MOLOKINI MOMENT
Text and Photograph by David Fleetham
Slate pencil sea urchins can be found around the world, but nowhere are they more prolific than in my own backyard of Hawaii. On most reefs they can be found in shallow waters close to the surge zone, where they seek the protection of crevices in the coral and utilize their substantial spines to lock themselves in. On this particular day I was diving at Molokini Marine Preserve off Maui, Hawaii. Due to the depth and time spent at the beginning of my dive I found myself in the shallows watching my computer; of particular interest were the small red squares and the flashing 10 ft indicator. I had an adequate quantity of air and determined this was an ideal time to explore the upper depths of Molokini. I encountered this individual crossing over a dense region of cauliflower coral with no significant crevice in site. During the night, slate pencil sea urchins emerge from of their concealed positions and perch themselves on the top of the reef, but this is an unusual location to find one during day light hours. I captured several shots of the entire animal before I attempted a lower camera angle that allowed me to have the dappled light of the sun coming through the surface directly behind my subject. Back in the film days, bracketing meant adjusting your exposure to ensure you acquired a suitable transparency on Kodachrome. Now, in the digital age of unlimited frames, I use bracketing in terms of composition and endeavor to capture as many different angles as I can of a particular subject. I encourage you to do the same.
www.divermag.com 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68