GETTING BACK UNDERWATER POST-COVID Martyn Guess provides some insight into what underwater photographers who have had a long break from diving, due to restrictions during the pandemic, should be doing to make sure they get back up to speed quickly with their equipment, techniques and skills Photographs by Martyn Guess
A
lot of my warm water diving friends and students have gleefully hit social media in the last few weeks to announce that, at last, they will be going on a much-longed-for diving trip. For many, this is after an enforced break of over two years if the last time they dived was in the summer of 2019. My last warm water dive was in late-November 2019 with a group of students in the Red Sea - a brilliant trip with fond memories of a whaleshark and a pod of bottlenose dolphins on our check-out dive! This is such a long time, enough time to (temporarily I hope) forget some of the photography skills that regular diving with a camera provides. In addition to the skills there is the added dimension for photographers, of underwater camera equipment that has spent a long time probably just standing on a shelf or in a bag. I thought it would therefore be a good idea to write my article this month on these issues and hope what I recommend will help people to get back up to speed quickly. Firstly, on the equipment - I am lucky to have continued diving in UK waters when we have been permitted to do so. I have used my camera regularly underwater but many of my friends and the people who come on my workshops have not done as much UK diving, or none at all. I suggest the first thing on the list should be to get everything out and give it all a good inspection and clean if necessary. Check O-rings and insert new batteries and put everything together. Take the equipment for a service if you feel that something needs checking over. It is amazing that what would normally have been second nature might not be any more. Doing this well before any trip will allow time to get problems with equipment resolved in plenty of time and pay dividends when you get to your resort or liveaboard. Make sure everything is working as it should be. I suggest you also make sure your vacuum is working if you have one and that strobes fire. I recommend putting the rig maybe without
Image 1. Exercise with Black Background – High speed and small aperture
the camera into a bath full of water to check for leaks. I read this week about a very well-known photographer (who will remain anonymous) that got to the longed-for diving destination recently to find there was a niggling housing leak – which in a remote area can be difficult to fix! The same goes for your diving equipment of course. It is easy to forget after a long lay-off, the different camera controls and how to achieve the desired settings. What was second nature a while ago may not be any longer. Depending on your camera I would suggest re-orientating yourself with the camera and make sure that you can easily find the ISO settings, different focus settings, speed, and aperture controls, etc. This way you will avoid getting into the water and having to struggle with how to adjust something critical for you to get a well-exposed shot. Maybe set yourself some exercises with the camera and settings. Put the camera in the housing with a macro lens
Book your holiday with the award winning dive experts at Scuba Travel!
+44 (0)1483 411590
www.scubatravel.com/photography
