learnedtobendonlyslightlywhenlookingatspeci-
mens;otherwise,herhelmetwouldfalloff.
Thef loatingairhoseallowedElsetomove
aroundfreely,althoughshefeltlikeshewas
walkingina slow-motionmovie.Sunbeamsglim-
meredthroughthewater,and“asif a magician
hadgivena signal,thegreatperformancebegan.”
Brilliantblueangelf ishswamthroughbridgesof
coral.Seadragonsplayedhide-and-seek.ToElse,
theseahorse-likecreaturesseemedleftoverfrom
medievaltimes,withtheirbrightredarmorand
soft,f lowingtassels.Red,f lowerlikeanemones
seemedlikea “walkinggarden”astheymoved
acrossthesand,attachedtotheshellsofhermit
crabs.Wavingtheirtentacles,theanemonesfedon
thecrab’sleftovers.“Everywheretherewasabso-
lutestillness—yetceaselessactivity,”Elsesaid.
Elsewasevenabletopaintwhilesubmerged.
Tocreateherunderseaartstudio,anironmusic
standholdinga framedcanvasanda weighted
palettewerelowereddownbyrope.Elseplaced
globsofoilpaintonthepalette.Unbelievably,the
oilpaintnevermixedwith
thesaltwaterorlostitsbril-
liance.Brushesandpalette
knivesweretiedwithstrings
sotheywouldn’tf loataway.
Elsesimplypulledthemdown
whenneeded.Asshepainted
corals,seaslugs,andbrightly
coloredf ish,tinywhitecrabs
scrambledoverherfeet.
Else would only paint at
depths down to twenty-f ive
feet. Light rays are absorbed
as they pass through the
water, and many colors faded or were lost com-
pletely as she went deeper. By thirty-f ive feet, no
red or orange colors were visible, only dull green and
mustard.EvenElse’sredbathingsuitappearedgray.
A tug on her air hose always reminded Else
she needed to return to the surface. She attached
her easel, palette, and canvas to the rope to be
raised. Then she’d climb up the ladder to the boat.
Returning to her studio, Else added further details
to her paintings as she recorded the “unbelievable
charm of some of Nature’s grandest scenes.”GRRR! MY
PAINTING KEEPS
FLOATING AWAY.USING
WATERCOLORS
UNDERWATER
MIGHT NOT BE
THE BEST PLAN.Above is a draw-
ing Else made of
how she painted
underwater. To
the left is one of
her underwater
paintings. It shows
how colors are
less vivid—more
yellowish and dull
green than red—
beneath the sea.