UKDIVING
A red bandfish leaves its burrow to interact with another
Paul at work , photographing a lion ’ s mane jelly
Male masked crabs doing battle with their ultra-long claws
What diving and photographic equipment do you use at present ? My diving equipment is very simple and light , open-circuit scuba often with a 7 ( or even 5 ) litre cylinder for easy beach access . I use a Nikon SLR with flashguns or Sony mirrorless camera with video lights , depending on whether I ’ m mainly after stills or video , inside Subal and Nauticam housings that have done me proud , and an Olympus Tough compact for snorkelling .
Do you have a favourite item of equipment ? I think my all-time favourite kit is a pair of heavy Apollo bio-fins , which I discovered by accident . I was out snorkelling when I found one that someone had lost , swapped it with one of the fins that I was wearing , couldn ’ t believe the difference and went straight home and ordered some !
What practical tips do you have for club divers looking to spend more time watching marine creatures ? Try really shallow diving where you have plenty of time to stop and watch , but only in calm conditions , so you aren ’ t swished around by the swell . Most important of all , don ’ t rush about . Instead of treating the shallow rocks at the start of a beach dive as just the gateway to the ‘ proper dive ’, think of
46