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How to get into Underwater Photography

EQUIPMENT

Emma Ong - PADI MSDT

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Scuba diving is a great way to check out the underwater world. Combining diving with photography is even better so you can keep those memories, not just in your head, but also on camera. How else are you going to prove to your friends that you saw that whale shark? Figuring out how to get into underwater photography, even as a novice on-land photographer, is easy. The biggest thing is to always keep on practicing! Here are a few of our tips to help you take your underwater photography to the next level.

How to get into Underwater Photography

Downtoscuba Underwater Photography Equipment Checklist For Scuba Diving — Our Underwater Photography Equipment Checklist For Scuba Diving

Get a Decent Camera

GoPros and other small action cameras are great for ‘action’ activities; such as motorbiking, snowboarding, etc. But if you want to take great underwater photos, then you will need a camera with more control and more settings. An inexpensive compact camera is a great way to get started with underwater photography. You should also be practicing using the camera’s settings on land as much as possible.

Test your Underwater Camera Housing.

Underwater camera housings can be expensive. However, it is worth getting the correct housing for your camera and making sure it is high-quality. You don’t want a flooded camera after your first dive! If you are using your housing for the first time, then take it for a ‘dry dive.’ This is where you will take the housing on a dive, but leave the camera on the boat. You can put some tissue or toilet paper inside the housing. After the dive, check to see if it is wet. If the tissue is wet then that means water leaked into the housing; then it’s time to double-check all of the o-rings and clips. If the tissue is dry, then that means it is safe to take your camera on a dive.

Practise Your Buoyancy

Getting into underwater photography is very different from taking photos on-land. On-land you can focus your shot and keep the camera still. While underwater, you will be moving up and down constantly due to your breathing and your buoyancy. A good idea when starting underwater photography is to focus on your buoyancy. Get into a swimming pool, or shallow waters, and practice hovering and staying in one spot for a few minutes. Remember, you should never hold your breath while scuba diving. This means you need to be able to stay as still as possible even when breathing. Try taking smaller breaths and figuring out what works for you.

Emma getting into underwater photography as a divemaster trainee with a jellyfish — Combining photography and scuba diving is a little tricky at first!

Get Your Solo-Diving Certification

Taking photos underwater requires time and effort. Most divers will want to swim around to check out the dive site. Photographers, however, prefer to stay in a smaller area to focus on their photography. The most annoying thing for a diver without a camera is having to wait for their photographer buddy. And the most annoying thing for a photographer is having to catch up to their speedy diver buddy. The best way to avoid this is to find another underwater photographer as your dive buddy. Or, to get your solo-certification so that you can dive alone safely and focus on your shots.

Check Your Air Frequently

When you first get into underwater photography, it is very easy to get so focussed on getting that perfect shot that you forget about other things underwater. Such as checking your air, or checking your No Decompression Limits (NDLs). These could be potentially very risky if you forget about them. This means constantly doing these checks should become a habit underwater. Some photographers will even have a 2nd dive computer attached to the handle of their camera. This allows them to constantly monitor their depth and NDLs.

Check what divers should do for their own safety here.

Make Slow Movements

Once you are comfortable with your buoyancy and know to check your limits frequently, you can then focus on slowing down your movements underwater. Approaching marine life slowly means you will not scare them away. You will also get a better shot in their natural habitat if they ignore you and do not see you as a threat. To approach marine life, you should get bring your camera up and look through the camera to get closer to your subject while slowly moving forwards. By not changing your body position or raising your arms suddenly, your subject will ignore you, letting you get nice and close for the shot.

Don’t Blind the Wildlife

You may have gotten nice and close to your subject, but now you need to be mindful of your lights or strobes when taking your underwater photo. Some creatures are not used to the bright lights from a camera and this can momentarily blind or stun them. In worst cases, the lights can permanently blind marine life which leads to their vulnerability to predators. Be conscious of your bright lights, and try not to startle them by shoving a camera in their faces.

Don’t Harass the Wildlife

It is very important to leave marine life in their natural habitat. I have seen people shove and prod creatures to get that ‘perfect shot.’ I have also seen people chase whale sharks and manta rays, and end up lost in the ocean with no buddy around and being dangerously low on air. These are big no-nos. You should never move or touch marine life for any reason, and certainly, not for a photograph. You should also never chase wildlife because this changes their behavior. Which may result in a fear of humans and their avoidance of us.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you dive, and the more you dive with a camera, the better your underwater photos will be. Even a seasoned on-land photographer will be challenged when taking photos underwater for the first time. The best way to improve your photos is to take bad photos and constantly try to improve. You will have a better understanding of your camera and the settings, and a better understanding of your buoyancy. Over time, you may also be able to predict the behavior of marine life, and be more prepared for that perfect shot!

Let us know if you have other tips for underwater photography in the comments below.

Check out our interview with an underwater photographer and read his tips to improve your photography!

Disadvantages of a Snorkel (and some Advantages)!

EQUIPMENT

DTS Contributor

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Disadvantages of a Snorkel (and some Advantages)!

Ah, a snorkel or a tuba. This tube-like object is such a simple and efficient piece of equipment. It allows us to continuously breathe when we observe the bright fish and coral underwater. It’s amazing, right? But actually, there are some disadvantages of a snorkel. Sometimes, they can be downright annoying! Especially to a scuba diver.

Read on to find out why a snorkel is ranked as one of the most annoying items in our scuba diving setup!

Disadvantages of a Snorkel

How many times have you reached for your inflator hose to adjust your buoyancy and you grabbed your snorkel?

The snorkel can get tangled in your inflator hose on your left side. If it’s attached to the right side, it can get tangled in your regulator.

A snorkel can get caught in overhead environments, such as caves, caverns, swim-throughs, and wrecks.

The snorkel keeper or ring to attach it to your mask can get caught in your hair which is very painful.

The attachment for snorkels to a mask are usually cheap and ineffective. People are constantly losing snorkels which means more plastic rubbish in the ocean.

When removing your mask underwater (as a skill or just for fun) the snorkel will always get in the way of replacing the mask.

Have you ever had a surface marker (SMB) get wrapped around your snorkel? It can happen.

Using a snorkel on a choppy surface swim can be useless with the water just splashing in.

It flaps against your face.

Advantages of a Snorkel

If there’s a turtle, shark, or whale swimming next to the boat during your surface interval, you will definitely want your snorkel close by.

With choppy conditions or extended surface swims, a snorkel can be handy for the swims.

If your tank is low on air, and you are back on the surface but want to continue checking out the underwater life, then a snorkel is very useful.

You can now get collapsible or rolled up snorkels that can fit in your BCD pocket or attach to your leg.

What Does a Snorkel Do?

A snorkel is used as an extension of our breathing. We are still breathing normal air from the surface, but it allows us to keep our face in the water for longer. It can be as simple as a plastic tube, or as fancy as you would like with a purge-valve, wave guard, and bright colors. A snorkel does not replace scuba diving equipment however.

You either love or hate the snorkel

Snorkels are great for snorkeling. But does it have a place in our scuba diving setup? According to most dive agencies, it is a standard requirement when undertaking a scuba diving course and certification. Some regions and countries state that you should have a snorkel with you according to local regulations. They can stop you from diving with their organization or dive center, even if this is not law.

Find out what other items should be in every rescue diver equipment list.

However, the standards do not mention where the snorkel must be attached to. So while you should carry a snorkel with you, it does not necessarily have to be on your mask. Many dive professionals will have a rolled-up snorkel in their pocket or attached to a D-ring on their BCD. This means you are following safety standards and adhering to local regulations but you won’t have the annoyance of a snorkel smacking you in the face!

Do you love or hate wearing a snorkel? Let us know your thoughts below!

Q&A with a Maritime Archaeologist

Emma Ong - PADI MSDT

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Chanelle Zaphiropoulos is a Masters Candidate studying Maritime Archaeology. She is a scuba diver who mixes her love of the ocean with marine biology and maritime history.

How did you become a Maritime Archaeologist?

I was fascinated by the sea for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau’s films which featured maritime archaeology. I remember my dad telling me about how scuba diving was mostly illegal in Greece, when he was growing up there, because of all the ancient artifacts in the water.

When we moved there, and I saw that recreational diving was permitted, I begged my parents to let me try! At the time, I was adamant that I would be a marine biologist when I grew up. I think my parents hoped I would try diving once, realize I didn’t like fish or being underwater, and end up going into a ‘safer’ (or dryer!) career! But I loved it and they were totally supportive!

When I got to Memorial University of Newfoundland to study marine biology, I started taking archaeology courses. There weren’t any available that focused on Maritime Archaeology, but there was plenty about cultures that had a close tie to the sea and I took every one I could, looking for any possible link! I ended up volunteering with a group that focused on the preservation of local wrecks and diving on them was a totally different experience than anything I had experienced in Greece! (Brrrr!)

Chanelle at the helm of a Barcelona Historic Sail Boat. Photo courtesy of Chanelle Zap

I was new to the region, but talking to the locals and hearing about their experiences; the stories they heard from parents about the shipwrecks running aground, the rescue efforts, or even family who had perished. It made me feel connected to the wrecks. I started to see the wrecks, as not a ‘thing’ of the past or a place of death, but an item of life. They had so much importance to the living community, both in the memories they hold, the local fishing they allow, and the ecosystems growing on them! I wanted to find a way to link my interest in marine biology, with this human connection, and Maritime Archaeology seemed a perfect way.

Before I was even done university, I was able to take courses through a program offered by the Nautical Archaeology Society. They are based in the UK but have trained teams around the world who teach workshops and lead projects around the world! Through them, I was able to learn some of those basic skills for diving on an archaeological site, and taking measurements properly.

In my Master’s program, we had students from all sorts of disciplines! Some students were divers before we started the program. Some had a background in archaeology or marine biology, like myself. Others loved history and were inspired by the sea. The beautiful thing about archaeology is that it benefits from so many different skills and perspectives. I have read papers on Maritime Archaeology from people who had no experience in the field, but were amazing mathematicians and used their skills to help us locate wrecks or art historians who helped study paintings of old ships.

I had friends who were amazing artists and divers, who volunteered on archaeological projects to help draw artifacts or the wrecks. As long as you are passionate about it, I think there are a lot of skills and backgrounds that you can bring to Maritime Archaeology. You don’t even have to be a diver or archaeologist! And the really neat part is that we can even work on sites that are now far from the coast but would have had a sea link at some point in their history.

Enjoying this Q&A? Read more stories and interviews with divers at Down to Scuba.

What is a Maritime Archaeologist?

Maritime archaeology is the study of societies that interact with seas. This covers a lot of ground and leaves a lot of possibilities for researchers. A maritime archaeologist can look at how our ancestors cultivated salt from the sea to preserve food. Others may look at how marine trade routes changed over time. Sometimes it involves locating, studying, and preserving shipwrecks or airplane wrecks in the water. It can also include studying communities that lived near the water. I really love how broad and diverse the field is. You could be looking at how the sea air affects the chemistry within our bodies one day, and recording sea shanties the next!

One thing I like to study is how people interact when they are on a boat. What do they eat? What is their life like compared to when they are on land? How do they spend their free time? Depending on when and where researchers are studying, we can get some answers to these questions through written sources like captain’s journals and ship records.

Maritime Archaeologist, Chanelle talking to Mr. Caruana, about maritime history — Talking to Mr. Caruana helps connect past events to Chanelle’s current work. Photo courtesy of Chanelle Zap

Sometimes we talk to living descendants to get the stories they were told by people who lived in that way of life; the children of fishermen or sailors. But what gets everyone excited is the fieldwork and this is where diving comes in! We look for what is called ‘material culture’ which is the objects that people made and used. This is where we find out the true ‘everyday’ details of life onboard.

People often think of maritime archaeology as studying shipwrecks, but this material culture can be found in a lot of places, including in the sand beneath modern harbors!

In the past, a ship might be waiting in the harbour for a week or month, maybe undergoing a quarantine, or waiting for its next crew or shipment to be ready. Instead of going ashore and staying in a hotel, the crew would stay on the boat. A lot of their objects end up overboard and eventually get covered by sand and seaweed. So as maritime archaeologists, we excavate down into the ground just like archaeologists on land and find a lot of clues to help us answer questions about their lives. We may find anything from broken pieces of cargo to the bones from the food they were eating.

But the things I think are most interesting to find are personal items like tobacco pipes or gambling dice. More than likely, the captain didn’t write about how the crew was spending their spare time. Tobacco pipes were probably held for hours a day by a single individual. Imagine someone hundreds of years from now, finds your cell phone. They may not know what games you had on it or what you took pictures of, but they know that it was something that meant a lot to the owner and spent a lot of time with the person. Items like these show us that the people on ships existed outside of simply working and sleeping. They had lives and interests that didn’t stop just because they weren’t on land.

Chanelle Working On Maritime Archaeology — On-field work as a maritime archaeologist. Photo courtesy of Chanelle Zap

How does Maritime Archaeology differ from Marine Biology?

That is a fantastic question, and one that I think gets confused a lot! When I talk to people they get confused between which I am because I am a little bit of both!

Marine biology is the study of life in the water; seaweeds, algae, coral reefs, and all the way up to sharks and whales! Maritime archaeology is the study of human interaction with the sea. That can be the choice to settle on the coast or the construction of lighthouses and shipwrecks to name a few.

Any diver who has seen how shipwreck sites become covered with marine life may understand my perspective. That the two are fundamentally linked. I am fortunate that I love studying both but that is not always the case. Some people think that the natural sciences (for example biology, chemistry, and physics) should be separate from the social sciences or humanities (such as archaeology, sociology, and psychology).

I think the two fields suffer when there isn’t communication between them, and this has been a real problem. Big projects may try to have a marine biologist and maritime archaeologist on board, but the two have different goals, different terms, and different ways of working. What one does might unintentionally but unmistakably damage the work done by the other. Even communication between the two can be difficult.

My particular interest has always been in understanding how and why ecosystems thrive around shipwrecks or any human materials that are in the water! I think that understanding this might help us better appreciate the wrecks, and ensure that they are safe dive sites and that they are still around for divers to enjoy many years from now! So what makes my work archaeological rather than purely marine biology, is that I am also looking at how to preserve those human aspects of this environment. Rather than just looking at the biology that is growing around it.

Maritime Archaeologist, Chanelle, taking measurements underwater — Chanelle taking measurements and notes underwater. Photo courtesy of Chanelle Zap

What are you currently working on?

I have been fortunate enough to work on a few different projects using different skills. One of the topics that is most interesting to me is studying the ecosystems that develop on human items that get left underwater…continue reading

Read Part 2 of Chanelle Zaphiropoulos’ interview

What Is Nitrogen Narcosis? The Easy Explanation.

DIVE

DTS Contributor

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During your scuba diving training you will have come across the term, ‘Gas or Nitrogen Narcosis.’ You may have even heard of people getting ‘narced’ during a dive. But what does it actually mean and how does this affect our diving? In this article, we look at what is nitrogen narcosis, the physiology behind it, what the treatment is if we feel the effects of narcosis, and better yet, how to prevent nitrogen narcosis.

What is Nitrogen Narcosis?

Breathing nitrogen at higher pressures induces an altered state of consciousness, called nitrogen narcosis. It is similar to the effects of alcohol intoxication and increases in intensity at greater pressure, therefore the deeper you go.

Any gas used as a substitute for nitrogen in a breathing gas mixture has the potential to cause narcosis. Not just nitrogen. Nitrogen is simply what is commonly in our atmosphere already and most widely used as an inert breathing gas. This is why, however, we now more accurately refer to this phenomenon as ‘inert gas narcosis‘.

Some fear it, others seek it out. It is both innocent fun and has the potential to be deadly. Divers refer to it as ‘rapture of the deep‘ or the ‘Martini effect‘.

In 1953, Jacques-Yves Cousteau referred to his experiences under gas narcosis as ‘rapture of the deep’. He explained how it beckoned him to continue deeper. This is comparable to alcohol, where often people drink more than they should. This similarity is where the phrase ‘Martini effect’ or ‘Martini law’ came to fruition. It is said that diving deeper is like drinking one dry Martini on an empty stomach for every ten meters. Starting at 30 meters deep.

What Causes Nitrogen Narcosis?

Research into the field of nitrogen narcosis physiology is ongoing and difficult to conduct since the effects of inert gas narcosis are observed first and foremost by the victim. Recollection under extreme circumstances is not always clear. Similar to a blackout from intoxication.

What is known today is that its intensity depends on a gas’s lipid solubility. The higher lipid solubility, the greater the narcotic effect potential of that gas. What is lipid solubility? In layman’s terms, it is the ability of a gas to dissolve into fats, oils, and lipids. The more efficiently a gas dissolves into our body’s lipids, the greater the narcotic effect.

Not all gases have narcotic properties. Helium and neon, for example, do not cause any narcosis. Commercial and technical divers use helium for this very reason. Everyone is susceptible to nitrogen narcosis to varying degrees. While some divers learn to manage its effects it is not possible to develop a tolerance.

Nitrogen Narcosis Symptoms

The common symptoms of inert gas narcosis are:

Dizziness
Anxiety
Elation
Perceptual narrowing
Feeling lightheaded
Trouble focusing on even simple tasks
Slowed reaction time
Euphoria

Is getting ‘Narced’ Dangerous?

Nitrogen narcosis stories are fascinating. Some of the stories are funny, and some of them are dangerous, with fatal conseqeuences.

The funny narcosis stories are fairly harmless; maybe a diver could not stop giggling at a fish underwater. Or perhaps, they were distracted by a shiny shell. Either way, these fun narcosis stories are often under complete supervision by a dive buddy who is a professional and/or experienced scuba diver.

The dangerous narcosis stories are riskier scenarios and are more common at deeper depths. Divers forgetting to check their air gauge or no-decompression limits. Or going beyond their training limits and luring themselves to a deeper and more dangerous depth.

These dangerous situations are generally when divers become overly confident and dismiss the effects of nitrogen narcosis. We do not want to downplay the potential dangers of inert gas narcosis, however, let’s look at a few facts that can prevent dangerous situations:

It is depth-related, 30m or deeper
You can set your own limits
The recommended recreational depth limit is 40m so divers should not be exceeding this
If it occurs, there are no long-term negative effects
It is easy to recover underwater by ascending slightly

So as a recreational diver as long as you stay within your limits, the potential of narcosis is more enjoyable than it is dangerous.

Nitrogen Narcosis Death

On the other hand, divers that push their training limits are more susceptible to very intense levels of narcosis. At greater depths, narcosis can become uncontrollable and very dangerous. Symptoms intensify at greater depths and cause confusion, impaired coordination, lack of concentration, hallucinations, and even unconsciousness. In James Clark’s study, he found that gas narcosis could be directly responsible for 6% of all diving fatalities.

With this in mind, always dive within your limits.

Nitrogen Narcosis Prevention

To ‘prevent’ inert gas narcosis we need to use a breathing gas mixture that does not consist of a gas with high lipid solubility. This is why deep divers prefer helium. Helium is relatively rare in our atmosphere, meaning it is a rather expensive choice.

Recreational divers limit their depths in order to manage narcosis. In adults it does not commonly occur at depths shallower than 30m. Most recreational training bodies limit certifications to 40m at which it is still a manageable amount of narcosis for most people.

Never dive alone, especially when you are diving deeper.

Nitrogen Narcosis Treatment

What do I during a dive where my narcosis feels very strong and makes me uncomfortable?

Stay calm
Restore proper deep breathing
Try to signal your buddy
Slowly ascend to a shallower depth
Wait for symptoms to subside

There are no long-term negative effects and if you recover underwater there is no need to end the dive.

Not diving at all of course prevents it too.

Nitrogen Narcosis vs the Bends

Nitrogen causes both inert gas narcosis and decompression sickness. However, the two are not to be confused. Decompression sickness, or ‘the bends‘, is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in your body tissues in the event of a rapid ascent or overexposure. On the contrary, the chief cause of nitrogen narcosis is nitrogen’s lipophilicity in combination with elevated pressure at its breathing depth.

So, there you have it. Next time someone asks you ‘what is nitrogen narcosis?’ you should have a good grasp on it and be able to explain it better.

Ever experienced narcosis yourself or witnessed it in your dive buddy? Please share your story in the comments below.

How Much Does a Wetsuit Cost

EQUIPMENT

DTS Contributor

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Wetsuits are very versatile exposure protection suits. They will keep you warm from the cold, shield you from potential marine life stings, and cushion you from any sharp rocks, coral, or rusty wrecks underwater. A wetsuit is a very worthy investment. So how much does a wetsuit cost, and why is there a difference in prices?

Find out how a wetsuit works and everything else in our Ultimate Guide to Wetsuits.

How Much Does a Wetsuit Cost

Wetsuits will differ in prices. This is due to a number of factors. These include the material of the suit, the thickness, the quality in seams and stitching, and of course, the brand name of the wetsuit. A lower-end wetsuit can be as little as $50 USD, whereas a high-end branded wetsuit can be as much as $500. Let’s look at the factors that affect how much a wetsuit can cost.

how to clean a wetsuit at home — These are shorty wetsuits. Very popular in tropical waters.

Style

Wetsuits can be a shorty; with sleeves cut before the elbow and cut above the knee. They can also be a full wetsuit, which is long sleeves and full length to the ankles. You can also get part wetsuits for just the top or just the bottom. The more material needed for the wetsuit, the more the price will be.

Material

Neoprene is the most common material used for wetsuits. You can get higher or lower quality neoprene. You can also get spandex or lycra, and other synthetic fabrics in a wetsuit. Titanium is also a material that is being used in wetsuits and has great warming properties. However, this will increase the cost of your wetsuit.

Thickness

Wetsuits come in all types of thickness. Find out the uses for various thickness wetsuits here. They range from 1mm thickness and all the way up to 7mm. Again, the more material used, the pricer the wetsuit will be.

Quality

There can be an obvious difference in quality with wetsuits. Some are made quite cheaply with basic stitching and seams. These can fall apart after a few uses, with the strain of squeezing in and out of a wetsuit. Higher quality suits will have double or even triple stitching, made for extended and prolonged usage. These wetsuits are made for getting bashed around the surf.

Seals

Most wetsuits will have a basic seal around the neck, wrist, and ankles. Ideally, this will slow down the flow of water going in and out of the suit. However, some wetsuits have specially made seals that will greatly reduce the amount of water flow into a wetsuit. These seals are made of different materials that are highly effective in keeping you warmer for longer in the water.

Colors/Patterns

Basic wetsuits are a solid black color. Like a ninja suit. Some will have colored stitching. Even fancier wetsuits will have cool colors and patterns designed into the wetsuit. These help you stand out from the crowd, but may make you more appealing to sharks! Find out what colors and patterns attract sharks here.

Added Extras

Wetsuits are basic in design with its main purpose to keep you warm in the water. However, you can get added extras to a wetsuit to make your life easier. You can get hooks built into a suit to attach items to. Some wetsuits will even have a built-in hood.

Brand Name

There are some leading brand names in the wetsuit and water-sports industries. For scuba diving, leading brands include; Scubapro, Aqualung, Sherwood, Mares. For freediving, you will have; Fourth Element, Akona, Beuchat, Cressi. For surfing, you will see brand names such as; Ripcurl, Billabong, and O’Neill. Of course, these are all quite interchangeable between sports. Brand names have recognition, a history of quality products, and advanced testing technologies. This means a branded wetsuit will cost more.