Teetering on the swim platform of the dive boat, we concentrate on
getting into the water in one piece but as soon as we dip below the
surface, we forget there is a dive boat or anything else but the scene
that lies below in the shimmering, blue water. We descend slowly,
adjusting buoyancy, twisting camera knobs and trying to aim strobe
lights in hope of capturing the image of a beautiful sea creature that
decides to glide gracefully in front of the lens.
OK – I’m looking for big stuff here but it didn’t happen … yet. On
one of our favorite Key Largo ledges there is a big brain coral that is
a hub of activity so we head there first. Gary is focused on video
taping the feeding station with its assortment of tiny fish, scurrying
about, looking for a snapper who just needs a shave and a haircut. My
brain is still into BIG FISH mode. I’m hoping a herd, or do they call
them teams or bunches or schools, of spotted Eagle Rays will glide,
gracefully, across the ledge and past my lens. Maybe they will stop just
for a second while I adjust my focus and get the position on my strobes
set just a little better. This is certainly going to be the prize winner
in the Caloosa Dive Club Photo Competition. I’m trying to be patient …
honestly, I’m not so good at that but really … I’m trying. I have the
attention span of a jellyfish.
While I wait for that gaggle or bevy of Eagle Rays, maybe I should
look around at some smaller stuff. There are so many little creatures
swarming around me but they are tiny – and I have no idea what they
might be. Sure wish I had my handy-dandy fish book down here so I could
look them up. A cluster of bright yellow and blue hovers just above the
reef and on closer inspection I discover the wavy apparition is actually
lots of small, multi-colored fish dancing to music only they can
understand. I spot a trail in the sand below the ledge and follow it to
discover a crusty Queen Conch inching toward a clump of coral. I peek
closer and see two little eyeballs peering out from the opening as
though trying to focus on the one-eyed creature in a rubber suit with
bubbles spewing from its head. At least I think that is what I might
look like to my underwater friends. The shiny underside of the conch is
a smooth, bright pink surface so I take a couple of shots and return the
shell to its original position and heading.
OK … those darn Eagle Rays fail to show so far. Maybe I should duck
my head down and look under that ledge to see if anything is moving. So
far I spy, a few clumps of algae, something that looks like mold, and
wait… a little red and white claw is waving at me from a miniature cave
in the coral. A little Banded Coral Shrimp has my attention. He (or she)
is waving at me but as I approach, it retreats and all I can see is a
waving antenna. Should I stick my finger in and try to encourage it to
come out? Oops – that doesn’t work but now I’m determined. My lights are
set, my camera is ready – I’m going to get the prize winning photo if it
kills me. Well, I’m probably not that desperate but I really want this
photo. I’m trying hard to keep my buoyancy neutral. I don’t want to
float up into the coral and do damage and I don’t want to drop into the
sandy bottom and stir up the sand that will blur my shot. Uh oh – where
is my dive buddy? How long have I been focused on this little creature?
A quick peek shows that my buddy is still at that feeding station
waiting for a dirty snapper to appear for some housekeeping.
I wait, I wait, I wait … suddenly it appears – I shoot. Are my
contacts working? Is that shot in focus? Do I need to bracket? Have I
looked at my air pressure gauge or dive computer lately? Everything
seems OK – where did that elusive shrimp go? I sure hope I got the shot
because the little fellow has moved back into a safe place.
I drift down the ledge a little – buddy still in sight – at least I
can see his bubbles behind that big brain coral. OH WOW – big nurse
shark sleeping behind a rock. Heart beating wildly – OK, not that wildly
but finally here is something big. Flash – darn, those strobes are still
aimed for a tiny Banded Coral Shrimp. And my macro focus gets a blurry
view of some tiny stuff in the water that hovers around my big shark.
Everyone has a photo of a big Nurse Shark. How can I make mine
different? Maybe I can get its eye … oh, will that make it mad? Nurse
Sharks are docile aren’t they? Do they have teeth? OK – breathe slowly,
check my computer, do I have enough air? Where is my buddy? There he is
over at that Brain Coral. Settled down now – Nurse Shark not moving –
not interested in me at all – kind of boring – couldn’t it at least
blink or shrug so I could get the best shot of the year?
Fifty shots later (it’s the digital age you know) and I’m ready to
move on. Where is my dive buddy? OK, Brain Coral – Feeding Station. Life
is good. Those pesky Snapper and Grunts are everywhere. I can’t get a
clear shot of anything else without one of them in the way. There must
be hundreds of them hovering over the ledge and every time anyone moves,
they jerk in unison like a clump of yellow jello that slithers and
glides in a bathtub of gin. I’m struggling here folks!
I decide to look a little closer because my Eagle Ray buddies have
still failed to show and I credit them with my loss of a prize in the
Photo Contest. If they would just show for a few short seconds, I could
wrap this up. Oh, there’s something to look at – a big clump of tiny
Christmas Tree Worms. Wow – red, pink, orange in one tiny burst. Adjust
lens, move strobes, darn –where did they go? I need to be in stealth
mode. Uh oh – check my air, check computer, check time, check buddy –
where is the boat?
I still have plenty of air, I can find the boat (and anyone who knows
me understands that this is the biggest challenge), I see my buddy
(still on that Brain Coral) but time is up. We have to be back at the
boat after an hour. It seems like 15 minutes have passed but we are now
ready to head back to the boat for the next dive. I’m still without the
prize winning photo but there are more dives, more days, more months –
and there is still next year.
The Caloosa Dive Club Photo Competition runs for an entire year. In
October, the entries in both video and still photographs are presented
at dive club meetings where club members can vote on their favorites.
There are several categories ranging from point-and-shoot to adjustable
lens photographs and the geographic areas include the local Gulf water,
non-local Florida such as the Keys, Springs or East Coast and also
non-Florida areas. There is a single category for above water shots of
club members enjoying the many activities that take place over the year.
The winners are announced and prizes presented at the annual Caloosa
Dive Club Banquet that takes place in October of each year. Winning
photographs are featured on the dive club calendar, that is sold to
benefit the Photography Competition, as well as on the web site. It is
an amateur competition and all club members are invited to join. Rules
are posted on the web site. |
