UwP 1

Underwater Photography

Oct/Nov2002

a web magazinea web magazine

Underwater Photography

Nikon D100 housings

Fuji S2 housing

Sony F707 housing

Kodak DCS Pro 14n

Sperm whale

Nai’a liveaboard

U/w photojournalist -

Jack Jackson

Henry the seadragon

Scilly Seals

Lights & divers

Easy macro

British fish

Underwater tripod

Visions 2002

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What links these sites?

Turn topage 7

to find out...

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30 Meet Henry

by Andy & Angela Heath

35 Scilly Seals

with Will & DemelzaPosslethwaite

35 Lights & divers

by Martin Edge

4 Travel & events

8 New products

14 Sperm whale

with Tony Wu

19 Nai’a liveaboard

by Pete Atkinson

25 U/w photojournalist

by Jack Jackson

Underwater PhotographyUnderwater Photographya web magazine

Oct/Nov 2002e mail uwp@uwpmag.co.uk

Contents

43 Easy macro

with Ee wan Khoo

47 British fish

by Mark Webster

54 Size matters by Jukka Nurminen &

Alex Mustard

58 Visions 2002

Cover photo byTony Wu

UwP 4

Travel & events

Jim Breakell Tahiti talk atDive Show, Oct 12/13 2002

In September Jim Breakell of Scuba Safariswent on a fact finding trip to the Pacific.

First off he went to Ryrutu for for a few dayshumpback whale watching, then a week on theinaugural trip of the Tahiti Aggressor and then onto Bora Bora (what a hard life he has!)

He will be giving an illustrated talk about histrip at the Dive Show in Birmingham on October12/13th 2002.

For more information contact Scuba Safaris,PO Box 8, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7ZS. Tel 01342851196.

www.scuba-safaris.com

John Boyle video tripMay 2003

John Boyle will be hosting a video diving tripfrom Bali to Komodo on Kararu next year. Thedates are May 12-19 and May 21-June 1 2003.

The first is a 7 night and the second an elevennight package

Apart from being an intriguing area to dive,John will be giving illustrated talks and film showsin the evenings, and will also be offering help andadvice either in workshops or informally to anyoneelse who is working with underwater video.

There is an extra bonus as the boat has justinstalled a new computer with video editingfunctions, an 80gb hard-drive, 1.7mhz processor,cd, burner etc that will be available to anyone whowants to do some on-board editing.

The boat is gorgeous, the diving should begreat, the entertainment should be good! - andthere are of course the dragons!

For further information contact John atwww.sharkbayfilms.com

or travel agents Divequest atwww.divequest.co.uk

INVITATION

Visit Divequest at theAntibes Film Festivaland get a free glass of

wine!

Divequest, the UK specialist dive travelagents, are exhibiting at the Antibes Film

Festival from 30th October until 3rdNovember and they will have full details of

all the exciting destinations they offer.Visit their stand and say you saw the

invitation in UwP and you will get a freeglass of wine!

Offer limited to one glass per person andyou must bring a print of this invitation.

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Beneath the Sea2003

Beneath the Sea 2003proudly announces its 27thAnnual photo/video competition

Win the coveted DavidDoubilet award for excellence inunderwater photography, or theequally distinguished StanWaterman award for excellencein underwater video.

In addition to the DavidDoubilet Award for excellence inunderwater photography, thewinning photographer will alsowin a week of living and divingfor one aboard Peter Hughes'Star Dancer in Palau,Micronesia.

The winning underwatervideographer will win, inaddition to the Stan WatermanAward for excellence inunderwater videography, a weekof diving for two aboard theNimrod Explorer in the GreatBarrier Reef in Australia.

Come one . Come all . tothe Beneath the Sea 2003 Photo/Video Competition. The contestdeadline is December 31st, 2002.For contest rules and entry blankvisit Beneath the Sea at theirInternet site: http://www.BeneaththeSea.org/ Thereyou can see the images ofprevious winners, get a set ofrule and regulations, anddownload an application form.

The winners of the photo/video contest will be announcedat Beneath The Sea's FilmFestival , March 28, 29, 30,2003, at the MeadowlandsExposition Center in Secaucus,New Jersey.

There is a contest hotline:(718) 409-0240

http://www.BeneaththeSea.org

Coral Reef Alliance 2004 CalendarPhoto contest

The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) announces its 2004 CalendarPhoto Contest.

The deadline for entries is November 15, 2002. Why so soon?CORAL plans to market and distribute the 2004 calendar to a verywide audience including bookstores. Production dates have beenmoved up so that the marketing timetable can be met. For contestrules and entry instructions, contact:The Coral Reef Alliance, Branch Office1708 Catalpa Rd. Carlsbad, CA 92009email MDawson@coral.org

http://www.coral.org/

Blue Dolphin Of Malta Is Back !

After an absence of six years, the prestigious Blue Dolphin ofMalta International underwater photographic competition is backwith a splash. This 10th Edition of Blue Dolphin is being held fromthe12th to 17th November 2002.

Competitors and their models, judges and journalists fromvarious countries, are meeting to respectively share and exchange,the pleasures and knowledge of capturing the beauty and wonders ofthe Mediterranean Sea. In addition this year, for the beginners in thisspeciality there will be a Disposable Camera UnderwaterPhotographic competition.

The Blue Dolphin of Malta first made its appearance during theCMAS General Assembly in November 1987. In this first edition, thetop awards were won by photographers of international fame in theworld of underwater photography. Mr John C Fine obtained firstplace, and was followed by Mr M Sato (Japan). Third place was wonby Mr B Hewitt (UK). During the nine previous editions variousdiving personalities of the likes of Peter Scoones, Mark Webster,Frederic Di Meglio, the late Jacques Mayol and many others attendedthis photographic competition.

The 10th Blue Dolphin Of Malta is being organised by FUAMin collaboration with Malta Tourism Authority, our official carrier AirMalta and the Malta Maritime Authority.

Email: fuam@digigate.net Website: www.fuam.org

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Wrecks On Line PhotoCompetition

The second edition of Wrecks On Line, theonly Underwater Photo Digital Contest is “on air”.

Everyone can participate and send digitalunderwater pictures to our photo contest. Since weare wreck divers, subject has to be a wreck.

Entry is free, the judging panel will beinternational as in the first edition and yourpictures will be seen all over the world.

You can send up to 20 pictures but only thebest overall 50 will go for thefinal.

Go towww.wrecksonline.com

for more information.

Andy Belcher workshopPoor Knights, New ZealandMay 2003

Andy Belcher, award winning underwaterphotographer, has agreed to run an underwaterphotography workshop for First Light Travel inMay 2003. You’ll spend six full days with Andydiving and photographing the cliffs, archways,pinnacles and drop-offs surrounding the beautifulPoor Knights Islands, Northland, New Zealand

The 7-day programme includes daily divingwith Andy and a team of instructors on a purposebuilt dive boat to practice what you’ve learned.

And to ensure you get the most from your divinggroup size will be limited to no more than fivedivers. Through a combination of land-basedworkshops and a scheduled diving program therewill be plenty of opportunities to perfect your newskills.

Read more about Andy’s amazingphotography, career and numerous awards on hiswebsite - www.andybelcher.com. And bookingdetails www.firstlighttravel.com

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What links these sites?

London’s premier watersports centre11 - 14 Northumberland Avenue

London, WC2N 5AQTel: 020 7930 5050Fax: 020 7930 3032

email:info@oceanleisure.co.uk

UwP 8

New products

Subal wide angle port for CP5 Coolpix 5000 housing

Subal D10 housing for NikonD100 DSLR

Subal have announced their latesthousing for the Nikon D100 digital SLRcamera.

Deliveries should be available by theend of the year and there will be controls forshutter release, front control dial, on/off,exposure compensation, flash sync, displaylight, mode dial, M/S/C, manual focus, zoom,lens release, AF lock, meter switch, focus areaselector, delete,flash power compensation, menuand enter/OK.

The housing will be similar to the Nikon F80and will have an optical viewfinder as well as theLCD monitor port. The camera is mounted on asprungloaded baseplate and the housing is securedwith Subal’s QuickLoc levers.

The Subal wide angle port for the CP5 NikonCoolpix 5000 housing is now available and itincorporates a unique sensor for use with TTLflash.

The port can be used with either of the twowide angle lenses WC-E68 and FC-E8 and thedome is made from optical glass.

This port completes the CP5 system makingit the most versatile midrange digital stills cameraoutfit on the market today.

For further details go to www.subal.com orOcean Optics Tel 020 7930 8408www.oceanoptics.co.uk

The D10 will have the standard Subal bayonetport system, two flash sync sockets and a topmounted accessory shoe.

The D10 weighs approx 1.9kg and for furtherdetails go to www.subal.com or Ocean Optics Tel020 7930 8408 www.oceanoptics.co.uk

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Kodak DCS Pro 14n “full frame” Digital 35mm SLR

Kodak has announced thenew 14 megapixel DCS-14n.The magnesium-alloy body isbuilt around a Nikon F100/F80, has a built-in portrait gripand is notably smaller than anyprevious Kodak DCS D-SLR.The camera is powered by aLithium-Ion battery, takesCompact Flash (Type I/II) andSD/MMC storage, supportsJPEG-ERI (higher dynamicrange JPEG) and also featuresan orientation sensor. Thecamera should be available inDecember with an expectedstreet price of US$4,000.

The DCS Pro 14n isKodak's sixth-generationprofessional digital camera andis primarily designed forprofessional and commercialphotographers, but will likely bepopular with advanced amateursas well. Built on a Nikon lensmount, it adds speed, as well asquality, to the photographers'workflow through FireWireconnectivity at a 12 MB persecond transfer rate.

"This is the camera thatportrait, wedding and eventphotographers have been waitingfor," said Jay Kelbley, DCSProduct Manager, KodakProfessional. "In addition to itshighly competitive price pointand phenomenal 13.89 milliontotal pixels, the DCS Pro 14n isloaded with features and, thanksto Kodak Professional firmware,its overall image pathenhancements make it the mostupgradeable camera on themarket."

The camera is equippedwith a 4536 x 3024 pixel(effective), 12-bit CMOS imager,covering the full 24mm by

36mm image area of 35mm film,allowing photographers to regainthe benefits of true wide-anglelenses and use their Nikon SLRlenses as they have used themwith 35mm film. With the DCSPro 14n photographers have thefreedom to select the image size(full 14MP, 6MP, and 3MP) thatsuits the shooting environment.

The camera captures imagesat about two frames per second.Images can be saved as DCR rawfiles or Kodak ProfessionalExtended Range Imaging (ERI)JPEG files. Kodak ERI-JPEGfiles serve as another form ofpicture protection forphotographers, especially insituations where re-shooting isinconvenient. Kodak ERI-JPEGsare created by and stored in-camera on removable media forlater color correction ormanipulation, and provide two-stops of exposure latitude andextended color space within aJPEG workflow, a benefit noother competitor offers. TheERI-JPEG format providesprofessional photographers ease-of-use of JPEG files with theimage quality and color/exposurecontrol of Kodak's highlyregarded DCR format raw

camera files, to create the bestquality images.

The Kodak ProfessionalDCS Pro 14n Digital Camera isleveraged from a Nikon lensmount and the magnesium bodyis more durable and robust thanplastic digital cameras based onsimilar camera platforms. TheDCS Pro 14n uses castmagnesium encasements for asolid, rugged camera bodyinstead of the plasticencasements commonly used byother manufacturers. The robustbody includes a vertical triggerthat works in conjunction withthe camera's auto orientationsensor. The sensor detects thecamera's orientation +/- 90degrees from the horizontalposition. This enables automaticrotation of the image as it movesto a computer for manipulation,saving photographers time andimproving workflow, hallmarksof Kodak Professional's efforts tomake digital easier forcustomers.

These details wereannounced at Photokina 2002.

UwP 10

Aquatica A5000 for Coolpix

The Aquatica A5000 is a verycompact housing that allows easyaccess to all of the key camera con-trols. Users are able to view theirpictures instantly through the lcdscreen and the shade dramaticallyimproves viewing under difficultconditions.

The A5000 housing has a foamgrip handle for easy portability. Itcomes equipped with one Nikonos-style bulkhead, with the option ofusing a second. The housing is fullyanodized in black and coated with apolyurethane powder paint and a clearcoat.

Retail price: $1,049 USwww.aquatica.ca

Gates Sony F707 housing

Rich with features found only on higher-endsystems, the F707 housing from Gates is designedfor both the professional and recreationalunderwater photographer. Professional-levelcontrols, a dedicated external strobe, and the GatesMulti Port lens system make the F707 from Gates ahighly flexible, yet user friendly digital stillhousing.

Features

Control Access - The professional willappreciate access to all key camera functionsincluding manual focus, white balance, autoexposure lock, and complete exposure control inshutter priority, aperture priority and manualmodes. Of course, full auto operation is availablefor the recreational diver seeking superb digitalimages.

Dedicated Strobe - Forget about manuallydialing in strobe settings, fiber optic slaveconnections, or other mismatched components!The Gates F707 uses a dedicated external strobelinked directly to the camera. When not in use, theF707 strobe enters a sleep mode to conservebattery life.Multi Port - The F707 is available with the GatesMulti Port system, providing dynamic lens changes

underwater, on the same dive! Only Gatesengineering can grant this flexibility to the F707with no vignetting — a challenge unmatched byother housingsFor Videographers - Already have a video system?Underwater videographers will find the F707 aneasy transition to digital stills. Controls like zoom,white balance, exposure control, and auto/manualfocus will be familiar territory. And Gates videolighting is 100% transportable to the F707 for nightand close-up photography.

http://www.gateshousings.com

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The Fuji S2 Pro is based on a Nikon F80 / N80camera body, utilizes Nikkor lenses, and providesTTL capability with all of our TTL SubStrobes for acomplete system of proven components.

The following controls are provided:Shutter button, Power switch, Exposure +/- buttonFlash +/- button, Lens release buttonMain command dial, Sub-command dialExposure mode dial, Play buttonAuto exposure bracketing button, Synchro modebutton, Zoom.

Sea & Sea housings forNikon D100 and Canon D60/D30

Sea & Sea have announced the imminent arrival oftheir housings for the Nikon D100 and Canon D60/D30.

The fronts are ABS resin and the rears arepolycarbonate

They weight: 5.5 kg with amaximum depth: 60m / 200 ft

The will be compatible withNX-ports and a shutter activatedfocus light will be available

Optional accessories willinclude:Sea & Sea StrobesLX-25/55 LightSea Arm VI / Flexible Light ArmShutter Activated Focus Lighthttp://www.seaandsea.com

Ikelite Fuji S2 housing

The Ikelite SLR-MD Caseallows visual assurance thesystem is safe with a clear viewof the camera information andcontrol functions. Ikelitehousings are injection molded ofclear polycarbonate for itssuperior strength and corrosion-free properties, and operatesafely to 60m (200 feet) depth.

An assortment of inter-changeable lens ports allow useof most macro, wide angle, andzoom lenses. The SLR-MD Caseis part of a full system of TTL

strobes, mounting systems, andaccessories. The Ikelite Super-Eye magnifier provided with thehousing secures to the cameraeyepiece and offers enhancedviewing while wearing a divingmask.

The overall dimensions are

10.5" wide x 8" high. Front-to-back measures 6" plus port.Width is 14" with the removablehandle bar attached. The housingwith handle assembly and portweighs about 10 pounds.

Available during Septemberhttp://www.ikelite.com

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Jonah housings

A new South Koreancompany has begun producinghousings for Nikon F100cameras and plans housings forCanon EOS3 and Leica R6cameras.

In addition they are workingon a housing for the Nikon D100(right) digital stills camera whichshould be available towards theend of the year.

There will be controls for:Power switch, Shutter

release (mechanical), Maincommand dial, Sub-commanddial, Shooting mode dial, Flashsync mode button, Exposurecompensation button, LCDilluminator button, LCD panelwindow, Function dial,Multiselector buttons, Flashexposure compensation button,Format button, Bracketingbutton, AE/AF lock button,

Menu button, Thumbnailbutton, Protector button, Enterbutton, Delete button, Monitorwindow

Two TTL strobebulkheadsare included, anOptical viewfinder, Two gripsand Two strobe arms brackets

Three ports and anextension ring are available:

8" Superwide Dome Port.4" Dome Port (Optical Glass).Flat Port (Optical Glass). 30mmExtension Ring

Thehousing is made fromcorrosion resistant aluminumalloy, The dimensions are 178x160x116 mm and the weight isapprox. 1700g (w/out port andaccessories)

Depth Limit: 90 m

Jonah HousingE-mail:

korean@postech.eduhttp://www.jonah.co.kr/

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La Spirotechnique is an illustriuos name.Originally set up as the diving equipmentmanufacturing arm of the Air L’iquide group tobuild and market Cousteau - Gagnan Aqualungs,the French company has many innovations to itscredit.

One of Spiros most revered products was theCalypsophot developed for the Cousteau divers.Later the rights to this camera were bought byNikon and the Nikonos line was established andpassed into legend.

In the late seventies Spiro introduced anotherunderwater canera aimed at the mass market. TheAquamatic used 126 cartridge film that yielded asquare picture. Exercising extreme caution giventhe camera would be used by divers, they made itlargely freeflooding. Only the film chamberremained dry. Even the shutter got wet, reducingthe damage that would be done when the inevitableleaks occured. Internal weights overcame theAquamatics natural tendency to float. Two shutter

speeds and four apertures provided for exposurecontrol. Magicube disposable bulbs permitted fourflash pictures to be taken before the cube had to bereplaced.

A neat touch is the choice of two close uplenses mounted in a track on the camera front.These made the camera exceptionally versatilewhile remaining compact and fast to shoot.

Spiro developed a line of accessories for theAquamatic including an off camera bulb flash,additional close up lenses and a back to allow theuse of 35mm film. It was depth rated to 90m.

Aquamatics sold for around £80.00. They arerarely offered on the used market.

Steve Warren

Past Timesby Steve Warren

Aquamatic 11

13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQTel 0207 930 8408 Fax 0207 839 6148

Web sitehttp://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Flash OperatorsCome out of the dark ages

Finally an underwater flash range that delivers theperformance you’ve come to expect from professionalstudio lighting topside. Packed with features tocompliment the most creative photographer,Subtronics also boast user friendly features for thebeginner.These high power, wide angle strobes offer toughaluminium construction, ultrafast recycling of 2 to 2.5seconds, 7/10 watt switchable modelling lights, Nikondedicated TTL automation, 7 manual powers, slave, test and SOS,smart chargers with 2 hour recharge and optional laser aiming and colourtemperature adjustment.We’d ask you to compare. But there’s nothing to compare to. And with prices starting atjust £749.00, that includes the price.Check them out at http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/subtronic.htm

Subtronic. Simply awesome.

Ocean Optics

UwP 14

The ocean is big.Amazingly, I hadn’t really felt itbefore. On reef dives, land isnearby, and with reasonablevisibility, you can see thebottom, or at least the verticalface of the reef. Here, there wasonly blue - left, right, front, back,down, even the sky above. Myentire field of vision, my entireexistence at the moment wasblue - interrupted only by an 11metre juvenile sperm whalechewing on my fins.

It had taken fourteenmonths of planning to get to thisplace and situation. On myprevious visits, I had met andbecome friends with Takahashi-san, the owner and captain of“Dancing Whale”, the 16-metreboat he uses to take visitors ondolphin and whale watchingtrips.

Takahashi-san had come tothe Bonin islands nearly twodecades earlier, long before therewere many visitors frommainland Japan. Even today,relatively few people journey tothe islands due to distance. TheBonins, known as the‘Ogasawara’ islands in Japanese,lie approximately 1,000kilometres southeast of Tokyo.It takes twenty-five hours on alarge (but not necessarilycomfortable) ship to get out tothe islands, and the ship makesthe journey only a couple oftimes a week. In short, theBonins lie precisely in themiddle of nowhere.

Calling the Bonins ‘islands’is perhaps an overly generous

term. They’re more a collectionof volcanic outcroppings in themiddle of the sea. They’resmall, only a few are inhabited,and they lie adjacent to deepocean trenches, thousands ofmetres deep. Like similarlocations around the world, theOgasawara islands have dozens,if not hundreds of endemicspecies that have evolved overthousands of years.

The primary attraction forme, however, was underwater.The islands are a haven formarine life. Upwelling fromdeep ocean trenches attractsschools of fish that congregate tocapitalise on the oasis of food.Pelagics like mantas, sailfish,mola molas, green turtles andleatherbacks are frequent visitorsto Bonin waters. Large predatorsabound - hammerheads and tiger

A Whaleof a timewith Tony Wu

Sperm whale smiling for the camera. Sadly, there was a hookembedded in its right jaw. The trailing filament is visible.

UwP 15

sharks are common - and localfishing lore is replete with talesof monstrous beasts that defydescription and belief.

My previous visits to theislands were to photograph themany species of dolphin thatmake the Bonins a regular stop-off, if not their home. Bottlenose(T. truncatus), spinners (S.longirostris) and pan-tropicalspotted (S. attenuata) dolphinsare quite common, with orca (O.Orcinus) and other larger speciesbeing sighted less frequently.The local bottlenose areparticularly fond of checking outhumans in the water, and thecrystal clear, unspoiled bluewater makes for wonderfulphotographs.

During those trips, I learnedfrom Takahashi-san about theannual visit of the sperm whales,Physeter macrocephalus.Whales of all types pass by theislands throughout the year.Elegant humpbacks (M.novaeangliae) grace the islandsprimarily during winter, andother species, including Brydeís(B. edeni) and rare beakedwhales also show up.

It had only been a few yearssince Takahashi-san first noticeda pattern in sperm whale activitythough. He had found aparticular spot where femalesand their calves appeared tocongregate for several weekseach year, usually commencingin late July. Over several years,he had consistently found thewhales, and on occasion, hadbeen fortunate enough to havesome approach the “DancingWhale” for a quick look.

Captain Takahashi’s storiescaptured my imagination. Fewpeople had ventured out to thearea he described, as it was quitefar from the island where mostpeople lived. In fact, a mystique

All underwater images were taken witha Nikon F90x in a Nexus housings, 20mm lens. RDPIII. 1/320 shutter priority.

surrounded the sperm whales.Local fishermen spoke of attacksby aggressive sperm whales, thelargest of the toothed whales.Large, intimidating sperm whaleteeth were on display around theislands, leftover from the days oflarge-scale whaling. No one onthe islands really wanted to getnear the whales, much less in thewater with them.

Except me.So here I was.

‘Suspended’, as it were, some3,000 metres above the nearestland, floating in an ocean of

blue.To get here, I had

communicated often withTakahashi-san and the whalewatching people for over a year.We reached an understandingthat would give me theopportunity to search for thesperm whales, and get in thewater for photos if the conditionswere right. So I had returned tothese enchanted oceanic islandswhen sperm whales were mostlikely to be around.

The juvenile sperm whale infront of me had interrupted our

UwP 16

lunch. We had been searchingfor hours without any luck. Justas we took our first bite, thecurious juvenile surfaced next tothe boat. We dropped ourlunches, Captain Takahashi tookthe wheel, and the three of usgrabbed our topside cameras.

The whale played aroundthe boat, peeking above water,looking at us, spraying us withits (bad) breath. After all themonths of planning and waiting,everything looked just right.Captain Takahashi gave me thenod, and I donned mask, snorkeland long fins to get in. TheCaptainís wife and my wifejoined me as safety spotters.

When we slipped into thewater, the whale was about tenmetres away, resting just belowthe surface. I signaled that Iwould snorkel down for a better

look, took a deep breath, andslowly descended headfirst, myback to the whale. At aboutseven metres, I turned to find thewhale heading straight for me. Itwas two metres away, andlooked like a large greysubmarine on a collision course.

To avoid direct contact, Ikicked for the surface. The

whale followed. As I lookeddown, the whale opened its jaws,and started to probe me withsonar. A few clicks and clacks,grunts and squeals, then a suddenflurry of loud, rapid, painfulbooms and clicks that penetratedand reverberated in my body likenoise at a heavy metal concert.

As I reached the surface, the

UwP 17

first thought that came to mindwas Takahashi-sanís partingadvice to me. “Remember”, hesaid, “if the sonar goes on, itmight think you’re food!”

I watched as the leviathansurfaced in front of me, less thana metre away. The sonar probingintensified, and the whaleapproached again. Panic set in,and I backpeddled frantically toget out of the way, but as luckwould have it, the current wasbehind me. Trapped between thecurrent and the whaleís advance,

A quick glance behind meand I realised that my safetyspotters had long since desertedme and were watching from theboat, which was about 15 metresaway.

I tried to think clearlythrough my growing anxiety.“Remember, this is a babywhale”, I told myself. “Maybeit’s just curious”, I thought. Iplaced my hands on the whale’sforehead, and gently pushedaway.

My fin left the whale’smouth, and I floated away. Ifinned slowly to open thedistance between us, but again,the current worked against me.The whale approached. Onceagain, I found myself in thesame, awkward position. Ipushed away again a few moretimes with the same result - mestraddling the whale, the whalechewing my fin.

As my heart rate settleddown to a calm 250 beats perminute, I realised that it had beensome time since First Contact,and I was still in one piece.“The baby’s just curious - thebaby’s just curious” became mymantra, and I pushed off oncemore. This time, I took a breathand snorkeled down. Wide anglelens ready, I framed and snappedoff a few images beforesurfacing and ending up on thewhale’s head again like a hoodornament.

The whale and I repeatedthis game until I finished 36exposures. It continued topursue my fin and nuzzle me likean overgrown aquatic puppy, butthe whale’s sonar was no longeron, and in hindsight, it nevermade a threatening gesture.

With my film finished andmy nerves steadied, I turned myback to the whale and swam forthe boat. The whale submerged

I ended up spread eagle atop theapproaching whale’s head.

First Contact was a bit ofshock. The whaleís head feltlike hard, wet rubber, similar to avery thick skinsuit. I didn’tnotice the scars and ring marksleft by large squid on the whale’shead until much later. My mind,understandably, was occupiedprocessing other information,particularly as the sonar pickedup again, and I looked down tosee the whale take my left fininto the side of its mouth.

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and followed directly underneathme. Our eyes met, and for thefirst time during the encounter, Iwas certain of my safety. I sawcuriosity. I saw playfulness. Isaw an animal that wanted tolearn about me as much as Iwanted to learn about it.

I stepped onto the boat,grabbed another camera andlooked into the water. The whalewas waiting, about five metresunder the boat, head turned to

fins from time to time. Idiscovered ring marks left by itsprey, and sadly, I saw that thewhale had a large fishing hookthrough its jaw, 30 centimetreslong or more, perhaps from alongline. Filament trailed fromthe hook for several metres. Icontemplated trying to removethe hook, but realised that myeffort would be in vain, andwould probably cause the whalemore harm than good.

The swells were large andthe water cold, so eventually Ileft the water from sheerexhaustion. As I dried off andrelayed my experience, thewhale continued to play. Itsurfaced next to the boat andìspy hoppedî to take a look,perhaps for me. It raised its tailflukes and splashed water allover us, perhaps to invite meback in. It waited behind theboat, under the swimstep,looking up, perhaps to see if Iwould play a little longer.

Finally, it raised its tailflukes and splashed the boat sixlast times, before diving downsomewhere deep, perhaps to tellother whales a story like this.

Tony Wuwww.silent-symphony.com

the side so its eye was lookingdirectly up at me. I waved fromthe swimstep, and the whaleturned to trail the boat at thesurface. The moment I re-entered the water, the juvenileapproached rapidly again. Thistime, I wasnít (as) afraid.

I spent over two hoursplaying with my friend,snorkeling down to swim besideit, staying still as it approachedme, and letting it chew on my

We found the remnants of a mesopelagic octopus nearby, perhapsleftovers from a sperm whale meal.

Tony Wu and William Tan’sbook “Silent Symphony”was awarded 1st Place atthe 28th World Festival of

Underwater Pictures

UwP 19

I used to think Nai’a was awonderful live-aboard dive boat.Compared with my own boat,where I have to do the cooking,washing-up, fill the tanks, thecleaning, even model for myselfwith a self -timer - for Christ’ssakes, how pitiful is that? -anything would be an improve-ment. But since my last trip onNai’a I went on another live-aboard, one of a fleet of clones, abit like McDonald’s. Unfortu-nately the comparison didn’t endthere.

So now I know that Nai’a isa wonderful dive boat. Every-thing about it; the management,the staff, the food, the briefings,the way the dives are organised,the air-conditioned accommoda-tion is fabulous. And the singing;it was worth the money just tohear the crew sing the beautifulsong of farewell, Isa Lei. Eventhis, they do better than any-where else that I heard in Fiji.This is more than attention todetail, it’s a whole philosophy.Or a compulsive obsessivedisorder!

I wish I knew how they didit, because the owner and cruisedirector Rob Barrell, wandersaround for all the world like aguest with his coffee. I havenever seen him manage any-thing; but it all works like clock-work. I’d like to think of himyelling at the crew when all theguests have gone, but it’s hardlycredible, it just doesn’t fit.

How Rob bought the 40mship derelict in the Caribbean,got it to Fiji, borrowed a pile ofmoney and converted the W. deVries Lentsch design into Nai’a

is the kind of story that onceheard needs a bucket of Valiumand 24 hours sleep to recoverfrom.

The diving is carried outfrom huge Naiad rigid inflatableswhich are fast and comfortable.You simply need to carry yourcamera gear from the dive deck

to the stern platform, your tankand BC and reg are where youleft them in the RIB, but mysteri-ously full of air or nitrox again.The boat whisks you to preciselythe right spot, drops you off andpicks you up wherever youchoose to surface, so long asyou’re still in the Pacific. Since

Nai’a - the ultimate Live Aboard?Pete Atkinson thinks so

The 40m luxury live-aboard dive vessel, Nai’a, designed by Williamde Vries Lentsch and built in Holland.

Big-eye trevally, Caranx sexfasciatus, Nigali Passage. Home-madeNikon F4 housing, 28mm lens, two Nikon SB-24 flash guns, 1/8thpower. f5.6, 1/125th. Provia F.

UwP 20

there are two RIBs there’s nohanging around waiting forphotographers; they ferry thedivers back to Nai’a as theysurface.

Other live-aboards make abig fuss about putting eco-friendly moorings on the divesite reefs. But reefs change, sowhat was good last year may notbe this year. And on this McBoatas we’ll call it, you dived di-rectly from the boat “to savemessing around in inflatables”.Which means by the time youhave hauled yourself the lengthof the boat against the current,across the reef without touchinganything (there was 80%

corallimorpharian cover toencourage this) to the G-spot ofthe reef, you barely had half yourair left, and were completelyknackered if you’re as fit as me.

Diving on Nai’a starts at0730 (far more civilised than0630 on some boats). After thesubstantial breakfast there ismore diving before lunch. Atsome sites you can simply comeand go as you please, changingtanks and cameras at will. Rob isrealistic about solo diving. Theirguests are competent and it is nota problem to dive alone, withouta BC if you wish. Coming backis a condition of this freedomthough. Same as going up the

mast; fine, but falling off isdiscouraged.

The meals are fantastic withcomplimentary wine with nodecline in fresh salads late in thetrip. How they maintain the samestandard with different chefs Ihave no idea; it’s not as though Ihave ever seen Rob in the galley.

We started the trip inLautoka, half an hour from Nadiinternational airport. The firstdive that afternoon was on SamuReef just to get our bearings andcobwebs out of the camera gear.This is macro territory, not Fiji’sbest diving since it is influencedby the turbid Nadi Bay water.

Overnight we motored to

Grey reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchosfeeding. Nigali Passage. Home-made Nikon F4housing, 24mm lens, two Nikon SB-24 flash guns,1/8th power. f5.6, 1/125th. Provia F.

Sea fans, Subergorgia mollis, and red snapper,Lutjanus bohar, Nigali passage. Home-madeNikon F4 housing, 18mm lens, two Nikon SB-24flash guns, 1/2 power. f5.6, 1/125th. Velvia.

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Mount Mutiny, a stunning sea-mount in Bligh Water betweenthe big islands of Viti Levu andVanua Levu. It got it’s namewhen Rob tried to do a singledive there and the guests hadother ideas. And although thereare 12 crew, there can be 18guests! So this was democracy atwork.

Although this trip was insummer the water was oceanicblue with 50m visibility. Thewalls drop way away and youwish for a moment you werewearing a rebreather to go andlook at clouds of scallopedhammerheads of which only afew outriders make it up to the

warmer shallower levels. MountMutiny is remarkable for theChironephthya soft corals whichadorn the cliffs, like weepingwillows on LSD. And there’s lotsof Dendronephthya soft coralstoo.

From there we motored toE-6, another sea-mount in thefunnel of reefs in Blight Water.Both Mount Mutiny and E-6have moorings on them and thetrade wind is the only thing thatkeeps Nai’a off the reef. Westayed after dark to do a nightdive, but at 45 minutes it seemedtoo short to me, but then itwasn’t my boat within spittingdistance of the reef.

Long-jawed squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum.Subeye reflex, 105mm micro. Two housed NikonSB-24 flash guns. f16, 1/125th Velvia

Sea whips, Ctenocella sp. and black snapper,Macolor niger. Nigali passage. Home-made NikonF4 housing, 18mm lens. two Nikon SB-24 flashguns, 1/2 power. f8/11, 1/125th. Velvia.

Dawn saw Nai’a enteringthe Vanua Levu reef system atSouth Save-a-Tack passage, socalled because sailing vesselswould use this and North Save-a-Tack passage to save somedistance on the long slog againstthe trade wind to Savu Savu.

We dived first atUndeNai’able which had goodhard coral on top, then at Cat’sMeow, named after CatHolloway, Rob’s partner andformer editor of Scuba DiverAustralia. Though the visibilitywas poor (poor in Fiji is 20m)because of the ripping current,the action was great. Anotherhuge disadvantage of diving

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from a McBoat style live-aboardis that drift dives are difficult andseldom done. And you can behanging around on the surfacefor a considerable time while thebig boat manoeuvres around thereef to pick up the divers. Andyou have to swim well awayfrom the reef carrying two cam-eras before they’ll come and pickyou up. At the base of one ofthese pinnacles at Cat’s Meowwas a large area of big mush-room corals, like someone hadjust emptied their pockets ofchange.

The last dive here was atHumann Nature, named afterPaul Humann the photographerwhere there was an obliginglionfish hovering over the seawhips.

North Save-a-Tack is per-haps the second best dive I havedone in Fiji. Where the passopens to the sea there is a lip likethe edge of a bath, from 30m tovery deep. Here cameramanHoward Hall and fish biologistRichard Pyle saw processisharks, schools of barracuda,big-eye jacks and dog-tooth tuna.One thing I hadn’t seen beforewas the orange and white bandedsplendid garden eel. Just trygetting near them though!

The incoming current atNorth Save-a-Tack sends youthrough a huge natural archwaylike a gateway to an ancient city.With judicious use of a compassand a lot of luck you can swimacross the current and end up atKansas, a huge coral-head withthe top completely covered withwafting fields of Sinularialeather corals. There’s a piece ofrailway track sticking out of thereef from an old marker if youneed a support for slow shutterspeed shots. On the sides of thecoral head there are sea fans, softcorals, sea whips - the usual

stuff! The two Save-a-Tacks aretide dependent so we returned tothe south-west side of the reef todive Tetons and Twin Thumbswhich used to have a less politename. We also dived Fantasea,another current dive. I wasinterested to see the changes to acoral archway which I hadphotographed years before.There was quite a change in the

reef but still the fish life andaction were breathtaking and thevertical wall clotted with soft-corals. I hung back as the otherdivers were blasted away by thecurrent so I could savour thespectacle on my own. Fijians canspot marijuana in a plantation ofcassava, so finding a lone diverwhen they pop up is no problemat all.

Rob Barrell with dental hygienist shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis.Tetons dive site. Subeye reflex, 28 mm lens. Two Ikelite Substrobe 200flash guns.1/4 power. f8,1/125th Velvia

Xenocarcinus sp. on wire coral Cirripathes sp. Subeye reflex,105mm micro. Two housed Nikon SB-24 flash guns. f16/22, 1/125thVelvia

UwP 23

Sometimes Nai’a will goto Wakaya from here which hashammerheads and a mantacleaning station, but on this tripwe headed overnight to theisland of Gau (which is pro-nounced like “now” with areally bad cold) which has myfavourite dive in all the Pacificat Nigali Passage.

First we dived at Jim’sAlley (named after photogra-pher Jim Church) but the topsof the pinnacles have reallysuffered from coral bleaching,being a poor shadow of theirformer glory. I thought theyweren’t worth diving withNigali passage so near.

Nigali is best dived on theebb when the clear ocean wateris coming in the pass. Weirdhuh! When you dive there withan outgoing current, thenknown as the Ilagin Flush, theless clear lagoon water upsetsthe generally crystal clear water.But it still a great dive in thoseconditions.

One of my most memora-ble dives ever was on my ownin Nigali, when my sailingcompanion/underwater modeldropped me at the entrance tothe pass very early in the morn-

ing. The sun had just risen overthe rolling green hills of Gau,backlighting the fans, soft coralsand huge shoals of black snap-per, barracuda and big-eye jacks.It was as close as atheists get to areligious experience.

There are moves afoot tomake Nigali a marine park and Ican’t think of a more deservingplace, although I guess thatmeans I won’t be able to feed thehuge brown-marbled grouperany more. A small price to pay.

Nai’a do a small shark feedat Nigali if the guests want to(and many don’t - what’s wrongwith them?!) with a bunch oftuna heads which get shreddedby the red snappers and grey reefsharks. I always feel sorry for thesharks since the heads are mostlybone and they get little suste-nance from them; which is theidea. After the Aquatrek 3Dshark feed near Beqa with half atonne of real food, this seems abit mean!

But it’s a great opportunityfor photography. This was ourlast dive and overnight Nai’amotored to Suva, the rainycapital, for the bus-ride to Nadi.The convenient thing about thisarrangement is that it’s easy to

stop at the Centra Hotel at Pa-cific Harbour to do the Aquatrek3D shark feed the next day,probably the best no-cage feed inthe world.

So if you have to suffer theindignity of four or more dives aday in a great location, and wantgreat service in every respect, tryNai’a in Fiji.

Formulas and franchisesmay work for fast food, but myexperience of a dive boat clonewas less than ecstatic.

Take a look atwww.naia.com.fj to see whatelse Nai’a has to offer; hump-back whales in Tonga, expedi-tions to the remote PhoenixIslands in Kiribati etc.

Pete Atkinson

Decorator crab, Naxoides sp.Rostrum decorated withhydroids. On soft coralDendronephthya sp. Subeyereflex, 105mm micro. Twohoused Nikon SB-24 flash guns.f16, 1/125th Velvia

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UwP 25

Underwater photographersare predominantly subject toMurphy's (Sod's) Law - Whatcan go wrong will go wrong; thisis bad enough over a two-weektrip but when you take severalweeks away from a repair-facility things inevitably getworse.

The only way around this ismultiple redundancy (backup). Iset off on most of my trips withthree Nikon land cameras; twoNikonos underwater cameras;two Subal aluminium underwaterhousings; three Sea & Sea andone Subtronic underwater flashguns, two Nikon land flash gunsand a Subal aluminium housingfor taking these underwater. Adda laptop computer, variouslenses, base plates, strobe arms,spare synchronization cables,chargers, batteries and batterypacks to cover regular powerfailures, underwater torches, filmand diving equipment and I haveto arrange for extra checkedbaggage plus over 20 kilogramsof hand baggage with an airline.

Some underwaterphotojournalists only carry theircamera equipment and hirediving equipment locally butbeing over 6ft tall it is difficult tofind diving equipment that fitsme, some of the areas that I divedo not have any divingequipment available anyway. Ialso like to dive alone and withtwo or three cameras and thatmeans that both hands arealways full so I prefer to divewith equipment that I trust andam familiar with to be sure that Ican locate the correct control in

Trials and tribulations of an underwaterphotojournalist

by Jack Jackson

an emergency. For the samereason I always dive with twodifferent dive computers, one ofwhich has user replaceablebatteries.

I have only found twocountries where local lawprohibits me from diving alone -Aruba and Israel. The tourist

board supplied me with a buddyin Aruba and the operators inIsrael, they must have beenbored but at least they wereuseful for carrying extracameras. Muck diving is adifferent situation where I amgrateful for a dive guide's localknowledge saving me time by

Dolphin and diver, Nikonos V, 15mm lens 1/90 at F5.6.

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Nikonos V, 28mm lens 1/90 at F8.

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knowing where the tiny critterscan be found.

In rare cases, whoevercommissions the trip cannotorganize a suitable arrangementwith their usual airline to coverjournalists' baggage. In theseinstances I may have to find amore accommodating airline orif the destination can be reachedvia the United States of AmericaI will go that way with anAmerican airline as these treatchecked baggage by size ratherthan weight.

Carrying all of thisequipment can also be aproblem, on land I sometimeshave to engage porters and oncehad to resort to a wheelbarrow totravel several miles along abeach.

I always keep the filmseparate so that it is never left inthe sun. I have had slow filmruined by airport X-rays and on alonger trip my film can passthrough 20--30 X-ray machinesso I ask for hand searcheswherever possible.

Lead-lined bags are nolonger a good protection, oncewhen I passed through Sharm elSheikh airport with film in lead-lined bags, the machine operatorjust turned up the scanningstrength and we could clearly seeevery film on the monitor.

Where possible I get localagents and operators to workahead of time on organizationand communication so that I canspend the maximum time ondiving research and photographyand the minimum time onadministration and travel, thatway I hit the ground running.Instances of this include smallislands off the coasts ofPeninsular Malaysia and thePhilippines where I had to take acompressor and diving cylindersfrom the mainland as there were

none on the islands and severalcases where I had to arrangerefills of diving cylinders enroute or carry a compressor onsmall boats.

Local customs and politicsare not always straightforward. Ido not bother with photographic-carnets but do have to carry acustoms list with values.

Quite often, although acountry has a thriving diving

industry, if you arrive through acapital city that is well-awayfrom the diving areas, they mayask for a monetary-bond. Mydiving off the islands around theSulu Archipelago's Jolo Groupstarted with a bang as we raninto a heavy thunderstorm andthe boat was struck bylightening. However, as well ashaving a military escort werequired several different

Sleeping Bumphead Parrotfish at night, Nikon F90, 14mm Sigmarectilinear lens, 1/125 at F5.6

Gorgonian Sea Fan, Nikon F90x, 14mm Sigma rectilinear lens, 1/125at F5.6.

UwP 27

interpreters, as we had to ask forseparate permission to dive fromthe headman on each of theislands. Each island often had adistinct tribal-group andlanguage and some had not seenforeigners since the Japaneseoccupation during World War II.

We found a number of gooddives and a recently salvagedChinese junk with MingPorcelain but all of my researchcame to nothing when theSipadan hostages were held atthe main Island of Jolo twoweeks later.

As with Indonesia's

Sangalaki, to reach thePhilippines' Club Noah Isabellevia a flight to Sandoval, I had toreduce my equipment to onehoused camera, one Nikonos, awetsuit and mask for the 10kgaircraft baggage limit. HoweverClub Noah Isabelle's mainclients are small Asians not largeCaucasians; they had a problemfinding fins to fit my feet. TheTaytay Bay area may not be inthe mainstream of Philippinediving but due to fishingrestrictions and some carefulfish-feeding, it has manyimpressively large Napoleon

Wrasse, groupers and trevallies.On the downside, when it

came to departure time, I was theonly client to leave so I had awet journey in a small openspeedboat across Taytay Bay tothe mainland, not a good way totravel when you have to catch aplane to Manila and an onwardconnecting flight. Fortunately Iwas the only passenger on the19-seat aircraft to Manila so mybeing wet did not annoy anyoneelse.

On a repeat visit to Coron,I had a pleasant time diving onthe wrecks and we spent onenight bivouacking on a tinyisland where the weather lookeda bit dodgy. Expecting possibleweather problems, I took all mycameras ashore including twohoused cameras that werealready connected withsynchronization cables to flashguns. On the first dive the nextday one of my flash guns beganfiring off continuously like astrobe light. I struggled with thisunit for several days, doublechecking all connections andfitting the housing with twin-flash, it worked fine in air butevery time I took it into thewater it malfunctioned.Eventually I spotted the tinyimpression of a rat's teeth on thesynchronization cable, £70 ofsynchronization cable andseveral dives destroyed by ahungry rodent! Animals oftentake a liking to the odour ofsilicone rubber, on a Malaysianisland I once found squirrelseating my guide's silicone rubbermask.

From Coron the weatherprevented us from getting northto Club Paradise on DimakyaIsland by banca (Small outriggerboat) so we returned to Coronand travelled overland toMaricaban Bay. Arriving there at

Grey Reef Shark against sun, Nikonos V, 15mm lens 1/90 at F8.

Yellowbar Angelfish, Nikon F801s, 55mm Micro-Nikkor lens, 1/125at F8.

UwP 28

nightfall we managed to get a local banca toMaricaban Bay Resort but it was closed withgenerator problems. Fortunately one of thedirectors of Club Paradise passed by with a largerbanca heading for Dimakya Island so we jumpedaboard. The crossing to Club Paradise was veryrough, the coxswain only understood two speeds -full speed ahead and stop; he did not understandhow a boat should be manoeuvred to comfortablyride high waves. The result of crashing andbanging over the waves was wet passengers andone of my battery chargers broken. Dimakya Islanddoes not have sheltered anchorage and forecological reasons Club Paradise do not wish tobuild one. The weather had been rough for severaldays and when we arrived, the banca hove to about50m offshore while we transferred our equipmentand ourselves from a bouncing banca to an evenmore bouncing small open speedboat in a 2-metreswell. Disorientated in the dark I was certain thatwe would end up with a capsized speedboat whencrossing the surf but the staff at Club Paradise hadobviously encountered this situation before. Thecoxswain gunned the outboard motor and drove thespeedboat full-speed at the beach where, as we hitthe beach, 30 or more male figures appeared allaround us, physically lifted the boat and carried itup the beach, what a welcome! When we came toleave Dimakya Island we had a tricky timeboarding the banca by its gangplank in the swelland the light-aircraft that we were booked on fromBusuanga had crashed with no survivors so we hadto find another. When we did find another aircraft,the airline took advantage of situation and chargedthe earth for my excess baggage.

While landing at the marine reserve of ApoIsland in the Philippines, I stepped off the bancainto the water in my usual bare feet and trod onsome broken glass - resulting in a deep 5-inch cutacross the sole of my foot. Nasty cuts never healunless you spend several days out of the water butphotojournalist have a job to do and limited time todo it in, I had to continue diving with it for the nexttwo weeks. I once had a similar problem whendiving off a fishing boat in the Sudanese Red Seawhere I shredded my hand on the barnaclescovering its bottom. This time I was able tocontinue diving by wearing a rubber glove full ofDettol disinfectant while in the water.

Between dives at Southern Leyte my diveguides wanted to take me ashore at San Bernardoon Limasawa Island to visit the village and shrineto the Philippines' first catholic mass. One dive

guide had remarked that the new bamboo jetty thathad recently been constructed for visitingpoliticians would not last long but never expectedthat we would be the ones to prove him right, itcollapsed as we crossed onto land and we had toswim back to the banca - in my case, holding aland camera and film above my head to keep it dry.

I once travelled back from Leyte to Cebu ona modern SuperCat catamaran ferry through astorm that made most of the passengers seasick andsank another ferry with great loss of life in thesame area. I immediately transferred to Manila,Singapore and London but rough weather followedme home. London was suffering such a bad stormthat the plane had trouble landing but it was thetaxi driver who had the last laugh, being late onChristmas Eve he was legally able to charge mefour times the normal rate!

Shark feeding is another matter. Situatednext to the bait in a melee of more than 50 sharksduring a frantic feeding-frenzy is interesting to saythe least. Varying in size from one-metre WhitetipReef Sharks and two-metre Grey Reef Sharks to

Soft Tree Coral against sun, Nikon F90x, 14mmSigma rectilinear lens, 1/125 at F11.

UwP 29

three-metre plus Silky and Silvertip sharks, there isalways the chance that one of them will have a sorehead on the day. In the Sudan one of my worstexperiences was when a large battle-scarred maleSilky shark attacked every one of us, we decidedthat discretion was better than valour and got out ofthe water. Hammerhead Sharks do not respond tofeeding but some do venture fairly close anyway.

Throughout the 70s and 80s, large shoals ofScalloped Hammerheads were common atSanganeb and I was pleased to find that squadronsof over 100 of them were back in July 2002. Thedepth is such that still pictures are only shadowsbut the video people get great footage. Light-coloured fins are a problem, larger fish think thatthey are separate, edible-sized small fish, I havehad such fins nibbled by both sharks and largegroupers.

For many months, the aftermath ofSeptember 11, 2001 was horrendous. Airlines,hotels and resorts ceased trading, many airlineswould not carry electrical goods and some airlineswould not accept any hand baggage in the cabin,even film; I had to cancel several trips.

Diving photojournalism sounds glamorous butis not always so; You get to stay at the best resortsand hotels but more often than not you arrive lateat night and depart early in the morning so yourarely have time to sample what is on offer otherthan the diving. Most hotels and all live-aboardboats have dim lighting that make it difficult to putintricate underwater camera equipment togetherand to write up the dives; often the bathroom is theonly place that is reasonably lit so I spend a lot oftime in there.

Non-standard electricity supplies, powerfailures and resorts or live-aboard boats witherratic generators, often produce power surges,which despite special voltage regulators, blowbattery chargers and other electrical equipment.Bad weather or malfunctioning equipment is noexcuse for not producing suitable photographs, Ihad seven weeks of rain in Aruba, Bonaire andCuraçao but I am paid to return with results.

Despite all these problems, I do it because Ienjoy it and fully appreciate the help I get fromlocal people.

Nowadays I use Fuji Provia 100 or Velvia andalways use manual mode at 1/125 or 1/250 of asecond with centre-weighted metering on housedcameras and 1/90 of a second with the Nikonos V. Iuse single flash for wide-angle shots but twin-flashfor macro. When using twin-flash, one flash is atleast twice as powerful as the other to givemodelling-light, this avoids flat pictures. Mostproblems can be foreseen but not all. The moral isto cut out the water column, use 1/125 or 1/250-second at F5.6 or f4 and above all, be there.

All pictures here are taken with flash, FujiProvia film and centre weighted metering,

the cameras are on manual. All housedland cameras are in two separate Subalhousings, these were initially for Nikon

F801s cameras but now are for Nikon F90/F90x cameras.

Jack Jackson FRPS, FRGS

e-mail: jack.jackson@dial.pipex.comjack@jackjackson.co.uk

web site: http://www.jackjackson.co.uktel: 01483 723900 / fax: 01483 771048

Babs Jackson on the Umbria, Nikonos V, 15mmlens 1/90 at F5.6.

UwP 30

Henry, a rather handsomePhycodorus eques, or leafyseadragon to you and me, livesaround the wreckage of acollapsed ladder under Rapid bayjetty in South Australia.

Recognised by his uniquefacial markings, he can normallybe found in the same vicinty,doing what leafy seadragons dobest. That is, trying to blend inwith the surrounding seaweed,feeding, and probably doing hisdarnedest to avoid the attentionsof underwater photographers likemyself.

We’re not sure if Henryrealised it, but it was him and hissort that had brought Angela andmyself here from Melbourne.After living there for the past sixmonths we’d seen the localweedy seadragons around PortPhillip bay as well as in Sydney.But leafys only occur over anarrow range, from Portland inthe west of Victoria to Lancelinin West Australia. Smack inbetween lies South Australia anda famous dive site known asRapid bay jetty. Always enjoyinga good pier or jetty dive, the factthat there’s a healthy populationof leafy seadragons there was allthe extra incentive we needed.

So, with a long weekend offduring late March, we foundourselves driving the 1000 km’sor so from Melbourne toAdelaide, on our way to meetCarey Harmer of Sea Optics,Adelaide. We’d arranged to meetup with him our first morningafter he’d offered to join us onour first few dives on the jetty.Carey had lost count on just howmany dives he had done on the

jetty. With the seadragondatabase he had contributed toover the last ten years or so, hewas familiar with many of theleafys, hence how we wouldsoon find ourselves introduced tohis old mate, Henry.

Post a hearty breakfast wepicked up four tanks andfollowed Carey up the road tothe bay. Pulling into a very dustycarpark we proceeded to gear upunder a now fierce morning sun,the temperature already creeping

Everybody, Please meet Henry........by Andy & Angela Heath

This is Henry, one of approximately 30 leafy seadragons known toreside in Rapid bay. Nikon F90X in Nexus housing, 60mm, twin YS30strobes on TTL, Velvia. Manual mode, 1/250th @ f16.

UwP 31

toward the mid thirties. We hadcome prepared though (thanks tosome prior correspondence onthe internet) - two hats, a trolley,rope and padlock and chain. Notclear? .....read on....

Rapid bay jetty is well over400 meters long. Dependent onhow far away you’ve parked,you’re in for at least a 500 meterhike each way. Aha, enlightened?Hats to wear for the walk outthere, a trolley to transport thegear on, padlock and chain toaffix the trolley to the jettywhilst diving and the rope? OK,so there’s no easy access to thewater - rope to dutifully lower

cameras into the water. Ofcourse!

By now we were suited up,gear lashed to trolley, hats on,and boy, were we sweating!Unfortunately our borrowedtrolley soon died - something todo with the width of the wheelsbeing narrower than the gapsbetween the planks on the jetty!Doh! - back to plan B for todayat least, the manual method.Taking us twice as long, andtwice as many trips, to reach theend, we had at least twice asmany inane comments from allthe ‘fishos’ lining the top of thejetty, along the lines of “going

diving mate?”, “whaddya seedown there?” were countered by“caught anything yet mate?”.

Thankful we had thought tolug two litres of water with us,we rested at the end, replacingsome much needed fluids.During which time weconsidered our method of entry.Both high-level entries, thechoice was between a 15ft giantstride from the top of the pier, ora 7ft one from a recently addedplatform. We wisely chose thelatter while Carey tied on theropes ready to lower the camerasdown. Once in the 19 degreewater it didn’t take too long to

Ceratosoma brevicaudatum. These are the mostcommon nudibranchs around the jetty and getpretty big. This individual was around 10cm long.Nikon F90X in Nexus housing, 60mm, twin YS30strobes on TTL, Velvia. Manual mode, 1/250th @f32.

Small scale bullseyes congregated in small groupslike this around the jetty pylons, occasionallyjoining a large school beneath the centre of thejetty. Nikon F90X in Nexus housing, 16mm fisheye,twin YS120 strobes on TTL, -1.5EV, Provia.Manual mode, 1/60th @ f11.

UwP 32

cool down. We gathered thecameras, a quick leak check,then headed down to meet on thebottom, some 30 ft below.

The substrate was made upof coarse sand, small rocks andrubble with larger debris directlybeneath the jetty. Lookingtoward shore we could see anexpanse of seagrass endedsomewhat abruptly near the edgeof the jetty. The wreckage of alarge ‘A frame’ was situatedbelow the entry platform,topping out at around 15ft. Dueto a recent storm the water hadbeen a little churned up andvisibility hovered around 30ft orso. Not as much as we’d hopedfor, but due to the sediment fromthe quarry and often variableconditions, it was apparentlynever entirely predictable. Still,with a 60mm lens on for thisdive, it didn’t prove to beproblem.

Once we becameaccustomed to the conditions westarted to investigate the seaweedcovered ‘A frame’. We’d beentold leafys sometimes hang outthere but although we couldn’tfind any, around the base and thenearby seagrass were anabundance of weedy seadragons.We’d seen weedys before butnever quite so many in oneplace. Interestingly they allappeared smaller than those wehad seen in Victoria and NewSouth Wales. We later found outthat cold-water specimens oftengrow larger than their warmwater counterparts. Of course,they were no easier to shoot,keeping a respectable distancebetween any diver and atendency to stay sideways on -but there were plenty ofopportunities to try differentapproaches.

Moving on under the jettywe came across more fish hiding

amongst the seaweed encrustedpylons and patchy covering ofseagrass. Boarfish, old wives,yellowtails, perch, leatherjackets,puffers, cowfish and a variety ofwrasse used the profuse kelpcover to their advantage.

Looking closer we foundbeautiful sponges, ascidiancolonies and patches ofbryozoans, crabs scuttled out ofthe way and a variety ofnudibranchs, well, didn’t. Fornudi lovers, a number of specieswere prevalent and consideredcommon here. Huge Ceratasoma

brevicaudatum, Chromodoristinctoria and Flabellina specieswere easy to find. On thestarfish peppered bottom amultitude of goatfish and Magpieperch cleared the way for us aswe kept our eyes peeled forflatheads and harder to spotstargazers that are known toreside there. Before we foundany of those however, we cameacross Henry!

Our first leafy seadragon!Fantastic. We spent ten enjoyableminutes watching and ‘shooting’Henry. Before the dive, Carey

Nikon F90X in Nexus housing, 60mm, twin YS30 strobes on TTL,Velvia. Manual mode, 1/250th @ f16.

Rapid bay jetty is well over 400 meters long

UwP 33

had informed us as to howdelicate leafys are. If they get toostressed out they may suddenlydie. Also, if they are made tochange even moderate depthsquickly, their swim bladder canrupture. We had heard and readhorror stories attesting to this.

Photographers who had‘held on’ to the tails of aseadragon to get a shot, only tosee them keel over afterward.Snorkelers who would divedown and bring live seadragons

up to the surface to show others.Other photographers who wouldshepherd the seadragons intosuitable positions for a shot.Needless to say, we had alreadydecided to take only a handful ofshots of any single subject thatwe found so as hopefully not tocause too much trauma.

In the end, we found that aslong as we were patient, slowand moved carefully around theenvironment, we could getsuitably close to Henry for full

body shots and close-up’s.Leafys can’t move too

quickly and seem to prefer todepend on their camouflage,tending to stand their grounduntil you get unreasonably close.Which proved to be closeenough for 20, 60 & 105mmlenses.

However, they also tend tostay sideways on to any ‘threat’making head-on shots harderwith shorter focal length lenses.To be honest though, they are agift to photographers. With astriking green to yellow (variabledependent on location) and whitecolouration, they look great ifshooting for black or bluenegative space. The typical leafy‘movement’ also makes themperfect candidates for slow speedsync. shots.

In fact it was all this thatkept us coming back to the jettyfor the next three days. Ourintention had been to spend thetime exploring the surroundingshore dive sites as well as thejetty, but the jetty was just toogood. Even then we didn’t get toexplore all of the areas! What wedid get to do though was to shootour gamut of lenses, 105, 60, 20& 16 fisheye on an equallydiverse set of subjects - mostlycentered around the leafys ofcourse. Over those three days wediscovered and identified at leasteight different individual leafyseadragons, finding them each toreact quite differently to thecamera. But it was Henry that wewould find and visit at least onceon each of those dives. Otherhighlights for us were theschools of old wives andbullseyes resident beneath the‘T-section’. A pair of cuttlefishalways to be found in the samerecesses, appearing to lay inambush. Blue ring octopus underthe debris beneath the entry

This is one of a pair of cuttlefish, possibly broadclub cuttlefish, thatwe would find every day either sheltering or laying in wait in theexact same place and almost perfectly camouflaged.Nikon F90X inNexus housing, 60mm, twin YS30 strobes on TTL, Velvia. Manualmode, 1/125th @ f11.

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platform (found when I had thefisheye on!), a large southernfortescue, small school of squidand huge flatheads. We also sawa large fiddler ray, unfortunatelyit was on the other end of afishing line. Which leads to ourother ‘findings’- that of a newfishing reel, multiple squid jigsand lures, and a nice blue hat.We left everything but took thehat as a momento! In a similarvein we ‘rescued’ a goatfish andwrasse that were both hooked ona broken trace - shears are morethan handy when diving here!

Our only regret was notdoing a night dive. The near two-hour bottom times and two orthree tank a day dives combinedwith the walk to and from the carmeant that a beer and meal at thepub always won out! Still, givesus something to return fordoesn’t it? And to see howHenry’s getting on eh?

Useful informationRapid bay is about 100km

and a few hours drive south ofAdelaide. Apart from a campsitethere is little otheraccommodation near the jetty.We stayed at Dolphin dive innearby Normanville. Simple butcomfortable accommodationabove the dive shop made it easyto pick up tanks and fills etc.They also hire out wetsuits andthe range of gear at reasonableprices. Dolphin dive went out oftheir way to ensure we had agood time (including lending ustheir trolley when ours died).

Normanville also has a fewnearby B&B’s, a small motel andnumerous café’s as well as a pubfor food.

Dolphin dive can be foundat www.oitafe.com.au/Dolphin_Dive/ .

The bay can be dived yearround. Best conditions are foundwhen winds are from the east orsoutheast. Northerly winds cancause a lot of swell and reducevisibility to near zero. Watertemp. peaks in summer at around21 degrees, dropping to around12 degrees in winter. Diving isalso highly rated aroundKangaroo island and the Yorkpeninsular so you can easily basea dive holiday in the region.

The jetty becomes busy atweekends and there are queues atthe platform as well as aroundanything interesting (includingleafys) underwater. We suggestyou plan to dive weekdays if atall possible. The shore, and theapproach, is quite rocky with ashallow gradient. Shore entriesand exits are possible but couldbe very difficult if carryingequipment.

Be prepared to share thejetty with the ‘fishos’ orfishermen. Be careful of thelines, take a pair of shears andpick up any rubbish you find.

The most memorable thing,apart from the diving, tends to be

Nikon F90X in Nexus housing, 20mm, twin YS120 strobes on TTL, -1.5EV, Provia. Manual mode, 1/15th @ f11. Rear curtain sync andslow shutter speed.

the amount of dust generated bythe active limestone quarry(which the jetty used to serve forloading/unloading).

After three days diving wehad dust virtually everywhere,including coating the inside ofthe camera and housing soprepare for that.

You can check outwww.seadragon.org.au for aguide on seadragons as well as acode of conduct when divingwith them.

For information on divingSoutheast Asia, underwaterphotography & the MotormarineIIEX:- Just add warm water to A& A instant divers!!!

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.aj/index.html

Andy & Angela Heath

UwP 35

There can be fewexperiences to match aninteraction between man andanother mammal. When theexperience takes place in anelement which differs to ourown and with creatures ofrivalling intelligence it canbecome almost life changing inits effect.

Atlantic Grey Seals exist ina few colonies off the Britishcoast but there is just one place,to our knowledge, whichprovides the photographer withalmost guaranteed opportunitiesto capture this creature on filmunderwater and in clear water.

The Scilly Isles, 28 milesoff the coast of Lands End inCornwall, are a sub tropicalidyll for wildlife and peoplealike.

Life long Scillonian, MarkGroves, sets out almost dailywith his RIB full of visitors tothe Isles hoping to snorkel with acolony of seals around thejagged uninhabited EasternRocks. Occasionally thesnorkelers are joined by diversbut more often it is film crews. Apioneer of underwaterphotography himself, Mark hasbeen visiting the seals for manyyears so they have no fear as theboat approaches and, when in thewater, some even greet him as afriend.

While we chose to usescuba units Mark prefers tosnorkel with his customers and

take his photographs on duckdives. Our subjects, the seals,were in less than three metres ofwater and, although clear formost of the year, our visitcoincided with an unseasonableplankton bloom. In our favourthe Cornish sun was shining andthe sea was flat so our enemywas to be backscatter. Therewere several options toovercome this. The use ofambient light and avoidingstrobes altogether, twin strobesswept well back on long arms,shooting up or down andaperture priority with fill-in TTLflash.

The beauty of ambient lightphotography is that backscatter iseliminated and you canconcentrate on your composition.However, you have to shoot

Shooting Scilly SealsBy Demelza and Will Postlethwaite

Silvery sea - No strobes, ambient light, aperture priority, f8. NikonF90X in a Subal Miniflex housing. Nikon 20mm AFD lens. FujiProvia 100 F

close to the surface and close toyour subject as light, andespecially colours, are lost veryquickly through water tending toreduce contrast and makingpictures look washed out.

As you can see from“Silvery sea” the water’s surfacemakes an excellent backdrop butthe underside of the seal is inshadow. At 3 metres with onlybrown kelp to reflect the sun thelight levels were such that inorder to get the seals interactingwith us on film we needed to addlight.

In “Melz with seal” you cansee the image is lit by strobes oneither side aimed slightly awayfrom the direction of view suchthat the angle of the beam lightsup the diver and the seal but notthe centre of the frame and

UwP 36

Face in kelp - 2 Sea&sea Ys120 strobes on full, 1/60, f5.6. Nikon 20mm AFD lens. Fuji Provia 100 F

therefore the water column. This strategy workswell but, again, you need to be close and to fill theareas of the frame illuminated by the strobes. Youcan get interesting effects with this method byswitching off one strobe and lighting just from theunderside as can be seen in “Upside down”. Ittakes a couple of looks to see what is going on!

By filling the background of the picture eitherwith the kelp by shooting down or with the watersurface by shooting up you can help to avoid thebackscatter showing up on your shot. With “Facein the kelp” a very obliging seal spent someminutes with only his head poking out of the kelp.This gave us the chance to shoot from slightlyfurther away and any light from the strobes thatreflected back to the lens is lost in the brown kelpbackdrop.

Any horizontal shots would have shown howmuch material was in the water. In “White baby”the camera’s metering was switched from matrix orfull frame to spot. This allowed us to have thestrobes set to TTL without having to fill the framewith subjects in a single plane. Exposing with

White baby - 2 Sea&sea YS120 strobes on TTL, aperture priority, f8. Nikon F90X in a Subal Miniflexhousing. Nikon 20mm AFD lens. Fuji Provia 100 F

UwP 37

Melz with seal - 2 Sea&seaYS120 strobes on full, 1/60, f8.Nikon F90X in a Subal Miniflexhousing. Nikon 20mm AFD lens.Fuji Provia 100 F

aperture priority meant that evenas the seal moved in the watercolumn with more or lesssunshine in the shot the exposureremained good.

You can see that thewhiteness of the seal’s fur haslead to the spot metering toslightly underexpose thebackground water surface. Notonly was the experience ofinteracting closely with thesewild animals so amazing but thefact that they stayed with us forsuch a long time allowed us to

Scillonian-style dive centre

Upside down - 1 Sea&sea YS120strobe on full, 1/60, f11. Nikon20mm AFD lens. Fuji Provia100 F

experiment with varioustechniques and get shots forquite a varied portfolio.

Our thanks go to MarkGroves for this opportunity,truly a man of the sea. Markoffers trips to see the seals anddive trips. He is based on StMarys and can be contacted on01720 422732.

By Demelza andWill Postlethwaite

poslethwaites@btinternet.com

UwP 38

Inon’s Quad Flash is one of the most innovative tools ever madeavailable to underwater photographers. The four reflectors provideshadowless lighting with an ethereal quality all of it's own. Thecompact size is less intrusive than conventional strobes and makesanimals much more approachable.

The Quad is packed with useful features such as an automaticallyactivated modeling light to assist autofocusing and Nikon compatibleTTL. To get creative there are three manual powers and a built inshade lets you block off two of the reflectors.

Available with ports to suit both Subal and Sea and Sea SLRhousings. Quad from £995.00. Ports from £299.00. For a full review byaward winning photographer, author and underwater photographycoach Mark Webster see UwP Issue 2 at http://www.uwpmag.co.uk

13 Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5AQTel 020 7930 8408 Fax 020 7839 6148

http://www.oceanoptics.co.ukOcean Optics

Ring of Bright Water

UwP 39

An incident at HeathrowAirport earlier this year was myinspiration for this article. I hada choice to make at the check incounter. My hand luggage was atad too heavy and I was forced toleave something behind. Whatwould it be? I had time on myside so I set about repacking myunderwater photography carry-on bag.

Underwater tripod systems,back up flashguns just in case aspare of a spare of a spare failedto arrive in time, flash arms andother bits and bobs. Everythingin the bag came under scrutiny ofits worth on the trip. What couldI afford to leave behind? Whatwas essential? At the very top ofthe list of essential optionalextras were my powerfulKowalski dive torches, two ofthem to be precise. I had neverfully appreciated until then justhow important to me divers withlights were.

The inclusion of a diver inany sense is not mandatory.Chris Newbert, author of ‘Withina Rainbowed Sea’ and ‘In a Seaof Dreams’ stated in a magazineinterview that diver pictureswere the most boring andredundant photographs on theface of the earth. In completecontrast American Skindivermagazine publishes numerouspictures of bikini-clad models,just posing for the underwatercamera. The impression of anunderwater beauty pageant orfashion parade cannot easily beavoided. These are two extremesof opinion, neither right norwrong. My own opinions andviews on this subject are just

Lights and diversby Martin Edge

Both divers are using video lights as opposed to a dive torch. I havelearnt that apertures of at least F5.6/F4 at 60th sec with ISO 100 filmare necessary to bring out the full beam of even the brightest light.Using these apertures it is possible, as in this example, to illuminatea secondary point of interest. The sponges on the pillar are lit by thebeam of the torch. Remember to direct the beam towards the subject.The photographer needs to see the beam being emitted. This takesfine-tuning of the beam direction and communication betweenphotographer and model is crucial. Both divers were positioned witha variety of hand signals.Notice how the first diver looks posed and contrived whilst in thebackground the more experienced model looks natural in herexploration of Town Pier in Bonaire. I took an entire roll of film onthis idea and only achieved about 8 shots, which I considered wereacceptable to me. Nikon 16mm lens, F4 @ 30th second, Elite 200

UwP 40

that, opinions! Readers mustcome to their own conclusions;however, my approach in varioussituations may be of interest toyou.

In my own wide-angleunderwater photography I like toinclude divers/models for anumber of reasons.* Provide the viewer with a‘sense of being there’. Theaddition of a diver can bring theawe and wonder of theunderwater world into someone’sfront room. It’s somethingdivers and non-divers alike canrelate to. Dive magazines,equipment manufacturers, scubatravel agents exploit thisenormously.* To provide a sense of scale in awide-angle seascape or closefocus wide angle shot. Nothingdramatises a wreck shot betterthan a diver with a light* To fill ‘dead space’ in an areaof the picture that perhaps hasjust too much blue water.* To create a feeling of depththrough the image. I small diverin the background conjures up afeeling of being distant andautomatically provides depthperspective so essential forsuccessful wide-angle work.* To reinforce a subject bydirecting the eye of the viewer.This maintains the interest of theviewer and continually leads theeye back to the focal point.

But Why TheLight?

A dive light is an optionalextra, an added bonus but no, itis not essential. Consider this!Whilst the diver provides thesense of scale, the depth and thefeeling of ‘being there’. Apowerful dive light reinforces

The model in this image is about 20 feet away. I used the techniquehas above, by drumming my fingers on the dome in order to get thetorch dead centre. I would have preferred the beam to be slightlyoffset as in ‘PNG Barrel Sponge’ but I pressed the shutter when theKowalski was aiming directly into the lens. In several other shots ofthis set the light beam was better but the position of the diver wasawkward and unbalanced. Using apertures of F4 or F5.6 (as was thecase in this shot) can often make the dive light too bright. Nikon17mm - 35mm zoom lens set to 17mm end. Two Sea & Sea YS 120flashguns set to manual half power with Elite 100 ISO.

This image represents what I am trying to achieve in my underwaterphotography. It matters not who may like or dislike it. The inclusionof the diver in the background, the size and scale of his presence, hisbody position, in my opinion speaks a thousand words. The additionof the dive light increases the impact even more so. The model isRonnie, a dive guide from Sipadan Dive Center. Whenever anopportunity arose he would place himself about 20 to 30 feet behindthe subject. I learnt to control the natural light exposure of both theblue mid water background and the dive light. A Sea & Sea YS 120flash on manual full power provided the fill to paint in the shadowson the turtle. Nikon 16mm fisheye lens F8 @ 125th sec. Elite 100.

UwP 41

these aspects considerably. As we are on thesubject have a glance at the picture illustrationsabove, screw your eyes up and visualise the shotwithout the light! Better or worst?

Size of the Diver

Another consideration is the size of the diver/model in the frame. This relates to how close theyare to the photographer. How many of you think ofthis when you are shooting film? The closer theyare the more their pose is critical to the success ofthe image, gangling arms and legs is a certain nono. At these close distances the eyes of the modelcome into the scenario.

I say model because at this distance you arearranging a model as opposed to just a diver. If theviewer can see the eyes, they should look happy,enquiring and interested. More of this perhaps in alater issue!

Let me discuss the practicalities of all this inthe extended captions of examples.

The diver is reinforcing the main theme of theimage being the shape and colour of the huge PNGbarrel sponge. Notice how your eye is drawn backand forth between the diver and sponge. No matterwhere you look around the frame it is these twoelements of the image, which attract your attention.The use of the light in this is completely differentthan the Bonaire Pier shot. My flashgun has lit thesponge not the dive-light. By using hand signal Ihave directed the diver to point the light directlyinto my dome port. I do this by drumming thefingers of my free left hand on the glass.The diver will see the reflection of the light on thedome. As soon as this effect looks pleasing I showan enthusiastic OK sign. The model then knows toslightly incline the flash towards the main subject.This adjustment is so slight, just enough to offsetthe beam slightly. Unlike the Pier shot you have totake care not to overexpose the dive-light. I havelearnt that F11 or F16 is usually the mostfavourable aperture. When shooting uptowards the surface it is common to achieve F11 orF16 apertures from the exposure of the blue water,which makes this technique easier to master.16mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS 120flashguns set to full power. F11 @ 60th secondwith Elite 100 ISO.

An early attempt at using a model with a videolight. I took a series of shots of my wife Sylviaexploring a swim-thru on one of the wrecks atGubal. I tilted the camera angle to provide a moredynamic diagonal to the composition. I placed thelight on the 'thirds' intersection to aid composition.The bubbles were luck but once again I think asubtle enhancement. I took about 6 shots of thisidea. Nikonos 111 & 15mm lens. 60th sec at F4.Oceanic 2003 on half power.

UwP 42

I have taken very few shots in recent years wherethe features of the models are visible.This portrait was a request by the couple to havetheir pictures taken underwater. I selected aphotogenic archway in Macro City, Sipadan. Theforeground model has been briefed to explore theroof of the cave with her eyes and to reinforce hergaze at all times with the dive light (an ancientsubatec video light). Her partner was briefed todirect his light towards her beam. You can see himlooking towards me for directions. Again I pressedthe shutter a fraction of a second early and to methe result looks contrived. When the features ofmodels are plainly visible it becomes much harderto achieve the desired within the image. Boredom,uncertainty, stress, whatever the eyes of the modelsportray is obvious to all! Debbie (in theforeground) was a super model, with excellentbuoyancy control and poise. She was able create somuch enthusiasm and interest by her eyemovements alone.Nikon F801s in Subal housing. A Sea & Sea YS50on TTL filled in the features of the models. F11,30th second.

Remember! It is not mandatory to fill spacewith a diver if the shot stands up for itself. Alwaysconsider that the use of such could ruin a shotentirely. I always keep the opening words of ChrisNewbert in the back of my mind when choosing toinclude a diver with or without a light. His wideangles are outstanding and there is not a bubble insight. We can all learn from his approach bystudying his two coffee table books. ‘Within aRainbow Sea’ and ‘In a Sea of Dreams’.

And finally a note about the equipment.Whilst there are numerous dive/video lights/torches on the market, I use Kowalski torches, boththe 620 and 1250 model. My reasons are due tothe brightness of the beam, the two power settings50% and 100%, duration of burn time and mostimportantly the charging implications. Kowalskilights can now be re-charged without hesitationeven if they are not entirely discharged. At last thenotorious ‘memory effect’ of the battery pack hasno impact. The full charge time is about two hoursand is achieved without opening any part of thecasing thereby eliminating the risk of a flood.

Martin Edge

Digital is theway to go for easyunderwater shootingwith maximumversatility.Remarkably compactcameras don't detract from your diving fun.Close focusing zoom lenses let you shoot thesmall and shy creatures without clumsy andexpensive accessories. Built in monitors letyou compose your picture accurately andreview and delete unwanted images at yourconvenience.Digital is easy, fun and affordable underwaterphotography.Systems cost from as little as £410.

Ocean Optics13 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AQ.

Tel: 020 7930 8408 Fax: 020 7839 6148optics@oceanoptics.co.uk

http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Revolutionary Cameraswithout the aristocratic price tag

UwP 43

At the end of the day, it’sresults that matters. Never mindthe inconvenience of dragging a10kg camera system against a3kt current, never mind thecountless times of strobesadjustment and certainly nevermind the 40 minutes of searchingfor an elusive critter as long as Ihave RESULTS!!

But what if the resultsremain and all the inconvenienceis reduced to a minimum? Toogood to be true? Not anymore.The Subal housing and the InonQuad flash combination is just apure joy to operate. I first sawthe system at Oceanoptics andimmediately knew it’s potentialunder water. It makes sense forone thing, when it comes tomacro, you would want a systemthat is as compact as possiblewithout sacrificing results.Naturally I bombarded the guyswith tons of questions and finallythe only left to find out, is tobring it underwater.

My opening ceremony wasin the Maldives. Though not apopular site for macro shots, Ibrought it along for a tryout.Encased in the housing is aNikon F100 with a Nikkor105mm lens. The attention I gotfrom onlookers while loading aroll of slide is simply awesome. Imust admit the system is ahandsomely crafted device andchanging a roll of slide has neverbeen so cool.

I shot 3 rolls of slideswith the system in my 2 days ofdiving; would have shot morebut my primary aim for the tripwas wide angle photography. Ina way it was really a test shot

and I experimented withnumerous settings. The Inon has4 flash tubes and a sliding maskto masked away 2 tubes shouldyou need to play a little withshadows. As I wasn’t presentedwith much macro subjects, Idecided to shoot crinoid shrimpsand gobies.

On my return toSingapore, I got the slidesprocessed and the results

confirmed my first impression.The colours were brilliant,contrast was excellent (partlydue to Velvia), images weresharp. In short, I was a happyman. Armed with this knowledgeand the capabilities of thesystem, it was only natural that Iplanned my next trip to critterhaven – Manado!

A month later, I foundmyself at Bunaken marine park –

Macro shooting made easyby Ee wan Khoo

UwP 44

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Manado. A pygmy seahorse has recently made its’appearance nearby the dive centre and I made it myprimary ‘mission’ to shoot it. The only thing I fearis that with a 105mm lens, I may not get sufficientmagnification. All that ‘s left is now hoping thatwith the aid of the doublet with screws on the frontof the Inon, will further magnify the seahorse.Pygmies have a habit of living in deep waters over30m and with a mild to strong current flowing.This might be a problem as I needed stability whenshooting at minimum focusing distant. However Ifound out I could operate the Subal with one hand– thanks to the ergonomic design and the strappedhandle. The pygmy was in a very awkward positionfor photography and I needed the other hand as an

anchor while I contort myself into the best shootingposition imaginable. I shot 2 rolls on it and hopefor the best.

As this is macro haven, there were plenty ofsubjects to choose from so much so some diveswere as short as 20 mins- I ran out of films! I stillcannot understand why we are limited to 36 shotsin a roll when over the years we have inventedsmaller, faster and more powerful computers.

So do I shoot 6 frames per subject on 6subjects or 3 frames on 12? Well if there’s onething I learned about underwater photography isthat you never never stint on films. The moreuncommon the subject the more shots it deserves.

Shrimps and crabs seem to thrive here. Ifound them on fans, soft corals, hard corals,anemone and sea cucumbers. Each time I shotthem I only had to worry about composition. Nostrobes position to worry about, aperture priorityon f22 setting and strobe setting left on TTL.

The compact design of this system alsoenable me to get closer to shy creatures withoutspooking them. I guess the absence of strobe armslooked less threatening. The system also allows me

All shots taken on: Nikon F100 in

Subal housing with Inon Z-22 quad

flash. Lenses used are Nikkor 60mm

and 105mm, with 2x teleconverter,

Films are Fujichrome Velvia and

Kodakchrome 100VS.

UwP 45

to work in confine places orwhen you do not have the luxuryof space when shooting amongsea fans. Both horizontal andvertical composition are mucheasier as I need not worry aboutbreaking any corals as opposedto a housing with strobe armssticking out.

The Inon also has a built infocus light. This light is activatedwhen the shutter is lightlypressed. This assists in low lightfocusing and I found it to beextremely useful especially whenshooting shrimps inside tubesponges.

The Inon also can bemounted through a conventionalarm system should you want thelight source from other angles. Ipersonally have tried handholding it from a few angles butit’s mainly for experimentalsake. The recycle time for eachfiring on TTL is very fast,making it possible to get as manyshots as possible whenunexpectedly the tiny shrimpposes for you. I could easily get5 rolls of 36 frames on 4standard alkaline batteries-sizeAA, though most of the time Irely on rechargeable NI-MH.

With such ease of usage, Iwasn’t surprised to find my stock

of Velvias diminishing.Thankfully I had a friend comingup from Singapore and hegraciously brought along 20rolls. I finished them all, heshould have brought 30.

So finally the trip ends andthe anxious moment begins. Allthe ease of usage is nothing ifyou don’t have the results. Whenthe slides came back, I wassmiling and smiling wide. It wasalso a great relieve to get goodshots as there were 2 otherphotographers with me who haddoubts about the system. Ishowed them the results and theyjust stared at the slides andnodded their head in approval.The results speaks forthemselves and a slide speaks athousand wordsÖÖÖmost of itrepetitive – Wow! Wow! Wow!

I have since returned toManado for another shootout.This time I brought a long a66mm extension ring. With theextra ‘space’ created, I could geta 105mm lens with a 2xteleconverter fitted. Thisessentially gives me a 210mmmacro lens. Although theminimum focusing distantincreases, it didn’t hamper thesituation. In fact in for certainsubjects, this works very well.

I also experimented with a60mm lens with a 2xteleconverter and found it to beextremely reliable. With thisconfiguration, magnificationimproves without sacrificingworking distance. Most of myshots were on aperture priorityon f/16 and the strobes on TTL.

Of course this systemdoesn’t work for every situation.It cannot get you a whale sharkshot nor a manta ray. It’s also notfor everyone, as I do know ofsome people who stronglyoppose the idea of a quad-flash.However I suggest that youjudge it for yourself. For me it’san excellent system for macroshooting.

Ee wan Khoo

UwP 46

Subtronic AlphaOverspecified and underpriced

This is the Subtronic Alpha.This is the Subtronic Alpha.This is the Subtronic Alpha.This is the Subtronic Alpha.This is the Subtronic Alpha.It is one of the finest underwater flash units in the world.It is one of the finest underwater flash units in the world.It is one of the finest underwater flash units in the world.It is one of the finest underwater flash units in the world.It is one of the finest underwater flash units in the world.Yet is costs suprisingly little.Yet is costs suprisingly little.Yet is costs suprisingly little.Yet is costs suprisingly little.Yet is costs suprisingly little.

It's equally at home in thehands of a beginner or apro.

It provides automaticTTL exposure with theNikonos V and RS andmost housed cameras

For more creativelighting you can overidethe TTL anytime you like

and choose from sevenmanual power settings for fine

discrimination. Its up to you.To ensure you don't miss shots when the

action is fast and furious the Alpha recycles inunder three seconds.

There's plenty of power with the Alphas highguide number of 28. And you won't need a lightsapping diffuser when you shoot wide angle. Allof that power is available to you with full 100

degree coverage.The built in power pack lets you shoot five rolls per charge and

recharging via the multi voltage smart charger takes just two hours.The Alpha has an aiming light fitted in the reflector as standard.

Switchable underwater between 7 and 10 watts, it’s brighter than manyprimary dive lights and can be used for night diving. And it doesen't stopthere. A safety beacon and slave are standard features on the Alpha.

The gun is hand assembled and protected by a 100 metre depth ratedaluminium body.

And you won't even get nickled and dimed on accessories. The Alphacomes complete with charger and cable. And all for just £799.00.And all for just £799.00.And all for just £799.00.And all for just £799.00.And all for just £799.00.

13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQTel 0207 930 8408 Fax 0207 839 6148

http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Ocean Optics

UwP 47

I may be wrong, but Isuspect that many readers ofUwP Magazine perhaps onlypractice the their art ofunderwater photography whenthey depart these shores forwarmer waters. I often havestudents on my workshops wholook horrified at the suggestionthey might dive in chilly Britishwaters if only to improve theirskills if not purely for pleasure!Apart from the prospect ofgetting cold, a commonmisconception is that visibility isusually close to zero and thatthere are no colourful subjectsworth recording. Whilst I wouldbe the first to admit that visibilityis not always stunning, there aretechniques which can be used towork around this and there arealso a whole host of aquaticcelebrities to keep a keenphotographer busy for dive afterdive.

With this in mind I thoughtI might try to encourage morephotographers to sample ourtemperate waters by singing thepraises of British fish. After all,if you can learn to produce goodimages under difficult conditionsthen it can only make the task somuch easier on your nexttropical trip and who knows youmay even learn to enjoy it!

We have to accept that lightlevels will be lower and thewaters often murky in the UK,which means that we must returnto the first principles ofunderwater photography in orderto enjoy anything close tosuccess. This means reducing theamount of water between thelens and the subject by usingequipment that gets us closer andwhen you think you are close

enough, then try to get evencloser still! Unless you haveexceptional conditions, which dooccur occasionally, you mustforget about stand offphotography and stick withmacro and close up techniques.If we are concentrating on fishphotography then you areunlikely to need to use a wideangle lens, but occasions do arisewhen you have a co-operativesubject which allows you closeenough to include the habitat orthe subject is so large that only awide angle lens is suitable.

Backscatter from suspendedparticles is of course the biggestenemy. You can avoid this andimprove the apparent clarity ofthe water by careful positioningof your flash guns so thatreflected light goes back towardsthe source (i.e. the flash) and not

the lens. We should generallyavoid flat lighting from thedirection of the camera/lens,however the only exception tothis would be macro subjectsphotographed with a ring flash.The preferred lens for use with aring flash is a 105mm, orperhaps a 180/200mm, where thefield of view is extremely narrowand the light source is both veryclose to the lens and has anarrow beam output. In this wayflat lighting does work, althoughit flies in the face of acceptedprinciples, but is worth trying ifyou are really hooked on yourmacro images.

There are many ways toreach your dive site but for methe most productive dives arethose made from the beach ontoa shallow reef where you willfind plenty of species and have

In Praise of British Fish by Mark Webster

Lumpsucker and diver - occasionally the opportunity arises tocombine marine life with a diver and you should make the most of it.Male lumpsuckers will be found in early spring guarding their eggsand will stay on location for 3-4 weeks which means you can returnand set up a shot like this one. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 20mm,Isotecnic 33TTL, Elitechrome EBX 100, f5.6 @ 1/60

UwP 48

as much time as you need tocapture them on film. Divingfrom a commercial charter boat,unless it is full of photographers,is not often successful as yourdive duration may be dictated bytide or the interests of yourfellow divers in the group. Thereare many excellent beach divingopportunities around the coaststarting in the borders atEyemouth and St. Abbs,Swanage Pier, Bovisand and theSouth Hams, Falmouth Bay, TheLizard and Lands End to namejust a handful of productiveareas.

John Dory - the weird looking John Dory or St.Peter fish is actually quite common in the summermonths on shallow reefs, but is very difficult tospot in the kelp due to excellent camouflage and avery thin profile when viewed head on. NikonF90X, Subal housing, 105mm, Inon Quad flash,

Wolf fish - the biggest blenny in our northerncoastal waters is the wolf fish. Although he lookspretty fiercesome, they are quite docile and liketheir smaller tom pot cousins are happy to pose forthe camera. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm,YS120 & YS30, Elitechrome EBX 100, f11 @ 1/60

Over the Reef

In shallow waters the reeftop will generally be swathedwith a variety of sea weedsnormally dominated by thehardiest species, kelp. A nonphotographer might view a diveto reef topped with kelp as acomplete waste of bottom time,however for the photographer itprovides a habitat which is hometo varied cast of piscinecharacters. In addition to themore sessile reef residents thereare numerous fish species which

cruise through the kelp and alongthe reef edge both protectingtheir territory and hunting forprey.

There are several varietiesof wrasse to be found in Britishwaters, the largest being theballan wrasse which is ourequivalent of the coral trout orgrouper. Ballan wrasse are veryterritorial and the large malescan reach lengths of 60cm ormore and come in a variety ofcolours including a striking deepred speckled pattern. Thefemales can grow almost aslarge, but tend to be slightlyduller in colouration ranging

UwP 49

from green to brown. In thespring time you will often seethem in pairs with the femalecarrying a heavy brood of eggswhich the male is anxious tofertilise during spawning. Thesefish are very inquisitive and willoften make repeated approachesthrough the kelp if you arepatient enough to stay in onespot for 20-30 minutes. Look outalso for feeding activity on thereef edge in the sand and gravelwhere you will also often seethem rubbing their bodies on theseabed to apparently to removeparasites. In fact you might belucky enough to observe anotherspecies of wrasse, the rock cook,actually removing parasites fromthe larger fish just like a cleaningstation on a tropical reef!

Two other very colourfulspecies of wrasse are alsocommon on shallow reefs. Themale cuckoo wrasse isresplendent in a snazzy blue andorange livery and can be verypersistent in his approacheswhen you enter his territory.They can actually becomeaggressive particularly whenthey see their reflection in acamera port and they have beenknown to nip at exposed skin,which can come as quite a shockwhen you have your eye glued tothe viewfinder! The femalecuckoo wrasse is much duller tolook at sporting a drab brownishlivery. However, when a maledies or departs a territory it is themost dominant female whichbegins a transition to become amale and you may encounter anodd looking fish which is onlyhalf way through the change oflife. The other colourful wrasseresident is the male corkwingwhich has an intricate swirlingpattern of blue, red and brownand is most likely to be seenbuilding a nest amongst the kelp

Basking sharks are our biggest fish and appear in spring time withthe first plankton bloom on which they feed. Having caught up withone photography is relatively straight forward - natural light with awide angle lens, but don’t forget to expose for the shark and not thewater as they are quite dark in colour. Nikon F90X, Subal housing,20mm, Elitechrome EBX 100, f5.6 @ 1/60

Dragonet - Sand and rubble may appear barren and lifeless to beginwith, but if you settle down for a few minutes then creatures willbegin to reveal themselves. There are nearly always numerousdragonets who will approach you cautiously - the male is the mostcolourful and if you are lucky he may display his colourful dorsal fin.Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm, Inon Quad flash, ElitechromeEBX 100, f11 @ 1/125

in spring in preparation for thefemale to spawn. If you spot one,try to track his movementsacross the reef and you will soonbe led to the nest site which willgive you the opportunity for

some close portrait shots.Other kelp hunters include

the pollack who hangs above theweed often in small groups muchlike a barracuda waiting to strike.More difficult to spot are the

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On the Rocks

Almost every rockyforeshore has numerousinhabitants which may not beobvious at first glance, but with alittle patience you will begin totrack them down. Many of thefish you will find in the cracksand crevices of the reef areterritorial or semi sessile and areeasily approached for framefilling close up photography. Weare all familiar with the smilingfeatures of the tom pot blenny,but there are also Montagu’s andYarrel’s blenny, shannies andbutterfish to be found in a similarhabitat. A number of gobiesshare the reef habitat with theblennies, the most striking beingleopard spotted gobies which aregenerally found in small sandyopenings at the base of the reef.Less obvious species includescorpion fish and topknots bothof which have excellentcamouflage and are morechallenging to hunt down, butnormally equally co-operativeonce found. All these species canbe shot successfully with a60mm or 105mm macro lens ona housed system, but if you areusing a Nikonos or Motormarinethen you will have to work witha close up kit with the framerremoved. You can try focussingon the subject using convergingtorch beams which intersect atthe point of focus, althoughjudging the picture area will takesome practice. Whicheversystem you have, you will needto concentrate on your lightingangles, not only to eludebackscatter but also to avoidcasting shadows on the subjectwhen shooting into crevices inthe reef.

Larger denizens you mayfind amongst the rocks include

Leopard spotted goby - these little fish are quite common, found atthe base of the reefs in little sandy overhangs. However they can be alittle skittish, so a 105mm lens will be the ideal tool to fill the frame.Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm, Inon Quad flash, ElitechromeEBX 100, f11 @ 1/125

Male cuckoo wrasse - all cuckoo wrasse start off as females with themost dominant in the group changing sex when the male of theterritory dies or departs. Occasionally you will encounter one whichis partially patterned which looks decidedly odd. Nikon F90X, Subalhousing, 105mm, Inon Quad flash, Elitechrome EBX 100, f11 @ 1/60

john dory whose body is waferthin when viewed head on,which coupled with flawlesscolouration helps him blendperfectly into the kelp. Howeverthey will often track you in thehope that you will disturbsomething worth eating and, ifyou are fortunate, you might seeone strike with its amazing

extending jaw which sucks theprey back in towards the fish alot like a frog fish on a coralreef.

The best tool for capturingan image of these fish will be a60mm lens in a housing orperhaps the standard 35mm on aNikonos or Motormarine.

UwP 51

lumpsuckers tending their eggs in the spring,sleepy dog fish and topes and in our northernwaters the granddaddy of all blennies, the fearsomelooking wolf fish. All of these are fairly docile andco-operative and when conditions are favourableyou may want to try a slightly wider approach withperhaps a lens between 20-35mm which willinclude some of the reef habitat.

On the Sand

Wherever we dive in the world the temptationis often to head for the reef which usually offersthe greatest concentration of sea life. All too oftenwe can ignore the sandy areas that border a reef orindeed the often large areas of sand and gravelwhich we cross to reach the reef. This can be amistake as these seemingly barren areas do harboursome interesting fish life, particularly in thesummer months. As the shallow waters begin towarm in the early spring, formerly lifeless areasbegin to sprout new growths of seaweed beds, eelgrass and stands of bootlace weeds. These are inturn populated by fry and juvenile species which inturn attract predators. The weedy areas are a great

place to spot species like sticklebacks and pipe fishwhich blend very easily as they hang motionless ormove very slowly through this natural camouflage.There are two species common in our waters, thegreater pipe fish, which has a head very much likea seahorse and an armoured appearance to its body,and the snake pipe fish which is altogethersmoother and more colourful, often found with aseries of pale bands down the length of its body.Seahorses are apparently making a comeback aswell and there are increasing reports of sightingsand capture of these critters in crab pots all alongthe south coast. They also favour the weed on thesandy areas but are incredibly well camouflaged soyou will need a great deal of patience and a goodchunk of luck!

The sand and gravel areas are home to anumber of species that are adept at camouflage and

Pouting shoal - this is a typical small school ofpouting on a shallow wreck site. Occasionally weexperience good conditions with good visibility andreasonable visibility - you need to be prepared totake advantage of them! Nikon F801, Subalhousing, 20mm, YS120 & YS30, Elitechrome 100,f8 @ 1/60

Corkwing wrasse - Corkwing are found on the reefthroughout the year but are most active in thespring when the males are building their nests. Ifyou spot one follow him until you find the nestlocation and then wait patiently for youropportunity. Nikon F90X, Subal housing, 105mm,YS120 & YS30, Elitechrome EBX 100, f11 @ 1/60

UwP 52

may not be immediatelyapparent. One approach is just tosettle on the sand andconcentrate on the area a meteror so in front of you. Oftenspecies like dragonets, gobiesand dabs will eventually begin toreveal themselves withmovement and will normallybecome increasingly inquisitive.They tend to move in smalljumps and jerks so it sometimeshelps to pre-focus and then tracka particular subject until it settlesmomentarily in range whichallows you to obtain one or twoframes without the auto focushunting at the last moment!

There are larger specieswhich are more confident oftheir camouflage and are morelikely just to sit and watch youcome closer once found. Thelargest of these in shallow watersis likely to be the monk fish orangler fish which has amazingcamouflage and is content to siton the bottom gently waving itslure to attract unsuspecting prey.I have seen particularly largespecimens which have numeroussmall or juvenile fish swimmingamongst the lures above thefish’s mouth which are ignoredin the sure knowledge that theywill attract a much larger meal.

Other sand hunters includeplaice, turbot and thornback andblond rays which are often foundclose to estuaries digging forcrustaceans in the silt.

Closer to the borderbetween reef and sand you mayalso encounter small schools ofred and grey mullet, sand eels(which attract the voraciouspollack) and red gurnards,although the latter tend to appearmore often at dusk or at night. Sodon’t ignore the sandy areas asthey can prove to be almost asproductive as the reef itself.Bright sand can cause exposureproblems with TTL systems and

Topknot - topknots are usuallyfound in cracks and crevices inthe reef. Occasionally they willbe found sitting on top of a rockas here, which allows you to geta low angle of approach andinclude some natural light in theshot. Nikon F801, Subal housing,60mm, YS50 & YS30,Elitechrome 100, f5.6 @ 1/30

Scorpion fish are amongst myfavourite reef subjects as eachone will have a different colourand pattern dependant on wherethey are perching. Once foundthey are normally convinced youcannot see them, so make themost of every angle andexposure. Nikon F2, Hugyfothousing, 55mm, YS50 flash,Fujichrome Velvia, f8 @ 1/60

UwP 53

often you will have to rely onexperience to judge this. If yourflash output seems unusually lowat small apertures then youshould suspect that the TTL isunderexposing and it is best toresort to manual exposurecalculation.

Open Waters

There are time when youwill need to board a boat to gooffshore as the open waters ofour coastline still do harbourschools of fish despite heavycommercial fishing. However,capturing a shoal of mackerel orherring on film is probably morea matter of luck than planning inmy experience. I have often leaptfrom the deck of a boat withenthusiasm to chase a shoal ofmackerel which can not only beclearly seen on an echo sounderbut are also coming up to thedeck on hooks as I submerge, butwhen you reach your targetdepth you are on your ownagain!

Easier larger targets doappear in the spring and summerin the form of basking sharks,sun fish and jelly fish (althoughthe latter is not strictly a fish ofcourse). For these beasties you

will want a wide angle lens andit is best to leave your flash ondeck as you will be workingright on the surface. A wet suitand snorkel is most effectiveparticularly for basking sharks asyou will have to swim hard inbursts to stay with your quarry.As these sharks are planktonfeeders the conditions whichattract them will not include ginclear visibility. So you need toget as close to the subject aspossible and it is often better touse manual focus as auto focuswill often try to lock ontoparticles in the water just at thewrong moment. Jelly fish are ofcourse slower moving and canlook quite spectacular whencaptured against the sun close tothe surface. Sun fish are found inthe south western approachesand the Bristol Channel,although they do occasionallyturn up in the North Sea duringparticularly warm summers.Although they laze on thesurface happily alongside a boat,they will quickly sound oncethey become aware of yourpresence in the water so youhave to be prepared to grab a fewframes quickly. I have never hadmuch success with them andmust admit to being green withenvy when watching the

sequence in Blue Planet showingseagulls pecking parasites fromsunfish - a few weeks at sea is allyou need!

Hopefully these few wordswill have converted a few of thededicated tropical photographersout there, or at least temptedsome to sample our home waters.When conditions are right wehave some wonderful coastlineand if you prepare yourself withthe correct equipment you canremain comfortable even in thechilliest waters. Taking theplunge can only improve yourphotography which will boostyour enthusiasm even fortemperate waters - so let’s hear itfor British fish!

Mark Webster

Mark Webster hostsunderwater photography

workshops aboard the MYCoral Queen and in

Indonesia. He is also theauthor of ‘The Art and

Technique of UnderwaterPhotography’ published by

Fountain Press.

See Mark’s website forfurther details:

www.photec.co.uk

The snake pipe fish is the secondmost common pipe fish in ourwaters. It prefers shallow watersand will be found amongst seaweeds at the reef edge. NikonF90X, Subal housing, 105mm,YS120 & YS30, Elitechrome EBX100, f11 @ 1/60

UwP 54

It is an inescapable fact that successfulunderwater photography is heavily dependant ontechnology. Not only do our cameras have towithstand and function in a hostile environment,but also many of the images we conjure up in ourminds can only be captured on film with the rightkit.

Quite simply, unlike many branches ofphotography, good equipment yields good shots.But what do we do when it just isn’t possible toproduce the image we want with conventional kit?We have two choices: we can either throw in thetowel or we can persevere, get inventive, play andexperiment. These are surely some of the mostexciting times to be an underwater photographer.

Most underwater photographs are taken ofsmall areas, in shallow, bright conditions. A prettybiased view of the oceans! This article is aboutredressing the balance and tells the tale of howFinnish photographer, Jukka Nurminen, went aboutphotographing the Wreck of the Vrouw Maria(Lady Mary) in the almost pitch darkness of theBaltic Sea.

Our story begins on the 5th September, inAmsterdam. In the year 1771. The Vrouw Maria, atwo mast wooden merchant ship loaded with aprecious cargo including works of art belonging toCatherine the Great of Russia, sets sail for StPetersburg. A month into the voyage, close to anarchipelago of islands off southwest Finland, she iscaught in a vicious autumnal storm.

The storm drives the ship onto the rocky shoreof Jurmo island and sinks the Vrouw Maria on the3rd October. For 228 years no one knew the exactfinal resting place of the Vrouw Maria’s, but thatdid not stop many from trying to find this “treasureship”. Success finally came in June 1999, when thewreck was located by sonar in 42m of waters.

Wooden shipwrecks are a rarity in the oceansfor one main reason: they are devoured at atremendous rate by shipworm. However, thenortheast Baltic is rather a special place. The BalticSea is actually a very large estuary, salty at one endand fresh at the other, and by the time we get toFinland, the water is too fresh for many marine

Size Matters: Photographing theWreck of the Vrouw Mariaby Jukka Nurminen with Alexander Mustard

Jukka and the tripod at its 5m setting (withoutsnow shoes)

species to survive, including shipworm. Thismakes it the best place in all the oceans for divingon ancient wooden shipwrecks.

While the conditions off southern Finland areexcellent for wood preservation, they are not idealfor photography, especially the photography of a26m long and 7m wide shipwreck. The aim ofJukka’s expedition was to take the first images that

UwP 55

conveyed the context and scaleof the Vrouw Maria to thegeneral public, for Finland’sbiggest weekly news magazine,Suomen Kuvalehti, the Finnishequivalent of Newsweek orTime.

Equally, the pictures werealso required by the MaritimeMuseum of Finland to documentthe wreck.

Such images would needambient light exposures, andexcuses like “it’s dark for mostof the year below 40m in the

Baltic” just don’t wash withmagazine editors.

The first challenge wasfinding a suitable season whenthere would be light at 40m.Jukka explains: “In the winterthe sun is too low and in thesummer there is too muchplankton in the water, leavingonly two possible windows; onejust after the ice has melted inthe spring and one in earlysummer after the spring planktonbloom”. Even at these times theconditions are hardly ideal: the

visibility ranges from 1 to 8mand the light levels are, at best,gloomy to dark. “Longexposures are unavoidable” hesummarises. The window openedin early June, and Jukka joinedthe research camp of theMaritime Museum.

“The easy part was Iknowing I needed a tripod to getpublishable colour shots.However, after studying a scalemodel of the wreck it was clear Ihad a problem: the deck of thewreck is more than five metresabove the seabed and the bow isclose to six. Where could I find atripod of these proportions? Andmore importantly, would it bepossible to use it underwater?”

After a fruitless search itwas clear that if he wanted a ninemetre tall tripod he would haveto have it custom built. “Thefinished tripod consisted of 7pieces: a tripod (1.7-3.8m), two2m and one 1m extension partsthat could be used in anycombination with a specialsocket, a ball head that allowedthe camera orientation to bealtered in seconds and a quickchange plate for instant camerafastening. I also fitted snowshoes to the tripod, which itneeded to stand on the softsediment and attached a cablerelease to the camera to ensurestability during long exposures.”

As Jukka succinctly puts it“Down below 40m there isn’ttime to mess about with yourcamera” so it was important thatboth he and his buddy werefamiliar with such ungainly kitbefore the rare opportunity wasafforded on the wreck. “We did atest dive during which we triedto overturn the tripod andpractised how to move andadjust it which was a great helpfor the real action!

“When taking pictures in

1. Bow of the Vrouw Maria. Nikonos RS, 13mm fisheye, tripod, 2hand held torches, plus 2 stops, Fuji Provia F 400, f2.8

2. Nikonos RS, 13mm fisheye, hand held torch, plus 2 stops, Fuji

UwP 56

low viz, at 40m and in cold, dark conditions youneed a meticulously planned dive. Add to thismixture a 9 metre high tripod and I needed a seriesof meticulously planned dives to get the shots. Onthe first day my two dives were about preparation.On the first I checked the visibility and the lightlevels (with the matrix metering of my NikonosRS) so that I could decide on film stock. I also tooktime to decide on the exact length of the tripod.Back on the boat we opened the tripod and loweredit into the water, where it lay on its side on theseabed. The second dive was dedicated to getting itinto place, which was quite a struggle, dragging itfor 15m at a depth of 42m.

“The next day I attached my camera and wasdelighted that the quick-change plate worked aswell as it had on the pier day before! With thecamera in place, I raised the tripod to 5 meters,composed in the gloom and reversing away withthe remote shutter release started shooting. Longexposures can be a real revelation underwaterbecause the camera is able to record more than oureyes can see at the time. It is a fantastic way toshoot! The remote release for the RS is an excellentaccessory and is a feature not found on mosthousings. One solution with a housing would be to

The cover of the Finland´s weekly news magazine.Nikonos RS, 13mm fisheye, Fuji Provia F 400

5. Exploring the Vrouw Maria. Nikonos RS, 13mmfisheye, 2 strobes on TTL, minus 1 stop, FujiProvia F 400, f2.8

set the camera’s shutter on a timer so that thepicture is taken, say, 5 seconds after the shutterrelease is pressed.

“On the next dive I shot a trial roll and on thebasis of the results I overexposed subsequent rollsby two stops to record more detail in the darkness.Surprisingly, there was not that much a differencebetween a normal exposure and a two stopsoverexposure, probably because of the reaction offilm is not that subtle at long exposures. My buddyused two hand-held torches to illuminate and givecolour to the wreck following my hand signals. Thetwo extra stops allowed us to use the torches fromfurther away, producing a more even lighting andletting us illuminate a much larger portion of thewreck.

“The large tripod felt a bit cumbersome on thefirst few dives, but soon I was repositioning itregularly, despite its in-water weight of more than10kg. The largest configuration I used was sixmetres, which was tall enough for the bow and thestern. My biggest problem was composing the

UwP 57

3. On the deck of the Vrouw Maria. Nikonos RS, 13mm fisheye, 2torches on the rig, two strobes on TTL, minus 1 stop, Fuji Provia F400, f2.8

shots because the features of theVrouw Maria were very difficultto see in the gloom. Due to alack of time on the wreck I wasnot able to take a top down viewof the bow or stern, which wouldhave required the full 9m tripod.Maybe next year!

Nevertheless, it was clear

that, as long as the current ismild, the tripod was steadyenough to be used fully extendedin the future.

“In conclusion, I ampleased with my results, giventhe level of difficulty and thedegree of experimentation.” Asphotographers we often stick

with our well used methods toguarantee a high strike rate ofgood shots when we dive.However, persevering with anew technique and technologyadds another weapon to ourphotographic armoury. “Myexperiences with the tripod notonly got the job done for me, butalso taught me a newphotographic approach wellsuited to many subjects inBaltic.” It is technique that willserve Jukka well as he embarkson a coffee table book project ofthe Gulf of Finland’s mostbeautiful wrecks.

Jukka Nurminen withAlexander Mustard

Contact Jukka atjkustoo@hotmail.com

Both authors aremembers of YUP, the YoungUnderwater Photographer’s

group.See www.yup.org.uk for

more details.

If you would like to discuss your requirements for 2003, please contactPeter RowlandsUwP Magazine

13 Langley Avenue, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6QN, EnglandTel & Fax 44 (0)20 8399 5709e mail peter@uwpmag.co.uk

5 good reasons to advertise in UwP

1. On average each issue of UwP is downloaded by over 22,000 readers worldwide(and we have the statistics to prove it!).2. UwP offers a unique readership as all our readers are underwater photographers anddivers.3. UwP has a truely worldwide circulation and we can show you the demographics.4. The cost of an advert in UwP is a fraction of that in conventional magazines. Thisspace could cost you as little as £150 or $2255. UwP does not use up valuable resources such as trees or toxic chemicals such asprinting ink.

UwP 58

Visions in the Sea 2002A highly talented cast of internationally renowned underwater

photographers and cameramen make up the bill for the sixth annualtwo-day conference, Visions in the Sea at Imperial College, SouthLondon on the weekend of November 16/17.

They and their fellow speakers will be sharing the secrets of theirsuccess with the delegates at this popular and established event stagedannually by Ocean Optics, the specialist suppliers of underwaterphotographic equipment who are based in central London.

Several of the speakers first trained as professionalphotographers and gained experience in the photographic industrybefore turning their full attention to underwater photography so theyhave special skills and knowledge to share.

The speakers will be Kurt Amsler, Gavin Newman, Tony White,Alex Mustard, John Collins, Kevin Capon, Mark Walker andGeorgette Douwma.In addition there will be short talks by AndrewPugsley and hopefully Wild Insight.

As well as the speakers, Paul Kay and Linda Dunk will be onhand to review your slides.

The highlight of the weekend must be An evening with PeterScoones followed by thechance to have dinnerwith the speakers.

Contact OceanOptics for full details.Tel 020 7930 8408 orcheck out their web sitehttp://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

UwP 59

Visions special eventsAn Evening With Peter Scoones

Evening Dinner with the speakers

At previous Visions conferences there has been a private dinner for speakers and their partners andthe Optics crew. For the first time we’re offering places at the meal to all delegates. This takes place onthe saturday after Peter Scoones’ evening presentation. Seating is strictly limited - one reason that theevent has had to be kept private in the past. Now that we have been able to organise more spaceapproximately 35 - 40 places will be available. The restaurant is Italian and can cater for vegetarians.We’ve organised a set price to include starter, main course, desert, coffee and a bottle of wine betweentwo. There’s a cash bar for any extra drinks. Please go along with our non smoking request.

If you really want to make a full weekend at “Visions in the Sea” think very seriously about sharingthe evening with us and the presenters.

Attendence is by ticket only and we regret that we will have to enforce this rule rigidly! So if youwant to come along, tick the box and get your booking form in NOW. Strictly first come, first served.

In just six years, Visions has become the premier conference in Europe for underwater photographerskeen to learn how to improve their own work while mixing and talking with other enthusiasts from as farafield as Scandinavia, Italy and Greece. Be there!

Contact Ocean Optics for full details. Tel 020 7930 8408 or check out their web site http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Last year we introduced aspecial “An Audience With.....”event after the main conferenceclosed on the saturday evening.The larger than life personalityConstantionos Petrinos gave awonderful and humorous accountof the trials and tribulations ofgetting his first book “Realm ofthe Pygmy Seahorse” fromconcept to reality. This year weare delighted to offer an eveningwith Peter Scoones. Peter isundoubtedly one of the mostartistic of underwaterphotographers.

His stellar career has included BBC Natural History classics ReefWatch, Sea Trek, Land of the Tiger,Life in the Freezer, Great White Shark and numerous Wildlife on One specials. Peter was also the manbehind the lens for much of the footage screened on the groundbreaking Blue Planet series.

Peter is also co founder, with Colin Doeg, of BSoUP, a much published author of underwaterphotographer articles and the developer of some of the most specialised underwater camera equipment inthe world. Peter is a superb presenter and extremely generous with his advice. This is a wonderfulopportunity to be captivated by one of the worlds very best underwater image makers. The event will beheld at the Holland Club at Imperial College and the entrance fee will include a glass of wine.

Entrance is by pre-paid ticket only.Contact Ocean Optics for full details. Tel 020 7930 8408 or check out their web site http://

www.oceanoptics.co.uk

UwP 60

Visions In The Sea 2002 Booking Form

Imperial College, London, on the weekend of November 16/17, 2002.

Two day Visions conference, including morning coffee and afternoon tea eachday, as well as a lunch buffet — £99.50

A social evening with Peter Scoones in the Holland Club, Imperial College,from 18:30 to 20:30, after which a cash bar will remain open for delegates whowish to remain. - £15.00 includes two glasses of wine.

Speakers’ Dinner, to include starter, main course, desert, coffee and a bottle ofwine between two. — £20.00

No ofPlaces

Visions @ £99.50 each.............Total £..................

Peter Scoones @ £15.00 each............Total £..................

Dinner @ £20.00 each............Total £.................. Grand total £..................

Please supply name(s) of delegates, and also list any special dietary requirements:

Name of delegate(s):................. .................................... .......................................................Address:............................. .................................... ................................................................................................... .................................... ......................................................................Daytime tel: .................................... E-mail: ............................. ..........................................Dietry requirements................................................................................................................

For payment by Visa or Mastercard (please circle as appropriate), please give thefollowing details:Card number: __________ __________ __________ __________Expiry date: ________ / ________

OR Please make cheques payable to Ocean Optics

Bookings can be made by phoning the conference hotline - 020 7930 8408Ocean Optics, 13 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AQ

UwP 61

Guidelines for contributorsThe response to UwP has been nothing short of fantastic. We are looking for interesting,

well illustrated articles about underwater photography. We are looking for work from existingnames but would also like to discover some of the new talent out there and that could be you!

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

Uw photo techniques -Balanced light, composition, wreck photography etc

Locations -Photo friendly dive sites, countries or liveaboards

SubjectsAnything from whale sharks to nudibranchs in full detail

Equipment reviews -Detailed appraisals of the latest equipment

PersonalitiesInterviews with leading underwater photographers

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

My e mail is peter@uwpmag.co.uk

How to submit articlesTo keep UwP simple and financially viable to produce we can only accept submissions by e mail

and they need to be done in the following way:

1. The text for the article should be saved as a TEXT file and attached to the e mail2. Images must be “attached” to the e mail and they need to be:Resolution - 144dpiSize - Maximum length 15cm i.e. horizontal pictures would be 15 cm wide and verticals would be

15cm.File type - Save your image as a JPG file and set the compression to “Medium” qualityThis should result in images no larger than about 120k which can be transmitted quickly. If we want

larger sizes we will contact you.3. Captions - Each and every image MUST have full photographic details including camera,

housing, lens, lighting, film, aperture, shutter speed and exposure mode. These must also be copied andpasted into the body of the e mail.

We pay a flat fee of £50 (+VAT if invoiced).I look forward to hearing from you.

a web magazinea web magazine

Underwater PhotographyUnderwater Photography

UwP 62

ClassifiedsPhoto courses

For SaleSeaCam Pro housing Canon EOS5,double strobe connection, moisturedetector, SeaCam SeaFlash 350TTL,all connectors, gears, arm, chargers,cleaning kit, spares; 3 dome ports,carry case. SLR available if re-quired.£2,400 ono. Contact:julie.howell@hp.com

For sale & wantedSecondhand housings for sale andwanted. Secondhand AF housingsbought,sold, serviced and repaired.Especially Nikon F601/801/60/70 fitand reduced function types.Photocourses in Ireland/Scotland.

For details contact Paul Kay on01248 681361 or emailpaul@marinewildlife.co.uk

Underwater PhotographicCourses With Martin Edge

Are you a Beginner?

Yet to fulfil your Potential?

Like to obtain better Images?

Difficulty with a particular Tech-nique?

Planning for a Photo-Trip?

Would you like to join the Winners?

If the answer is “Yes” then give me acall. My weekend U W PhotoCourses are designed and structuredto suit your own individual needs.

Weekend Photo Course

19th –20th October 2002

Nikon SLR & Housing Course 2nd –3rd November 2002

For information on courses andexpeditions: Phone Martin or Sylviaon - 01202 887611

e-mail Martin.Edge@btinternet.com

For SaleComplete UW Video system. SonyVX700 video camera, Stingrayhousing, dual light system, 2 ports, 2battery chargers (video camera andlight), spare batteries, Pelican hardcase with foam. All elements inperfect working order. Gear pur-chased brand new. only used on 2dives. 2900 GBP. postage fees in-cluded. Phone +353 41 982889

For saleHasseblad SWC housing, Ivanoffglass corrector port, EO, Nik III/IV/

V flash connector. Camera with A24and 70mm backs. £2400 OVNO. Formore details contact David Nardinion

d_nardini@btconnect.com

For saleNikonos V body £400. Nikon 2.8cmlens for same £225. Nikonos SB105flash unused from new c/w arm andlead £400. Original Calypso/NikkorNikonos with 3.5cm Nikon lens andNO electrics c/w close up lens ect£200.

Call Ron Swinden on 01993 881116or ronswin@onetwl.net.uk

For saleNikkor 20-35mm £595 inc VAT

Contact Peter Rowlands

020 8399 5709 (UK) or e mailpeter@uwpmag.co.uk

For Sale

Jonah U/W housings for Nikon F100.Various ports for wide angle andmacro photos.

Contact: http://www.jonah.co.kr/

For Sale

Sea & Sea Motormarine 11 packageconsisting of: Camera, 16mmWideangle lens, ML-11 Macro Lenswith gauge plate & guide rods,Ikelite Optical Viewfinder with15mm, 20mm, 28mm, & 35mmscreens, Ikelite Substrobe A1 TTLFlash with camera plate & arms (with modeling light, very powerful)All very good condition & packed ina hard ‘Flycase’. Results have beenprinted in Dive magazine and can beshown. Price £595.00. Phone Ron on07769 541616 or

e-mail ronchs8@aol.com anytime.

For saleSea & Sea Fisheye lens and matchingviewfinder for Nikonos, mint condi-tion,£500.

Contact David Barker Tel:01732883037 evngs or e-mail:david@wealden.demon.co.uk

For saleSubal 801s housing with Nikon 801sbody, Sea & Sea baseplate and twoSea & Sea Flexi arms. £850 +postage. Contact Pete Horsley

phors@aol.com

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

For saleNikonos V underater camera bodyExcellent condition, as new £425 onoContact: 02077879396

UwP 63

Book a classified in UwP

Each issue of UwP is downloaded by over 22,000 readers on average worldwide.That makes it the ideal way to buy or sell your equipment. You can sell or buy your equipment for a flat fee of just £5 (or £10 with a coloured boxsurround or £15 with a picture) payable by Visa, Mastercard or cheque.Your advert can include up to 50 words and will be read by over 22,000 underwaterphotographers.No other magazine can offer such a concentrated circulation.We recommend that you use e mail as your contact address.E mail the text of your advert to classifieds@uwpmag.co.uk. You can include your creditcard number and expiry date or fax it to 020 8399 5709 or send a cheque payable to:Ocean Optics Ltd, 13 Langley Avenue, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6QN

Bargain Sale!Sea & Sea Motormarine EX II

Pack consisting of: Camera,

16mm Wide Angle Lens, ML-II

Macro Lens with guide rods,

Sea & Sea Optical Viewfinder

with 15mm, 20mm and 35mm

marks, Sea & Sea YS-60 TTL

Flash with camera plate & quick

release arm. All exceptional

condition & packed in a "hard

case". Only £600.00 for the lot!

Phone Phil on 079000 83350 or

e mail

philparry103@yahoo.co.uk for

more information.

For saleNikonos V (full 'Ocean Optics'service August 2002), Nikonos 35mmand 80mm lenses. Sea and SeaYS50TTL strobe. Manuals, spare 'O'rings. Jessops metal carrying case.All in excellent condition. £750.00

E-Mail robcarter19@hotmail .com

For saleNikonos 111 (just serviced) + O ringkits, 35mm Nikkor lens, 80mmNikkor lens, 3 close-up lenses + rangefinder, Camera handle, extensionsand connector for, Sunpak Marine 32flash, light meter and other bits.Complete with heavy-duty case. £600ono Tel: 01245 474351 (Essex)

email Janice.Wilson@essexcc.gov.uk

For SaleSubal 801s housing comes with Nikon801s body, Sea and Sea base plateand two Sea and Sea Flexi arms£850-00 +postage. Contact PeteHorsley

PHORS@AOL.COM

Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

For saleNikonosV underwater camera black/orange, 35mm Nikonos lens and Sea& Sea Y50TTL Flash gun unit.

Whole set-up only used on one RedSea trip, and just serviced. Boxedwith grease and O-ring sets. Excel-lent condition. Must sell, too manyhobbies. £500. Matlock, Derbyshire.01773 853171 mobile 07973 389157

Job vacancy

Advertising salesperson wanted to sell space in UwP

This is a part-time vacancy preferably for someonealready in the business and also preferably in the divingbusiness.

Please contact Peter Rowlands peter@uwpmag.co.uk

UwP 64

Improve your imageSubtronic

Subal

Offering the most versatile macro system in the world

today, Nexus make possible extreme close up photographyunavailable from any other housing line.

BonicaThe Snapper builds into a neat system

capable of creative pictures down to 150 ft,even in low visibility. It’s so simple to use and,with prices starting at just £129, it’s stunningvalue for money. This really is a breakthroughin price and performance. There’s no betterintroduction to underwater photography.

The legendary housing of choice for manyof the worlds top underwater image makers.

Now available for the Nikon F100.These are the ultimate strobes. With fast 2

second recycling, optional laser aiming light andcolour temperature control, prices start at just £749.

NexusNikonos

The classic underwater camera.We stock the range and have a fullyNikon authorised workshop facility.

Ocean Optics13 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQTel 020 7930 8408 Fax 020 7839 6148

Visit our web site for the latest news and special deals

http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk

Our aim at Ocean Optics isto keep you shooting.

That’s why we provide afull servicing facility in our

own workshops for allNikonos, Nexus and Subal

equipment we import.We even have loan

equipment for thoseimpossible deadlines!

If you choose to bean Ocean Optics client,you will benefit from the

best support in thebusiness