Scuba Diving – September 2019

/ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 / 69

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MARTIN STRMISKA

PREŠOV, SLOVAKIA

BEHIND THE SHOT: When this now-

flooded mine was active, the most

abundant deposits of opal were found

in the lowest level. Excavated ore was

transported using a small system of rail-

ways to Fedö, a vertical shaft connecting

several horizontal tunnels. I wanted

to capture a perfect reflection of

the railway, so using a closed-circuit

rebreather was critical to achieve a

calm surface on the air pocket trapped

under the ceiling. My dive buddies swam

around the area to leave the space

free of any sediment. Using off-board

strobes helped me create several layers

in the image and manifest the structured

space.

CAMERA GEAR: Nikon D850 in a Subal

housing; two Subtronic Pro 160 strobes;

two Subtronic Mega off-board strobes;

Sigma 15mm lens

SETTINGS: f/8, 1/40, ISO 800

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MARTIN STRMISKA

ISLA MUJERES, MEXICO

BEHIND THE SHOT: It takes lots of exer-

cise to stabilize a baitball of sardines.

The bigger the baitball, the faster it

moves in order to escape hunting

sailfish. On this day, I was the only one

who could keep up with the sardines.

When the sailfish realized that I was not

a potential threat , they surrounded the

baitball from the other side, forcing

the fish to stop. This perfect scene

only lasted for a few moments before

other snorkelers got in the water, but

it ranks among my most memorable

underwater experiences. There was so

much going on that I was shooting from

the hip. There was no opportunity to

compose or correct any shots—just hope

that some of them would capture this

phenomenal moment.

CAMERA GEAR: Nikon D800; two

Subtronic Pro 160 strobes; Sigma

15mm lens

SETTINGS: f/9, 1/200, ISO 800

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GALICE HOARAU

BEITSTADFJORDEN, NORWAY

BEHIND THE SHOT: I took this photo of

a ghost shark (Chimaera monstrosa)

during a night dive at around 70 feet in

Beitstadfjorden, Norway. In some

of Norway's fjords, especially in the win-

ter, ghost sharks come up to relatively

shallow waters at night. This individual

came to check out my lights after I shot

a few portraits; I took this photo as it

was returning to the deep.

CAMERA GEAR: Olympus OM-D E-M1 II;

Olympus 8mm fisheye lens; Nauticam

housing; two Inon Z-330 strobes;

and two Sola lights

SETTINGS: f/13, 1/200, ISO 400

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/ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019/ 69