December 2020 / Week 1

Most divers know to look out for the Scorpionfish. They are often difficult to spot because they blend in so well with their environment. Because they blend in so well with their surroundings, it can be difficult to get a photo where you are able to separate the fish from its surroundings. In this shot, I used a small aperture, fast shutter speed and low ISO in order to force the background to black. I also had my left strobe pulled in close to my housing port and pointed toward the subject in order to avoid lighting the background. With the subject isolated, you can really appreciate the beauty of this fish.

Equipment and settings: Nikon D850 / 105mm / INON 330Z / f 16 / 1/250th / ISO 125

Location: Tres Trapi, Aruba

Other winners…

November 2021 | Week 3

November 2021 | Week 3

David and I were looking for a dive center that was open for diving. This can be hard to do in Grand Cayman while COVID is raging and a quarantine is required for visitors. We found that Lighthouse Point was operating regular hours - probably the only dive center on...

October 2021 | Week 4

October 2021 | Week 4

David and I had to wait in line to get a shot of this little beauty. It was one of two seahorses at The Cliff in Bonaire. It was a little shy and conditions weren't the best on this day - visibility was pretty poor, so it took a number of shots and trying different...

October 2021 | Week 3

October 2021 | Week 3

I was on fire spotting cryptic teardrop crabs on our last night dive at Salt Pier. This little guy was one of three crabs I spotted that night - pretty good considering I had never spotted one on my own before. These critters are so small, it is difficult to know...

October 2021 | Week 2

October 2021 | Week 2

While in the shallows at Salt Pier in Bonaire, David noticed a group of crabs that were fighting over an empty shell. Given the number of crabs and the level of interest, we assume the shell was not empty, but contained some sort of food. The 2 larger crabs dominated...