Less than one percent of the world’s population holds a diver’s certification card or “c” card.  That “c” card potentially unlocks the possibility of seeing and photography wild life on the seventy percent of the planet that is covered in water.  With the great possibilities that a “c” card provides comes great responsibilities, particularly for underwater photographers.  

Our collegues who make images of wildlife on land for the most part can count the number of animals that they come across on any given day without much difficulty, unless perhaps they are creating images of a great migration such as you might find in parts of Africa.  In contrast, when we venture into the ocean, underwater photographers will quickly lose count of the animals that they will see.  Corals are animals.  Sponges are animals.   Tunicates are animals.  And, that does not even include the fish, mollusks and cephalopods to name but a few of what most people would consider as the animals that live in our oceans.   So are there rules that underwater photographers should follow to avoid over-stressing the animals that live under water?  I think so. 

Rule number 1:  Try not to touch anything but water.

Some of the creatures that live in the ocean are really small.  It would be very easy to put a fin down on a creature without even seeing them.  Consider the plight of many nudibranchs  (a mollusck without a shell or sea slug). One that comes to mind in particular is commonly referred to as Picachu.  It is not uncommon for a Picachu to live on the sand and his coloring is designed to make it hard to see him crawling along in the sand.  So if you lay down on the sand to take a picture of some other creature, and you fail to see a Picachu, squish and no more Picachu. 

On the other hand, the rational for this rule is also grounded in the safety of the underwater photographer.  Consider this: a blue ringed octopus may be less than 20 centimeters in length, but has some of the most powerful neurotoxin — tetrodotoxin in the world.  The average life expectancy after a bite by a blue ringed octopus is about 8 minutes, and if you survive to reach the surface and are transported to a hospital, you may spend about two weeks on a respirator, assuming you survive.  Even the skin of the blue ringed octopus has tetrodotoxin, which if you touch it might not kill you, but could make you very sick.

    Rule number 2: Try not to overstress animals with too many flash shots

Some animals are relatively tolerant of strobes firing near them.  Some are not.  Nevertheless, watch for any signs of distress in the animal and stop shooting if the animal is adversely reacting.   If the animal starts to move away from you, let it go.  Don’t chase after it.  You might get a very bad surprise.   Many animals underwater have stings and bites that can harm the photographer.  If they start to move away let them go.  For example I got two shots of a scorpion fish before he moved.  Scorpion fish also carry a risk of venom in their dorsal fins, so again – don’t touch them.

Rule number 3: Mind your gear

Many animals that live underwater grow extremely slowly.  A single misplaced fin kick may kill or severely harm some creatures that live underwater. Take for instance, a vase sponge.  Vase sponges  can be incredibly beautiful, yet if a diver or underwater photographer is not paying attention and either mis-kicks or drags   a camera across the sponge it can be killed or severely harmed. 

Hopefully by following these rules, underwater photographers can avoid injuring the creatures of the sea and themselves. 

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