2 minute read
Eerily Beautiful, V
Wolves of Sluggett
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We know the visibility in the inlet hasn’t been great recently, but I will take my chances with the suspended particles and swap my macro lens for a wide angle dome. I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to take a shot of what would be my first Wolf eel. Larry found their den the other day and is confident he can find them again. I have seen his navigation skills underwater, many times in featureless, dim and murky circumstances and don’t doubt him for a second.
We park, prep, jump (ok, … walk) into the water. The entry is shallow for quite some distance and we navigate for a few minutes only 10 feet below the surface. Then we reach a rocky point and plunge into the shadows. I notice there is a lot of silt covering the bottom and I do my best not to stir it up. No need to make the shooting conditions even more challenging. The visibility improves slightly as we go deeper, but is still quite poor. I will have to be very careful with my strobes. If I direct their beam to hit only what I need to illuminate I could keep backscatter at some manageable level. I adjust the strobe position. I feel ready.
Wolf eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus)
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A few moments later Larry signals to me. He usually does that by bobbing his flashlight to draw my attention and then pointing to whatever he is trying to show me. I look at the rock pile he is shining on, but cannot see a thing. I start circling around, but Larry stops me with a hand signal and urges me to come around the other way.
As I come around his back and finally see what he is shining on I experience a brief “Oh boy” moment. There he is - my first Wolf eel. How exciting! Yet, I know right away that a decent shot will be hard to pull off. The “wolf ”, well aware, is watching us from a den opening lined with boulders of all shapes and sizes. It will be nearly impossible to get my dome close enough and still have space to get my strobe in the correct position.
But I am not here to complain about the perfect world or its lack thereof. I approach and stick my camera forward as close as the boulders allow me. I take a shot. The eel loyal to its curious nature sticks his head out a bit to check us out and … Surprise! There is a lady eel behind him! I aim again trying to get them both in and take another shot. I will certainly not forget my first Wolf eel encounter. I have one photo to show for it. I will call it Mr & Mrs. Wolf.
I will keep on looking for another photo opportunity. The Wolf eels are impressive animals worthy of an impressive photo. I owe you one.
Red sea cucumber (Cucumaria miniata)
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