Next week I’m heading to Cozumel for a few days. The first of four progressively long, and intense, dive trips planned for the year. Over the winter I upgraded several pieces of equipment that require a little familiarization, so I’m not taking any camera gear on the trip. A few years ago, I unintentionally embarked upon a similar vacation. I arrived in Cozumel with my housings, strobe arms, batteries, etc, but not the actually cameras. After the initial frustration subsided I found myself really enjoying the dives and surface intervals with my friends. I skimmed the reefs for a whole week without searching for subjects, greasing o-rings or worrying about a wonky strobe arm. The only minor disappointment, as expected, was when I came face-to-face with an eagle ray off Punta Sur. As a result, I recommend forcing yourself back to your personal diving roots on occasion.
I’ll be spending time next week with the person who taught me to dive and introduced me to underwater photography. I still have my Sea & Sea MX-10 on a shelf in its indestructible pelican case. The camera “system” had no focus and only a small switch to adjust the aperture. Snapping pictures was quick affair with only twenty-four exposures and no underwater review mode. I can vividly remember changing film on a heaving 6-pack under a towel and watching a drop of water from my hair plunk inside the camera. Another time I almost lost a wonderful eagle ray image by opening the housing without rewinding the film. The rugged, featureless camera did take some decent pictures, though, that still hang on my wall. Interestingly, I’ve never been able to duplicate the juvenile spotted drum picture with all the new technology. So remember, luck plays a huge role in underwater photography.
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