underwater survey of coral reefs- advise needed

Hello,

I am a marine biology student seeking for advise. I would like to conduct an benthic survey on coral reefs, using photographic images.

I would like to know if there is anyone is out there who could give me some advise on

-what camera to use (minimum requirements that the camera need to have, advise on brand,.... )

-what kind of flash to use, how far i will be able to see with that in claer water

-and how much I would have to spend on a camera that is taking pictures that I can use for assessment...

From which distance to the benthos it would be the best to take the pictures to recognise substrate and algae/coral cover? I would like to have the largest possible area covered on the pictures.

Is there a way of taking these pictures from the boat, e.g. let the camera down with some kind of string?

There's a lot of information already out on the web concerning photo surveys and you'll find good basic advise by doing a web search. For specific coral related information join CORAL-L, a board maintained by NOAA for communication between coral reef scientists. Good luck with your project.