Blackwater destinations
TRAVELSPECIAL
Female argonaut , also known as paper nautilus
Abralia squid making it a good subject to photograph ... if you can find one .
Juvenile and larval stage fish species often attempt to mimic other organisms to avoid predation , thereby looking absolutely nothing like their adult forms . They are often transparent , with different features and sometime long and elaborate fins . Ribbonfish , tripodfish and lionfish are among the most extravagant and soughtafter subjects .
Photographing these
tiny creatures at night and mid-water can be challenging . First , you have to locate a subject in your torch beam . I used a 1500 lumens torch that had variable settings for beam angle , and usually had it set on the narrowest beam for searching . When you ’ ve located something of interest , it can then be a challenge to then relocate it through your camera ’ s viewfinder . Having a fixed focus light on the camera can assist with this . I had a light mounted onto the top of my camera housing , which worked well , but as I did more diving I found I preferred the focus light to be lower , mounted under the camera housing .
“ Photographing these tiny creatures at night and midwater can be challenging ”
I set my camera up before I went into the water . I used a Nikon D500 ( crop sensor ) DSLR camera , with a 60mm macro lens . This lens focusses quickly and works pretty well in low light conditions . Longer lenses , such as the 105mm are not quite as suited for blackwater conditions . As a baseline , I set my ISO at 320 . For very reflective subjects I used a lower ISO and for transparent ones , a higher ISO . My aperture was normally set around f / 18 or higher , with a
shutter speed around 1 / 200 sec . My strobes were set to around half power and I used single point focus with tracking turned off , as there were lots of particles in the water . Since most of the subjects were tiny , a quick glance at the camera screen wasn ’ t enough to guarantee I had the subject in focus , so I took multiple shots where possible .
Blackwater diving in Anilao was unlike anything I ’ d ever done before , and I found a subject I ’ d never seen before on every single dive . It is definitely something I would jump at the chance to do again . �
Blackwater destinations
Philippines . Anilao is a great place for blackwater diving , additionally dive centres in Romblon and Puerto Galera also offer the chance to go out after dark and search for critters . As one of the most marine-diverse places on the planet , the Philippines is a great location for blackwater diving .
Cozumel , Mexico . Dives are conducted a couple of miles offshore , in around 300m of water , with a huge amount of biodiversity including many larval stage fish and invertebrates .
Hawaii . Blackwater diving originated in Kona , Hawaii , and with 3,000m depth not far from the shore , it ’ s an ideal location to experience the vertical migration . Divers are typically tethered .
Florida . Drifting along in the Gulfstream over 200m of water , larval lobsters , squid and jellyfish are commonplace , and they occasionally even encounter adult sailfish and dolphins .
Indonesia . It ’ s possible to find blackwater diving in a handful of spots around Indonesia , including Lembeh , Siladen and West Papua , with bonfire diving available in Bali .
Anilao by day Departing at dusk
42