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Marine Life & Conservation

Photographing Responsibly: A Beginner’s Guide

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Next time you’re diving with an experienced underwater photographer, take a moment to really look at how they conduct themselves and their placement in the water. Notice anything in particular? You might notice how they hover over the reef, sand or muck without disturbing a single grain, rock or soul. You might also notice how effortlessly they glide through the water and how still they perch when stalking their subject. To many new photographers, this might seem totally impossible but all it takes is a few simple tricks and some practice.

If you’re in the water and photographing the coral scapes or wildlife, chances are it’s because you find the behaviours intriguing or see a beauty in the environment that you want to capture and share. If you’re a new or less experienced photographer, you may also be experiencing some of the challenges around maintaining buoyancy and managing your equipment, all while trying to approach and photograph a subject.

It’s imperative as divers that we protect and maintain these marine environments, leaving them as if we were never there. The ocean is the largest ecosystem and supports the largest volume and variety of life on earth. Not to mention that oceans contribute a large volume of the air we breathe, the food we eat and reduce the impact of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Pretty impressive, right?

In this blog I want to share with you four key lessons I have learnt that have improved the way I dive, the quality of the photographs I produce, and the way I’ve learnt to minimise my impact on the dive sites I visit.

1: Be selective with your gear

Every photographer suffers from the fear of missing out. It’s always the way, you set up your macro lens and see a great wide angle scene. You set up for wide angle and find a rare and beautiful nudibranch. It can be tempting to take down every diopter you own, your snoot, a mirror… the works.

In reality, this can be really distracting and ultimately get in your way. If you’re fussing with gear constantly, you will find it harder to get into a rhythm with your shots and also run the risk of losing pieces of expensive equipment if you’re constantly screwing, unscrewing, clipping and unclipping. Less is definitely more!

I was shooting cryptic teardrop crabs with my fluorescent kit last year. My strobes, focus light, mask and lens all had special filters to capture the beautiful phenomenon. While shooting the crabs, I found a clown crab. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to capture him using the fluoro gear. By the time I removed the filters and fussed with my mask, he was long gone. Not to mention, I had four pieces of expensive equipment sitting on the sand next to me, in the dark, that I had to reassemble onto my camera. You can easily see how this could have ended badly.

It’s much easier, especially when you’re newer to underwater photography, to focus on one style of shot and stick with it. Make a plan using the technique you’d like to master and focus your energy on getting shots you’re really proud of. One great shot is always more satisfying than dozens of ‘I wish I’d done’ shots. Look at the masters, you’ll notice that they keep things simple and focus on one thing at a time. Coincidence? I think not!

Most importantly and to the spirit of this piece, if you’re constantly distracted with your gear, you may not be paying as much attention as you should to your buoyancy and placement in the water. Before you know it, you’ve got a fin or a hand somewhere it doesn’t belong. Constantly evaluating where your body is, in relation to the reef or muck, is critically important to protecting yourself from stings and bites as well as protecting the critters and corals around us.

Really, limiting yourself to a few essentials produces the best outcome for you as a photographer and allows you the mental space to become more aware of your surroundings.

2: Make sure you’ve got your buoyancy just right

When you buy your first underwater camera, it can be tempting to jump right in and get shooting. Unfortunately for the majority of us, mastering buoyancy can be a real challenge and doesn’t come right away.

To get the most out of your photography, having control of your breathing and limbs is essential to get the best shots. Correct buoyancy improves the way you approach a subject and reduces motion blur you introduce through the movement of your body from constant kicking and erratic breathing. Not to mention that if you can control your breath and body movements your air will last longer, allowing you more bottom time for shooting.

Mastering your buoyancy, most importantly, allows you to hover over the reef, sand or muck you are trying to photograph with minimal impact on the environment. Plus, you will be a better dive buddy (no one likes the person who kicks sand!).

My advice is to have your buoyancy mastered and under control before you consider getting in the water with a camera. Get the basics right before you try and add another level of complexity to your underwater experience.

While you’re mastering your buoyancy, use your time without distraction wisely. Observe specific behaviours you may find interesting to shoot in the future, try and understand the reef scape and the places your favourite critters love to hide out. After all, knowing where to look and recognising interesting behaviours can ultimately deliver some incredible shots.

3: Check and check again

When you’ve found a subject you want to photograph, stop and take a moment to evaluate where it is and what’s around it. It might be tempting to start shooting immediately, however taking an extra moment before you get stuck in will make a big difference to your comfort underwater and ensuring that you are leaving no sign of your presence behind.

Is your subject on the sand? It might be tempting to see a sandy bottom near a subject and assume you’ve got the all clear. Take a quick moment to think about what could be really well camouflaged or even buried in the sand. Depending on where you’re diving, eels, scorpion or stone fish could be lurking just below the surface. Do a visual inspection of the area, look for tell-tale holes and mounds of sand which could indicate the presence of a living soul. Avoid these areas to ensure you’re not disrupting any wildlife or running the risk of stings and injury to yourself. If you believe the area is clear, use a metal diving stick and gently run it over the sand as a final measure.

Is your subject on the reef? This could be a trickier environment to navigate. Chances are you’re surrounded by soft or hard corals with a diverse range of marine life around you. If your only option is to hover above the subject, relying entirely on your buoyancy, check around you for any current and nearby coral or rocky structures. You don’t want current pushing you into these while you’re trying to shoot. Look up consistently between shots and adjust your position in the water frequently to ensure that you’re maintaining a safe distance between yourself, your subject and the reef.

If you’re lucky and there is some sand or bare rock near you, you can take advantage of these to anchor yourself. Again, visually inspect the area. If it looks clear, you can take two fingers and gently place them on the rock or sand in order to stabilize yourself and get the shot. If you are relying on a rock, really take the time to make sure there are no little critters living in the cracks and crevices.

My final advice is to talk to your dive guide or shop about any nasties you need to keep an eye out for or any critters that may be buried and lurking underneath the sand. It’s important to really understand the wildlife you are diving with to avoid any negative encounters.

4: Evaluate the risk

Really think about where your subject is located and evaluate whether you can realistically take the photograph without causing damage. You know and understand your own skills and abilities better than anyone else so be honest with yourself.

If you find a really beautiful nudibranch that you know is quite common… but sticking up in the air, surrounded by a large patch of soft corals, under an outcrop with strong current, really think to yourself if the shot is worth it. It may be better to wait for a subject that’s nicely facing you, out in the open or in a less densely populated area. You’ll get a better shot and mother nature will thank you for your consideration. No matter how great a shot can be, remember, safety first.

I hope you’ve found these tips useful. These are all lessons I’ve learned myself as I’ve started my journey with underwater photography. It isn’t always easy to do the right thing but in the long-term it’s worth thinking about the impact we have, as divers and photographers, on the environment.

Check out more of Miranda-Clare’s photos on Instagram @divingphotos or visit her website www.mirandaclare.com.

Diving and underwater photography enthusiast Miranda-Clare first discovered her passion after moving to Grand Cayman in 2015. Since then, it has become her obsession to explore and capture the underwater world. Now based in South East Asia, she enjoys sharing her journey with other aspiring photographers. Find out more at www.mirandaclare.com.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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