One of my pet peeves is watching good divers completely lose situational awareness when they go to take a picture. I'm amazed at the damage I see wreaked by their fins or whatever. There is a fairly easy solution for some of these photo opps and I'm wondering why it isn't taught more.
You want to take a pic of something on the bottom or even in a depression. A solution if you don't want to lay on the bottom is to invert head down, let your breath out. Drop down till your head is near the bottom, use breath to stop your decent and take shot. Then breath in and rise vertically, never touching ANYTHING. Just keep the glottal stop open and no worries.
Why isn't this method used more often? It allows the "get closer get lower" without the damage. And it would prevent me from wanting to use my dive knife.
You want to take a pic of something on the bottom or even in a depression. A solution if you don't want to lay on the bottom is to invert head down, let your breath out. Drop down till your head is near the bottom, use breath to stop your decent and take shot. Then breath in and rise vertically, never touching ANYTHING. Just keep the glottal stop open and no worries.
Why isn't this method used more often? It allows the "get closer get lower" without the damage. And it would prevent me from wanting to use my dive knife.
) and the shot. I have no trouble repositioning for an inverted shot. I am not comfortable for very long in that position, however, and a successful shot usually takes more than one attempt. I usually opt to arch my back and take the shot in a more traditional diver's position, but with my fins well above my head. And I often opt not to attempt the shot at all. Because let's face it, I'm not David Doubilet; there are no photos I'm likely to take that are worth wear and tear on the reef.
