A few days in Gran Canaria - May 2008

I have just got back from a very enjoyable few days in Gran Canaria in the East Atlantic. It is a dramatically beautiful location:

It was a great fun trip, diving with David Barrio (davichin) and his many underwater photography friends. As important as the diving were long lunches, plenty of banter (with much teasing of Canon shooters) and a few chilled beers. I was even able to persuade my girlfriend Eleonora to come along. A rare treat.

Luisa, David and Me. David and I were trying to dry our suits before the night dive - the water was 19ËšC.

I have some articles on the trip coming out soon - but I just love the way that underwater photography fits so well in their fantastic quality of life out there: "Seeing me tucking into a plate of papas arrugadas with particular gusto, one photographer questions whether I come here for the diving or the food. My mouth is too full to answer."

Here are some of the reprobates - underwater photographers all:

And David and I:

Alex

Hello Alex, you had a great time in las canarias !!

I love Gran Canaria. I lived there for 6 years in the early eighties just when the boom in Playa del Ingles was beginning. I remember diving in Puerto Mogan and Puerto Rico when they were still fishing villages.

Went back in 95 but it was never the same. Just too busy now.

We did stop eating and drinking long enough to get in the water. I was targetting angel sharks (recently added to the IUCN Red List), seahorses (the originally described species H. hippocampus) and cuttlefish as subjects. As a result of diving with such knowledgeable local photographers I spent dive after dive with these critters in front of the lens.

I wanted to shoot angel sharks both in the day - when they tend to be very inactive and also at night where they are more alive. I was very pleased with the blues I was able to get with the filters on the INONs. See the article in UWP 42 or see this thread.

The last shot shows Eleonora photographing one.

Cuttlefish are always cool subjects to spend time with, here is Eleonora snapping one:

And the seahorses were great. Not the most cooperative - but over the course of several dives patience was rewarded with decent poses.

The second one was shot with the new AFS 60mm macro - which really impressed me.

Here are a couple more with that lens:

Actually this guy was a bit big for a 60mm - and he's a bit squashed in the frame.

You can see the rest of the gallery here.

Alex

I loved Gran Canaria. I lived there for 6 years in the early eighties just when the boom in Playa del Ingles was beginning. I remember diving in Puerto Mogan and Puerto Rico when they were still fishing villages, well Puerto Mogan anyhow.

Went back in 95 but it was never the same. Just too busy now.

How the heck did I manage to quote myself??

Anyhow where were you based for your diving there Alex?

Looks like the southern coast?

excuse my Spanish but what is papas arrugadas?

excuse my Spanish but what is papas arrugadas?

Yea, that's a good ? Mike cause BabelFish (my Spanish is terrible) says it means

"wrinkled Popes"......... ???

Alex,

I love the photos! Looks like place I'd love to dive too.

Do you know the ID of the purple nudi? It sure looks a lot like our lovely Florida regal seagoddess but I'm sure it is a different species over there.

Cheers & glad you had a good time and tell us what you were eating!!!!

Best, Carol

excuse my Spanish but what is papas arrugadas?

They are well known, local dish in the Canaries. New potatoes, boiled in very salt water and served in a spicy sauce. Google the name and you'll see.

Alex

very nice!

loved the cuttlefish!

'Papas con mojo' when I was there.

They are well known, local dish in the Canaries. New potatoes, boiled in very salt water and served in a spicy sauce. Google the name and you'll see.

 

Alex

OK just googled it and its the same thing. Never heard it called 'papas arrugadas' before though?

Thank you very much Alex!! (well, not so sure after seeing my drinking pic! )

Papas arrugadas means wrinkled potatoes, not popes (that made me laugh Carol ). That nudi is an hypselodoris picta.

You made very good pictures but you will have to come back to dive our "little Lembeh"!!

Papas arrugadas means wrinkled potatoes, not popes (that made me laugh Carol ). That nudi is an hypselodoris picta.

You made very good pictures but you will have to come back to dive our "little Lembeh"!!

David, when I was with Carol in Florida I had grits - which was a much more harrowing culinary experience!

"Little Lembeh" was pretty damn cool, just a pity my guide was better at finding the harbour than the dive site! Anyway I am off to try the big Lembeh in a few weeks! I am sure there won't be as many seahorses there as in Gran Can.

Alex

Alex

How can you shoot a silted out bottom dweller and get such an artistic end result. Your "Angel Shark in Snow" would be my "Flat Brown shape in Backscatter". Beautiful pictures, and lovely blues (I am hunting down a Lee 444 as we speak)

Cheers

Hal

How can you shoot a silted out bottom dweller and get such an artistic end result.

These are actually mysiid shrimps. This image was top-lit - strobes up above the camera pointing down. Which reduces scatter in this instance, but more importantly gives deeper and more even light penetration away from the camera.

Alex

Papas arrugadas means wrinkled potatoes, not popes (that made me laugh Carol ). That nudi is an hypselodoris picta.

Hey David - blame Babelfish -- not me..... Do it yourself - Babelfish translates it to "Popes" with a capital "P".

Actually I think it is hilarious to see what Babelfish often comes up with. Try it at a party sometime!!!!!!

Great pics and looks like some fine diving (and food - whatever it is called...)

Best, Carol

That nudi is an hypselodoris picta.

David,

Thanks for the info. Now I remember!!! I'm not sure where the debate is at the moment but it used to be thought that our Florida regal sea goddess (H. edenticulata) was a separate species from the species that you all have and is widespread (H. picta). But then it was thought that our (H. edenticulata) was just a local color variation of the widespread one (H. picta - photoed by Alex on his site). I'm not sure where the debate is at them moment but I think even Bill on the Sea Slug Forum has parked it for the time being.....

That is a really interesting (and lovely!) slug because I've noticed when it is common it is really, really common. On some of the sites - especially the artificial ones - offshore right here I used to find 200+ of the (H. picta or H. edenticulata - whatever) on a single dive. I guess there were large concentrations of the sponges they liked to eat. Unfortunately in 2005 a massive red tide killed all of them offshore here and I'm waiting for them to return - bit by bit.....

Do you have a lot of the H. picta in your area? Just curious........?

Kind Regards, Carol

Alex,

Another great set of images.

By the way, are the angels usually buried under a layer of sand when you find them? and if so how do you gently extract them?

Regards

Nigel

By the way, are the angels usually buried under a layer of sand when you find them? and if so how do you gently extract them?

During the day they are often buried and you can try and fan the sand off them - but if you have a few dives it is better to search for one sitting up, proud of the sand. I was busy shooting one angelshark, when David called me over to this one - as it was in a much better pose:

At night they seemed more active - plus the eyes are more open:

Alex

David,

 

Thanks for the info. Now I remember!!! I'm not sure where the debate is at the moment but it used to be thought that our Florida regal sea goddess (H. edenticulata) was a separate species from the species that you all have and is widespread (H. picta). But then it was thought that our (H. edenticulata) was just a local color variation of the widespread one (H. picta - photoed by Alex on his site). I'm not sure where the debate is at them moment but I think even Bill on the Sea Slug Forum has parked it for the time being.....

 

That is a really interesting (and lovely!) slug because I've noticed when it is common it is really, really common. On some of the sites - especially the artificial ones - offshore right here I used to find 200+ of the (H. picta or H. edenticulata - whatever) on a single dive. I guess there were large concentrations of the sponges they liked to eat. Unfortunately in 2005 a massive red tide killed all of them offshore here and I'm waiting for them to return - bit by bit.....

 

Do you have a lot of the H. picta in your area? Just curious........?

 

Kind Regards, Carol

Hello Carol,

Here is a common nudi but not that much, maybe one or two per dive