexushousingcomeswithanadaptersotheOlympusportscanbeusedalso.

Karin Brussaardwww.karinbrussaard.nl

underwater photo-videocenter

www.ScubaCam.nl

http://www.karinbrussaard.nl/

http://www.scubacam.nl

42/21www.uwpmag.com

WhentheNikonD�00wasreleasedlastsummer(07)Ialongwithmanyotherunderwaterphotographersrecognisedthatitsintroductioncoupledwiththerelativelylowretailprice would substantially influence uwpworldover.InmyroleasuwpeducatorIdecidedto‘jumponthebandwagon’andup–gradefrommytrusty,reliableandmuchlovedD200.

YouneedtoknowthatIhavefavouredNikonsincemydayswithaNikonF2andOceanichousingsofthe80’s.IhaveownedandusedSubalhousingssincetheintroductionoftheNikonF801intheearly1990’s.InmyteachingroleIregularlyinstructinIkelite,Sea&Sea,NexusandHugyfotDSLRhousings.WhilstI’llendeavourtobeimpartialasIcan,the influence that Nikon and Subal havehadonmyownphotographiccareercannotbeignored.IamunabletocomparetheD�00againstourCanon cousins but I do have sufficient experienceusingtheD200tocompareagainsttheNikonD�00

On first appearance the Subal ND�0isverysimilartotheND20(NikonD200).Itweighsthesame,looksthesameandwhenyoutake

hold,itfeelsthesame.Butthenyounoticethehuge�”LCDscreen.Now,I am a firm believer that the larger the LCDtheeasierandmoreaccurateitistoreviewtheresultunderwater.Icannotemphasisethisenough.It’snouse finding out that you have clipped thecompositionorchosenthewronganglewhenyou’rebackondryland!Thetimetoreviewandcorrectanerrorortopursueanewideaonasubjectisunderwateratthetimeofshooting.The�inLCDoftheD�00isbright,clearandeasytovieweveninshallowwater.Thereisaonefinger - press - zoom button on the rearofthehousing.InpracticeIwasabletodeterminesharpfocusonmymacro/closeupsubjectsandonmanyoccasionsIpersistedwiththesubjecttocorrectmyfocusing/compositionalmistakes.IdoubtifIwouldhavenoticedunderwater(atthetime)thesesmallimperfections/mistakesbyviewingmyNikonD200LCD.

IreceivemanyenquiriesconcerningwhetherofnottheSubalGS viewfinder is worth the money. In my opinion the viewfinder of any camerahousingiswithoutdoubtthemost significant feature of the entire

design.Ifwecannotseeclearlyandaccuratelywhatwearetryingtoshootthenwhatisthepoint?Doesn’titfrustratewhenamanufacturerproducesahousingwheretheuserisunabletoseeallfourcornersofthe viewfinder to compose a subject correctly. Enhanced viewfinders like Subalandotherhousings,thoughexpensive are definitely worth the moneyIMHO.

Thefrontmaindial(aperture)therearmaindial(shutterspeed)andshutterreleasecontrolareinexactlythesamepositionasbefore.Ihave

heardcriticismsthatforuserswithsmallhandstheshutterreleaseistoofarawayfromtherighthandledgrip.Mysuggestionistosimplyreleasethevelcrostraptoallowtherighthandcloseraccess.

TheOn/Offswitchhaschangedtoacirculardesign.InmyopinionthisisanimprovementandIfeelthesensitivitytoturnthecameraonandoffbothonland(withoutthebackplate)connectedandunderwaterhaveamorepositivefeeltoit.

TheModeand+/-exposurecompensationpushdowncontrols

Nikon D300 and Subal ND3by Martin Edge


situatedbehindtheOn/offswitcharenow raised up slightly. Whilst on first glancethiswouldnotappeartomaketheslightestdifference,underwaterInoticedthatitwasmucheasierformetolocateboththe‘Mode’and+/-topushdownandmakechangeswithoutlookingateitherdial.I’munabletocommentonwhetherornotthesedialsareaseasytomanipulatewhenwearinggloves.

Asimilardesignimprovementisevidentonthelefthandsideofthehousingwiththe‘QUAL’quality,‘WB’WhiteBalanceandISOpushdowncontrols.WiththeND�0,SubalhavedisposedwiththesmallblackcircularbaseonwhichthesethreepushbuttonsweresituatedonwiththeND20.

Now,Ialwayschangethe‘Quality’and‘ISO’settingviathe‘MyMenu’intherearLCDscreenbutwith‘WB’WhiteBalanceIdoneedeasyaccesstothisbutton.MyWBsettings fluctuate between ‘Auto’ and ‘Preset’.TosetPresetWBviathehousing I first use the LCD screen to locateandchangeit.Thisbringsthe‘PRE’settingupinthebottomrighthand corner of the camera viewfinder. Oncedone,youpushdownandholdthe‘WB’controlforaboutthreesecondsandpresstheshutter.Ifthisattemptto‘preset’issuccessfulyouwill see the ‘Gd’ sign (which signifies thepresetreadingis‘good’andhasworked).

I find it much easier to locate thisWBpushbuttoncontrolonthetopleftofthehousingthanitwasbefore.Withalittlepractice,‘preset’WBreadingscanbesetquiteeasilywithout having to fiddle around to locatethecontrol.

TheND�0nowhasaleverontopofthehousingwhichactivatestheflash exposure compensation button

situated just below the ‘pop up’ flash buttonofthecamera.TheadditionofthiscontrolisforusersofNikonSB flashguns in housings to control exposurecompensation.

Movingdowntherearback-platetowardstheLCDscreentheBKT‘bracket’buttonoftheND20hasbeenreplacedwiththe‘playback’buttonandnexttoitremainsthe‘Delete’button.Belowthisinorderarethefollowing five push down buttons: Menu,?InfoandLock,Zoomout–,Zoomin+,OK

ManyreaderswillbefamiliarwiththeabovebutI’lljustmentionthehighlights.

PresstheInfo/LockbuttonandtheshootingdisplayinformationcomesupontheLCDscreen.InformationincludingtheAperture,Shutterspeed,ExposureMode,etcaredisplayedontheLCDmonitor.TheimplicationsofthisIfoundtobe a significant I did not have to look through the viewfinder to ascertain my exposuresettingsorexposuremode

The viewfinder’s built in exposuremeterisalsodisplayed.Indicatingifascenewillbeunderoroverexposed.

Icouldeasilychangeanddeterminemysettingsi.echosenapertureandshutterspeedbysimplyturningtheappropriatedialsandhavingaclearunrestrictedviewofmyprogressinthe�inLCDmonitor.

Inpractice,Icouldswimtowardsasubject(turtle)whilstatthesametime,adjustingapertureandshutterspeedandwithouttakingmyeyeofftheoftheturtle

TheZoominoroutisaonepushzoomfeaturewhichcanmagnifytheLCDbyupto27times.Whilstthisisnotanew,ithasbeendevelopedandIfounditsomuchmoreergonomic.

TheMSCfocusmodeselector,lensrelease,shutterrelease,AFOnleverhavenotchangedtoanydegree.Thespot,matrixandcenterweighteddialarealsounchanged.

Themultiselectorpushdowncontrolsnowhaveanadditional

42/2�www.uwpmag.com

pushbuttoninthecenter.Ifoundthisveryusefulinordertoactivateafullsizehistogramoverlayontopoftheimageandmostimportantly–activateitatyourownconvenience.ThishistogramcanbesetbygoingtoCustomSettingF1

Iusedthecameraandhousingduringa10dayphotoworkshopatKasaiVillageResortinCebuPhilippines.Now,I’llpointoutthatIamunabletothrillyouwithimagesofthelikeswhichBerkleyWhiteproduced with the sailfish but for everydaysubjectsthenreadon.

TheND�0feltnodifferentinwaterthantheND20butsoonintothetripInoticedtheimprovementofboth‘S’and‘C’autofocus(centerpoint)

tolockontosubjects.ForthelasteightmonthsIhavebeenusingtheNikonVR105mmmacrolenswithmixedresults,thejuryisstilloutonthis!Ilovetheresultsonlandandthequalityofblur(bokeh)butunderwaterI’ve found it difficult to lock on to macrosubjectsbecausethefocusissodamnquickfromminimumtomaximum.Usingthislensearlyonemorning,Idroppedto�0mtoshoota longnosed hawk fish which I had foundthepreviousday.OnceinthewaterIrealisedIhadnotattachedmyfocustorch.Ishotitallthesameandwassurprisedandveryimpressedbyhowthefocuslocked-oninsuchpoorambientlight.After700frameswithmyNikon105mmacroVR-IcanseesubstantialimprovementinthefocusingabilitiesoftheD�00andthislensnowhasapermanentplaceinmycamerabag.

Sunbursts and highlights

Just so you know where I stand

onthis:Bychoice,Idon’toftenincludethesunballitselfwithintheframe. I find myself leaving it out andusingthebeamsoflightinthecornerstoaddsparkleand‘jazzup’anotherwisemonochromaticbluevoidinmywideangles.WilltheD�00provideoursunburstswiththeappealthey had on film? I think so but I’m unabletoevidenceit!Our10daysinCebu,sufferedwithpoorvisibilityandwhilsttheseawasnotroughitwasoftenchoppy.Ishotsunburstsatvariousdepthsdownto25mbutthebeamsweresoscatteredanddiffused,it’shardtopassaninformedopinion.AsIrecollect,shootingsunburstsinthese conditions on film, the results werenotthatimpressiveeither.What

I can confirm is that low light shallow watersunlightshotsworkedverywelland there’s a significant improvement overtheNikonD200.

OnfourconsecutivemorningsIshotsunlightwitha10.5mmfisheye in 1m to 6m of water. The seaconditionswereglasscalmandvisibilitywasatitsbestfortheday–20m.Iusedshutterspeedsof1/�20thsecwithanwholerangeofapertures.IshotRawatthe200ISOdefaultandAutowhitebalance.Thesunbeamsappearedmoreaccentuatedwiththefastshutterspeedof�20thasopposedto125th.ButIwasforevermindedthatthiscouldalsobeaffectedbytheheightofthesuninrelationtothehorizon.The‘highlights’warning


seldomindicatedthesunbeamsas‘clipped’butwhentheballofthesunwaspresent-thiswould‘blink’.InRawpostproduction–CS�,itwaseasytorecoverthehighlightsaslongastheywerenotexcessivelyoverexposed.

IhavenodoubtthattheabilityoftheD�00tohandlethenatureofhighlightssooftenassociatedwithunderwaterisasubstantialimprovementoverNikonDSLRcameraswhichhavegonebefore.TogetherwithmyphotobuddyShannonConwaywecomparedalmostidenticalimagestakenwith

myrigandhisownNikonD2xandwebothagreedtheD�00wassuperiorforhighlights.WealsocomparedhowsimilarlytheD�00renderedsaturationandcolour,particularlywiththetonesofbluemid-water.AnaspectoftheNikonD2x,whichIhavealwaysbeenjealousof.Formyownphotographytheseimprovements,togetherwiththelowlightfocusingabilitiesandalmostdoublethepixelcountaregoodreasonstojustifyanup-grade.

Noise

At400ISOIsawnoevidenceofdigitalnoise.At800ISOImade

themistakeofunderexposingseveralbluewaterexamplesandwhentheseareas were magnified, noise was slightlyvisible.Exposecorrectlyat1600ISOandthenoiseeffectdiminishes.InBerkleyWhite’sreview of the D300 and sailfish he warnsoftheimportancetoshootaccurateexposurestoavoidthenoiseenhancingeffectsofbrighteningadarkimageinpostprocessing.ThisisexcellentadviceandIwouldrecommendreadersrevisithisreviewatUwP41

Live view Mode

Duringmy10dayworkshopIlookedfornumerousopportunitiestousetheLiveviewModeasanadvantage to normal viewfinder composition.Whilstitisquiteeasytoset‘liveview’onaSubalhousing,allmyattemptstouseitinsomemeaningfulwayfailed.PerhapsIwasnotselectingappropriatesubjectsoropportunities;perhapstheGSviewfinder is so outstandingly clear as nottowarrantinthecircumstances,whichIfoundbeforeme.Whateverthereason,atthistime,Ifailtoseeapurposetouse‘liveview’modeunderwaterwhenusedinconjunctionwiththeND�0.Perhapsahousingwith poor viewfinding characteristics would benefit.

Battery Life

ComparedtotheD200thebatterylifeisaverycomfortingandamuchneededimprovement.Iaveraged700frameswithboth60mmand105mmmacrolenses.

Withthe10.5mmandTokina10mm–17mmtheaveragewas800.Iallowedthebatteryto‘rundown’to�%anditcontinuedtofunctionadequatelyuntilitreached1%whenit died. At 10% power I could find no differenceinperformancefrom100%

Weight and Transport

TheSubalND�0housingwiththeNikonD�00,aNikon60mmmacrolensandport.TwoInonZ220’swith leads and a couple of Inon flash armshaveacombinedweightof7kilos.Icarrythisequipmentinalargebutlightweightruck-sacwhichcanbe crumpled up and made to fit the luggagerackdimensionsatairports.Iwearaphotographer’svest(atthelastcountIfound15pockets).Icarryflash guns, a variety of lenses and otheressentialbitsandbobs.Myvest(onaverage)weighsbetween10kand1�k.Oncethroughallthecheck-inhassleIre-packthecontentsofmyjacketintotheruck-sac.ThismethodisworkingwellformeatinternationalairportsandIincludeitinthisreviewfor those who may find it helpful.

42/25www.uwpmag.com

To Upgrade or not

ForthoseofyouwhomaybecontemplatinganupgradetotheNikonD�00.Iwouldsuggestyouvisitthemostcomprehensivereview,whichIhaveseen-byThomHogan.http://www.bythom.com/nikond�00review.htmIt’salongreadbutatthebottomofthereview,ThomcomparestheD�00andoffershisopinionsonupgradesundertheheadingof‘ShouldIgetaD�00’.

ForuseunderwaterIrecommendtheNikonD�00veryhighlyandafterusingandreviewingtheND�0,I

amunabletoidentifyanyparticularaspectofthishousing,whichIbelievecouldbeimprovedupon.

Martin Edgewww.edgeunderwaterphotography.com

www.heinrichsweikamp.com/blitz/en/rsu.htm

http://www.edgeunderwaterphotography.co.uk

http://www.scuba.co.uk/Travel/Escorted/martin_edge.htm


Masteringtheoperationofanunderwaterhousingisajourneyoffamiliarization.Youmovethroughaprocessofengagingitsfunctionality,employingitsergonomicsandadaptingtoitsidiosyncrasiesandsobecomeatonewithit;throughlotsofpractice.It’slikelearningtoplayaninstrument.

Sealux’sCD�00housingfortheNikonD�00DSLRhasasimilarfeeltotheearlierD200housingonlywithimprovementsinperformanceandfunctionality.AllthecontrolsjustseemrightandthechangesIhavesofarencounteredareforthebetter.

KeyimprovementswiththeD�00cameraovertheD200whichIhavefoundtobeusefulinapracticalcontextforunderwaterphotographyare:∑ excellent monitor resolution and response,enablingeffectivein-cameradecisionmakingwhileunderwater;∑ the ability to view camera settings, previouslyonlyvisibleinthetopLCDwindow,inalargeclearformatinthemonitorwindow;∑ improved image quality (if nothing

else,thisallowsformoreleewaywithcropping);∑ significantly longer battery life;∑ slightly increased dynamic range with14bitRAWimages;∑ slightly less noise at higher ISO levels;∑ self cleaning image sensor;∑ Nikon D2X plus-some in a compact D200stylebody.

WhilstmyprevioustwoSealuxhousingswerefunctionalanddurable(seewww.underwaterdisplay.net/rigforreviews)theCD�00showsanimprovementinaestheticsandergonomicswiththeintroductionofsomesubtlechangesincluding:curvedhandles and conically tapered flat portsforclose-upandmacrowork.

AfeatureonSealuxhousingswhichIthinkisagooddesignattributeistheraisedinnerliponthehousingbodywhichstopswaterfallingbackintothehousingwhenthehousingbackisremovedafteradive.Thisalsoservesasaguidetoplacementofthelidonthehousingbodyforsealedclosure.

Attentiontodetailisevidentin

thedesignoftheCD�00.MineralglassratherthanpolycarbonateisusedforthewindowovertheD�00monitordisplayandthisdoesjusticetotheresolutionandclarityoftheD�00’sdisplay.Thisisanimportantfeatureandonewhichratedhighlyinmydecidingwhethertopurchase.Themonitorwindowisvisiblewiththe 150 degree viewfinder rotated to anyofitsselectablepositions.AswithotherSealuxDSLRhousings,testeddepthratingisgivenas90metres.

TheCD�00allowsforanadditionalballmounttobeinstalledinthethreadedsocketprovidedonthecentretopofthehousingtomountafocuslightorotheraccessory.

Thiseffectivelygivesfourpossiblemountingpointsonthehousingforstrobesandaccessories;oneoneacharm,athirdoneonthelefthandsideandtheballmountatcentretop.Two different size ball fittings are available.Theadditionalballmountcanbeunscrewedtoallowthehousingto fit in my cabin bag without the ball protruding.

MyCD�00sportsthenew150degree optical viewfinder (GV150). Sealux viewfinders have in the past beenverysuccessfulandthisoneappearstobenoexception.Theprismmodel GD Viewfinder made by Sealux isalsoon-soldtoSubalfortheirunderwaterhousings.TheGV150

Sealux CD300 for the Nikon D300by Colin Gans

42/27www.uwpmag.com

viewfinder provides an enlarged 150 degreeviewwhichisbright,sharpandcomplete;itrotatestoallowportraitandlandscapeviewsandisusefulforover-underimages.Adetachablesunshield is fitted to the eyepiece. The viewfinder can be turned downwards whentransportingorremovedbyhandbydisengagingtheplastic

circlipontheinsideofthehousingcover. Dual o’rings on the viewfinder shaft provide a watertight fit onto thehousing.IfoundtheGV150tobe as good as the GD Viewfinder in coverageandclaritywiththeaddedadvantageofbeingangledandabletorotate.

Thehousingismadeof

aluminiummilledmonoblockCNC,hardanodizedandissealedforresistancetosaltwatercorrosion.Thecolour,describedastitaniumgrey,isalittledarkerthanmyearlierD200housing.Thecontrolsappeartofeelbetterbutwhetherthisisacaseof‘newbroom’syndromeornot,timewilltell.

The Controls

Oneimprovementwhichiswelcomedisachangeindesigntothepreviouslyquirkyfocusmodecontrolwhichswitchesbetweencontinuous,single,ormanualfocus(C/S/M)modes.Thishasbeenre-engineeredandworksverywellwithagoodtactilefeelwhenswitching.Somecontrolsdescribedbelowareavailableoptionalextras.IsuggestvisitingtheSealuxwebsiteforcurrentdetailsonoptions(www.sealux.de).

Live View Release Mode Dial

ThereleasemodedialwhichallowscontrolofLiveView,SingleFrame,Continuous,SelfTimerandMirrorUpisengineeredasasinglecontrol;acleversolution.Whenengageditdepressesthelockingbuttonwhilerotatingthedialonthecamera.Iwouldbeinterestedtoseehowotherhousingmanufacturers’solvethis.

Focus Priority Override

TheAFLockleveriswellpositionedtobeusedinconjunctionwiththeshutterreleaselevertooverridefocuspriority.ThisishandyforlensesliketheNikon105VRmicrowhenusedwiththefocusgearasitallowsfocusprioritytobe


overriddenondemandsimplybysqueezingtheAFLockleverwiththethumbwhileoperatingtheshutterrelease with the forefinger; a perfectly naturalmovement.

A Centre Multi Selector Button

SomeunderwaterhousingsIhavetriedlackthecentrecontrolforthecamera’smultiselector.Sealuxhaveprovidedaccesstothecentrebuttonbyengineeringfouroftheshaftsatslightanglesallowingthebuttonstobespreadalittlefurtherapart on the outside. The five controls (North,South,West,EastandCentre)aresymmetricallyplaced.Ifoundtheresponseofthemulti-selectorquitesensitivebutafteradayorsoofusingthehousingIhavenowbecomeusedtothis.

The Flash Mode Button

TheFlashmodebuttonisanotherchallengingcontroltoengineerduetoitspositiononthecamera.Thisbuttoniscontrolledviaaleverandiswellsituatedforaccesstoenableswitching between normal flash mode and rear curtain sync as well as flash compensationwhenusingahousedspeedlight.

The Mode and +/- Control

Boththemodeand+/-buttonsonthecameraarecontrolledbyasinglelever,neitherofwhichareengagedwhentheleverisincentreposition.Pushingthelevertotheleftengages+/-exposurecompensation.Pushingthelevertotherightengagescameramode.Ineitherengagedpositiontherespectivebuttonstaysdownuntiltheleverisreturnedtothecentreposition.InpracticeIhavefoundthistobeusefulsincebothoftheunderlyingbuttonsworkinconjunctionwiththefrontcommanddialwhichneedstoberotated.Havingthesebuttonsstaydownuntildisengagedallowsthefrontcommanddialtobeoperatedwith thumb and forefinger.

Func Button Control

AFuncbuttoncontrolleverallows the D300’s user-defined functionbuttontobeaccessed.WiththeD200,Iviewedthisasa‘nicetohave’.NowthatitsavailableI’vehadtothinkwhatI’lluseitfor.IhavesincedecidedthatassigningtheFuncbuttonto‘FlashOff’isagoodchoice.TherehavebeentimeswhenI’vewishedforaconvenientwayofcancelling flash without taking my eye off the viewfinder and this approach worksverywell.Icanoverridetheflash to do an ambient light shot with

my ring finger, override autofocus withmythumbandpresstheshutterwith my forefinger; feels like I’m playingasaxophone!Thisiscertainlymoreconvenientthanhavingtomanuallyswitchoffstrobes.Thelocationandfeelofeachofthesethreeleversisergonomicallygood.

Lens Release Lever

Alensreleaseleverinthehousingbodyallowstheeasyremovaloflensesfromthefrontport.Thisishandywhenswitchinglensesbetweendives.PriortousingthiscontrolIhadplaceditinthe‘nicetohave’basketoffeatures.NowthatitisavailableI’m

finding that I use it more frequently thanexpected.

QUALity, ISO and WhiteBalance

WhilethemoreimportantWBandISObuttoncontrolsareavailable,thereisnodirectcontrolbuttonforthethirdmemberofthetrio,theQUALbutton.ThiscontrolcanbesetasashortcutandthenaccessedbypressingtheMenubutton.InmyopinionhavingaQUALbuttonisnotmissedasit’snotoftenthatIwouldchoosetoswitchimagequalityandshouldIwishtodosothen‘MyMenu’issufficiently convenient for the job.

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The Lens Port System

SealuxportsuseglassandIdoliketheirdependabledesign.Theyhavealargediameterbayonet fitting with good o’ring seals making for a reliableseal.Ihaveusedthehousingwithadomeport,towednexttoaboat,photographingspinnerdolphinandhaveexperiencednoleaksdespitesuchturbulentmotionatshallowdepth.Theportsystemismodularandallowstheuseofextensionringstomatchportstobeusedwithawiderrangeoflenses.Allportwindowsarehighqualityopticalglass.BarrelsaremadeofDelrin.Theportsaredurable,welldesignedandIhaveyettoexperiencealeakfromeitherportorhousingbodyinhundredsofdivesoverafouryearperiod.Theeffortexperiencedinchangingportscanbereducedwiththeuseofalightweightstrapwrenchasdescribedinthe‘Niggles’section.Thetightandpositivebayonetfit of the Sealux ports may in fact contribute to their very low flood rate.

Portextensionringsallowamodularapproachand the same rings can be used on flat and dome portstocaterformostpopularlenses.Sincethesame tried and tested bayonet fittings have been usedformanyyears,thereisprotectionofexistinginvestmentandasweknow,ourlastinginvestmentismoreintheglass(lensesandports)thantheeverchanging cameras and housings which fit them.

Thelargedomeport(180F)hasbeenavailableforsometimeandisexcellentfor10.5mmNikon,10-17mmTokinaandthe12-24mmNikonwiththeadditionofanextensionring.What’snewisthePS series of flat ports which are conically tapered fromabout126mmatthehousingsidedowntoapproximately92mmattheglassend.Thetaperingallowsbetterpositioningofstrobesformacrowork

andhasamoreaestheticallypleasinglook.Inadditiontothis,Sealuxhavecomeoutwith

aseriesofgoodqualitywetmatedioptersforthenew flat ports which fit neatly onto the front of the portswithabayonettypelock.Iorderedoneoftheseonawhimandamveryimpressedwithhowwell it fits on the port. The diopter works with both the60mmand105mmmicrolenses.

Thefollowingareexamplesofportoptionsforpopularlensesforunderwaterphotography:o Nikon 10.5mm fisheye: 180F Dome Porto Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom: 180F Dome PortoNikon12-24mm:180FDomePort+28mmextensionringoNikon60mmmicro:PS104oNikon105mmmicro(bothVRandclassic):eitherPS114;orPS104+28mmextensionringwithmanualfocusgearoptionavailableeitherintheportorintheextensionringifthislattercombinationischosen.

Strobe Wiring and Bulkhead Options

Strobeportsareavailableinthreeforms,Nikonos style flexible pin, Nikonos style all pins fixed, or S6. Either one or two strobe ports can be orderedinvariouscombinations.

ThestrobebulkheadwiringallowschoiceofTTL(5pinsactive)wiringorjusttwopinsactivefortraditionalstrobesandthesecanbechangedatalaterstagebyorderingadifferentwiringconfiguration. Having all 5 pins wired allows use of asinglehousedSB800tobeelectricallyconnectedaswellasthirdpartyTTLadapterssuchasIkelite’s#4�02.Carefulthoughtshouldbegiventothechoiceofportsandwiring.Mypersonalchoiceisfor two Nikonos style flexible pin ports with all five pins active as this provides wired connections foreitherasinglehousedspeedlightortwoIkeliteDS125strobes.

IchosetwoNikonosstylestrobebulkheads.The Nikonos bulkheads are offered in two flavours, the traditional with two flexible / three fixed pins and the other form with all five pins fixed. Whichever flavour is chosen the option exists to order either as TTL capable with all five pins wired orjustthetwoGNDandTRGactive,i.e.wired.FrompastexperienceIhavefoundswitchingwiringonSealuxhousingstobearelativelystraightforwardexerciseoncethestrobelogicisunderstood.

Niggles

Whilstthisreviewisforthemostpartpositivetherearetwoniggles,stillpresent,whichIhaveexperienced with earlier housings. The first relates tothedegreeofeffortinvolvedinchangingports;

42/�0 www.uwpmag.com

yes,unnecessaryphysicaleffort!ThesecondissuearosewiththeD200housingasasymptomofdownsizinginthedrivetokeepthingscompact.TheD200andD�00housingsbecamemorenegativelybuoyantwiththesecameraswhichwereheavierthanthesimilarsizedD70.EffectiveworkaroundsexistforbothoftheseissuesandIdonotseethemasdetractingfromtheoverallqualitiesofthehousingoncetheworkaroundsareapplied.Eachparticularbrandofhousinghasitsquirksandafterall,wherewouldthechallengelieinunderwaterphotographywithouthavingtoproblemsolve?

Ipreviouslyfoundswitchingportsondivetripstobetediouswithsomeeffortrequired,tocoercetheinstalledportoffthehousing.Enterthe‘BabyBoastrapwrench’,alightweightplasticstrapwrenchperfectforthejobofremovingportsbygripping the barrel and allowing sufficient leverage tobeapplied.Itwouldbeusefultohavethese,orsimilarsuppliedwithSealuxports.Thestrapwrenchhasmadechangingportseasyformeandcanbefoundinmanyhardwarestoresoryoucantryonlineusing‘strapwrench’foryoursearch.

TheissueofanegativelybuoyanthousingshouldonlybeofconcernformacrophotographyandIhavefoundthatusingStixbuoyancyarmswithmytwoIkeliteDS125strobesresolvesthisneatly.IusefouroftheSX-109setsandUCLSbutterfly clamps to hold them.

Withthissetupandtheheaviestlens/portcomboIown(105mmNikonVR/PS114port)plusfocuslighttherigweighs��0gramsnegativeinfreshwater.

The Housing In Summary

Inbrief,IseetheCD�00asastepforward;ithas,sofar,exceededmyexpectations.

Thegoodpoints∑ Optics: the ports, the display and the 150 degree viewfinder; all precision glass optics ∑ Ergonomics: the location of key controls in relationtoeachother∑ Functionality: almost every camera control one couldwishforincludingcontrolsforLiveView,

C/S/M,Func,Multi-selectorcentre,Flashmode,AFLockandLensrelease.∑ Durability: good seals, raised inner housing lip, robustconstruction∑ Portability: compact and relatively easy to pack andtransportforaDSLRhousing∑ Depth rating: 90 metres (295 feet)Theniggles∑ Negatively buoyant: remedied by flotation arms∑ Effort in removing lens ports: remedied by using alightweightstrapwrench

Notes from the Field

ForthisreviewItestedthehousingdry;inapoolandthenfollowedupwithaweekofdivingoffNiueIsland.Iused60mm,105mm,10-17mmand12-24mmlenseswithrespectiveclose-upport/wetmatedioptercombinationsanddomeportplusextensionringcombinations.Iwashappywithresultsfromallcombinationstested;particularlywhenusingthePSclose-upportsasthesewere

10-17mm lens, Sealux 180F dome port, 1/200sec, f/13, ISO 200

60mm lens, Sealux PS104 port, 1/60sec, f/22, ISO 200

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newtomeandshowedimprovementover the bulkier traditional Sealux flat ports.

Conclusion

IseetheCD�00asastepforwardfromitspredecessorwithdesignfeatureswhicharecompact,aestheticallypleasing,ergonomicanddurable.Informingacompletesystem,individualcomponentsexistformostneedsandintegratewellwiththemodularportsystem.Differentoptionscaterforvariouslightinginterfacesbetheyahousedspeedlight,

Nikonos style strobe fittings or EuropeanstyleS6plugs.Thishousingmakesmusic-highlyrecommended.

Colin Ganswww.UnderwaterDisplay.net

10-17mm lens, Sealux 180F dome port, 1/200sec, f/14, ISO 400, natural light

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42/��www.uwpmag.com

It’sfunnyhowthingsturnfullcircle–theysaythatfashionrepeatsitselfandIsupposeitmustbetrueofcertaintrendsinphotography,particularlyunderwaterphotography.My first steps with underwater photographywerewithNikonosII’sandIII’sfollowedbyNikonF’sandF2’s.Thesecameraswereofcourseentirelymanual,withoutevenlightmetering,unlessyouhadaphotomicheadfortheF2aoraSekonicmarinemeterforyourNikonos,andofcourseflash exposure was calculated via guidenumbersfollowedbyananxiouswait for your film to be developed. Then Nikon introduced TTL flash controlwiththeF�andtheNikonosV (there had been a brief flirtation with auto flash and the Nikonos IV butthiswasnotaresoundingsuccess)andourliveschanged–wecouldconfidently expect predictably good flash exposures, especially in macro, andconcentratemoreoncomposition.TheevenbetternewswasthattheTTLprotocolremainunchangedformany years right up until the final generations of film cameras, so we could use the same flashguns with eachcameraupgrade.

Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converterby Mark Webster

ThenthedigitaldaydawnedandwithitacompletelynewTTLprotocolwhich(withtheexceptionoftheFujiS2)didnotcommunicatewith our flashguns. So we came back to basics making our flash exposuresmanuallyoncemore,onlynowwecouldseesuccessorfailureimmediatelyonthereviewscreen.One feature our flashguns required thoughweremultiplemanualpowersettingstoadjusttheexposure,particularlywiththehighbaseISO’sthatcamerasliketheD100camewith.ThiswasaconcernformeasIwantedtocontinuetousemytrustyInon Quad flash which only had three powersettingsandofcourse,asitismountedontheendoftheport,wouldalwaysbeclosetothesubject.IgotaroundthisbyusingtheLightandMotionTitanhousingwiththeROCsystem which gave me the flexibility of12powersettingsforany‘NikonosTTL’ flashgun. I eventually upgraded totheD200whichhasabaseISOof100andsodidnotpresentsuchagreatproblem,althoughIrarelyshootwiththeQuadabove1/4power.

Andsoatlasttothepurposeofthisreview!Iamagainonthe

upgradepath,mostlikelytheD�00whichhasreturnedtoabaseISOof200–althoughitdoesofferaISO100‘slow’setting,thisisapparentlydoescompromiseimagequalityalittle.The flashgun market has also moved onandnowwecanbuyamphibiousgunswithiTTLandeTTLcircuitrytogiveusthatperfectexposureand,forthoseofuswithashelffullofolder‘Nikonos’ protocol TTL flashguns, therearealsoconvertersavailablefromHeinrichsWeikamp,Sea&Sea,AthenaandIkelite.Althoughthese

convertersmaynotworkwithallflashgun models the added attraction ofthemisthemanualcontroltheyofferwhicheffectivelyextendsthenumberofpowersettingsavailableonan older flashgun.

AcoupleofyearsagoIboughtaTTLconverterfromHeinrichsWeikampformywife’sOlympusPT�0housingwhichhasbeenagreatsuccess,sowhenourillustriouseditorofferedtoletmetrialhisnewexternaliTTLconverterIjumpedatthechance.Thisunitisrelativelycompact

The Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converter is relatively compact (compared to the competition) and connects in line with your strobe. To use two strobes you will need a dual cable.


andconnectsinlinebetweentheflashgun and the housing converting a wide variety of ‘Nikonos’ flashguns to workeffectivelywiththeD40,D50,D80,D200,D�00,D2Xetc.,butnottheolderD100whichusestheolderdTTLsystem.Theunitcanbeusedwith two matched flashguns with the additionofadualsynchlead,butyoushouldcheckthewebsiteforafulllistof compatible flashguns and cameras.

FirsttheconvertermustbechargedviaaUSBleadfromyour

computer.Havingdonethischeckthecomprehensivemanualtoseeifyouneedtochangetheunitsettingsfor your flashgun – there is a small boardofeightmicrodipswitcheswhich must be configured before youclosetheunitforuse.Whenyouswitch on the flash and the camera thereisasmallgreenLEDthatflashes to indicate that the two are communicatingandyouarethenreadytogo.

Mylocalmarinestudioisa

chilly9catthistimeofyearandIhadtowaitacoupleofdaysforthestrongsouthwestwindstoabatebefore I could make my first of two trials.IhaveapairofSubtronicMiniTTL’swhicharefullycompatiblewhichIfoundgaveconsistentlygoodexposuresthroughmostaperturesettingsatbothISO100andISO200withmyD200.Aperturesoff4andwiderprovedachallengedependant

onthedistancetothesubject,buthiswouldbecommonwithmostTTLgunswhichwouldstruggletoquenchthe flash output for a macro shot at a wideaperture.

Mysecondtest,andperhapsmainobjective,waswiththeInonQuad flash. Christian Weikamp had toldmethattheunit‘might’workinTTLwiththeQuadeventhoughitislistedasnotcompatibleontheir

The Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converter installed on my Inon Quad flash and Subal ND20. Older flashguns like this will not communicate in iTTL but can be controlled on MTTL via the camera’s exposure compensation dial. This extends the range of manual power settings significantly – down to 1/32 power at -5EV.

Leopard spotted goby. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converter, ISO200 f16 1/60

Limacia clavigera nudibranch. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, Inon wet lens, Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converter, ISO200 f22 1/60


website.However,IwasquicklydisappointedonthisscoreastheQuadwould fire only on the pre-flash signal andthusleavemewithablankreviewscreen.Allwasnotlostofcourse,asthe unit can be configured to control the gun in ‘manual TTL’. A flick of adipswitchandsettingthecameratorearcurtainsynchnowgavemecontrol of the flash output through the exposurecompensationsettingsonthecamera–veryneat!Youhavetousethecamerainmanualmodeforthis to work, but it gives very flexible control of the flash power in fractions ofastopallthewaydownto-5EVwhichistheequivalentof1/�2power.SoIwasbacktomanualexposuresettingsbutwithafargreaterlevelofcontrol over the flash power. Not as convenientasTTLbutitdoesmeananewleaseoflifeforyourolderTTLflashguns if you want to continue to usethem.

In the final analysis we have to askourselvesifweneedordesireTTL flash control for our digital

systems. As with film, TTL is only reallyreliableinmacroorwithstandoff subjects that fill the frame and provide good reflection of light back tothecamera.TTLcanbemadetoworkinwideangleifyouarecarefulwithyourmainsubjectplacement,butfortheclassicwideanglecompositionwithanopenbluewaterbackgroundTTL will struggle and often fire the strobesatfullpower.PersonallyIhavenotfounditastruggletogetconsistentlyaccurateexposuresusingmanualsettingsandifyouarethesamethenthisconvertermaybeanexpensive luxury at €350. However, if I follow my upgrade path and find I needonetocontinueusingtheQuadflash effectively then for me it will be wortheverycent!

Mark Websterwww.photec.co.uk

Velvet swimming crab. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, Heinrichs Weikamp Nikon iTTL Converter, ISO200 f16 1/60

http://www.photec.co.uk


Iexpectthetitleofthisarticlewillbecausingabitofheadscratchingbutpleasebearwithme,thisisarelativelynewconceptbutonethatiswellworthconsideration.InthisarticleIwanttodiscusshowthecolourtemperatureofourstrobeshasthepotentialtoaffectthebackgroundwatercolourinourdigitalphotographs.

Itcertainlysoundsconfusingto begin with. How can firing a strobe thatilluminatesthesubjectandnotthewateralterthewatercolour?Itrequiresadifferentwayofthinkingaboutcolourinimagesbecauseoftheadjustablewhitebalanceofdigitalcameras.Thereforethisisadigitalissueandnotsomethingthatisrelevanttoslidephotography.

Ishouldalsosaythatthisisanarticleaboutsubtledifferences.Strobecolourtemperaturedoesnotmakedayornightdifferencestoimages,itis about that final polish. However, it is often those final finishing touches thatmakethedifferencebetweenthegoodandtheexcellent.Toignorethisissuemeansgivingupanimportant

Strobes and water colourBy Alexander Mustard

toolthatcontrolswatercolourinourimages.

I first raised this topic in UWP acoupleofyearsago,backinIssue�1,butIfeltitwasworthrevisitingindetail.Therootofthisphenomenonisthatthevariousunderwaterstrobesonsaleproducelightatdifferentcolourtemperaturesanddigitalcamerashaveadjustablewhitebalancethatreactstothis.

TokeepthingssimpleIamgoingtolumpstrobesintowarmcolouredandcoolcoloured–usingmyownstrobesasexamples.MySubtronicstrobesarewarmorredbiased(myAlphasproducelightat4�00KandthenewerMidisat4800K),whilemyInonstrobesarecoolbluebiased(myZ240produceslightat5500K).

Whenyoutakeapictureilluminatedby5500Kor4�00Klightyouwillneedawhitebalanceclosetothisvaluetorenderneutralcolours(seeFigure1).Thissettingisappliedtothewholeimage.Intherealworldthismeansthatbothstrobelitandnon-strobelitareasareaffected,andthereforestrobechoicecanaffectthebackgroundwatercolour(seeFigure2).Toprovethistoyourself,openuponeofyourownwideangleimagesinaRAWconverterandtrymovingthecolourtemperaturesliderbetween4�00Kand5500K.Ignoretheforegroundcolourandwatchhowmuchthewatercolourchanges.

Figure 1. The colours of these two test images are almost identical. The top image was lit with an Inon Z240 strobe and the lower one with a Subtronic Alpha. The top image required a white balance setting of 5500 K to produce this neutral look. The lower image needed a much lower setting of 4300 K to get the same neutral colours. Different underwater strobes produce light at different colour temperatures and therefore require different white balance settings to produce correct neutral colours. Apologies for the subject matter these were taken during my own tests.

Many factors influence the background water colours of our images, such as conditions and exposures. In this article I want to discuss the importance of strobe choice. Here I used warm Subtronic Alphas, which produce light at 4300 K. This image was processed with a colour temperature in the RAW converter of 4300 K, which rendered a correctly coloured foreground and rich blue background


Anotherwaytoexplainthisconceptistocomparethesimilaritiesand differences between film anddigital.Onbothmediathemainfactorsthatwillcontrolthebackgroundcolourwegetinourphotosareenvironmentalconditions(watercolour,depth,climaticconditionsetc),cameraangle,lensandexposure.

On film we have another importantfactortoconsider.Filmchoice. Certain films are well known tomakebigdifferencesinthewatercolourtheyrecord.EvenwithintheKodakstablephotographersusedtospendmuchtimedebatingthedifferencesbetweenthetruelookofKodachromebluescomparedwiththerichroyalbluesthatEktachromedeliveredinthesameconditions.Stunningbluebackgroundswereknownas‘Ektachromeblue’formanyyears.

Whenshootingslidesstrobecolourtemperaturemadenodifferencetothewatercolour.Ifweusedawarmerstrobethentheonlyeffectwouldbewarmerhuesintheforegroundlitbyastrobe.Thebackgroundwouldremainunaffected.Thiswas/isapopulartechnique,withmanyphotographersfavouringwarmstrobes or warm filtered strobes to improvetheskintonesofpeopleintheirimages.

Digitalisdifferent.An

Figure 2. These two available light images are the same shot – simply processed at different white balance values. Compare the blue water colour – the difference is small but is clearly a richer blue in the lower frame. The upper frame is at 5500 K (the value required for the Inon in Figure 1) and the lower frame is at 4300 K (the value required for the Subtronic in Figure 1).

Figure 3. Compare the water colour in these two images that were taken at the same time with the same camera, lens and exposure. Nikon D2X + Tokina 10-17mm @ 10mm. F9 @ 1/50th. Single strobe. The only difference is the strobe used for each. In a) I used a warm light producing Subtronic and for b) I used a cool light producing Inon. If I had taken these images on slide film, both background colours would be the same colour, but the foreground in a) would be warmer coloured than the foreground in b). As these were shot on digital, the white balance is adjusted so that the foreground is correctly coloured and neutral (note that the sand on the sponge is white in both). However the background water colours are noticeably different because of the different white balance settings required. The warm strobe produces a rich blue background, while the cool strobe produces a murkier blue.

approximate analogy to film choice is thecamera’sadjustablewhitebalance.Shootingunderwater,adigitalcamerawilltrytomaketheforegroundsubjectappearneutral,decidingontheappropriatewhitebalancesettingforeachshotbasedonthecolourtemperatureoftheforeground


illumination.WhenyouadjustwhitebalanceintheRAWconverteryouaredoingthesamething.Sincedifferentstrobesrequiredifferentwhitebalancesettings(thereforeaffectingthecolourofthewaterinyourimages)–strobechoice on digital is comparable to film choiceonslide.

Torunthroughanexample,ifweusewarmstrobesthentheforegroundsubjectwillappeartothecamera(orto us white balancing the RAW file inpostprocessing)astoowarmandthewhitebalancewillbeusedtocooltheimage(theKelvinvaluewillbelowered).Importantlythisadjustmentisappliedtotheentireimage.Coolingthewhitebalanceresultsinacorrectlookingforegroundandbluerbackground.Ifweusecoolstrobesthentheforegroundwillbetoocoolandthecamera(orus)willattempttowarmitupwiththewhitebalance.Thiswillagainresultinacorrectlookingforegroundandalessbluebackground.YoucanseethisvisuallyintherealworldexampleinFigure�.

Itisclearfromtheexamples(Figures2&�)thattheeffectissubtle,butthisdifferencewillthereinallyourimages.TheonlydifferencebetweenthetwoshotsinFigure�wasthetypeofstrobeIused.Oncetheforegroundsareadjustedtothecorrectneutralcoloursthebluesareclearlydifferent.

Manyofyoumaynowbe

worryingthatyouhavethewrongstrobes–don’t.Wedon’thavetosettleforwhatthemanufacturersgiveus–wecanwarmandcoolourstrobesbyattachinglightinggelstothem.Lightinggelsarenotexpensive(becausetheyarenotmadetoopticalquality like lens gel filters) and can be bought easily from film and theatre lightingsuppliers.Comparedwithtypical underwater lens filters, the strength of filter required is very weak –tochangeanInonZ240(5500K)tomatchandIkeliteDS200orDS125(4900K)youneeda+22Miredshift colour conversion filter – a Lee (Number444)EighthCTStrawFilteris perfect and can simply be cut to fit the strobe. To see how mild a filter thisis,havealookatFigure4whereI have compared this filter with some common underwater lens filters.

Wehaveseenthatwarm

strobelightingforcesacoolerwhitebalanceontheimagewhichrendersricherbluesinthebackground.Thereforeitfollowsthatanyfactorinourphotographictechniquethatlessensthewarmthoftheforegroundilluminationwillreducetherichnessoftheblue.Ifwearetoofarfromoursubjectthelightreachingitwillbecoolerandtheimagewillrequirewarmerwhitebalance,weakeningtheblue.Thisisacommonsymptominmanyunderwaterimages.Similarlyifweareshootingabalancedlightimageandweusetoolittlestrobeonthesubject(sothatthesubjectisilluminatedbyamixofstrobeandambientlight)thebluewillbelessrich,ifwetryandcorrecttheforegroundcolours.

SofarIhaveonlyconsideredbluewatershooting.Whathappenswhenwegetintogreenerwaters?If

Figure 4. This is photo of some filters on a lightbox. Note that the strength of filter 1, a Lee 444 Filter - required to adjust a Inon at 5500K to a IkeliteDS125 equalling 4900 K is much, much weaker than other standard lens filters for underwater photography. It is also cheaper to buy as it is not made to optical quality. For information: 2 is Magic Filter, 3 is CC50Red, 4 is Wratten 22 and 5 is Auto-Magic Filter.

weusewarmstrobesingreenwaterourforegroundsareagainabittoowarmrequiringacoolingofthewhitebalancetocreateaneutralforegroundlook.Ifwecooldowngreenwaterweactuallypushitawayfromgreentowardsablue-greencolour(Figure5).

Personally,whenIshootingreenwatersIliketotryandrecordarichgreencolourandwarmstrobeserodethis.InsteadIprefercoolerstrobes,liketheInons.Acoolstrobewillrequireawarmerwhitebalancesetting,whichwillincreasethegreennessofthegreens,producingthatdesirableemeraldlook.Againyoucanprovethistoyourselfwithyourownimages.OpenupagreenwaterwideangleimageinyourRAWconverterandtrymovingthecolourtemperaturesliderbetween4�00Kand5500K.Ignoretheforegroundcolourandwatchhowmuchthewatercolourchanges.

PersonallyIhavequiteabi-polarviewoftheocean’smanycolours:Ilikemybluestoberichbluesandmygreenstoberichgreens.However,manyphotographersdivingingreenwatersactuallylikethemtolookquiteblue.HereintheUKphotographersoftenwaitforthebluestconditionsbeforeshootingwideangle,bluewatermakestemperatewaterlookparticularlyinviting!Eitherwayitisimportanttoappreciatetheimportance


ofstrobechoiceinthisregard.Ifyouwanttoenhanceanybluenessinyourtemperatewatersgowithawarmstrobe,ifyouwanttoboostitsemeraldgreen,thenacoolstrobeisbetter.

Iamcertainthatmanyofyouwillbereadingthisarticlethinking“Whyworry?IcanadjustitallinPhotoshopanyway.”Thisistrue,butIbelievethatitisimportanttostrivetogetthebestpossibleresultsfromthecameraforseveralreasons.First,thereistheethicalconsiderationofpresentingimagesasshotaswellaspersonalsatisfaction.Perhapsmorerelevanttodayistheimagequalityissue.Strongindividualcolour

adjustmentseitherinPhotoshoporeveninaRAWconverterareoneofmostdamagingadjustmentstoimagequality,introducingplentyofcolournoise,particularlyingradients.Second,thereisatimeissue.IrecentlynotedthatmyNikonD2Xhadtaken9�000photos,nearlyallofthese underwater. Even if a colour fix takeslessthan10secondsapplyingitsoonmountsupifyoutakealotofimages.Mostphotographerswhoshootalotsoonlearntodiscardanyimagesthatwillcostadditionalprocessingtime.Itmakessensetomakeadjustmentstoyourshootingtechniquethatminimiseyourcomputingrequirements.

Figure 5. These two frames show the same green water image processed at different white balance values. This image was lit by my Subtronics and the upper frame at 4300 K, produces a neutral foreground. However this setting has “blued” the green water considerably. The lower frame is processed at 5500 K, which has produced a greener water colour. However, this white balance has also made the foreground lighting too warm. Had I used my Inon strobes for this photo, then I would have been able to combine the green background of the lower frame with the neutral foreground of the upper frame.

Theothercrucialconcludingcommentisthattherearenorightsorwrongswhenitcomestowatercolours,onlypersonalpreference.AsIsaidabove,Ilikemygreenstobegreenandmybluestobeblue.That’sme,andforthisreasonIusemycoolInonsingreenwatersandmywarmSubtronicsinbluewaters.Youmaywellbedifferent.

Whenweallshotslides,ourchoice of film stock had an important effectonthewatercoloursrecordedinourimages.Thesedaysitisthecolourtemperatureofourstrobesthathasasimilareffect.Neitherfactormakesamassivedifference,buttheiraffectisplaintoseeineveryimagewetake.

Understandingtheimportanceofthecolourtemperatureofyourstrobesisverymuchlikechoosingthecorrectfilm stock to achieve the look you areafter.Itisoneofthesmallfactorsthatcanmakethedifferencebetweengettinganearlyimageandtheoneyoureallywanted.

Alexander Mustardwww.amustard.com

In temperate seas I like to try and capture rich emerald green backgrounds. Cooler strobe lighting forces the camera to warm the image with its white balance which enriches the greens. In comparison to Figure 5, note how this image, taken with Inon strobes, has a neutral foreground and a rich green background. Nikon D2X +105mm VR. Subal housing. Inon Z240 strobes. 1/50th @ F14.


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Ijumpedoutoftheboatandfinned furiously to maintain pace with the6mlong,whitespottedobjectnexttome.AfteraminuteorsoIhadtogiveupandletitcontinueonitsleisurelyjourneysiftingplanktoninthewarmwatersoftheGulfofTadjourah.Itwasonlymysecondsightingofawhalesharkin15yearsofdiving,thepreviousonebeingabriefencounteratRasNasRaniaftersurfacingfromamacrodivewithno frames left on my film camera. ThistimeIwasmuchbetterpreparedwitha12mm-24mmSigmalensinmySubalND70housingandplentyof space on my compact flash card. LikeRasNasRanithisencounterwasalsoshortbutitwhettedtheappetiteandtherewerestillseveraldiving/snorkellingdaystogo.Forsomeothers on board it had been their first meetingwithawhalesharkandtherewasagreatbuzzofexcitementoverthebreakfasttableattheprospectoffurtherencounterstocome.

DjiboutihasrecentlybecomeknowninthedivingcommunityfortheconcentrationofjuvenilewhalesharkstobefoundintheGulfofTadjourah(sometimescalledtheDevil’sCauldron)roughlybetween

the months of October and January. Itwasthehighpossibilityofseeingthese magnificent beasts close up and takingphotosofthemthatpersuadedmetobookonDjiboutiDivers1forthemidNovembertripthroughTonyBackhurst. The flight to Djibouti, via Paris,takesabout9hoursonDaalloAirlines,currentlytheonlyoperatorthatservicesDjibouti.ThereportsofDaalloIhadreadonlineleftmeabit apprehensive about the flight but, whileitwasnítthemostcomfortablejourneywithpoorfoodandnoinflight entertainment except for the musicalchairswhenmorepassengersgotonatParis,itwasalotbetterthanIhadexpected.

The first couple of days on board DjiboutiDivers1werespentdivingthecoralreefsoftheGulf.Ihadhopedthatasdivetourismhasyettohave significant impact on Djibouti, thereefswouldbeinnearpristineconditionwithalargevarietyanddensityofmarinelifesimilartothatfoundfurtherupthecoastinSudan.Unfortunatelythatwasnotquitethecase.Thereefswerecertainlyinverygoodconditionbutmostlycoveredinvariousshadesofdullbeigecoralwithnoneofthebrightlycoloured

softcoralsfoundfurthernorthintheRedSea.Havingsaidthatthereefswerepatrolledbyanumberofrathercamerashyhumpheadwrasseandsomesiteshadhugenumbersofjuvenile blue trigger fish on them and largeshoalsofrainbowrunners.Afewofthegroupalsosawaloneturtleandashoalofbarracuda.

Ononedivewecameacrossagroupofdiversfromanotherboatthatwereinacircleholdinghandsandpeeringintoacreviceinthereef.

Itookacloserlooktoseewhatwasattractingtheirattentionbutcametotheconclusionthattheywerenítlookingatanythinginparticularbuttakingpartinsomekindofceremony.Perhapstheywereprayingforwhalesharksightings.Ifsoitcertainlyworkedforourpartyofdivers.

Onourthirddaywesplitintotwogroupsandwentwhalesharkspotting in the small fibre boats that aretowedbehindthemainboat.Ourdiveguidesandcrewscannedthe

Juvenile Giants of Djiboutiby Morris Gregory

A snorkelling photographer tries to keep pace with the whale shark, 1/20th, f6.3

All underwater shots were taken on a Nikon D70 in a Subal housing with aSigma 12-24 lens at the 12mm end of the range, using aperture priority mode,iso 200, available light only.


waves for the tell tale sign of a dorsal or tail fin breakingthesurface.Thewaterwasquitechoppymaking this a difficult task and after half an hour or sowehadseennosightofawhaleshark.Thesunwasbeatingdownonusrelentlesslysothediversintheotherboatdecidedtogoforasnorkeltocooloff.Itturnedouttobeafortunateandbrilliantdecision.Afteronlyacoupleofminutesinthewaterwecouldseefromourboatthatleisurelyandaimlesssnorkellinghadsuddenlybecomeamuchmorepurposefulactivity.Armswereraisedintheairtosignalawhalesharkhadbeensightedandlegs propelled fins as quickly as possible to get to thesceneoftheaction.Ourboatchuggedslowlyovertojointheothersandwewerealsotreatedtoour first Djibouti encounter with a whale shark. It mayëonlyíhavebeenabout6mlongbutwasaveryimpressivesightaswitnessedbythebeamingfacesofeverybodyastheyclamberedbackontotheboattomanoeuvreintopositionforanothermeeting.

During that first encounter the whale sharks swamalongatwhatlookedlikeapedestrianpacebutitwasdeceptivelyfast.AfterI’dsnorkelledhardtokeepupwiththemtotakesomephotosandhauled myself into the fibre boat a few times I was exhaustedbutneverthelesselated.

Thefollowingdayprovedtobeevenbetteraswefoundnotonebutatleastsixwhalesharksclosetoshore.SocloseinfactthataftersnorkellingwithoneofthemIwasabletostandupinthewaterandwatchthroughmymaskforthenextonetocomedriftingby.Duringthisencountertheyoftenstoppedandtookseveralgulpsofplanktonrichwaterbeforecarryingonagain,greatfortakingphotos.AtonepointIhadsnorkelledouttooneofthemandwasconcentratinghardongettingthecompositionIwanted, with the fish opening it’s huge mouth, whensuddenlyIfeltabumpagainsttheinsideofmythigh.Iquicklylookeddowntoseeawhalesharkrightbeneathmeandrealisedithadmade

contact with its dorsal fin. Almost immediately I feltasecondbumpasthistimeitstailgentlysweptagainsttheoutsideofmyleg.Ourdiveguides,LionelandEmily,hadbriefedustolookatbutnottotouchthesegentlegiantsandwehadallobeyedtheseinstructionsreligiously.However,whenoneofthemdecidestopurposelynudgeyououtoftheway,thereisnothingthatcanbedonetoavoiditsoIjustrelaxedandacceptedtheexperience.

Overtheseveraldaysofsnorkellingourgroupgaveuptryingtocountthenumberofindividualwhalesharkswesaw,probablyadozenormore,and ran out of fingers and toes to assess the total numberofencounters.Wejustenjoyedeverymomentofit,especiallywhenthesharkssloweddownalittleallowingforphotostobetakenfromavarietyofanglesandatverycloserange.AttimesIwasnomorethanafootorsoawayfromthemouthofthem,onlyrealisingjusthownearIwaswhentakingmyhousingawayfrommyeye.

One of the two fibreglass boats used to take us to the diving/snorkelling sites.

Our well appointed liveaboard boat.A fleeting glimpse of a whale shark as it passes by the boat


Thewhalesharkswereníttheonlycreaturesthatgotupcloseandpersonal.Therewerealsolargenumbersoforangecolouredfreeswimmingcrabsthatadoptedtheìattackisthebestmethodofdefenceîstrategy.Theniptheygavewiththeirclawswasmoreofanirritationthananything but at one point I did find myselfadornedwithacrabearring.Similarcrabrelatedstoriesweresharedbyothermembersofthegroupovertheeveningmealswhichwerealwaysexcellent.Thewhalesharkshadtheirownwayofdealing

withthesecreatures,onoccasiontheywouldgulpdownafewwiththeplanktonandrealizingtheyhadsomethingcrunchyandinedibleintheirmouthswouldcoughthembackupagainwithsomeforce,thecrabsspinningarounduncontrollablyinthewater.

I had taken some ëmagic filtersí withmeforthetripanddebatedwithacoupleoftheotherphotographersonboardwhethertousethemwiththewhalesharks.Opinionwasdividedonwhethertheywouldbehelpfulattheshallowdepthswewouldbetaking

photos.Idecidedtogowithouttostartwith,preferringtheextrastopofexposureIwouldgetbydoingsointhefairlymurkywater,onlychangingmymindiftheresultshadtoomuchofacolourcast.Iwaspleasedwiththe first download of pictures to the laptopsocontinuedwithoutthem.Otherswhohadoptedforthemagicfilter also got good but slightly warmerresultssoitwasreallyjustaquestionofpersonaltaste.

Ourencountersduringthedaywerefantasticbutwewerealsotreatedtothesightofawhaleshark

All underwater shots were taken on a Nikon D70 in a Subal housing with a Sigma 12-24 lens at the 12mm end of the range, using aperture priority mode, iso 200, available light only.


atnightrightnexttoourmooredupboat.Thelightsfromtheboatattractedtheplanktonandthewhalesharktookadvantageoftheeasymeal.Weweretoldthatshiningtorchesatthewhalesharkorsettingoffourcamerastrobeswouldfrightenitawaysoanyunderwaterphotographywouldhavetobeusingtheavailablelightfromtheboatonly.However, flash photography was allowed from the boat,sowhileafewpeoplesnorkelledwiththesharkandsomemanagedtogetgoodvideofootageofit,Istayedonboardand,fromthedeck,tookafewshotsofitswallowingvastquantitiesofwater,expellingmostofitthroughitsgillsandconsumingtheplanktonthatwasleftbehind.

The final highlight of our Djibouti trip was onlandratherthanunderwater,anexcursiontoLakeAssal.Itísoneofthesaltiestlakesintheworldandalsooneofthelowestat155mbelowsealevel.Reputedlyitisalsothehottestplaceon

The 750 metre deep gorge andsurrounding area on the way to Lake Assal.

A wide angle view of the salt flats of lake Assal

Earthwithtemperaturesreachingupto60cinthesummermonths.Fortunatelywewerethereinwinterandthetemperaturewasanalmostbearable�5c.OnthewaytotheLakewestoppedoffattheDjiboutianequivalentoftheGrandCanyon,a750mgorgecarvedthroughtherocksthatprovidedamagnificent spectacle, particularly for those without a fear of heights. Just before reaching the lake we wereshownageothermalareaofhotbubblingwatersthatprovidedareminderofthevolcanicnatureofthesurroundinglandscape.Therewereeven some small fish in the waters that seemed to thriveintemperaturesof80corso.Thelakeitselfisborderedbyavastshorelineofwhitesaltandgypsumthatcontrastswiththeblues,greensandpinksofthewaterandthehazyblueofthedistantmountains.Saltisstillharvestedcommerciallyatthelakebutthelocalshavealsoturnedtheirattentiontothetouristtrade,sellingavarietyofsalt

sculpturesandcrystallinerocks,apleasantchangefromthemassproducedtrinketsatmosttouristdestinations.

IsuspectthatDjiboutiisunlikelytobecomeaplaceofmassdivertourisminthesamewaythatSharmElSheikandotherpartsofthenorthernRedSeahavebutthealmostguaranteedpresenceofwhalesharkswillundoubtedlytemptafewmoreliveaboardoperatorstothearea.Myadvicewouldbetogonowwhiletheonlyotherdiversyouarelikelytoseeunderwaterareonesfromthesameboatasyourself.

Morris Gregorywww.morrisphoto.org.uk

Join now as Charter memver and you will be part of our quest for discoveries and a partner in the conservation of our ocean planet. You will be eminently recognised for sharing our vision with your name inserted in all future editions of Ocean Geographic and in the web domain of Ocean Geographic Society.

Membership Benefits:Four issues - Ocean Geographic JournalFree pass to the World Festival of Underwater Pictures - Antibes Free Master pass to ‘Celebrate the Sea Festival’Ocean Geographic Limited edition print - (Dec 2008)Membership to OneOcean Alliance Frequent Diver program - 1000 bonus pointsAustralia and Singapore A/S$50 per yearCharter Member International: USD88 (airmail) or Classic One year subscription for Ocean Geographic - USD 68 (airmail)www.OceanGeographic.org : www.OGSociety.org

Ocean Geographic is a high quality photographic journal that features the finest arts and images of the sea. Each edition of Ocean Geographic is a visual adventure of discoveries, exploration and dives into provoking issues that guarantee to inform, inspire and invigorate. The board of editors and senior contributors are comprised of Michael AW, David DOUBILET, Dr Gerry ALLEN, Doug PERRINE, Dr Carden WALLACE, Emory KRISTOF, Stan WATERMAN, Dr Alex MUSTARD, Jennifer HAYES, Christopher LEE, WYLAND and Amos NACHOUM.

‘Ocean Geographic’ - its wonderful! Fabulous imagery, reproduction and features - pure class! I’m still enjoying it!

Gemma Webster, Competition OfficerShell Wildlife Photographer of the Year, The Natural History Museum, UK

42/45www.uwpmag.com

Join now as Charter memver and you will be part of our quest for discoveries and a partner in the conservation of our ocean planet. You will be eminently recognised for sharing our vision with your name inserted in all future editions of Ocean Geographic and in the web domain of Ocean Geographic Society.

Membership Benefits:Four issues - Ocean Geographic JournalFree pass to the World Festival of Underwater Pictures - Antibes Free Master pass to ‘Celebrate the Sea Festival’Ocean Geographic Limited edition print - (Dec 2008)Membership to OneOcean Alliance Frequent Diver program - 1000 bonus pointsAustralia and Singapore A/S$50 per yearCharter Member International: USD88 (airmail) or Classic One year subscription for Ocean Geographic - USD 68 (airmail)www.OceanGeographic.org : www.OGSociety.org

Ocean Geographic is a high quality photographic journal that features the finest arts and images of the sea. Each edition of Ocean Geographic is a visual adventure of discoveries, exploration and dives into provoking issues that guarantee to inform, inspire and invigorate. The board of editors and senior contributors are comprised of Michael AW, David DOUBILET, Dr Gerry ALLEN, Doug PERRINE, Dr Carden WALLACE, Emory KRISTOF, Stan WATERMAN, Dr Alex MUSTARD, Jennifer HAYES, Christopher LEE, WYLAND and Amos NACHOUM.

‘Ocean Geographic’ - its wonderful! Fabulous imagery, reproduction and features - pure class! I’m still enjoying it!

Gemma Webster, Competition OfficerShell Wildlife Photographer of the Year, The Natural History Museum, UK


Ichosethetitlemoreforitsoxymoronicinferencethananyotherreason.ForintruththechancesthatyouwillseeatleastonePygmyperdayarealmostashighasseeingclown fish. As a dive guide told me atonepointoverapintofBingTang,“Mate,everyonecomesherelookingforTHEPygmyshotbutthere’ssomuchmorehere.”Andhewassoright.

Wereallydidseeseahorsesalmosteveryday.Somepregnant,somemorecolorfulthanothersbuttherealdrawtoWakatobiiswhatit’sknownfor;theeverreachingspectacularcoralreefs.Youwillstartaround6:�0inthemorninginordertogiveenoughtimeforbreakfastbeforeyour first dive briefing; some of us werealreadyupat5:�0downloadingpicturesfromourmemorycardstopreparefortheday.Itmaysoundearlybutsince9PMisWakatobimidnightit’snottoogrueling.Mosteveryoneisintheirbungalowsby9andasleepnottolongafterwards.Somediverswilltendtostayabitlonger at the Bar on the Jetty some nights.Butforthemostpartitwaslightsoutat9.

Adiveguidefromyourboatwill

give the ever so brief dive briefing and thenyou’reofftotheboat.Thelocalcrewnotonlytakescareofyoureveryneed,includingcarryingyourcamerageartotheboat,butiftheyhearyournamejustoncetheywillcommitittomemory.Eachboathas2diveguides,onecaptainandlocalcrewthatinsistonswappingyourtanks,assistindonningyourgearandwillbringyouwater,cookiesandsandwichesaftereachdive.Infact,unlessyoudoahousereefdive,youwon’ttouchyour 1st stage after your very first dive.Thereareonly12diversperboat(notincludinganysnorkelers)withtheratioofguidetodiverkeptat1:6.Thisleavesampleroomtomoveaboutontheboataswellasaidinginkeepingtheunderwaterspacefromgettingtoocramped.Allthediveboatsventureofftodifferentdivesites

alsoalleviatinganycongestionunderwater.

Thediveguidesyouhaveonthe first day will be the same dive guidesyou’llhavefortherestofthetrip.Sometimestherewillbeasubstitution.AsinourcasemanagementfeltthattheyhadtogiveAlexandRamone,ourguides,adayoff.Roelwasourpinchhittingdiveronthosedays.Allthreediveguidesweresuperbinpointingoutallthecritters,largeandsmall.It’salwaysworthtakingamomenttoalertyourguideastowhatyourplanondoingwithregardstoyourshooting.Ifyoutellhimorheryouwanttohangbackaftereachsightingandwaitforotherstoview,he’llunderstandandwillgiveyouyourtimeandspacewhilstleadingotherstothenextattraction.

Astandarddivedaywillconsist

WakatobiBy Michael Wicks

Reef and DiverCanon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 17mm EF17-85 IS USM, DS51 single Strobe, 1/100, F5.6, ISO 400

42/47www.uwpmag.com

of2divesinthemorning,abreakforlunchandthenonediveintheafternoon.Althoughthisdoesn’tsoundlikealotofdives,eachdivelastedonaverage55-60minuteswithsomebreakingthe70minutemark.You’lldoallyoursafetystopswhilststillviewingcreaturesandcrittersaswellasthereef.Itreallydoesn’tgetmuchbetterthanthat.Afterreturningfromthe�rddiveyou’refreetodoatwilightdive.Wakatobi’ssecurityconstantlymonitorsthehousereeffromabout7inthemorningtoabout7atnighthelpingtokeepyousafeandsecurewhilstinthewater.Thelocalcrewwillassistyouwithgettingyourgearandyououttothebeach.Fromthereyoucaneithertakeawatertaxiorjustswimouttothehousereef.Thehousereefstartslessthan50’fromshore.Noneofthereviewscomeclosetotrulyportrayingitsincrediblebeauty.Spotted Rays, brilliant coral, and clown fish abound right under the Jetty as does the house octopus. He

mustlikethemusicfromtheBarashe’smadeithishome.Ifyoutimeitrightyoucanascendrightnexttothebartenderandhe’llhaveyourdrinkwaitingforyou.

Everyonegetsonenightdive.Onthatdayyou’llskipyourafternoondivefromtheboat.Somewillgoforadiveonthehousereef,takeoutthekayaks,snorkel,ortakeinamassage.Youwon’tgowrongwithanyofthesechoices.Fairwarning,however,asthereare“massagemiser”outtherewhowillsignupformassageseverydaywithin

Clown FishCanon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 100mm macro, DS51 single Strobe, 1/125, F2.8, ISO 200

Pygmy SeahorseCanon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 100mm macro, DS51 single Strobe, 1/125, F2.8, ISO 200

Crocodile Fish Canon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 100mm macro, DS51 single Strobe, 1/200, F3.2, ISO 200

themomentsofarrivingontheisland.Sosignupquickly.

WaktobiDivesitesincludeNuniaDanir,Pastel,“�8”,Pinacles,TableCoral,SpiralCorner,Pockets,andCornucopiatonameafew.Oneofmy


favorites,though,wasSandyChute.Onthisdiveyou’lldescenddowntoasandybottomwhereyou’llseeeels,lion fish, puffers, flounders, sea moths. Iwasmesmerizedbytheseamoth’sbehavior.IcouldbarelytearmyeyesawayfromthemuntilIsawaclassiccleaningstation.ThescenewasrightoutofPixar’s“ASharkTale.”Alionfish swam in one side where a dozen orsocleanershrimpwenttoworkonhim.Afterwardsheswamoutmakingroomforthenextcustomer.

Manyofthedivesaredriftdives.TherearenoridesatDisneylandthatcanrivaldriftdivingalongWakatobi’sreefsataleisurelyrateof2-�knots.Inmanycasesthecurrentchangessodramatically,asifsensingourdivewashalfover,itreverseditselfandsweptusbacktowhereweinserted.

Twogroupsnotmorethan50’awayfromeachotherwillseecompletelydifferentlifeformsontheexactsamedive.Therewouldbealotofooh’ingandah’ingduringour

surfaceintervalsasweallcomparedandcontrastedourpicturesshowingotherswhatwesawthattheydidn’tandviceverse.

I was finally able to get a decent, useableshotonthelastdiveofmylastdayatasitecalledPockets.Wesaw4seahorses,butIconcentratedonthefirst one. A little too much I think, as I wentintodecomodewhilstshooting.Iascendedto20’andcontinuedontocatchupwiththegroup.Ramone,ourdiveguide,motionedformeto

comebackdowntoabout40’toseesomething.Knowingthatmydecotimewaseverincreasing,Imadeitaquickdescenttoview.ItwasworthitasIwasabletoseethepregnantseahorse.Itwasjustso“tedious”ascendingtomydecostopdepths,havingtoswimaroundforanextra15minutesviewingmoreandmorebrilliant coral colors and lion fish than oneshouldbeallowedtoseeatonetime.

ThegroupIwastravelingsetmany firsts at Wakatobi. Probably the most prolific being the first group to have a member fall off the Jetty Bar. The Jetty Bar is the happy hour placetobe.Welltruthbetold,it’stheonlyplacetobeifyou’renotdivingoreating.Ifyoutimeitrightyoucansurfaceatthebarafterthehousereefdiveandthebartenderwillhaveyourdrinkwaitingforyou.

IwouldbequiteremissifIdidn’tcommentonthedivestaffandlocalworkers.Theguideshailedfromallovertheworld.WeweresurroundedbyKiwis,Aussies,Brits,AustriansandBelgiumtonameafew.Ourdiveguides,Alex,Ramone,andRoelwerenotonlyextremelyknowledgeable,butalsoextremelypatientwithusphotographers,andmorethanwillingtolistentoourneeds.Wendy,ourhostessextradinairandorganizer,madesurewewereallcontentandsawtooureveryneedonland.The

Reef and DiverCanon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 17mm EF17-85 IS USM, DS51 single Strobe, 1/100, F5.6, ISO 400

Rock FishCanon Rebel xTi, Ikelite housing, 78mm EF17-85 IS USM, DS51 single Strobe, 1/160, F5.6, ISO 200

42/49www.uwpmag.com

localcrewwasamazingaswell.AllarelearningEnglishandalwayswithasmileontheirfaces.

Thefoodwasamazingandbountiful.AlthoughIpersonallydidn’tgainweight,itwasextremelyeasytodoso.Themenuforlunchanddinnerwaseverchanging.OneafternoonIsawalocalmancarrying2hugeTuna’s.WhenIaskedoneofthediveguidesaboutit,hiseyeslitupandhebeamed“Mmm.LookslikeTunaSashimitonight.”ItwasTHEfreshestsashimiI’vehadinalongtime.Therereallyissomethingonthemenuforeveryone.Shouldyoudecidethatyouwanttodineoutside,thereareafewtablesalongsidethediningbuilding,andWendywon’thesitatetobringoutcandlesandplacesettingstocompletetheoutdoorambiance.

Onyourlastdayyou’lldiveinthemorning.Thenintheafternoonyou’llhavetheopportunitytovisitthevillageontheothersideoftheisland.Bringsomerupees(thelocalsdon’ttakeothercurrency)ifyouwanttobuyhandmadesarongs.Butprepareyourselfasthisvilliageisjustemergingfrom what can only be classified as 3rd world status. WakatobiDiveresortisdoingtheirbesttohelpthembyprovidingelectricity,education,arranging

formedicalcareandhelpingtobuildnewhousesandschools.Itwasanincredibleexperiencethoughandallthevillagerswerekindandthechildrenloveposingforpicturesandfollowingyouaroundtotalkanddescribethings.

It would be extremely difficult to find anything negativeabouttheresortorthepeopleinWakatobi.Thecameraroomisnotonlysetupperfectlyformanyshootersbutit’salsothecoldestroomontheisland.Theyalsohavealoungewithonecomputerthathasinternet access and wifi inthelonghouse.Buttheinternetisveryslowandsometimesdoesn’tworksodon’tstressovernotgettingthatemailout.Someotherthingsshouldbenotedbeforeyougo.1)110-120isonlyavailableintheCameraroomIhighly

recommendbringingalongadapterssoyoucanchargeyouriPodandbatteriesinyourroom.2)IfyoudochargebatteriesintheCameraRoomplanonittakingabout24hoursandforyourbatteriestogetextremelyhot.�)ThisisaresortBUTtheairconditioningisjustenoughtomakeitmanageablyatnighttosleep.AsourorganizerWendystated“it’sgoodbutit’snotAmericanindustrialstrengthA/C.”Ifoundthatbytruemidnightitwasquitepleasantinourbungalow.4)Nitroxisavailablebutit’skindofexpensive.IoriginallysignedupbutthendecidednottoogothatrouteandIwasoneofthediversstayinguppastWakatobimidnight.

Over all Wakatobi is a definite must visit resort.Thestaff,theservice,andthedivingistopnotchandworthallthehoursintheairtogetthere.

Michael [email protected]


Thelastbestplace.NaturalWonder.HeartofDiversity.ThenewMeccafordivers.SomanysuperlativeshavebeenheapeduponIndonesia’sRajaAmpatregionthatIwasabitskeptical.ButwhenTheSeahorse’scruisedirectorAlbertoReijacalledmeandtoldmeaboutanexploratorycruisetoTritonBayandotherRajaregionsItoldhimIwasin.Ihadtoseethisplaceformyself.Andyouknowwhat?It’sreallygooddiving.Itisallthatit’scrackeduptobe.It’saprettyspecialplace.

Butwhatwasevenmorespecialwastheareaweexploredatthestartofthetrip.ThiswasTritonBayandFakFak.Andit’ssimplyamazing.Reefsinthisoddlynamed“coraltriangle”includetractsoffthecoastsofIndonesia,Malaysia,thePhilippines,PapuaNewGuinea,theSolomonIslandsandEastTimor.Theyaretheocean’smorediverseandarehometoroughly600speciesofreef-buildingcoral.

Iwashappytogetthere.Ittookacoupleofdaystodoit.TritonBayhasyettobedivedregularlybyrecreationaldivers.Therearesomelocal planes that fly into Kaimana and FakFak but nothingontheorderofthosethatserviceplaceslikeManado. They’re just local flights in rather small planes.ButtheplacehassomuchpromisethatyouputupwithafewovernightsinBaliandBalikpapanandafewmorestopsalongtheway.

Thisiswherescientistskeeponbreakingtherecordofdiversityandnewspecies.ThisBird’sHeadregioninWesternPapua,whichispartofIndonesia,maybethemostbiologicallydiverseinalltheoceansaccordingtoscientistsfrom

ConservationInternational.Onesurveyrevealed20 corals, 24 fish and eight mantis shrimp believed to be new to science and they find more every time theygo.Evenlowlysportdiverscomeupwithneworveryoddcrittersonatypicaltrip.

Themostfamousmaybetheoddepaulettesharkthathasadaptedtothebottom.It’scalleda“walking”sharks.Therearealsodrabwrassethatmakecolorfulmalecourtingdisplays.Thisiscommonly called a flasher wrasse. MSY Seahorse is the first dive live aboard to start operating FakFakroutein2006.SincethenthecrewhasbeendiscoveringnewdivesitesoneveryvoyageintheFakFak-TritonBayarea.

Soweembarkedoneeveningforthehiddencovesandscenicbackdropsthatwouldbetheship’shomeportsforthenexttwoweeks.TheSeahorseisaroomyshipthatwasbuiltunderwatchfuleyes.Specialattentionwaspaidtotheshapeofthebowandkeelweightandothernauticalaspects.Soeventhoughitlookslikeatraditionalphinisi,itismuchmorestableandknifesthroughtheseasmorelikeamodernyacht.Theshiphasacruisingspeedof9-12knotstoensureswifttravel.Butthenaturalwoodstillcreaksabitandgivesitawarmandrustic

Exploring Uncharted FakFakWith Tim Rock and Miyuki Konda

(Top) The Seahorse rests in the straits at Triton Bay. Nearby are ancient cave paintings.(Right) Corals, crinoids and a gazillion fusiliers punctuate the dive at David’s Rock in the Iris Strait. (Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)

42/51www.uwpmag.com

feel.Itmadeasuperbdiveplatformforthiskindofadventure.

The fish and soft corals just in the shallows aroundSaruenusIslandwereabundant.Mostoftheislandsarelimestoneupliftsandoutcrops.Evenintheveryshallowwateronly�feetdeep,brilliantsoftcoralsabound.Theywerevisiblefromthediveboastasweenteredthewater.Thebeautyofagreatdealofthedivinghereisthatmanyofthesebaysandpassesaren’tdeep.60feetwasaboutasdeepaswewentonmanydivesandalotwereinthe20-40footarea.

ThenextdaywemovedtoAidumaIsland.Aswesatatanchorsippingcoffeeandpreparingfor the first dive of the day, a tiger shark was seen cruisingnearthesurfacerightbytheship.Notfarofftheship’sbowaninterestinglookingrockislandjuttedfromthesea.Wedecidedtoexploreitanditwastrulyawesome.Hugeblackcoralforests

ofattentionlatelybecauseitcontainsamixtureofdeepbasinsandshallowerwaters.Scientistsbelievethereasonforthediversityhereisthatglobalsealevelshaverisenandfallenoverthemillennia.Herebasinswouldhavebecomeisolated.Thiswouldcreateahabitatforspeciestoevolvedifferently.Thentheylaterreturnedtotheopenseaaswatersagainrose.

Anothercontributingfactorcouldbetheregion’sisolation.Fewpeoplelivehereandlargeforestsabound,depositingnutrientsintothesea.Fewpeopleandfoodmakeiteasierforuniquespeciesandecosystemstodevelopandsurvive.

Aswemadeourwaytoplacestoyoudon’treadaboutingeographybooks-Mengkawu,Dramai,Faukate,Nusurumi,IrisStrait-wesawfewpeopleandnovillages.AtDavid’sRock,namedafterthereveredDavidDoubiletofNationalGeographic,wobbegongsharkscrowdedunderbig

The Windows at Misool offers a great spot for the use of creative lighting. (Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)

Coral reef runs right up to the mangroves at Blue Water Mangrove. (Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)(Top right) Moving through the islands near Barunusu. (Sigma 10-20, Nikon D200 at 1/15 shutter speed)(Right) A brilliant yellow fan opens its polyps to feed at David’s Rock. (Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)

harboring shoals of sweepers and hungry lionfish coveredsomeofthebottom.Otherbouldershadbigstandssoftcorals,seafansandwallsoftubastreacorals.Thebrilliantredsofthesoftcoralsandthehotsalmonofthetubecoralsgavetheplaceakaleidoscopic effect. Currents brought out the fish. Itwasagreatdive.WhenItoldthecrewIalwayswantedadivesite,thepromptlynameditTim’sRock.Sweet.Wewentbackformoreandfoundsweetlips,bigjelliesandlotsmore.Whatagreatsurprise.

Thereappearstobealotofdiscoverieslikethisplacejustwaitingtobefound.Bird’sHeadPeninsulaalongthewesterntipisthefocusofalot


boulders.LookinglikesomethingoutofSesameStreet,thesesharkswereubiquitousunderthemanyledgesinthebays.Againshoalsoffusiliersroamedthereefsandanthiasplayedinthecurrents.Seasnakeswerealsoplentifulhere.

AtMomonthere’soneofthemostawe-inspiringnaturalsitesanyonecouldwishfor.Abigriverrunsdownthroughthecloud-coveredforest.ThisarelookslikeThailand’sPhi-PhiorPalau’sRockIslandson

steroids.Everythingisbig,fullandnatural.Thisriverfallsdirectlyintotheseamakingafantasticwaterfallrightattheocean’sedge.Snorkelerscanactuallypushthroughitandlookbackouttoseafrombehindthefalls.Itscoolandrefreshingandasensoryoverloadexperience.Oneofthecrewhikeduptheriverabitandsawararetreekangaroointhejungleaswell.

The instances of rarely seen fish andtheabundanceofmorecommonfish life is one of the main attractions.

Outstandingcorals,especiallythemulti-huedandoversizedsoftcorals,arealsoabigdrawforthesportdiver.Currentfedchannelsandinnerpasseskeepthecoralbloomingandgrowingataspectacularrate.Somesoftcoralsgrowjustbelowthesurfaceandattachtoeverythingfrommangroverootstorockislands.

TritonBayalsooffersanancienthistorythatcanbeseeninancientcavepaintings.Theseuplifteddrawingssitinaboardchannel.

Exposedstalactitesandstalagmitesgivewaytoodddrawings.Atthemouthofthischannelwespottedaresidentpodofpilotwhales.

Asweheadedbacktowardabitmoreofcivilization,famedMisoolmadethemacrobuffshappy.Oneachdiveweregularlyfoundcritters.Pygmyseahorsescameinmorethanonespecies,nudibranchs,devil scorpionfish, wonderpuss, frogfish, leaf fish, ornate ghost pipefish and some rarities including

A sea snake heads out of the arch at Triton Bay. Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes

The back of a sea cucumber carries this commensal shrimp at Little Komodo in Triton Bay. (Sigma Macro 50mm, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)


a sea fan pipefish were all snapped by eager photogs. Archerfish in the inNampele’sBlueWaterMangrovecameinschools.Wealsofoundthevery photogenic juvenile batfish. And floating along in perfect camouflage was a juvenile tripletail, a fish that comprisesbutasinglespecies.

Thedivinghereofferssomuchvariedtopographythattherereallywasneveradullmoment.Weexploredcaves,caverns,swim-throughs,walls,current-fedpoints,islands,channels,passes,rockfallsandlotsmore.Wedidn’tdiveanywrecksbutIbetthere’soneortwoofthoseaswell.

Thefutureforthisoddandnewregionisbrightasithascaughttheattentionofenvironmentalists.ManyconservationpartnersarenowworkingwiththeIndonesiangovernmenttoprotectthespecialareasoftheBird’sHeadpeninsulaandRajaAmpat.Itisthegoaltoseetheareamanagedinasustainableway.Withinevitabledevelopmentand increased fisheries, fishing using explosivesandcyanidewillsurfaceasithasinotherpartsofIndo,andwillhaveanegativeimpact.

Weanchoredinasecludedbay.Islandsfellintotheoceananddottedtheseascape.Small,idyllicbeacheswithahandfulofcoconutpalmswerebathedinthewarmglowofthesun.Aftertwoweeksofdivingthisrichnewvenue,weactuallywantedmore.Flyingoutthenextday,wecruisedhighovertheWestPapuanBird’sHead.Itsbeautyandisolationwillkeepitspecialforquiteawhileasitslowlygainsitspopularity.Maybethesmittenauthorsarecorrect.Itmaybethelastbestplace.

Tim Rockwww.doubleblue.com

Snorkeler Miyuki Konda glides past the Momon falls on snorkel. (Tokina 10-17, Nikon D200, Aquaitica Housing and Ikelite DS125 Strobes)

"It is always a joy to return. Hard to improve on perfection!"

Heather & Bud Sellick, USA, September 2007 (4th visit)

Kungkungan Bay ResortLembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

T. 62-431-817347, divekbr.com

UWPMAG_01_08 18/1/08 10:47 Page 1

http://www.eco-divers.com


Thoseofusofacertainagewillrememberthedayswhenourmother’susedtoplanthefamilymenubasedontheproduceavailableduringtheprevailingseason.Nowofcoursewehaveglobaldistributionanddeliveryofalmostanyfoodyoucanimagineatanytimeofyear,whichmeansthatwecanbuystrawberriesatChristmastimeintheUKforexample.Progresstobesure,butisitforthebest?DespitethegloomypredictionsofglobalwarmingtheseasonsdostillprevailinthetemperateseasaroundmyhomecoastlineofCornwallintheUK.Thesechangesprovideaninterestingvarietyofdifferentphotographicsubjectstobepursueddependantonthetimeofyear.

Althoughtherearehundredsofexcellentdive sites around this coastline, I find that I make manyofmydivesintwoofthebaysinthisarea–FalmouthBayandPorthcurnoBay,whichisclosetoLandsEnd.Bothoftheseareasofferdifferingtopographiesandhabitatsandbetweenthemofferalmostthewholeselectionofmarinelifeyouarelikelytoencounterelsewhereonthiscoast.Theadvantageofrepetitivedivingindividualsitesisofcoursefamiliaritywiththemarinelife,butalsotheopportunitytoobservethechangesastheseasonsprogress.

January to March – Nudibranchs, Sea hares and Lumpsuckers

Dependingonhowcoldthewinterhasbeenthe nudibranchs begin to appear as early as January.

Thelargestandmostcommonspecieswillbethesealemons(Archidorispseudoargus),whichcanbeaslongas50mm(2”)andareseeninavarietyofcolours.Theirarrivalisheraldedbytheappearanceofrosettesofdelicatelycolouredeggsonthereefand you may be lucky enough to find them in the actoflayingormating,butifnottheanimalswillnotbefarfromtheeggmassesalthoughtheycanberemarkably well camouflaged. Other species include PolyceraquadralineataandLimaciaclavigerawhicharewhitewithbrightyellowmarkingsbutmuchsmallerandmostlyfoundonkelportheredlettuceseaweedtheyfeedon.Theselittlecrittersreally need additional magnification, perhaps 2:1, to photographeffectively.

Seaharesarecloselyrelatedtonudibranchsandarenormallyalsocommonatthebeginningoftheyearwhentheycongregateinshallowwatertobreed.Althoughnotasstrikingasthenudibranchs

Seasonal Selectionby Mark Webster

Like all nudibranchs Polycera quadralineata are hermaphrodite and whenever they meet will begin to copulate. Nikon D100, L&M Titan housing, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 200 f16 1/30

Mating sea hares – unlike nudibranchs, sea hares appear to adopt a more traditional method of copulation. Nikon D100, L&M Titan housing, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 200 f11 1/60

theydocomeinawiderangeofcolourvariationsandpatternsandaverageinsizebetween2cmto12cm.Attheendof2007wehadanunusualevent–aninvasionofgiantseahares!ThelatesummerandautumnhadbeenverywarmandunusuallycalmandinlateOctoberreportsofseaharesaslargeasrugbyballsbegantosurface.Theexaggerationturnedouttobeonlymarginalandwesoondiscoveredhundredsofthelarge(upto�0cm+)subtropicalspeciesApylsiadepilansbusymatingin pairs or in groups of five or six the shallows of HelfordriverandthroughoutFalmouthBay.Whilstthesemonstersarenotparticularlycolourfulitwasanimpressivesighttoseetheseabedsowellpopulatedwiththemandtheircoilsofcolourfuleggstrings. The first big storm in late November soon chasedthemoff.

Oneofthestrangestlookingspringvisitorsisthelumpsuckerwhichlooksalittlelikeacross

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between a frog fish and a gurnard. Although the lumpsuckerisquitecommoninournorthernwatersitisnotoftenfoundinthewarmerwatersofCornwall.Earlytomidspringisthebreedingperiod for these fish when the female will lay her eggsinshallowshelteredwaters,oftenamongstthekelp stypes or in some fissure in the reef to protect themfromheavyswells.Shethenabandonsthemtothetendercareofhermatewhowillstaywiththeeggstotendandguardthemuntiltheyhatch.Thisincubationperiodnormallylastsfromtwotofourweeksandthroughoutthistimethemalelumpsuckerwillalmostcontinuouslyoxygenatethedeveloping eggs by puffing water over them through hismouth,whilstalsoseeingoffpredatorsseekinganeasymeal.Throughoutthisperiodthemalelumpsuckerchangescolourtoabrightredtoorangeliveryinsteadofhismorenormalandeffectivecamouflage colours of drab brown and green. Whilst guardingtheeggstheydonoteatandgraduallygetweakerandareoftencoveredinsealice.Whentheeggshatchitisoftentoolateforthemaleandtheyrarelysurvive.

March to May – Nest Builders and Egg Watchers

Oneofthemorecommonwrasseencounteredonthereefisthecorkwingwhichseemsalwaystobe on the move and can be difficult to photograph well.Inthespringtimethemalesaremoreconcernedwithbuildinganestinpreparationforspawningandwillbeobserveddivinginandoutofthekelpcollectingloosebitofweedanddebrisfromtheseabed.Ifyouwatchpatientlyforawhileapatternofmovementwillemergeandyoucanfollow the fish cautiously back to the location on

A face only a mother could love – male lumpsuckers certainly have interesting facial features to produce a striking portrait in their bright orange breeding livery. Nikon F801, Subal housing, 60mm micro, Sea & Sea YS50 and YS30 flash, Fujichrome Velvia 50 ASA, f8 1/60

When the male corkwing wrasse is nest building they are constantly on the move. Follow them slowly until you see the nest site and then wait patiently for your opportunity. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, Fujichrome Velvia 50 ASA, f8 1/60

Black gobies also guard there eggs during spring time and will firmly stand their ground even when a photographer gets close. His eggs are below the shell he is resting on. Nikon D100, L&M Titan housing, 105mm micro, Inon Quad flash, ISO 200 f11 1/180


thereefwherethenestisbeingbuilt.Duringthenestconstructionandafterspawningwhenthemaleistendingtheeggmassthecorkwingwillremainclosetothenestsiteandoftensettleonitforafewmoments.Thesearethebestopportunitiestocapturethesestrikingly patterned fish and if you arepatientenoughthemalewillsoonrelaxandpresentgoodopportunitiestogetsomecloseupshots.

Duringthesameperiodthereareothermalespecieslefttotendtheirdevelopingoffspring.Amongstthesearecommonandblackgobies,Butterfish or Gunnels, Tompot blennies and Shannies.ThemaleShannychanges

from its usual camouflage livery to darkgreyorblackwithpalelipswhenguardingtheeggswhilst,unusually,both the male and female Butter fish taketurnstoguardtheireggs.Allthesespecieslaytheireggsinsmallcrevicesonthereeforunderstonesandshellsandwilloftenbeseenmoving around them to flush water acrosstheeggsandoxygenatethem.

May to July - Basking Sharks

Ifyouarekeenonbiganimalaction then it is difficult to beat the baskingshark.Thesecondbiggestfish in the sea (after the whale shark)

iscompletelyharmlesstotheintrepidphotographeranditfactisnowaprotectedspeciesintheUKandthroughoutEurope.RecentyearsofftheCornishcoasthaveseensignificant numbers of sharks sited, runningintothehundreds,andalsosomenotpreviouslyseenbehaviour,notablybreachinginasimilarfashiontogreatwhites,onlyinthiscaseitisnotassociatedwithfeeding.

Baskingsharksarethoughttobemigratory,followingtherichplanktonbloomsintemperatewatersonwhichtheyfeed.Duringthelatewinterthewatersofthesouthwestreachtheirlowesttemperaturewhichoftenresultsinthebestvisibility,butnot a lot of fish activity due to the low foodlevels.Asspringapproachesthesurfacewatertemperaturebeginstowarm slowly until the first period of extendedsunshine,maybeonlythreeorfourdays,whichisthecatalystforanexplosivegrowthofzooplankton.ThisgenerallyoccursinearlyMayandassoonasIhearcomplaintsaboutthesoupyvisibilityinthelocaldiveshop I know that the first sharks will not be far behind. The first sightings aregenerallyfromthelocalcoveboat

fishermen who often see them whilst haulingtheirpots.

Youneedtodevelopagoodtechniqueforgettingclosetothesharksandithelpstohavedonesometrainingwithyoursnorkelandwetsuit–thechasecanbehardwork!Mostencountersarebrief.Afteryouhavespottedyourtargetsharkfromtheboatthebesttechniqueistoslipintothewateraheadofitandwatchthe dorsal and tail fins swim towards youonthesurface.Youcanthensnorkelonaninterceptingcourseuntilthesharkburstsfromthemurkintoyour viewfinder. When feeding they willignoreyouandveeroffametreortwoawayandatthispointyouwillneedtoputonaburstofspeedtostayalongside briefly for a few head and tailshots.Theplanktonwilloftenbreakupintopatchesandyoucanobserveindividualsharkscruisingaroundtheedgesastheyconsumethereownpersonalbanquet.Thisbehaviourpresentsperhapsthebestopportunitytopositionyourselfontheedgeandwaitforthesharktoswimbyyoutimeandagain.

Thebestphotographswillbetakenusingnaturallightonly–forget

Even though these sharks can be as much as 10 metres in length a fish eye lens is often too wide. A short range zoom is the best tool or a lens which gives you the equivalent of 20mm on a 35mm frame. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 12-24mm zoom, ISO 200 f8 1/60

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your flash as it will only produce monumentalbackscatterandbetoounwieldytomovequicklyonthesurface.Awideanglelensisessential but a fish eye is generally too wide unless it is a film lens on a cropsensor.Soforacropsensora12-24mmzoomisidealandforafullframechiptryeithera20mmor17-�5mmzoom.

DependingonsunlightchooseISO100or200,setyourshutterspeedto125thandmeterthewaterbelowthesurfaceandthenperhapsopenhalfastopontheaperture–thesharksaregreyandsometimesquitedark.Autofocuswilloftenhuntonallthe particles in the water, so fix your focus at a range that will fill the lens withshark,perhaps1-1.5m,waituntilthesharkissharpasitsweepstowardsyou and then shoot you four or five frameswhilstbeginningtheswimtokeepup!

June to September - Jelly Fish

The jelly fish season tends to followthebaskingsharksbutcansometimesoverlapiftheplanktonbloompersistsintothesummermonths.Althoughseveralspeciesofjelly fish are reliably seen each year thereisoftenanexplosionofacertainspecieseverycoupleofyears.MoreoftenthisisthelargeRhysostoma(sometimeslocallyknownasthe

moonjelly)whichcanreachhalfametreormoreindiameter,butoccasionallyitwillbetheCompassjelly fish (Chrysaora hysoscella) or theLion’sMane(Cyaneacapillata).TheLion’sManecanhaveverylongtendrilswhichcangiveyouanunpleasantstingwhilsttheothertwospeciesareprettymuchbenign.

Allthreespeciesaremostoftenencounteredinshallowwaterdriftingwiththetidebutwhennumbersarehightheywilloftenbesweptintoshelteredbaystoplaguetheswimmersbutmakeeasierphotographictargets.Juvenile fish (horse mackerel??)

often join these jelly fish from their planktonicstagetoseekprotectionfrompredatorsbyhidinginthecanopyoramongstthetendrilsofthejelly fish, where they seem not to be botheredbythestingingcells.Azoomwideanglelensisbestfortheseplusatouch of flash to light them up against thesunonthesurface.

April to November - Cuttle Fish

You can normally see cuttle fish anytimebetweenAprilandNovemberalthoughactivityisdifferentoverthesemonths.Earlyintheyearthey

begintoappearinshallowwaterafterthewinterstormstomateandlaytheireggs.Theaveragesizeofanadult cuttle fish seen in our waters in 20-25cmlong,butduringthespringbreedingseasonweoftenencountermuchlargerexampleofupto60cminlength.Theirpreferredbreedinggroundisamongsttheeelgrasswhichcanbefoundinseverallocationsinthefarsouthwest.Theyareoftenveryeasytoapproachwhilstcourtingandlayingtheireggs,oftenatthebaseoftheeelgrassstalksoronkelpstypes.

Butthentheselargeranimalsdisappearandfortheremainderof

(Left) Compass jellyfish are another species that appear with the plankton blooms. The tentacles can give an unpleasant sting, so be cautious if working close under the jelly fish. Nikon D100, L&M Titan housing, 18-35mm zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/80.

(Right) Cuttlefish begin to appear around April when they come into the shallows to mate and lay eggs. Eel grass beds are a good place to search and their amorous activities often distract them from your approach. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 60mm micro, Sea & Sea YS50 and YS30, Fujichrome Velvia 50ASA, f8 1/60


thespringandsummerwearebacktothe‘average’sizebutofteninlargenumbers.Theycongregateinshallowshelteredbaysandseemtopreferlightgravelorheavysandseabedswheretherearethickgrowthsofstandingseaweeds (bootlace, Japweed etc.) to hideamongst.

InSeptemberandOctoberwestarttoseethejuvenilesappearingranginginsizefrom2cmto10cminlengthbutpossessingallthecamouflage, pattern and texture skills thattheadultshaveevendowntominiaturejetsofinkastheyscootoff

intotheseaweeds.Ifyoudiveasiteregularlyovertheseasontheresidentcuttle fish will accept you and become bolderwitheachdivetothepointwheretheywillallbutignoreyouandcontinue to feed on the small fish that arealsoattractedbyyourpresence.

September to November - Atlantic Trigger Fish

If,likeme,yourmostmemorableencounterswithtropicaltriggerfish involve some nifty defensive swimmingandrepeatedchewingof

your fins by angry titan trigger fish, youmightbelessthandelightedwiththeprospectofmeetingarelatedspeciesintemperatewaters.InrecentyearswehavebeenseeingincreasingnumbersoftheAtlanticorgreytriggerfish (Balistes carolinensis) which beginstoappearinlatesummer,butfortunatelyhasnotdevelopedatastefor fins yet.

These trigger fish are mostly shell fish diners and they will be often

beobservedeatingmusselsfrombothreefandwreckageorpickingwinklesdelicatelyfromkelpfrondsbeforespittingouttheremainsoftheshell.Juveniles have not been reported so faranditseemsunlikelythattheyspawninourwatersasthisapparentlycommonlyoccursintemperaturesof21ºCormore.However,thetemperaturesofftheCornishcoastroseto19-21ºCfortwoorthreemonthsthissummersoitmayonlybe

Grey Atlantic trigger fish will generally pick a small reef area and remain close to it for several weeks late in the season. This seems to be associated with cleaning stations (by goldsinney wrasse) and the opportunity to school with bass and pollack. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 12-24mm zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f8 1/60

Cuttlefish have amazing camouflage and colour change skills. They can either mimic their surroundings or as in this case display a bold pattern. Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 12-24mm zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f8 1/60

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amatteroftime.These trigger fish are obviously

veryhappywiththeirtemporaryenvironment,althoughIhavewonderedonoccasioniftheymaybesufferingfromabitofanidentitycrisis.Onmanyoccasionstheyare seen in groups of five or six swimmingamongstschoolsofbassorgreymulletandkeepingupverywelldespiteaverydifferentswimmingstyle.Whetherthisbehaviourisforprotection or amusement is difficult to tell,butwiththeexceptionofanglersIcannotimaginewhatwouldpredateon the trigger fish in our waters.

Anotherlatesummervisitoraretwomembersoftheredmulletfamily,closely related to the goat fish seen insubtropicalandtropicallocations.ThereareslightdifferencesbetweenMullussurmuletusandMullusbarbatus,butthelatterissomewhatrarerandonlyseeninsouthwestwaters. These fish are generally seen inonesandtwossiftingthesandyseabedforsmallcrustaceans,but

occasionallyyoumayseeschoolsofup to twenty fish together, particularly juveniles.

Alltoosoontheseasoncomestoanendwiththearrivalofanotherwinter.Thisformeisnotasignalformetohangupthedrysuitforafewmonths.Althoughthewintercanbestormyweoftengetperiodsofhighpressurewhichbringcalmseasandsunnydaysandanopportunitytoinvestigatewhatishappeningatlocaldivesites.Inthechillofwinterthevisibilitycanreachasmuchas�0mandintheseconditionsadiveontheoffshorereefscanbespectacular.Evenifyouarephotographingfamiliarsubjectsitisanopportunitytoplaywithnewequipment,improvecompositions,honebasicskillsandperhapsexperimentwithnewandunusualtechniques.

Mark Websterwww.photec.co.uk

Red mullet are closely related to the Mediterranean and sub tropical goat fish and begin to appear in early summer as the water temperature increases. Nikon D100, L&M Titan housing, 18-35mm zoom, Subtronic Mini flash guns, ISO 100 f11 1/80.

http://www.photec.co.uk


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UwP contributors provide their articles and photo talent for free to support UwP and keep it free for anyone to download. They are true supporters of the Underwater Photography Community.

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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

point and shoot mode.GreenWater Magic for use in green water with

DSLR and compact cameras with Manual White Balance.

Prices start at just £19.


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Donations are all handled in total security through PayPal and you can also pay securely by credit card using the PayPal links.

Your donations will be distributed to the contributors of each issue on a pro rata basis i.e. the more pages they contribute, the more their percentage.

When deciding how much you want to donate please bear in mind

that PayPal’s charge for amounts smaller than £3 or $6 can be as high as 24%!! Whilst I accept that PayPal is absolutely brilliant and safe, I don’t want this to become a ‘Donate a lot to PayPal”!!

You can make a donation in either US $ dollars, UK £ sterling or € Euros by following this link:


You can donate here

We tip waiters, taxi drivers, bell boys etc, so why not tip UwP contributors?

They provide their time and talent for free!

UwP contributors provide their articles and photo talent for free to support UwP and keep it free for anyone to download. They are true supporters of the Underwater Photography Community.

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 [email protected]

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.




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”.

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Parting ShotPersevere,avoidthecrowds…

andcheat!I’vealwayswantedtoshoot

a good image of a jellyfish, having failedwithBritishjellieswhenIstartedoutin1990usingaSea&SeaMotormarineII,boughtfromadubiousback-alleyshopnearHammersmithinwestLondon(IthinkitwascalledOceanOptics,andrunbyacoupleofsuspiciouscharacterswhoseemedtobuildtheirowncamerasinthebackroom).

MartinEdgehasawonderfuljellyinhisbook,“TheUnderwaterPhotographer”.Ialwayswonderedhowheshotitinatidepool,withasunburstintheframe.

Beingolder,richerandlesstolerantofcoldwaterIsetoffacoupleofmonthsagoforPalau,anindependentstateinthewesternPacific, that nevertheless feels like asmallcorneroftheUSA.Oneattraction was the famous Jellyfish Lake,nowapparentlyrecoveredfromthe catastrophic death of its jellyfish severalyearsago.

TheRockIslandsofPalauarefossilcoralreefssupportedbyaslowlysinkingvolcano.Waterpercolatesthroughthelimestonetofill salty lakes that have no direct

connectiontothesea.Therainforestgiveswaytomangroves,surroundingstillwatersthatsupporta few fish, and millions ofMastigiasjellies.Thejellies float around the lakes wheretheylive,followingthesun.theyhavelostmostoftheirsting,andlivebythephotosyntheticalgaethatstaintheirbodiesbrown.AsevereElNinjocausedthemtoexpeltheirsymbioticalgaeandmostdied,likebleachedcoral.

Thereareafewbarrierstomeetingthejellies.Buyapermit,thenaspeedboatrideathair-raisingvelocitiesthroughthenarrowtwistingchannelsbetweentheRockIslands.Clamberoverasharplimestoneridge,withcameraand fins. Apparently the vegetation toeithersideispoisonous,butthesnakesaren’t.Youarenotallowedanaqualung.

Asmalljettyiscrowdedwithtourists,allwearinglife-jackets,andmostdon’tseemtoknowhowtoswim.Theyhavetobenegotiated,asthejelliesareabout200yardsaway,acrossthelake.It’sunseasonablywindy,andthechoppywaterishazy.Ihavetwostrobesanda12-24mmzoom,butIcan’tgetadecentshot

withthesurfaceinit.After45minutes(the official ration of time for visitors tothelake)Igiveup.

Nextweekmycompanionswanttosunbathe,butIgivethelakeanotherchance.It’scalmnow,andthevisitorsareinexplicablyconcentrated100 yards away from the jellyfish. I divedownseveraltimes,andshootupwardsagainstthelight.I’musinga 10.5mm fisheye lens, and the jellies lookverysmall.

ThenIhaveasuddeninspiration.I float at the surface, and hold my camerawithitsdomeportjust

underneathajelly,withmystrobespulledbackbehindthecamera.Iguess where the jellyfish will appear, andshootseveralframes.

Everythingfallsintoplace.

Tim Priest

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