Scubashooters net e mag issue n48 apr 2020

Sean Chinn

Portfolio

issue n°48

- apr 2020

Tecnique: The Use Of The Snoot

Biology: Snappers

Review: Nudibranch Book

Deep Visions 2019: The Winners

Biology: Hippocampus Brief

Review: Nauticam Na-RX100VI

Dear friends,

I hope everyone of you and your loved ones is safe in this very tough moment.

At Scubashooters.net we have always put the conservation of the Ocean on top of our priorities.

Educating people towards the respect of the Ocean and ultimately of Mother Earth has always been one of our goals.

We always tell jokes about Mother Earth getting angry at humanity due to our disrespect towards our one and only house in the Universe ... well we can’t tell it for sure but something has happened in the last months; quakes, volcanic eruptions, huge fires in Australia and finally the Corona Virus.

These events are apparently not related one to the other but I hope that the message will pass anyway.

We need to change our approach on how we deal with our planet and how we deal between us, we need to change or we will face other disasters.

The first one we will face it’s going to be the economic disaster that will follow the pandemic, but others will come fast if we will show not to have learned the lesson.

Originally this editorial would have entirely been dedicated to Deepvisions 2019 which has just ended. It’s been a very successful edition, uw photographers from over 30 countries joined the contest which is now a truly international one.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors that all together contributed to a prize panel worthed over 60k USD and to all our participants that submitted truly amazing photos.

Please glance few pages ahead and enjoy the winning photos.

Wishing you and your loved ones safe and healthy days to come.

Stay tuned.

Marino Palla Owner and Founder Scubashooters Network

Cover image by: Sean Chinn

Contents

Issue

n°48 - April 2020 pag. 60

P ortfolio Sean Chinn Editorial:

by Marino Palla

Contest: Italian Photographer Of The Year The Winners

pag. 3

Biology: The Hippocampus Brief By: Nicholas Samaras

Review: NA-RX100VI Housing

by Nauticam

pag. 8 Contest: Deep Visions 2019 The Winners

pag. 18

pag. 88

DAN Europe: Overcoming Challenges Kurt Arrigo

pag. 92

Biology: Snappers By: Massimo Bicciato and Emilio Mancuso

pag. 98

Review: Nudibranch Book By: A. Ryanskiy and Yuri Ivanov

Tecnique: The Use Of The Snoot by: Paolo Isgro

pag. 84

pag. 106

Editor: Fabio Strazzi Assistant Editor: Isabella Maffei

pag. 44

Scubashooters - Via Barucchi 37, 37139 Verona Graphic Design and Supervising: Elisa Furlani Layout: Elisa Furlani Alessandra Suppo Translations: Piera Pirini

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䴀䔀䔀吀䤀一䜀 倀䔀刀䤀伀䐀㨀 一漀瘀攀洀戀攀爀 ㈀㄀ⴀ㈀㠀Ⰰ ㈀ ㈀ 倀刀䤀䌀䔀㨀 ㄀㌀ ␀ 琀眀椀渀 猀栀愀爀椀渀最 猀琀愀渀搀愀爀搀 爀漀漀洀 䐀䔀匀䌀刀䤀倀吀䤀伀一㨀 㜀 搀愀礀猀Ⰰ 㘀 搀椀瘀椀渀最 搀愀礀猀 Ⰰ ㄀㠀 搀椀瘀攀猀 愀琀 䄀琀氀愀渀琀椀猀 刀攀猀漀爀琀 搀椀 䐀甀洀愀最甀攀琀攀Ⰰ 䐀愀甀椀渀Ⰰ 倀栀椀氀椀瀀瀀椀渀攀猀

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Biology

The Hippocampus Brief

Words and pictures: Nicholas Samaras

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or many years, Stratoni a small gulf in Northern Aegean Sea, along with many other small and bigger gulfs that compose the

horse kingdom” and the “secret” started to spread over the surface, with details about the exact point to enter water and accurate depth

beautiful coastline of east Thessaloniki Region was a place with rich marine life, big numbers of different fish species in a sandy sea bottom covered sea grass, sponges, anemones and small gorgonians.

to encounter the little critters.

With the info from a friend, I had photographed seahorses before the flooding and a set of seahorse portraits were included to my first underwater photograph exhibition back in 2008.

The singularity of Stratoni compared to other nearby gulfs and coasts is the big number of seahorses that inhabit the sea bottom.

For the locals, fishermen this was not something special. Seahorses were a common by-catch and if they were still alive in the net they were thrown back to the sea. If dead, they became dried souvenirs and decorations to local taverns.

Since the old gold mines reopened the mining galleries under new ownership - about a decade ago - and because of many articles and aerial photographs presenting a complete destruction of the area from forest to coast and severe sea pollution, scuba divers eventually lost their interest of diving in Stratoni.

About three decades ago, big number of fishing boats mostly trawlers destroyed the sea bottom with their fishing gear. They ripped off big parts of sea flora, the sea grass with nests and eggs and small fishes. Soon, there were no fishes left to fish and the fishing boats moved to other places.

While the area was struggling to survive this disaster, a tremendous flood in 2010 swept away huge amounts of soil and sediment into the sea and covered what was left of the sea flora.

As scuba diving became more popular, this place was declared among divers “the sea-

Recently a team of marine biologists rediscovered the place and started to examine closely the environment trying to figure not only the quality of water but to reach some conclusions about how after the overfishing tactics and the environmental destruction seahorses managed to survive through the years and why they prefer this specific area as their habitat.

The scientists established a complex set of plastic grid with ropes and some fake sea flora as a draft reef to record the reaction of seahorses that immediately inhabited the construction. The biologists filmed some scenes and published their research about the unique Hippocampus colony not only in Aegean Sea

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but the only one discovered in Mediterranean Sea. Happy with the news of their existence and curious about the place I had to dive so many years I planed three days of diving at the end of August to photograph my favorite animal again.

On my first day of diving I was really disappointed with the visibility but I was thrilled with my discoveries as I encountered more than ten seahorses of both the two species living there, Hippocampus ramulosus (Yellow) & Hippocampus hippocampus (Brown).

On diving days two and three water was crystal clear.

Temperature and great visibility helped me

use different techniques and play with macro and wide angle lens, try snooting and use of coloured torches to create special effects.

As diver and mostly as photographer I was more than satisfied with the result.

At some point I found the remains of the plastic cluster reef destroyed by a fish boat and left on sea bottom, looking more like garbage than a reef..

After nine hours underwater split on six dives I had in my memory cards a complete portfolio of seahorses.

Full of thoughts and images, I spent some time before my departure on the empty beach trying to figure out the situation.

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Τhis crowded place of the past was abandoned by ttourists, swimmers and fishermen and the sea bottom from a distance seem “empty.

However this fragile, shy and harmless critter refuses to leave and managed to survive through the years.

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Maybe seahorses are tougher than we think.

Maybe this behavior we translate as patience in our presence is something more like stubbornness.

Maybe our absence from the coast helped this place to recover slowly and nature found

UNDERWATER HOUSING

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Each Gamma starts with aircraft grade aluminum, precision-machined into a supremely ergonomic, no-slip contour grip. Military-grade anodizing and a double o-ring seal provide corrosion-proof and waterproof operation up to 400ft (120m).

SPECIFICATIONS • • • • • • •

400 ft (120m) depth rating 350 lumen concentrated 10° beam Color temperature 6500K Over 10 hours run time Accepts 2 CR123 batteries Dimensions 5.6 x 1.4 in (142 x 36 mm) Weighs only 4 oz (113 g)

First Prize

Category: Behaviour

Jinggong Zhang 18

Second Prize

Category: Behaviour

Michael Heyns

Third Prize

Category: Behaviour

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Steven Kovacs

First Prize

Category: Fresh waters

Alessandro Giannaccini 20

Second Prize

Category: Fresh waters

Third Prize

Category: Fresh waters

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Stefano Cerbai

Gino Symus

First Prize

Category: Wideangle

Hannes Klostermann 22

Second Prize

Category: Wideangle

Third Prize

Category: Wideangle

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Geo Cloete

Paolo Bausani

First Prize

Category: Blackwater

Yatwai So 24

Second Prize

Category: Blackwater

Marco Steiner

Third Prize

Category: Blackwater

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Eric Hou

First Prize

Category: Cetaceans and Sharks

Paolo Isgro

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Second Prize

Category: Cetaceans and Sharks

Vanessa Mignon

Third Prize

Category: Cetaceans and Sharks

Hoarau Galice

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First Prize

Category: Nudibranch

Man Bd 28

Second Prize

Category: Nudibranch

Wen Ming

Third Prize

Category: Nudibranch

Lilian Koh

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First Prize

Category: Macro

Domenico Tripodi 30

Second Prize

Paolo Isgro

Category: Macro

Third Prize

Paolo Bondaschi

Category: Macro

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First Prize

Category: Compact Camera Macro

Enrico Somogyi 32

Second Prize

Andrea Michelutti

Category: Compact Camera Macro

Third Prize

Andrea Falcomata’

Category: Compact Camera Macro

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First Prize

Category: Compact Cameras Wide Angle

Enrico Somogyi 34

Second Prize

Category: Compact Cameras Wide Angle

Third Prize

Category: Compact Cameras Wide Angle

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Ipah UiD

Enrico Somogyi

>>SPECIAL PRIZES >>

Category: BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTO

Gaetano Gargiulo

Hannes Klostermann

Category: BEST OF SHOW

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Paolo Isgro

Category: BEST SNOOTED PHOTO

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>> SPECIAL PRIZES >>

Category: SCUBASHOOTERS AWARD

Vanessa Mignon

First Prize

Category: PORTFOLIO

Massimo Giorgetta

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Second Prize

Category: PORTFOLIO

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Lilian Koh

Third Prize

Category: PORTFOLIO

David Paris

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Tecnique

The Use Of The Snoot

In UW Macro Photography

Words and pictures: Paolo Isgro

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Tecnique

T

he Snoot is a light shaping device to reduce the amount of light in the picture .

STANDARD SNOOT

Just a simple plastic tube ( white inside - black So the main questions are : why should I use outside ) you can make yourself in few minutes a snoot ? Why should I add a complication . to my shooting process and a cost to my set Unfortunately the field of use is limited : up ? just good for starting to add contrast and reWell , if underwater macropthotography duce the light in the photo and for backlight is for you all about soft and even light the big subject . And , in any case , you have to go snoot is not for you , but if you like more very close to the subject , otherwise the light shadow than light , you love high contrast spread to much . and the dark side of wildlife than the snoot Pros : is the right tool for you .

And in my opinion , when using a snoot , the • inexpensive ( DIY ) right mindset should be to give as less light Cons : as possible to the image .

There are different kind of snoot , everyone with their Pros and Cons.

• you don’t see where is pointed

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Tecnique

• light spread too much

Cons :

• do not works with small diameter ( too much loss of light )

• need the assistance of a buddy or Dive Master to direct the light to the subject

DOUBLE FIBER OPTIC SNOOT: This is the first kind of snoot I made myself using fiber optic cable and locline tube .

The power is not great so the use is limited at very close distance . Moreover it is not possible to see where is pointed.

For these two reasons it is always necessary the help of the buddy or Dive Master to direct it to the right point and to place it very close to the subject .

So you can understand it is a pain to use it but with a little practice and a good Dive Master you can get some interesting result that in no other way you can get .

Pros : • double point of light for special effect • great bending , can be used very close to the bottom or in small hole

• low amount of light , need to be very close to the subject .

SINGLE FIBER OPTIC SNOOT This is the second kind of fiber optic snoot I made myself . Using a bigger high quality fiber optic cable the power is enough to light subject till 30-40 cm away .

Biut the light beam is fix and not narrow as I expected , even using a collimating lens , so I use it mostly working with the edge of the beam to create just a slice of light in the pictures .

Pros : • great amount of light • bending is good enough to go into hole and small cave or to go parallel close to seabed Cons : • unless your strobe focus light is right in the center you don’t see well where is pointed ( that was my drama using INON Z240 ) and this is a real pain !

• using a collimating wet lens you can reduce the spread of the light , but not as good and not as sharp as the snoot that use a sealed optical lens ( Iardino , Retra ) • the light beam is not adjustable

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FABIO IARDINO SNOOT ( FIBER OPTIC + SEALED LENS ) This is the snoot I use now regularly during my dive .

This is made by a combination of fiber optical cable that take the light from strobe lamp and strobe focus light ( very important because you can see really very well where the snoot is pointed out ! ) and Optical sealed lens that create a real narrrow beam with sharp edge .

Of course it is possible to adjust the width of the light beam trough some inserts with decreasing holes .

I like Iardino snoot because it is possible to create a real strong and narrow beam to isolate to subject or part of it . Perfect even in super macro and for backlight small critters .

To take the most advantage from this snoot I usually prefer to put it on a slave triggered strobe and give them in the hand of a reliable dive master that can exactly put the light where is needed to create the picture.

Pros : • great amount of light in a compact size • strobe focus light is very visible ( also if not centered as INON Z240 - Z330 ) so precise position of the light is always possible even in daylight • adjustable beam • sharp edge of the beam is possible ( if you need for your style of photograph )

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Cons : • it cost more than the other solutions • not possible to go real parallel to seabed for small subject ( ... maybe Fabio Iardino will work for a new bendable version )

GO BEYOND ..... ..... and why not use use snoot for both strobe and continous light and add also a little bit of accelerate panning with low shutter speed ?

In one next article we can have a look of this idea as well if you like .

䌀䄀刀䈀伀一䄀刀䴀 匀䤀䰀嘀䔀刀 嘀䔀刀匀䤀伀一 䌀愀爀戀漀渀 昀椀戀攀爀 猀椀氀瘀攀爀 瘀攀爀猀椀漀渀Ⰰ 愀爀洀 挀漀洀瀀氀攀琀攀 眀椀琀栀 ㈀ 琀攀爀洀椀渀愀氀 戀愀氀氀猀 椀渀 愀渀琀椀挀漀爀漀搀愀氀 愀氀甀洀椀渀甀洀 愀渀漀搀椀稀攀搀 㐀 洀椀挀爀漀渀猀 琀漀 攀渀猀甀爀攀 琀栀攀 洀愀砀椀洀甀洀 搀甀爀愀戀椀氀椀琀礀 愀渀搀 攀砀挀攀氀氀攀渀琀 爀攀猀椀猀琀愀渀挀攀 琀漀 眀攀愀爀 愀渀搀 琀漀 猀攀愀 猀愀氀琀⸀

Portfolio

Sean Chinn

“Always New Learnings” Website: www.greatwhitesean.com

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F

I have had no particular background in photography apart from the usual point and shoot in Auto while documenting my travels.

I decided in 2013 after a trip to Indonesia and particularly after some eventful scuba diving that it was time to develop my photography to really capture the beauty of our planet and share with the world.

or years while growing up my travel consisted of your usual European holidays popular with British holidaymakers.

Don’t get me wrong they hold great memories for me but I felt something was missing.

It wasn’t until a trip to Cancun, Mexico in 2008 at the age of 22 that I realised what a big world it was and it needed exploring.

My main interest in photography is nature and wildlife but I will always try and expand my travel photography to show all aspects of the world.

Since then I have been fortunate enough to travel to many countries and experience the adventures these countries offer.

Being a keen scuba diver, underwater photography has become my forte in the years since 2013. It is what most my travelling has been about and my underwater photos and experiences are what I am most proud of.

Some adventures have been holidays ranging from 1 to 3 weeks, while I have also had the opportunity on 2 separate occasions to spend 3 months travelling between a number of truly amazing countries.

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At first for me it was all about the big stuff and wide angle photography.

nised in international competitions winning awards or being highly commended in prestigious events throughout the underwater photography world.

I love sharks and have been fortunate enough to share the water with around 20 different species of shark. I love photographing them and other big predators.

I have recently started to work with scubaverse.com as a contributor and regularly have articles in Scubaverse’ Dive Travel Adventures magazine.

Wide angle is what I consider myself to be better at when it comes to underwater photography.

If you’re interested to see more of my work check out the following:

Although I have fell in love with Macro photography and finding all the weird and wonderful little critters in the ocean.

Website: www.greatwhitesean.com

I don’t do many designated macro trips but have certainly found a massive improvement in my macro work since I started in 2015.

As my photography has developed over the years I have been lucky enough to be recog-

Instagram: @greatwhitesean Facebook: sean

www.facebook.com/greatwhite-

Twitter: @greatwhitesean

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Share your passion for diving wishlist exploring the magical underwater world of Puerto Galera.

This fabulous destination offers the perfect mix of diving and culture, hiding surprises for even the most expert of divers in its unique biodiversity and colourful marine creatures.

An ideal destination for macro photographers.

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WORLD SHOO吀OU吀 䤀talian Best Photographer of the Year

congratulations to

PAOLO BAUSA一䤀 the Winner of the Contest!

WORLD SHOO吀OU吀 䤀talian Best Photographer of the Year

congratulations to

CLAUD䤀O C䔀R䔀S䤀 The Winner of the Online Vote!

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DAN Europe

Overcoming

Challenges

Website: www.daneurope.org

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ell, I nearly lost my life twice.

One was a near drowning experience when three friends and I went diving in rough seas at Dwejra in Gozo, and the other was during a night-dive in the Galapagos.

About 10 minutes later we managed to make it through the tunnel and into the blue and, when we got there, we realised what a terrible idea it all was.

Both were due to me being silly or not taking the necessary precautions.

“The more you know before your dive, the easier it is to factor in the possibility of what could go wrong.”

Back then I was certainly younger and more naive — you always think it won’t happen to you or if it does, that you can get away with it. Luckily, I didn’t pay the ultimate price.

HYPERVENTILATING WATER: DROWNING IN ROUGH SEAS

I was leading the other two guys and we immediately decided we needed to head back.

I stopped to wait for them so we would surface together but unlucky for me, a wave broke, literally, all over me, yanking me into the other side of the inland sea, ripping off my mask and regulator.

ALMOST

Two of my friends and I decided to go for a dive at the inland sea in Dwejra, Gozo.

My tank was wedged into a crack and I was hyperventilating water.

Thankfully I didn’t hit my head, but I saw my whole childhood flash before me and it was then I realised: “I’m drowning, I’m dying”

It was the craziest thing we could do: the waves were breaking through that narrow passage, hitting the ceiling, but we had dived there the week before and we thought we’ll be fine.

When we eventually came to the rocks it was already way beyond what we imaged.

Instinctively, I reached for my regulator which was dangling at the side of my suit and started trying to breathe again.

I then managed to get out from where I got stuck and started to surface.

I then made it to hospital where I was treated. Looking back I was really lucky I had the necessary experience and reacted the way I did.

The water was coming into the narrow passage through which we had to pass and then coming out at such an intense speed, it was basically sucking us in.

It all happened very fast.

It’s easier to know what one can expect when diving in familiar territory. If I’m diving in a completely new environment, then I will take

I remember I couldn’t see beyond my hand.

I was being pushed from one side to the other.

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other precautions, even asking basic questions to ensure I’m completely aware of sea and weather conditions.

3. Know your territory.

Take all the necessary p recautions and never, ever think you are about to ask a stupid question.

ADVICE TO DIVERS The more you know before your dive, the easier it is to factor in the possibility of what could go wrong.

My advice to divers is: 1. Know yourself.

2. Know your equipment.

When in doubt, speak. It’s better to go in for a dive feeling assured than feeling helpless in a crisis situation.

Don’t take anything for granted.

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Review

Review

Nauticam

NA-RX100VI Housing

Website: www.nauticam.com

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ith the sixth iteration of the RX100 series, Sony has continued to add features to this workhorse compact camera and Nauticam is also adapting with the new NA-RX100VI housing.

The NA-RX100VI housing provides the ergonomics, build quality, and innovative feature set our customers demand in a tiny, travel friendly package with the addition of an interchangeable port system to accommodate the longer zoom lens of the Mark VI.

Nauticam designs are always improving, and new features integrated into each new release.

The ergonomic experience has been tailored for a photographer’s right hand on the side of the housing, placing key controls literally at the users finger tips.

THE SONY DSC RX100 VI CAMERA The core RX100 DNA that has made this series so exceptionally popular is unchanged.

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These features include a large backside illuminated sensor in a compact body that can easily fit into a shirt pocket.

The largest change to the Mark VI is the move to a longer focal length 24-200mm equivalent from the previous 24-70mm.

The DSC-RX100 VI maintains the 315 point phase detect autofocus sensor array that covers 65% of the frame.

Phase detect focus systems can acquire focus more quickly than the contrast detect enabled competition. Hunting for focus is virtually eliminated, and the continuous and tracking focus modes are much better at tracking fast action.

The 24 fps Continuous Hi shooting mode (complete with autofocus, auto exposure,

and raw capture capability) provides a completely new way of shooting behavior. Still photo strobes can’t keep up with this frame rate, but with ambient light or LED video lights this high speed burst mode. Even the Continuous Mid mode is on par with the continuous shooting speeds possible with pro body DSLR cameras!

Sony Cyber-shot RX-100 VI Key Specifications:

• 20.1 MP 1” CMOS Sensor

• F2.8-4.5, 24-200mm equiv. zoom lens

• 5-axis image stabilization

• Retractable 2.36M-dot EVF with 0.59x equiv. magnification

• 24 fps burst shooting (with continuous autofocus)

• 4K (UHD) 30fps video recording

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with full sensor readout at 100 Mbps THE NAUTICAM NA-RX100VI UNDERWATER HOUSING The NA-RX100VI sets a new standard for compact camera housing design. It is the ultimate refinement of the models that came before it, and proven in the field.

Nauticam designs are always improving, and new features integrated into each new release. The ergonomic experience has been tailored for a photographer’s right hand on the side of the housing, placing key controls literally at the users finger tips. Some users, especially those wearing cold water gloves, prefer shooting from handles such as the Nauticam Flexitray. To better support this style of shooting, a set of stainless steel han-

dle brackets and a mechanical shutter release trigger extension is included with every housing.

The RX100VI housings moves to an interchangeable N50 port system, meaning in addition to attaching a number of different wet mount lenses a variety of dedicated ports are also available. A compact camera underwater is only as good as the optics in front of it, and the growing Nauticam accessory lens lineup sets new performance standards with every release.

All Nauticam accessory lenses are engineered specifically for underwater imaging, not waterproof adaptations of lenses designed for use in air, resulting in superior image quality. The Nauticam macro accessories provide visibly

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sharper images than competing macro lenses, especially in the corders, with noticeably less purple fringing. The lens design is also designed with autofocus systems in mind, easing the learning curve associated with high magnification imaging.

PORT OPTIONS The NA-RX100VI features an interchangeable port system not found on previous iterations. This new port system allows for several different configurations to meet every shooting situation from super wide angle to super macro!

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

• NA-RX100VI housing

• Set of handle brackets with shutter release extension

• Spare silicone rubber O-ring for housing

• O-ring remover

• CR2032 battery • Lubricant

• Set of Allen keys

• Instruction manual

INTEGRATED VACUUM CHECK AND LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM The Nauticam vacuum check and leak detection system is shipped with NA-RX100VI as standard equipment. Combined with an accessory vacuum valve (PN 25624), this monitoring system provides constant updates on the water tight and safe-to-dive status of the housing. A simple color coded LED lighting system lets the user know that the vacuum is solid, or that the housing is losing vacuum.

Leak detection is built into the same circuit, so if there is water intrusion, an audible and visual indication will occur.

The Nauticam system is temperature compensated, eliminating false alarms caused by a change in outside temperature, or from a camera heating up on an action packed dive.

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From 1992 Diving & S.P.A

Nature

&

Archeology.

The magic of

’

men s art and

’

nature s art

in a wonderful place to be discovered

Via Miliscola, 163 80078 Pozzuoli (NA) - Italia Cell.: +39 3292155239 - tel./fax: +39 081 853 1563 from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 a.m to 8.00 p.m.- (monday we’re close) Email: info@centrosubcampiflegrei.it Web site: www.centrosubcampiflegrei.it

Biology

Biology

Snappers

The Black Spot Team by: Massimo Bicciato and Emilio Mancuso

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(Aprion virescens) reaches up to 100 meters, but apparently the record of distribution goes to the fusilier snapper (Japanese Snapper - Paracaesio cerulean), which reaches up to 200 meters of bottom, and which by its name reminds us how snappers and fusiliers are closely related families.

iological introduction

The Lutjanidae is a family of very recognizable and well represented fish, with about 100 species present throughout the world (many are deep, different inhabit estuaries and some are present even in fresh water).

This family is known to us, in “multilanguage” mode, as that of the Snappers. Because of their quite evident teeth they are often confused for unlikely “tropical dentex”, but for the rest they are quite recognizable for the tapered snout, the only dorsal fin and for the presence, in many species, of a black spot in the second half of their body that often has a livery characterized by longitudinal lines.

CURIOSITY Undoubtedly the main curiosity is linked to their common name: Snapper. From such a name you might expect aggressive behavior, while the vast majority of snappers we observe, typically those with the gregarious behavior, are gentle carnivorous that feed on crustaceans and small fish, both benthic and planktonic. Although very shy, solitary and difficult to approach, among all the snappers those with the most voracious behavior are the “jobfish” that often attract the divers’ attention for their sudden movements.

DEPTH Most snappers recognizable during our dives lives within the first 30-40 meters deep, with the juveniles inhabiting the most superficial waters, while adults tend to occupy more the reef slopes. Among those known to divers are the bluestripe snapper and the mangroves snapper that, as per the literature, are distributed up to about 130 meters deep. The most recognizable “Big Jobfish”

APPROACH AND OBSERVATION Typically, snappers that attract our attention are the gregarious ones that are moving in schools inside lagoon areas or along the reef’s slopes. For a pleasant and proper

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observation of these individuals we have to concentrate on the school and not on the individual, or rather consider the school as it were a single moving fish. Keeping the right distance, considered by the school as that of security, we will be able to observe them in their moving, noting how often other fish, belonging to completely different families, enter and mix with the school. On the other hand, if the desire to get closer to the individual will lead us to being too impetuous, the school will respond by dispersing and moving away, resulting in seeing only fish tails that quickly will leave us “alone on the reef�.

Sweetlips Biology Undoubtedly the feature that makes them more recognizable, hence their common name, is the fleshiness of their lips. For the rest, the Sweetlips, also known as grunts, belong to the Haemulidae family, expressed by nearly 130 species in the Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea and Indo-Pacific. The body is more massive than the snappers, with a high profile

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perspective, on the other hand, is rather curious that their taxonomic classification has been widely revised, even recently, mostly because of the great diversity of shapes and colors that the species exhibit between the juvenile and adult states, which has very often confused their recognition.

at the end of the head and liveries that tend to play on whites, yellows and blacks. The elegance of the movements and the daytime behavior, typically resting in the shade of acroporas, in caves or wrecks, made the sweetlips associate their decidedly fanciful Italian common name of “ombrine tropicali” (that is “tropical croaker”, but “ombrine” in Italian means literally “little shadows”).

APPROACH AND OBSERVATION Being nocturnal predators, they move very little during the day and are easily identifiable in the shady areas of the reef: a very slow approach will allow us to observe the elegance of their liveries, and we will easily see their big lips being object of “orthodontic care” by some cleaner wrasse. Very often, watching a fish from the tail side may seem boring, but Sweetlips’ tails deserve an eye of attention, partly due to their very fascinating liveries (the most famous Sweetlips, the one with black spots “Plectorhinchus gaterinus” deserved beautiful “butt” pictures) partly because, especially when we observe the juvenile forms of Haemulidae, it is precisely the disproportionate movement of their caudal fins to give us the clue that we find ourselves in front of a member of this family.

DEPTH Whether they are solitary or gregarious, the Sweetlips don’t like big depths too much: they normally live on the reef within the first 30 to 40 meters, moving more actively at night, when they scour sandy or detrital seabeds in search of the benthic invertebrates they feed on.

CURIOSITY Among the curiosities, above all the one linked to the name of Grunts: in fact, as well as sweetlips, in English they are also called “grunt fish”. You will never hear these fish grunting in the Red Sea: in fact, this name derives from some Caribbean species capable of producing a sort of grunt by rubbing the pharyngeal teeth. From a more scientific

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We are located exactly 74 km far from Trieste, near the small town of Kantrida, which is about 5 to 6 km before downtown Rijeka.

Our Diving Centre is right under the swimming pools area, directly in front of the open beach. On one side, we are overlooked by Mount Major (Ucka) and on the other, we face the beautiful islands of Krk and Cherso: in brief, we are right inside the Kvarnaro Gulf.

Our flagship is wreck diving by boat: three wrecks situated at different depths, each one no farther than maximum 20 minutes boat ride. And there’s more! Our shore dives directly from our Center’s beach offer an easy and colorful training ground for any kind of diving courses. Finally yet importantly, our diamond tip dedicated to macro photography lovers: a wide variety of critters to increase the pleasure of diving.

From our beach, with our boat... ...come with us and enjoy your dive!

www.diving-marcopolo.com

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Books

Nudibranch Book

Interview With Andrey Ryanskiy

by: Andrey Rianskiy and Yury Ivanov

N

udibranch book - how it goes?

Not bad at all. In 9 months it was published in English, German, Italian, Spanish. Coming soon in French and Chinese.

Sounds good. But we had nudibranchs books before. Why another one?

It is not another one. It is the first one dedicated to nudibranchs of the coral triangle. A region, where most of the underwater photographers are diving.

But I have “Nudibranchs of the World” book. It sounds great!

And it weights great too. With roughly the same number of species as in our book. I do not criticize other books. I have them all on my bookshelf, they are my friends.

So who needs your book?

If you are a diver, and even more so an underwater photographer who dives in Indonesia and the Philippines, then this is a must for you.

You mean your book is better than others?

I mean what I said. If you dive in Hawaii, Japan, New Caledonia, South Africa or Australia, you will find many endemic nudibranchs that are not in our book. The future is with

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local guides, I think. Moreover. The quality of the photographs - you’ve probably already noticed that. The latest taxonomy. All photos are taken in a natural environment. Ease of use for beginners.

Do you mean that you have published a beautiful book for beginners?

Sounds good for me. By beginners, I mean underwater photographers and those lovers of nudibranchs who have less than 500-600 species in their personal collection.

And experts - do they have other books?

They have other books as well. Our book is not only about beautiful pictures, but also many dozens of species that can be seen only here.

You’ve convinced me. But nobody needs a book about nudibranchs. There is an AI device on the FB called Ron. Wherever you post a nudibranch photo - in five minutes there will be a comment from Ron Silver with a Latin name. Even when you didn’t ask. And even when you don’t want it.

Ha ha! I think Ron will be pleased with the high appreciation of his selfless work and insistence.

Latin name is important, no doubt. But the book also gives you knowledge of how nudibranch should look, what features a photographer can emphasize, and which angle to choose. And you will be surprised, but most people prefer to start by searching the book without assistance, and then ask for help in identification. It gives you knowledge and understanding of the underwater world, makes your diving truly conscientious in the future.

How much do you dive?

Usually I have two two-month trips a year. Favorite destinations are Indonesia and the Philippines.

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But it costs a ton of dollars!

Not at all. I sometimes dive with very good guides and live in hotels. But most of the time I rent a car, rent apartments and dive on my own or with my wife.

But it’s scary to dive alone - especially at night!

It’s great to dive alone - especially at night! It feels like you’re part of the ocean.

Your co-author - Yuri Ivanov - does he also dive a lot?

He dives even more. We are not holiday divers - we are professionals.

What is your diving certification?

In one word - without limits. DM + Adv Trx + Full Cave.

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Too much for nudibranch shooter! And finally - the most memorable nudibranch dive.

Hard to choose. But... It was not a nudibranch dive. On the contrary - a dive in the channel, Maldives. I was looking for one deep-water basslet, successfully. When I was ascending, I made a 1st safety stop at a depth of 45 meters, near the wall. And I saw a nudibranch right in front of me - an unfamiliar Halgerda. Then it turned out that I made the first photograph of Halgerd iota in the natural environment.

Is it now in your book?

No, this is endemic to the Maldives. It will be in the next edition of NSSI, I already sent the photo to one of the authors.

Thank you and good luck to you! But you are crazy! www.amazon.com/Nudibranchs-Coral-Triangle-Reef-Books-ebook/dp/B07QM51MZC

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Indonesia MOYO ISLAND

See it, Dive it, Love it A top natural wonderland A place where the beauty of nature exceeds expectation.

An exotic and luxuriant island paradise.

An extremely peaceful place where you can relax in tranquility.

A world-class diving destination.

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