Creatures

But especially these tiny creatures are so beautiful it is worth searching for them. And that is where the camera comes in handy. By using an extension tube between the camera body and the lens, you are able to enlarge these tiny creatures. At home, after developing and printing the pictures, you can re-enjoy your dive. The problem is that you have to choose beforehand what to do. And most of the time, if you have chosen to go for macro pictures, the perfect occasion is there to take a shot of a big manta or a turtle. Luckely this has changed with my new camera, the Sealife DC500. With this camera I am able to do both wide angle shots and macro shots during the same dive. Not as extreme macro as I was used to with my Nikonos with extension rings, but acceptable.But this article is about macro. With macro you go for the detail. So let's look at the details.

In all my dives only recently I was able to photograph this beautiful snail. The flamingo tongue as it is called seems to be common in our area, but I seemed not to be able to find these. They live on gorgonians of all types, so that is where I look. Now that I know where to look I see these snails almost every dive during a certain time of the year.

This picture is taken in September 1997 in front of the large beach of San Juan. I used a 1:3 extension tube and a 35 mm lens. The film is Kodak Gold 200 ASA. The size of the snails is about 1 inch. The coloured spots are part of its mantle that is partly extended over the white shell.

Another snail, now one without a shell is this one, seen during the same dive at San Juan. It is the Lettuce Sea Slug. Why it got this name is obvious. Also these snail are abundant during part of the year.

Another small creature, this Spotted Cleaner Shrimp. If you know where to look, you can see these during every dive. They live in between the tentacles of anemones. But because of this location and their size, you can't see much of the nice colors and fine details with the naked eye. This one is the largest I've ever seen, about 1 1/2 inch.

This picture is taken in May 1997 near the East point of Little Curaçao. I used a 1:2 extension tube and a 35 mm lens. The film is Kodak Gold 200 ASA.