Show us your Sealife weekend diving pics!

[bornabolt]

I didn't realize you could edit your posts. I'm new here and still trying to figure out the system. Other boards such as these I have participated in did not have that option...
Thanks for the tip.

 

[Squishy]

Just got a Sealife Reefmaster mini and took it for it's first dive last weekend. It was fun to have along and it definitely made explaining what I saw to my non-diving family members easier.

I have a lot to learn about underwater photography, but I'm having fun. Visibility wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. These were taken in the Cayuna mine pits in Brainerd, MN. The flash seemed to reflect off every particle in the water, so there were a lot of pictures that did not turn out at all.

Here's a few that turned out OK...

(Skeleton was pretty funny... someone put a fake skeleton in a little coffin in about 60 feet of water)

 

[Mrs Fic]

More pics from Bahamas...

flamingo tongue


indigo hamlet...one of my favorite fishes


beautiful Exuma Cayes Land & Sea Park land/seascape. please forgive the fuzzy spots, which were caused by dried saltwater droplets on the housing (we'd kayaked over to this little island, so kept the camera in the housing but didn't realize the spots were there.


loggerhead...this is the biggest turtle I had ever seen! The remora was a small one, his head maybe between golf ball and tennis ball size, so by using it as a reference, you can see just how big this turtle was. It was at night and I also only had a few seconds to snap off a few pics after my friend shook her rattle to get my attention, so it's not the best of pics, but I am thrilled to have gotten any at all of this big guy!


the lighting wasn't right (I think I was blocking the sunlight and might have had the strobe way over on the right?) and it was one of my first pics with this camera on this trip, but I had to have a pic of this purple stony coral to see how sharp I could get the focus on something macro. I think it did a great job considering the circumstances! I still have to work on pressing the shutter button in such a way as to keep the camera from moving.


saucereye porgy in the eelgrass


unknown wrasse?

 

[Dave C]

Mrs. Fic: Nice pics. The unknown wrasse appears to be a slippery dick (gotta love the name).

 

[prskate2]

Squishy: Try not to use the flash on that camera or it will cause backscatter. Little things in you pictures. I have the same camera and before I had a strobe I only used the cameras flash for close up pictures. But you just really have to experiment. Nice pics for your first photo dive. If you have any questions feel free to post.

Mrs Fic: VERY NICE! Love the Sea Scape. Nice turtle! The one I posted up earlier was about that size or bigger.

I went to St. Croix for the weekend. Did 4 dives, including 1 night dive. I have never brought my camera on a night dive so don't expect any thing amazing. I did 3 dive at Cane Bay and 1 dive at North Star. My deepest dive ever! I also snorkeled at Buck Island.
Hope you like them. Feel free to comment.

Hiding eel. (Cane Bay)


Spotted Eagle Ray (Buck Island) Down about 20 ft.


A little bit blurry but I love the Neon!


Just got a glimpse of the tail, but I still think it is an awesome pic.


One snorkel spot on Buck Island is covered with Elk-horn Coral like this one, but some are double or even triple the size of this one.


Juvenile Squid


I was told what this was called but don't remember. Anyone?


Some sort of Strange Starfish. Yes, I know it doesn't look like a starfish but I was told by a marine biologist friend it is. Cool, right?


Doctor fish or Surgeon Fish?


Overexposed but cool, Octopus.


More elk-horn Coral.


Edit: I just read an article that says only 2% of the worlds Elk-horn coral is left. So this place is a really rare site. You guys should really check it out. It is amazing!

 

[Mrs Fic]

Thanks, PRSKATE2! Nice photos this trip! How did you do your lighting for the night dive? I think your unidentified critters are ball-tipped anemones. How big were they? I have some tiny ones in my aquarium, only dime-sized when fully opened. I love them, think they are very cool looking. I got a pic of one on the Bahamas trip, but it wasn't very good, so I have not posted it. Yours was really good. I think your star was a basket starfish of some type, tho I think it looks like a cross between a crinoid and hydroids Your squid pic is awesome! I also really liked the octo, the eel and the surgeonfish. Thanks for posting them!

Can I be nosy and ask how you get to go to all these other islands to dive all the time? I'm jealous!

 

[Squishy]

Squishy: Try not to use the flash on that camera or it will cause backscatter. Little things in you pictures. I have the same camera and before I had a strobe I only used the cameras flash for close up pictures. But you just really have to experiment. Nice pics for your first photo dive. If you have any questions feel free to post.

Thank you! I appreciate the suggestions. With the water clarity, I was worried that it would be too dark without it. I did notice that when you switch it to "sea" mode, it turns the flash off. It was actually kind of hard turning it on underwater while wearing gloves. Looks like they turn it off for a good reason.

You mentioned that you now use the flash since you got a strobe. How come the strobe doesn't cause backscatter?

Also... love the pictures you posted! I sure wish I had more access to clear salt water. Next chance will probably be a planned trip to Hawaii in 2009. In the mean time, I'll keep practicing in the local lakes and quarries.

Thanks again!
-Mike-

 

[prskate2]

Mrs Fic: For the nigh dive I just used my strobe. I check that everything was in the photo by shining my light on the object and looking through the LCD. The Anemones were about the size of a golf ball. Thanks for the names. You know a ton of underwater names! Thanks for the comments on all the photos. I am still getting used to the strobe. Especially on the night dive!

About the Islands. I live in PR so its really close to a ton of other islands. To get to the USVI I take the Sea Plane. Which is right near my house. To get to the DR I took the Ferry. But just living in PR it's just close to great dive sites in the Caribbean.

When you switch it to sea mode it turns off but you can always turn it back on. Well I guess it depends how cold the water is and how thick your gloves are. With mine its fine.

The reason the strobe doesn't cause backscatter and the flash on the camera does is because since the flash on the camera is so close to the lens it causes all the particles to reflect and it bounces right back into the lens. It is kind of hard to explain. The reason the Strobe doesn't is because it is farther away from the lens so the light doesn't bounce of the object right back onto the lens. The strobe comes on a holder which is about a foot a way from the camera.

Thanks on the pics. Wow, when are you going to Hawaii I am planning on going over easter. Which island are you going to?

 

[bornabolt]

Thanks guys/gals for sharing the pics. I think I'll try some night pics on my next dive. I get my DC800 some time in the next week I think, it's on back order. can't wait to try it!

 

[snewland01]

Picasa Web Albums - Scott - Deerfeild Bea...

Check out these pictures from the Sea Emperor out of Deerfield Beach Fl. This is a wreck of a barge that flipped over and dump a bunch of concrete culverts next to the barge.

I suggest using slideshow mode.

These culverts are 3 to 6 feet in diameter and form a great substrate for coral to live on.

On this day the vis was OK.

Please send me some feed back.

I took these with my Dc600 with 2 standard flashes with a wide angel lens.