Capturing the Moment

Scuba Diving in Reunion Island: Underwater Photography   Still a secret to most Americans, the hidden gem of Reunion Island lies off the east coast of Africa in the warm Indian Ocean. Tropical coral reefs surround the island, attaching to the old and recent lava flows from the shield volcanoes that make up this island. The island is also known for surf, so keeping an eyes on the size of the swell is a must if you are planning a dive vacation there. Stingray and Lion fish under a ledge in Reunion     Reunion Island stays a bit under the radar while the Seychelles claim much of the diving fame in this part of the world, but uncrowded reefs followed by delicious French pastries can be a real treat for those adventurous enough to make the long journey. We chose Reunion after looking into different diving options leaving from South Africa including Mozambique, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar. It turns out the 4hr plane ticket to Reunion was cheaper tha...

  Snorkeling or scuba diving with sea turtles is one of the must do things here in Maui. Protected status has given these Hawaiian green sea turtles a chance to recover in numbers and now they can be found at most dive and snorkel sites.   Sometimes you encounter them in the shallows, scraping algae off the rocks. Other times you see them resting or having their shell cleaned by fish down on the bottom of the reef. And sometimes it seems like a turtle highway as turtles cruise by on their way to somewhere in mid water.   They have become one of my favorite photography subjects. Some seem to be easier to work with than others, just like human models. But when you find the right turtle who doesn't mind showing off a bit the results can be quite amazing. Add some colorful reef and clear water and you have a recipe for some nice fine art sea turtle images.

Creating art through underwater photography Inside the mouth of an eel Christmas Tree Worms Indian Nudibranch  There are always new things to see while scuba diving, but I find that I will see much more when I have a camera in hand. Even when the visibility is bad I have found that taking macro photography can lead to some pretty amazing outcomes. Tiny Christmas tree worms can inspire movies like Avatar, eels peer out from cracks, nudibranchs hang tight to rocks in the shallows, and octopus walk the fine line between predator and prey. Shooting with a macro underwater lens can bring out fantastic colors and patterns that you may not be able to see with the naked eye. Mysterious Eye of a Scorpionfish Gloomy Nudibranch This Octo stood up and posed for the camera      Then there are days under the sea, even close to shore, when the visibility is unlimited. The blue water seems almost clear. That is when it's time to bring out the w...

Coral reefs are amazing things. They grow in warm, clear waters around the globe. They have the ability to live in nutrient poor tropics because of a mutualistic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae that lives inside the stony coral skeleton. The zooxanthellae uses the ample sunlight in the shallow water to photosynthesize creating food for it and its host coral. The algae also provides color to the otherwise white coral. All young coral need to find something sturdy to attach too in order to start growing into a reef. They could grow on top of another reef, rocks, or in this case a shipwreck!  We dove the US Transport ship Liberty here in Bali, Indonesia and I was shocked to witness the amount of color that is underwater. So many different types of coral, both hard and soft, have attached to the ship wreck and have grown quickly. The wreck has been completely submerged for about 50 years which is a relatively short time for coral to form such dense coverage. Indonesia's l...

  Barrier Reef Live Aboard Trip: On the Outer Edge Day 2 on our barrier reef live aboard trip saw us getting to sleep in to the late hour of 6:45am. With all the early morning dawn patrol surf sessions we've been doing it was like getting to sleep in. We had a big day of diving, 4 dives in total with meals and snacks in between. That is pretty much the schedule out here. Dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, sleep. There are snacks in between meals, and always hot chocolate and coffee on tap. My kind of set up. Colorful Nudibranch Nudibranch  The big event of this day was Myles becoming a fully certified open water diver. This meant he was now able to come diving with us, unguided. We usually do our deepest dives in the morning, and gradually get shallower with the following dives. I was pretty excited to find a real nudibranch today, which I only noticed after I saw its bright orange eggs clinging to a rock. I looked around nearby until I spotted a beautiful,...