These are underwater photos taken in the Cayman Islands on September 1998. All photos were taken with an ikelite Aquashot 3e camera using the external Substrobe, water correcting lens, and flash deflector. |
This photo was taken during the last dive of the trip. The dive site was called Stingray Sandbar. The site is located within a stones throw of the famous Stingray City. The maximum depth of the dive was around 15 feet. The dive boat crew supplied plastic containers full of squid that the stingrays just love. You let them get a smell of squid and they will follow you anywhere. |
The stingray doesn't have teeth but instead have two grinding plates. Yes I did get my fingers pinched! It turns out that the stingrays are the least of your worries compared to the yellowtail snappers who do have teeth and if you don't keep the squid firmly in your hand they will attack any squid that hangs out. This startles the diver who opens his hand and his fingers now look like the squid bait - Ouch!--- Hold onto that bait! |
This ray was black with blue eyes and was named "Darth Vader" by the locals. He was the only one of his species we saw on the dive. The stingrays you feed are the females. The males are smaller and don't seem to quite figure out what is going on. They just seem to bump into the divers and keep going. |
This is my postcard picture of a Graysby and some coral. It was taken in approximately 10 feet of water at the Stingray Sandbar dive site. |
This photo was taken during one of the best night dives I have ever been on. The dive site was called the Wreck of the Balboa. This Redfin Parrotfish was just sleeping on the top of the wreck. |
At the top of this shot is a Spotfin Butterfly and just below are some Blue Chromis. |
The Cayman Islands have lots of turtles. The island has a turtle farm where they raise and study turtles. I was able to take photos of this Hawkbill in about 40 feet of water. |
The turtle had a white mark on his back showing he was once captured and tagged and is now being tracked. |
While in the Cayman Islands I got to ride in the 2-passenger Atlantis Research Submersible down to 800 feet. It was definitely a once in the lifetime opportunity. |
This picture shows the Atlantis Research Submersible in its dock at the end of the day. |