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Top: Loading tanks at the Brae ReefHotel's Reef Dwellers boat.Above: Divers' sign post at Brae ReefHotel.

Both Div i TiaraDive and Brae Reef Ho-tel's Reef Dwellers takethe worry out of diving.They have modern, wellmaintained boats anddive equipment. ReefDwellers run threeboats. Twin Sister. LittleSister and Marlin. Thetwo Sisters are poweredby twin Caterpillar 300hp diesel engines andare 42 feet long and 16feet wide with a cruis-ing speed of 25 mph.They feature over 500

square feet of floor and deck space, dualladders, stand up showers and a paddedcamera table. The Marlin is a Super Pro 42dive boat powered by Caterpillar 300 hpdiesel engines, coupled to a propeller-lesswater jet drive. It is 42 feet long and 12 feetwide with a cruising speed of 16 mph. TheDivi has a fleet of five modern boats capa-ble of reaching nearby Little Cayman incomfort.

Divers at both shops are pre-screenedfor their dive history and C-cards are man-datory. Divers must dive in pairs and bot-tom times and computer profiles are moni-tored. Nitrox is now available on the islandand both operations run a full photo shopservice.

There are more than 50 moored divesites around the Brae. The remote locationof the island means that reefs have beenspared the perils of pollution, with the re-sult that the visibi l i ty is superb most of theyear. And. there is no large fishery on Braeso the fish are plentiful and BIG.

Diving on the north side of Brae, thereis a never ending wall to explore. At depthsapproaching 100 feet, divers will cruise atopa sunken cliff of living coral. Wall sites viewith each other for uniqueness, but. diveguides agree that Wilderness Wall is the live-liest spot for pelagic sightings.

Wherever the dive boats stop along thenorthern wall divers will encounter sandchutes that have cut through the coral. It isat Tarpon Reef that divers will encounterthese shy shiny fish (tarpon) as they hide ingrottoes and coral caves that line the chute.

The south side of Cayman Brae—wherethe beach and hotels are—offers completelydifferent diving. Provided the seas are nottoo rough, dive boats like to anchor close tothe barrier reef and allow divers to explorea bottom that is covered in rolling coral hil lsand liv ing sponge lined canyons.

The newest attraction for divers is thewreck of the 330 ft. M/V Captain KeithTibbetts, a Russian destroyer which wassunk off the island's northwest coast in Sep-tember 1996. It is already the home for avariety of marine life. Although reachable

from the shore, because of the boat traffic,the Tibbetts is best visited off a dive boat.

Make sure you see it soon. The Brae diveshops are learning first hand how flimsilythe Soviets built their ships. When touredby DIVER Magazine, many of the interiordeckways are now impassable because thecorrugated metal used as wall material hascollapsed. The metal fatigue coupled withan apparent shifting of the ship's location,may have the island looking for more aban-doned Russian warships in the near future.There are two other known wrecks off theisland's south shore.

The boats depart each day at 8:30 a.m.and again at 2:00 p.m. Night dives and shoredives are available. Water temperatureranges from 78° in the winter to 86° in thesummer.

When the weather is good, hotel diveshops and the independent Brae Aquaticswill take divers to Little Cayman for a daylong visit to the most stunning drop-offs inthe Caribbean.

Little Cayman features a total of nearly30 moored dive sites, ranging from mediumdepths to the sheer plunging wall of BloodyBay and the more rugged Jackson Bay area.The Super Bowl of diving begins and endson the walls of Little Cayman.

Depending on the age of your childrenand the location where the dive boat isheaded, snorkellers are welcomed. But, ifyou are going to take your family all the wayto Cayman Brae, consider getting them cer-tified. Both Dive Tiara and Reef Divers of-fer instruction to children over the age oftwelve.

Hotels:Divi Tiara Beach Resort, P.O. Box 238,Cayman Brae(345) 948-7553 (800) 367-3484Fax (607) 277-3624 e-mail: stevo@candw.ky

Brae Caribbean Beach Village,P.O. Box 4, Stake Bay,Cayman Brae, Cayman Islands, BWI800-791-7911/345-948-2265Fax: 345-948-2206info@brac-caribbean.com

Brae Reef Beach Resort,c/o Reef Fanta-Seas,4127 5th Avenue NorthSt. Petersburg, Florida 33713813-323-8727 Canada: 800-327-3835Fax:813-323-8827E-mail: bestdiving@aol.com

Local Dive Shop Phone Numbers

Brae Aquatics (345) 948-1429,(727) 323-8727, (800) 327-3835

Brae Reef Diving (345) 948-1323

Divi (345) 948-1553Little Cayman Diver II(800) 544-2722 (in U.S.)

38 DIVER April 1999

BySue and JackDrafahl

W hen we started diving more than 20 years ago. we didn'treally care about exotic dive locations. So long as wecould get wet and use our new dive gear, we were

happy. We dove in just about every condition, from zero visibily to20 foot ground swells.You know, the kind of diving where youoften find the bottom facemask first. As the years have passed, wehave become older and wiser in our choices of dive locations.

One area we have heard rave reviews about for years has beenthe Cayman Islands—rumored to be the best of the Caribbean. Wedecided that we were long overdue for a change of pace and quicklypacked our bags.

The Cayman Island chain consists of Grand Cayman, noted forits excitement above and below the waterline, and the smaller"sister islands" of Little Cayman Island, the closest thing to yourown private island retreat, and Cayman Brae, the island that offersthe best of both worlds.

When we plan a dive vacation, our main interest is to go diving.We are interested in the best underwater locations for animal life,prime photographic opportunities, yet relaxed, hassle-free diving.We decided that Cayman Brae was just what the doctor ordered.

The Brae is located 89 miles northeast of the bright lights ofGrand Cayman and just 5 miles from the tip of Little Cayman. Thisrugged island is only 12 miles long and two miles wide and is hometo approximately 1400 to 1500 Brackers.

The Cayman Islands LM®

We made our great escape through Miami on Cayman Air-ways, with a brief stop on Grand Cayman, before heading to theBrae. Cayman Brae offers a modern jet airport with at least oneflight a day from Grand Cayman. Flight schedules fluctuate due toseasons and should be checked thoroughly before booking a flight.

Moments from the airport we found ourselves at the two beachfront resorts that cater to divers. The Di vi Tiara Beach Resort offers72 comfortable air-conditioned guestrooms while the Brae ReefResort offers 40 oceanview rooms. Both resorts offer freshwaterswimming pools, lighted tennis courts and elegant buffet dining.

But. remember that we went on this trip to dive, so let's tell youabout the diving. We spent most of our dives with the crew fromTiara Beach, so we' II tell you about their operation first. On our firsttrip to the dive shop, we were given a briefing on diving proceduresand diving safety at the resort. We were each given weights, aweight belt and a numbered mesh bag for storing our gear at theshop, just a few feet away from the dive boat.

On our first day of diving we were asked to set up our dive gearthe way we liked it. and from that point on the divemaster set it upfor us. At the end of each dive trip we had the opportunity ofdunking the gear bag in a fresh water tank, so that it was fresh forthe next day. Diving Tiara offers several 40' custom boats provid-ing morning, afternoon and evening dives to the favorite dive sitesthat the Brae has to offer as well as trips to Little Cayman's BloodyBay Wall. Dives in the Cayman Islands are restricted to a depth of100 feet, but we found all we needed well above that level.

January/February 1993 DIVER 33

Top: Cayman Brae, paradisein or out of the water.

Above: Well equipped diveboats carry divers and their

geareff ic ient ly.

Just a few feet from the Tiara Beach diveshop, is the Underwater Photo Center. Theshop offers a complete selection of rentalNikonos cameras, lenses, flashes, accesso-ries and E-6 film processing. A repair centerand photo classrooms round out this full-service photo center. The center is so wellequipped that it is home to Nikon's famousunderwater photo classes and "shootouts"competitions.

The diving program at Brae Reef BeachResort is offeredthrough Brae Aquatics,Ltd. Divers check intothe dive shop locatednext to the dock andpick-up any necessarygear that they did notbring w ith them. Diversare assigned lockers,which are adjacent tothe dive shop, so yourgear does not have to be transported to andfrom your room. Brae Aquatics offer 4 boatswith two tank morning dives, and one tankafternoon shore diving to the varied loca-tions that put the Brae on the map. They alsooffer one night shore dive and one boat tripfor a two tank dive at Little Cayman.

We thought the island's flora and faunawere marvelous, but the dive spots offCayman Brae were sites to behold! Fish andanimal life scurried about in the pristine bluewaters that were almost warm enough to bebath water. The sponges and corals of allshapes and colors were abundant and flour-ishing. We found bristle worms, tube worms,brittle stars, nudibranchs. small fish, and awide variety of weird shaped sponge thatwere just the si/.e of our macro framers.

The dives sites off Cayman Brae are justa few minutes boat ride from the two hotels.Cayman Brae is designed for the wide angle

Little Cay man featuresfine diving at an

for divers who seek sandand sea and peace

and quiet."

photographer offering vertical wall divesthat begin in as little as 60 feet as well asdensely populated sandy shallows. The wa-ter is so clear that photographer's numberone gremlin, back scatter, never made it'sappearance during our stay.

One of the most unusual animals weencountered on the trip was the strawberrysponge. We were told that the sponge wasbright red. so we looked around on our firstdives, but only found pure black sponges.

We knew that light felloff underwater, but feltthat this couldn't be thesponge because it was

unspoiled tropical island so black But when we

took our first ( lashphoto, the black spongeblobs became bri l l iantred!

The Cayman gov-ernment felt that their

underwater paradise was worth protecting,so they constructed anchor buoys for the diveboats to tie up to. Accurate buoyancy controlis highly encouraged by both diving opera-tions and it is obviously working becausemost reefs show little diver evidence.

Another feature of Cayman Brae is itsproximity to Little Cayman. The shoreline ofthis tiny island is home to Bloody Bay Wall.This spectacular vertical wall begins in aslittle as 20 feet of water and plummets down-ward. The diving on Bloody Bay Wall isdefinitely one of those "gotta do" ultimatedives. The beauty of the sponge formationsand lush corals is sure to take your breatha\\ a \ .

Little Cayman features this fine diving atyour doorstep, but it offers a more remotetype of diving vacation. Here you find anunspoiled tropical island for divers who seeksand and sea and peace and quiet. This is not

34 DIVER January/February 1993

Left: Examining a large colourful sponge.Below:Tranquility of a tropical paradise—and boatssafely anchored in a sheltered lagoon.

for the diver who seeks room service ornights on the town, because this island doesn'teven have a town!

Little Cayman offers three dive resortswith their own boats and diving operations.The Southern Cross Club opened its doors tothe diving public in the '70's and offers 10rooms with ceiling fans and a private bath.Pirates Point Resort offers eight oceanfrontrooms with ceilingfans and private show- « J^ COUld Swing in ders. The third lodge.

We decided to take an afternoon off fromdiving and tour the island. On the eastern tipof the Brae, we came to the 140 foot Bluffswhere the limestone crevices formed deepcaverns that we were able to explore, batsand all. As we continued our tour of theisland, the friendly waves from the nativesmade us feel more like neighbors than visi-tors. Further down the road, we came to the

Cayman Brae Museum,that housed ar t i fac tsshowing us what life on

owned and operated hammock, reldX and redd the Brae was like in days

a good book, sit beneaththe huge sea grape trees

with a cool drink orenjoy the warmth of the

sun's rays beside thefreshwater pool."

by the Sam McCoyfami ly , offers 10rooms with privatebaths and the addedluxury of air condi-tioning. Another 32room hotel, called theLittle Cayman BeachResort, is under con-struction and shouldbe open soon.

After a full day's diving we found it easyto settle into the slow motion lifestyle onCayman Brae. We could swing in a ham-mock, relax and read a good book, sit beneaththe huge sea grape trees with a cool drink orenjoy the warmth of the sun's rays beside thefreshwater pool. This Brae tranquility dis-ease was definitely contagious.

gone by.We planned an over-

night layover in GrandCayman on our returnleg. We took advantageof the time to dive withthe stingrays, listen to theisland tunes of "BarefootMan", visit the tu r t l efarm and send the folks

at home a postcard from Hell. One day of theGrand hustle and bustle quickly put us backin tune with the reality that we were headedhome.

Well, you better start packing your divebags, because Cayman's little "Sister Is-lands" are beckoning you. Better yet, we'llpack our bags and meet you at the bar andenjoy the sunset afterglow together. •

January/February 1993 DIVER 35

The Canadian Underwater Journal NOVEMBER 1992

MAGAZINESlides from prints

Bahamas500 years since Coly.mbus

Bella BellaIn remote British Columbia

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-

ON THE COVER:

Photo of a sealion in tropicalwaters taken by Jack Drafahl onprint film, converted to slide.See article in this issue page 34.

Donftbe so

ColourNegatives

Hy .lack and Sue Drafcilil

Times have changed withthe advent of higher qualitynegative film—students whoswitched as an experimenthad a 50 percent increase ingood, usable images.

'*••'.

All photos in this spread are reproductions from colour negatives. Above is a squirrelfishtaken at Riding Rock, San Salvador.

auty. These photographs showthe quality that can result from printfilm and slides from the negatives.

W e're looking to appeal to open-minded underwater photo-graphers who shoot slide film.

If you are patient enough to listen to ourstory, you may be able to create an ocean ofpictures for your viewing enjoyment.Amateur Film?

We know that colour negative films havebeen labelled "amateur films", but are theyreally? Recently, we were asked to completea series of colour negative film tests forPetersen's PhotoGraphic Magazine. We weremainly slide shooters, but were so impressedwith the results we achieved with colournegative films on land, that we decided totake them underwater.

Our first positive experience with colournegative films underwater was on a wreckdive near Seattle, Washington. We noticed aone hour photo lab just a few blocks from thedive site. The plan was to shoot colour nega-

tive film for thefirst two dives,run the rolls into be proc-essed, look atthe results, andthen use slidefilm for the restof dive t r ip.After gett ingthe colourprints from the1 hour photolab, we wereamazed tha tover 95% ofthe shots weregood expo-

sures. Confident that we could get the shotswe needed, we switched to slide film andcontinued photographing the wreck.

After returning to home base, we discov-

ered the slides from the remaining four diveswere acceptable, but the highest percentageof good photos came from those first twodives shooting colour negative film.

We decided that if colour negative filmworked this well in dark, cold, difficult div-ing conditions, it should excel in warmtropical waters. After three trips to the Baha-mas, our underwater negative files surpassedmore than a dozen trips to the same locationsusing slide films. We were convinced thatcolour negative films should be moved up anotch from their "amateur" standings.

If colour negative films perform so wellunderwater, then why are most underwaterphotographers shooting slide film? Mostnew underwater photographers admit thatthey are turned to slides by photo instructors,underwater photo manuals, and underwaterfilm test reports. Don't get us wrong, we stillshoot slides and avidly preach about thequality of the various slide films, but tooverlook these high quality colour negativefilms would be like round filing your bestwork.

Let's explore just when and why youwould select one type of film over another.The basic difference between slide film andnegative film of course is the final product.Slides end up as a positive image mounted ina slide mount ready for projection in a dark-ened room. You can view these slides on alight box and immediately see your results.Colour negatives on the other hand, are anorange strip of film that tells the photogra-pher very little unti l a colour print is made.And even then, most photographers assumethat if their prints are bad, so are the nega-tives. Most labs print just "landlubbersnapshots", and have no idea how great theunderwater world looks. Underwater wideangle photos tend to have more exposure inthe centre, so the lab generally prints these

Even the intricate details of a school of fishFollowing page: Slender file fish.

too light. Working with the lab personnel canhelp you achieve the true colours you origi-nally recorded.

The real difference comes when usingthese films underwater. With slide film, ex-posure is very critical. Your exposures mustbe +/-1 stop in order to obtain a correctexposure. Anything more or less ends up inthe round file, so it is necessary to bracketyour exposures to guarantee quality results.Bracketing obviously requires more film butit also shortens the potential of your diveexperience. There is nothing more frustrat-ing than to come upon the scene of a lifetimeonly to discover you have used your lastframe of film.No Bracketing

A colour negative on the other hand, hasthe ability to capture images that are as muchas +4 stops to -3 stops exposure. What thismeans to the diving photographer, is theability to photograph a larger variety of qual-ity pictures, because exposure bracketing isunnecessary. This allows the diver to con-centrate more about the aesthetics of thephoto and less about basic exposure tech-niques.

Colour negative film also has the abilityto cut through the blue cast that often plaguesslide films when shooting distant underwa-ter subjects. Colour negative films come in awide range of film speeds from ISO 25 to

show up clearly in colour negative reproduction.

3200 with colour saturation that compareswith the best of the slide film and exposurelatitude to boot!

Confused yet? In order to answer whichfilm you should use is to ask yourself justexactly what you plan to do with your under-water photos. If your primary use is for slideshows, then by all means continue shootingslides, but if you plan to make a scrapbook of

your trip or decorate the walls of your homeor office, then reconsider colour negativefilm.

The highest quality reproduction comesfrom keeping your film closest to the endproduct. This comparison chart shows thevarious uses of both slides and negatives. Asyou can see, you can make prints directlyfrom both films. Type R prints from slides

20000000000000000000000000

Sjooooooooooaaoooaoaaoooooo

*** SEPARATIONS ARE USED TO PUBLISHCOLOR PHOTOS IN BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

October/November 1992 DIVER 35

1I

are generally morecontrasty and lose shadowdetail, while Cibachrome prints last virtu-ally forever, but you have to consider theirexhorbitant cost.

Type C prints are generally less expen-sive and can be made in most photo labs.You can make an internegative from yourslides and then have them C printed, butremember you lose some quality every extrastep you make to get an end product.Slides from Negatives

Another important fact many photogra-phers may not have known, is that you canhave slides made directly from colour nega-tives. This is great for the photographer whowants to decorate his home with prints, butneeds to make an occasional slide presenta-tion to the local dive club. Simply sort throughyour prints and design your slide show.Kodak can then turn the colour negativesyou have selected into slides for as little as$.84! Most local custom photo labs can alsoprovide this service, but the cost is abouttriple.

Of all the reasons we hear advocatingshooting slides instead of negatives, the onewe hear most is "Magazines do not acceptnegatives and/or prints for publication."

"A colour negative has

the ability to capture

images that are as

much as +4 stops to -3

stops exposure."

What they are really saying is that years ago,colour print quality was not very good, andcolour separations from prints were verypoor. Times have changed with the advent ofhigher quality colour negative films and thehi-tech advances in colour separation scan-ners. As with any new concept though, ittakes time to be totally accepted. We wouldlike the word to get out that magazines DOuse the fruits of colour negative film and thephotos in this article prove the point.

We are so convinced that both slides andnegatives have their place in underwaterphotography, that we asked some of ourunderwater photo students to go cold turkeyand use only colour negative for one majordive trip. All those who were gutsy enoughto try the colour negative film had at least a50% increase in good usable images.

When you spend thousands of dollarstravelling to an exotic dive spot, why settlefor just a small percentage of good shots.Why not use colour negative f i lm and settlefor a small percentage of bad shots. The onlyway you are going to know for sure is to giveit a try. Keep an open mind and maybe you'llsurprise yourself that you're not so negativeabout negatives any more. •

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October/November 1992 DIVER 37

I

m

Previous pages: Trumpet fish and french grunt at Riding Rock,San Salvador. (Photo by Jack and Sue Drafahl) Left: Blue TangReef, Long Island. Above: Divers prepare to leave for a morningdive, UNEXSO, Freeport.

celebrate the 5(K)th anniversary of Columbus'discovery of the New World.

Besides celebrating major historic events,scuba diving remains one of the premierattractions for Bahama vacationers. In fact,these beautiful Isles of June are one of themost popular diving destinations in the

world. Since there areno rivers in theBahamas, the waterhas no si l t orsediment . Waterclarity is always ginclear. Divers areassured of underwaterv i s i b i l i t y rangingbetween 80 and 200feet. This exceptionalv i s ib i l i ty is whyBahamian waters isoften selected for

motion picture productions, such as thefilming of underwater sequences for severalJames Bond classics. Another case in pointfor Hollywood choosing the Bahamas are itsprecious wealth of undisturbed reefs, shallowcoral gardens, vertical sponge covered drop-offs, intact shipwrecks, unexplored caves.

caverns and exotic blue holes.These warm turquoise seas teem with a

dazzling variety of tropical fish andinvertebrate life forms including queen andfrench angels, parrot fish, squirrel fish, spinylobster, flamingo tongues, and many speciesof conch. On some reefs, gigantic schools ofgrunts, margates or snapper are seen hoveringover massive coral heads.

Currently, there are more than 30 divingoperations scattered throughout the region.Whether you check-in at a resort, or a hotelthat contracts the services of independentdive operators, your diving itinerary can betailored to your individual preference. Luxurylive-aboard dive vessels which operate outof the U.S.A. or the Bahamas, generally offerunlimited diving packages that can transportyou to places that are virtually inaccessibleand seldom dived.

For the adventuresome and very experi-

1600's. In 1926, the government officiallychanged the name back to San Salvador.

At the Columbus monument, was thefirst landing site for the Olympic Flamewhen it was brought across from Greece onits way to Mexico city for the '68 games, thefirst time the Games had ever been held inNorth America.

One of the highlights of touring San

The scuba diving potential on San

Salvador seems endless. Most of the

72 dive sites named so far, are within

a 5-15 minute boat ride.

Salvador is visiting the Dixon Hill light-house on the Atlantic northeast corner of theisland. This lighthouse, built in 1887, is oneof the very few kerosene fuelled lighthouses

left in existence anywhere in the world. Thelighthouse keeper took us up the long wind-ing staircase of the 72 foot tower. Here wewere dazzled by the highly polished brasshardware of the nineteenth century metal-work. The huge prisms of the light itself arerotated by a large clock work gear mecha-nism. Driven by a set of weights hanging onchains down the middle of the tower. The

weights must be cranked up byhand, just like resetting a giantcuckoo clock. The lighthousekeeper says that the 400,000candle power of thisenormouskerosene lantern, can be seenfrom 145 km at sea.The Hotel

Riding rock Inn is the onlyhotel and dive resort on the island. It isowned and operated by Carter Williams, anative born San Salvadorian. The hotel pro-vides 24 air conditioned rooms, as well as

some individual cottages, for a maximumcapacity of about 50 divers.

Riding Rock Inn has bicycles and carsfor rent to guests who want to experience andexplore the island. There are endless whitesand beaches surrounding the entire island.For anyone who wants to explore on theirown, these are completely deserted beaches,where you can walk for kilometers withoutseeing another human being. There is excel-lent snorkelling available in the clear wateramong the many shallow reefs just offshore.The Dive Operation

All of the diving services are under thedirection of Collin Tozer, operations man-ager for Riding Rock Inn. The dive boatsoperate out of a surprisingly modern andefficient marina, just meters from the hotel.Divers are served by two large, deep V-hulldive boats with fully covered work areas andlarge dive platforms and ladders. At themarina, the facilities include a large drying

Tips for overcoming problems with low visibility photography.By Jack and Sue Drafahl

O ne of the most enjoyable aspects of diving today, is captur-ing your underwater experiences on film. A wide variety ofnew photographic equipment continually evolves designed

to help improve your image quality. Unfortunately, the laws of

lights the particles and the background behind them. Therefore, thelighting contrast between the particle and the background is very low,which makes the particles almost invisible to the naked eye. When youlight the particles with a flash or flashlight, you increase the ratioof light

on the particles compared to the back-ground. This lighting contrast makesthe particles visible to the human eyeand records on the film as well. Thisexplains why subjects photographedwith available light appear to have lessbackscatter than subjects taken withflash. In reality, both situations have thesame amount of backscatter particles,only the lighting contrast is different.REDUCING BACKSCATTER INUNDERWATERPHOTOGRAPHY

If you take any underwater photog-

Flash held in open watershowing backscatter.

underwater physics make under-water photography more difficultthan taking pictures on land. Un-derwater photographers have tocompensate for low lighting con-ditions, extreme scene contrast, fo-cusing problems, variable colourloss and backscatter. Backscatteris unique to underwater photogra-phy and is one of the most difficultproblems to control. In order to correct this problem, divers need tofully understand backscatter and how it affects their photos. We willfirst explain the physics of backscatter, offer tips on how to minimizeit, and advise what to do if you can't avoid it.BACKSCATTER PHYSICS

To really understand backscatter, we first need to look at thephysics of a backscatter particle. Simply stated, a backscatter particleis a small object floating in the water which may be composed of sand,coral, dirt, air bubble, decomposing matter, or it might even be a verysmall animal. Even in the clearest of waters, backscatter particlesexist. So, why do more show up on film than we see with the nakedeye?

The answer lies in the lighting of the subject. Sunlight evenly

Flash held behind subject shows less backscatter.

raphy classes, or read any books on the subject, you will find a widevariety of methods offered for reducing backscatter. The key in most ofthese solutions is to reduce the lighting ratio between the backscatterparticles and the background. We will present some of the more popularsolutions to eliminating backscatter.

1. MOVE THE FLASH AWAY FROM THE CAMERAThis is one of the most popular solutions and controls backscatter in

two ways. By moving the flash away from the camera, you light lessparticles in front of the lens. Moving the flash also reduces the amountof light falling on the particles directly in front of the lens which reducesthe ratio of light on the particles to the light falling on the background.

September 1993 DIVER 45

2. BACKLIGHT THE SUBJECTIf you find the backscatter so concentrated that the first five

solutions do not work, you can place your flash behind the subject sothat it is completely hidden and light the subject from behind. This onlyworks if the light will pass through the subject, or wrap around itenough to give it shape, colour, and size.

We have used this technique in cold water with large sea anemoneswhen the visibility was about two feet.

3. USE A TWIN FLASH SYSTEMTwin flash systems can reduce the effect of backscatter by evenly

lighting the entire scene, including the background. Both flashesshould be angled out at 45 degree angles, so the flash coverage is evenand no hot spots.

A second method would be to point one flash directly at the subjectat medium or low flash output, and the second flash towards thebackground at high output. The higher output on the second flash is

that you open the lens to a wider openi ng and reduce the amount of flashoutput to match the sunlight in the scene. If you use TTL metering, youwill have to open the lens unti l the correct exposure is near flash sync.If you use a manual flash, you will have to take a meter reading of thesunlight, and then use that f/stop setting for your flash.

7. TURN OFF THE FLASHAnother solution to shooting in heavy backscatter, is to turn the

flash off and shoot available light only. If the lighting is very low, youwill have to use a wide open aperture or faster films. Colour loss is thencorrected by using a colour correction filter, colour negative film, orusing the new Kodak Underwater Ektachrome.

WHAT IF YOU GOT IT. HOW DO YOU GET RID OF ITSo, what happens if you do everything you possibly can, and

backscatter ruins a great shot? In the past, the solution to this problem

Top: Flash angled towards camera—backscatter.Above: Flash angled away from camera—no backscatter.

needed because more light is required to reach the background. Thismethod works best when the background is close to the subject.

4. USE A WIDE ANGLE FLASHUsing a wide angle flash reduces the concentration of light striking

the backscatter particles, and also illuminates the background morethan with a narrow angle flash. As the particles become thicker andthicker, you would move the flash further from the camera. Make surethat you re-aim the flash each time you move it from the camera. Themore the flash angle lines up with the lens angle, the better thebackscatter reduction.

5. USE A WIDER ANGLE LENSThis solution is pretty straight forward in its application. When you

use a wide angle lens, you move closer to the subject, which means youhave less particles between you and the subject. Less particles meansless backscatter. This technique works well with both wide angle andmacro photography. The drawback is that many subjects may not allowyou to approach them as accomplished with the longer lens.

6. BALANCE FLASH AND SUNLIGHTAs we have stated before, the key to reducing backscatter is

reducing the lighting ratio. If there are a lot of particles in the water, youcan set your flash so that it matches the sunlight. This usually requires

Top: Original backscatter.Above: Nikon scanner backscatter removed.

was time consuming and very expensive. It usually required making aprint, having the print retouched and then recopied. The loss in imagequality was great and most photographers considered these images atotal lost.

Thanks to the computer era, all is not lost. With the introduction ofthe Photo-CD, film scanners, and retouching software, removingbackscatter from an image is now a simple task. Your image would bescanned into the computer system via a photo CD or film scanner andphoto retouching software used to electronically remove all the prob-lem dirt particles. You would then take the new electronic image to aService Bureau where it can be output to a colour printer, or a filmrecorder will create a new slide or negative. Image quality is about thesame as a slide duplicate, but you have saved your prized image frompesky backscatter.

We find this system so useful, that when we are in situations wherethe backscatter is impossible to control, we shoot it anyway, knowingit can be salvaged on our electronic imaging system.CONCLUSION

Half the battle in controlling backscatter is understanding how it iscaused, and then matching a solution that will best minimize its effect.If you remember that all backscatter problems boil down to lightingcontrast, your next trip's photo results will greatly improve. Keep inmind that backscatter can be beat! •

46 DIVER September 1993

PhotoAccessoriesSea & Sea Lenses and Flashes forthe Nikonos Camera systemBy Jack & Sue Drafahl

/

It was late Thursday and we still had tofinish packing our dive gear for a tenday dive trip. Our destination was the

Brooks Institute of Photography researchvessel Just Love, now located near La Pas,Mexico. Just when we thought we had ourcamera gear all packed, we got a call askingus to test some Sea & Sea equipment. Welooked at our gear, and said, "Sure, what'sanother bag. we'll probably have to take anextra plane anyway". When we looked closerat what was sent, we were glad we hadaccepted the assignment because the boxincluded a 15mm lens. 20mm lens, wideangle finder, flash arms. YS 50 flash, andYS200 flash. In this report we'll tell you justhow well this equipment performed on ourSea of Cortez tour and a subsequent trip tothe Bahamas, but first let's tell you moreabout the equipment itself.Sea & Sea F/3.5 20mm lens

This extremely compact seven elementwide angle lens is not much larger than thestandard 35mm Nikonos lens and yet it has a79 degree angle of coverage. The 2()mm lensis designed to withstand depths of 2(K) feetand it works with all the TTL functions of theNikonos V camera. The f/stop control is onthe right side of the lens as you look downand it has a range off/3.5 to f/22. Click stopsat each full stop allows the diver to easilylocate each f/stop. The focus control on theleft side displays focus from infini ty down to1.3 feet. A depth-of-field chart is attached tothe top of the lens and displays informationabout the most common settings. Forexample: depth of field for this lens at 1716focused at three feet is 1.3 feet to infinity,which is the entire focus range of lens. Thefront of the lens has a 58mm filter mount ifyou decide to use a color correction filter.You will need to use a filter that has ventholes so that water can flood between thefilter and lens.Sea & Sea F/3.5 15mm lens

The 10 element 15mm lens is a must forthose divers who want to concentrate theirefforts on super wide angle pictures30 DIVER May 1993

Top: Sea & Sea 20mm lens and yellow Sub YS-50 on a Nikonos V body.Above: A close up of a nudibranch on coral using YS Sub 50.

underwater. This lens is smaller than boththe old and new Nikonos 15mm lenses andconsiderably less expensive. The Sea & Sea15mm lens is also designed to wo'rk to depthsof 200 feet with full TTL operation of theNikonos V camera. The f/stop control is inful l click stops from f/3.5 to f/22 and operatesin the same manner as the 20mm lens. Thefocus control on the left side of the lensdisplays focus control from inf ini ty down toone foot. A depth-of-field chart, displayedon the top of the lens, shows informationsimilar to the 20mm lens except the range isgreater. For example: f/16 focused at twofeet results in a picture with sharp focus frominfinity to .98 feet. The front of the lens isthreaded for 77mm color correction filters.Again be sure to use filters that have ventholes to allow flooding water between thefilter and lens.Sea & Sea Multi-viewfinder MVF

The Sea & Sea three element viewfinder

is designed to cover the 35mm to 15mmlenses with parallax correction. This small,high quality, glass viewfinder attaches to thehot shoe of the Nikonos camera, and locks inplace with a locking knob located just underthe finder. It is designed to work to depths of180 feet and works with both Nikonos andSea & Sea lenses.Sea & Sea YS-50 TTL flash and flash arm

If macro and general photography isyour game, the YS-50TTL flash is an idealcompanion for your Nikonos camera. Thislightweight flash is slightly smaller than theNikonos SB-103 flash and has operatingspecifications very similar to the SB-103.The unit operates on four AA batteries andhas an average recycle time of four secondswith Ni-Cad batteries. Batteries are loadedthrough a small o-ring sealed door in theback of the flash. A single control on the backof the flash switches the flash from the "offposition to "on" for use with the manual

Top: Queen angel on a reef using 20mm and YS 200 strobe.Above left: Quick disconnect arm. Above right: Wide angle shot taken with 15mm lens.

mode, or "TTL" with the Nikonos V. A readylight in the middle of this control tells thediver when the flash is ready for the nextexposure.

The YS-50TTL has a 90 degree angle ofcoverage with its built-in diffuser and has acolor balance of 5400 degrees Kelvin. Thisslightly warmer color balance is designed tocounteract the blue cast often found inunderwater photography. The YS-50TTLflash attaches to the Nikonos camera with atwo-part tray and flash arm. The Sea & Seabaseplate VII attaches to the Nikonos cameraand the end of the plate is slotted to hold theSea Arm IV. The base of this arm slides intothe slot, turns, and locks into place. The armhas a sliding extension that doubles thedistance of the flash to camera. This isespecially useful for wide angle pictures, andsituations with heavy backscatter. The flashis attached to the top of the arm and can be

turned to the desired angle before locking itinto position with a large knurled knob.Sea & Sea YS-200 flash and flash arms

If you want a powerful professional Hashthat covers extreme wide angle lenses, theYS-200 flash may be just what you are lookingfor. This heavy duty flash has a 110 degreeangle of coverage, can withstand depths of300 feet, and is powered by a removeable Ni-Cad battery pack. A single power control onthe side of the flash allows you to select 1/2,full , and slave at full power. Recycle times at1/2 power average three seconds and ful lpower flashes take five seconds to recycle. Aready light indicator is located a short distancefrom this control, and is easily visibleunderwater. Fully charged batteries canprovide between 200 and 400 flashes,depending on your power selection. Adiffusion disk can be inserted into the front ofthe flash if you want to extend the angle of

coverage more than the 110 degrees. Whennot needed, this disk can be stored on theback of the flash with a unique attachmentdevice.

Battery replacement and charging isaccomplished by splitting the flash in half byreleasing the two catch and strike clampsthat hold the flash together. The batteries canbe charged in or outside of the flash. If youplan on taking a lot of photos and wantinsurance, you can buy a spare battery packand have it charging while you are on yourdive.

The YS-200 is attached to the Nikonoscamera with a unique flash arm called theSea Arm. The Sea Arm attaches to a post atthe end of the baseplate holding the Nikonoscamera. The flash attached to the top of thisarm with a large knurled knob. The Sea Armis locked in place by pushing down on thearm turning it 90 degrees and releasing. Thearm can be permanently secured in placewith an attached thumb screw. This flexiblearm can bend over 180 degree from theoriginal position and easily hold the 'lash inplace.Sea & Sea field tests

When we tested the two wide anglelenses, we found the f/stop and focus controlsvery easy to read and turn underwater. Weusually find most calculation charts uselesson dives, but the depth of field charts on thetop of each lens proved very helpful in

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setting up a hyper-focal distance for eachlens. We were very impressed with theircompact size and light weight, both fordivingand traveling. The finder worked well withboth lenses, although the viewing area isslightly smaller than some of the largerNikonos viewfinders. The trade-off is thattheonefinderworksforall lenses,while Nikon has separate finders.

We found the YS-50TTLflash most suitable for macro andclose-up photography. It wassmall enough to allow us to sneakinto those cracks and crevices tocapture the critters on film. TheYS-50TTL could be used withthe 2()mm lens, as long as thesubject was in close to thephotographer. We changedbatteries every three to four rolls,and found no decrease in recycletime.

The YS-200 flash workedvery well with both the 20mmand 15mm lenses. Because it is amanua l flash, we found itnecessary to bracket exposuresunti l a "normal" exposure wasdetermined. Once this wasestablished, we lost very fewexposures due to the manualoperation of the flash. We lostv i r tua l ly no pictures due toexposure with the YS-50TTLflash.

Of all the items tested, we

to extend the flash as far as our arms couldreach for that special shooting situation. TheSea Arm rates a 10 on the 10 point scale!Conclusion

When we review underwater photoequipment, we are always happy when theproducts work without a hitch. When these

Top: 15mm lens for Nikonos V.Above: Sea & Sea camera accessories.

were most impressed with the flexible SeaArm. No more ball joints, connectors, andtrying to figure how we were going to get theflash in a specific position. When we wantedit in a desired position, we bent the arm to thatposition and it stayed there. The arm has somuch strength, that it holds the flash inposition even in mid-air. We also liked thequick disconnect function. This allowed us

tools deliver the quality results we havecome to demand, what more can we ask.

For information on Sea & Sea productscontact Diversco, a division of SherwoodScuba. 120 Shearson Cres., Cambridge, ONN I T IJ4 or any Sherwood Sea & Sea dealer.In the U.S.A. contact GMI Photographic,Inc. P.O. Drawer U, 1776 New Highway.Farmingdale, NY 11735 (516) 752-0066.

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32 DIVER May 1993

Photo Tips

Underwater Self-PortraitsStuck for a cooperative underwater model? Putyourself in the picture with this novel method ofself-portraiture using a Nikonos camera and 15 mmwide-angle lens.

By jack and Sue Drafahl

IT SEEMS THAT MOST UNDERWATERphotographers enjoy shooting whatare sometimes referred to as 'diver

and...' photographs. You know thekind—diver and fish, diver and sponge,diver and coral—need we say more.These photos generally provide moreimpact than those with just a diver or onewith just marine life.

Generally, these types of photos arenot too difficult to obtain since we alldive with a buddy. But what if yourbuddy has no comprehension of yournecessary hand signals, or moves acrossthe sandy bottom like a Sherman tank?It's always difficult shooting macro in asandstorm, no less when attemptingwide-angle photography. And even if youhave a cooperative model, it never failsthat you encounter a difficult situationrequiring such complicated hand signalsthat you couldn't communicate with eventhe best dive buddy.

So, what options do you have? Youwant to take great 'diver and...' photosbut your dive buddy is no help. Too badyou couldn't do it without him or her. Butwait, why not? We've discovered a simpleway to take self-portraits underwater.

The idea is simply to extend yourNikonos camera with wide-angle lensand flash unit at arms length, point itdirectly at yourself and press the shutter.That's the basic principle, but here are afew tips to make the self-portrait processeasier.

The camera and flash need to beconnected together using one of the manybrackets on the market. This will enableyou to hold the entire assembly in yourleft hand while underwater. The Nikonoscamera is preferred because of its size andweight.

The flash used should be as compact aspossible while still providing you with awide-angle beam. Since the flash will be

This photo demonstrates the techniqueused for U/W self-portraits—extend yourNikonos camera with wide-angle lens andflash unit at arm's length, point it directlyat yourself, and fire the shutter.

at a close distance to the subject, thepower output is not as essential as is theangle of coverage.

A 28 mm lens or wider is necessary toinsure that the diver and whatever subjecthe or she chooses will correctly fit into theframe. A trial run in the neighborhoodpool is highly recommended to insure thediver can hold the camera and flash inone hand, pose properly and still depressthe shutter.

The simple step-by-step method forself-portraits underwater is as follows:

I / Preset the f-stop to the correctexposure for the flash at an arm's length.

2/ Set the focus for the closest point,i.e. 15 mm lens is 9", 28 mm is 2 feet.

3/ Hold the camera in your left handat arm's length with your thumb carefullyover the shutter release.

4/ Point the lens slightly to the right ofthe scene to avoid getting your left arm inthe photo. When looking at the camera,make sure your mask is at an angle to thecamera and flash in order to avoid areflection from the faceplate.

5/ Depress the shutter, advance thefilm and you're ready to repeat theprocess.

Some typical ideas for self-portraitsunderwater are: a diver holding animaland looking at the camera, the animalbetween the camera and diver, thecamera on the ocean floor pointing upwith the diver reaching down to theanimal, diver holding the flash andlooking at the animal, and the camera ina wreck or cave pointed out at the diver.

Several advantages can be derivedfrom the self-portrait technique. First,you have a cooperative model whounderstands your every instruction forthat complicated shot. Secondly, yourfocus and exposure will almost always bethe same because the camera and flashare always held at arm's length, resultingin a high percentage of dynamic photos.Thirdly, one diver stirs up the ocean floorless than two. And lastly, some photosnot possible before can easily be taken,such as holding the camera into anopening in a wreck and pointing out,resulting in a picture of a diver lookinginto a wreck.

Use this self-portrait technique inorder to supplement your other under-water photos. It will add diversity to allyour slide presentations. But remember,there is no subs t i tu te for us ing acooperative diving model. Self-portraitsonly allow you more variety in yourunderwater endeavors. D

20 DIVER Jan/Feb 85